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

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

Scaling my business really came down to intentional investment—in myself and in my team. I focused heavily on education, mastering textured and curly hair, and then training my stylists to become experts across all hair types, not just one niche.

A major turning point was realizing how hard it is to find high-quality stylists. Instead of searching for them, I built them. I created an apprenticeship program that’s been incredibly successful in developing confident, fully booked stylists who can deliver a consistent experience.

I’ve also consistently reinvested into the business—tools, products, continued education, and creating a salon space that reflects our standards.

It hasn’t been easy balancing being behind the chair, running the salon, and training a team, but those challenges forced me to build better systems and trust my stylists.

Now, clients don’t just come for me—they trust our entire team. That shift is really what allowed us to grow.

Ashley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a curly hair specialist and salon owner, and my business is really centered around helping people feel confident in their natural hair. I got into this because I saw how many people with textured hair felt frustrated or misunderstood, and I wanted to change that experience.

What I do goes beyond just a haircut—it’s very education-focused. I teach my clients how to care for and style their hair in a way that actually works for them, so they can feel confident outside of the salon too.

I also focus a lot on growing my team and creating opportunities within the salon through assisting, booth rental, and ongoing education.

What sets us apart is how personalized and intentional everything is. It’s not just about how your hair looks when you leave—it’s about long-term results and confidence.

I’m most proud of the community we’ve built and seeing both clients and stylists grow. At the end of the day, it’s about more than hair—it’s about helping people feel like their best selves.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My social media really started out of necessity. When I first went independent, my schedule was pretty empty, and I had a 9-month-old at home—so I didn’t really have a choice but to figure it out.

My husband was my biggest supporter through all of it. He helped me make business cards and honestly pushed me out of my comfort zone. I remember him telling me to literally go walk around and hand my cards out to people, and I did—that was one of the most humbling experiences, but it worked.

At the same time, I started using Instagram as a free marketing tool. Every service I did, I posted. I had friends come in for free haircuts just so I could build content and show my work. I just stayed really consistent with it.

Over time, that consistency paid off, and now I can say about 40% of my clientele comes from social media.

My biggest advice for anyone starting out is to just start posting and don’t overthink it. Use what you have, stay consistent, and focus on showing real results. You don’t need everything to be perfect—you just need to show up.

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

One lesson I’ve had to unlearn is trying to please everyone. Early on, I’d say yes to every client request or stylist idea because I just wanted everyone to be happy. I quickly realized that no matter what I did, I couldn’t, and constantly trying left me drained. It’s still something I’m working on, but learning to set boundaries has been a game-changer—for my business, my team, and my own energy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://KCtexture.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleycurls_kc?igsh=MXY1NmI0azR6YmpkOA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr https://www.instagram.com/texture_kc?igsh=bDF0MnIyaHN3NmIx&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FoGyDsyGd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits

https://www.instagram.com/honestly__gab?igsh=MWJveHp4NWpzZTh2dQ==