We were lucky to catch up with Amber Casciano Shatzen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Chrome Rose Salon officially became a business January 2022. I knew I wanted to hire stylists this year and that I wanted to run my salon/business in a new and effective way. A way that most commission based salons have never done before, after working in commission salons for over a decade, they’re all basically the same. No matter how “different” each company claims they are, they all still have the same core issues. Toxicity, ridiculous expectations of “paying your dues”, unrealistic retail sales goals, with low commission rates, and even non compete contracts.

It’s 2022 and we can’t keep running our salons the way it’s always been done because it’s killing us!

Introducing an all inclusive hourly pricing and freedom with responsibility into my salon was simple and easy. Stylists have the freedom to choose their speciality and working hours. We charge for our services based on time instead of gender or services. Stylists control their own books to elimate conflicts with booking properly and charging for the correct services.

All inclusive pricing means no more tipping! We are artists and we want to be treated as such! Lastly, the opportunity for online affiliate product sales. So there is no expectation of having to push a certain amount of products everyday, your clients have the choice to order salon products online and have them shipping directly to their house while still supporting their stylist and our salon!

I do this in hopes to change the stigma behind being a hairstylist, how were perceived, and give everyone the opportunity to do hair in a healthy and safer environment

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi I’m Amber Shatzen, owner of Chrome Rose Salon, I’ve been in this industry for 14 years now! I was raised in Gwinnett county and have worked all around the city at some of the most popular salons in our area. I love working as a stylist and creating some very iconic looks for my clients. I’m mostly known for my hair color work. In my earlier years I was solely known for my vivid colors and edges cuts. Now a days I’m more known for my lives in blondes and rich dark tones. Which gives me so much joy!

When I was younger, I was a typical Atlanta hairstylist. Going out every night, working every morning, and somehow surviving through the days. I always showed up, but i wasn’t always my best. I’ve worked very hard to get myself out of that stereotype and live a healthier and more fulfilling life in and out of the salon. I’m proud of all the self work I’ve done to get myself to the point where I can successfully own a business.

I opened my own salon suite in 2021, by January this year I knew what I wanted to do with my new career path. I wanted to not just own a salon, but have it filled with stylists who were taken care of and respected. Chrome Rose was born and I hired my first stylist in February. It’s now October and I’m happy to say I have 2 full time stylists who work alongside me in my 2 chair micro-salon in Grant Park.

I operate on a “freedom with responsibility “ mindset. We have unlimited time off, freedom to control our own books and clients, and we don’t force anyone to perform services they don’t feel comfortable doing. We charge for our services based off of time on the chair instead of gender or specific services. We don’t accept extra tips and try to be as transparent as we can with what you’re being charged for.

I hope to build my business even bigger in 2022 and house more talented stylists!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

This one is something that I have to actively work on. Unlearning that my stylists are not out to get me. I came from a salon where everyone was on edge at all times. We weren’t trusted or respected, and constantly had to prove ourselves to the owner. Once I started working for myself I quickly learned feeling fear and anxiety at work isn’t normal and shouldn’t be tolerated. I deserve to be respected and treated fairly.

When things come up that would cause an issue in my former place of work, I have to remind myself to check my reactivity and get to the root of my feelings before I address anything with my stylists. It always boils down to communication and expressing what you want instead of assuming your employees will automatically know.

By focusing on my salon as a business instead of a “family” keeps things from getting emotional and if you’ve ever worked in a creative type business you know things can get emotional really fast.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Set clear and attainable expectations. Only communicate with your employees during THEIR working hours. If you do send them a note/message not during their typical working hours, don’t immediately expect an answer right away. If you’re friends with your employees, I highly suggest having a work line (we use google voice) to communicate all work matters, so you don’t mix your work tone with friend tone. Avoid groups chats at all costs!

Schedule monthly “you and me” times, this doesn’t have to be labeled a “meeting” which can bring uneasy feelings or expectations for some people. Use this time just to touch base with your employee. They don’t have to be mandatory, but it just shows that you want to make space for your people.

Showing your employees that you’re truly there to support them and help them grow, goes a lot further than you think!!

Contact Info:

• Website: Chromerosesalon.com
• Instagram: @chromerosesalon
• Facebook: Chrome rose salon
• Yelp: Chrome rose salon

Image Credits
Black and white photo by Christian Zajicek