We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Rabourn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amanda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have absolutely been able to earn a full time living with my career. In the beginning, I had to put my time in learning, making mistakes and learning from them. I started at a corporate salon that focused more on quantity than quality. Working at places like this helped hone in my ability to be efficient, work on time constraints and problem solve quickly. I personally wasn’t fully full filled working at a corporate salon and wanted to challenge myself further and focus on color services that gave me more artistic freedom, with larger profit. After a few salons, I finally found my forever home in a salon that cares abouty future and success. I work very cushy hours with really only about a 32 hour work week. I literally get to be creative all day long while earning a living that supports myself and 3 children. I am able to travel often and work with my very best friends. I think in the beginning of moving to a locally owned salon my biggest struggle was being confident in charging my worth. As soon as all the staff got on the same page with our abilities and what they’re worth, we all started making significantly more money. It’s definitely a blessing to be able to make a living doing what we do. Not to mention that we work at a salon that the owner invest back into us with a 401k and other benefits.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hello! I’m Amanda Dawn. I grew up always loving doing hair and makeup on willing friends and family. I took that love and made it my career after realizing after 2 years of college that there wasn’t a degree I was passionate about receiving. I offer color services, specializing in fantasy colors. I also offer cuts and styling services as well. I love when a client comes in for a full transformation and gives me total creative freedom. One of my favorite parts of my job is the connection I build with clients after getting to know them; I truly love getting to know them and their story. One of the things I believe sets me and the salon I’m at apart from other’s is the atmosphere and connection the entire staff has. We all work seamlessly together and are always there with creative input to have the client looking and feeling their best when they leave.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing clientele for my business has been word of mouth and posting pictures via social media. The client’s hair and experience with me are my billboard. When someone stops them at the grocery store and compliments their hair, that’s the best advertisement there is. I have one client that works customer service here in town at a local store. Her cute pixie cuts she rocks has gained me at least 4 new clients; They saw her at the desk and asked “who cuts your hair?” Also, social media pictures have been amazing for gaining new clients as well. The pictures offer the future client an idea of your abilities and draws them in.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

What drives me is passion for life. I love having a career that fuels my creative passion and also give me the freedom of time to enjoy my family and travel. It fills my need for human interaction and learning and growing by hearing others life experiences. My mission is to make my clients’ feel their best and leave with an uplifted heart while thoroughly enjoying life myself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Amanda.dawn8
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.rabourn
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/Studio58SalonRaymore