We recently connected with Ashley Nusrala and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

There is so much I could say here about the industry standard of doing hair extensions. The first thing that comes to mind is being “a hair extension specialist” versus someone who “offers hair extensions as one of their many service menu options.” There is a big client-facing misconception that hair extensions “rip your hair out” and damage your natural hair. Modern hair extensions have come a LONG way from what they were in the past, and in my humble opinion, the only reason they’d destroy your natural hair is an improper install. There’s several ways to define an improper install — lack of knowledge, too much hair applied, sloppy foundational work, poor placement — the list goes on… I completely understand people wanting to only spend what they can afford, and going to someone “cheaper” can be beyond tempting, but we want to change the industry standard and avoid these misconceptions and mishaps.

Personally, I invest in 2-3 continuing education classes per year. I want to continue to up the ante on the safest and cleanest install methods, new and different innovations in application, and the trendiest and edgiest looks of the year. My biggest concern is making sure my clients not only love their new look with extensions, but that they can actually grow their hair and positively shift the health of their hair while wearing them.

I believe continuing education and practice practice practice are SO important. Because something that is not only life-changing, but could potentially cost your clients thousands of dollars, is worth making sure you deliver top-tier and quality service.

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.

I am actually a super odd case of a hair stylist, where I got into the industry after 15 years in finance. Sometimes I hate telling people that because I think that it takes away from my credibility of doing hair. However, I think there’s a lot to back up the business side of the salon world, and how I run my business today.

The story goes that I was really sick of being in an industry where just the older, established men had the upper hand, and everything was about the money in their pockets. I seemingly couldn’t get to their level no matter how many licenses and certifications I got. So one day, I was like, “You know what? I’m going to take my life and future into my own hands…” I decided to visit Paul Mitchell the School, and even then with two kids already, I was still only about 60% sure that I was going to enroll. But when I stepped into the admissions office and learned about all the possibilities, potential earnings, and just that life-changing feeling to give to people, I was sold. And the rest is history!

I actually finished hair school during Covid in 2020, and have been doing solely extensions since then. One of the things that I think sets me apart in this industry is that, back in hair school, especially starting late to the game, everybody was telling me to book all the services, accept all of the services, and get good at them all. And I just kept thinking, “I’m not leaving a 15 year finance career just to do everything, and take men’s cuts, and kids cuts, and all things that I didn’t get into this industry for.” Not to say that there’s anything wrong with that; rather, I wanted to be the master of one specific trade.

I do various methods of installation and hair extension types, and from the beginning, I knew it was extensions-only for me. And I think that’s what really sets apart a specialist from somebody that just offers extensions on their service menu.

I love the feeling of helping people who are insecure about their hair for any reason. Seeing the immediate reaction of happiness and pure joy on their faces after their first extension set truly lights me up inside.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up, I was raised to believe that money truly does buy happiness. This is evidenced by the fact that I was pushed toward going into some sect of “business” instead of following my passions. I didn’t always know I wanted to do hair, but I have always been a creative since I was a kid.

For years into my finance career, and especially while making good money in the industry, I didn’t second guess money being able to buy happiness. But as my joy and drive in that industry started to wither, not even good money could keep me happy about going to an office each day. For many years before I left the industry to pursue a career path in hair, I experienced unlearning the concept that money buys happiness.

Fast-forward to my career now. Running my own business, setting my own prices and general rules of operation, and dictating my own future and growth potential has allowed me full and complete happiness. Simple freedoms such as being able to take my kids to their summer swim lessons or taking off work on a casual Thursday to go to something fun with my husband is a level of happiness I didn’t realize I could unlock.

At first, I didn’t make the same money doing hair as I am making now (which has since far surpassed corporate finance, to paint a picture). But having a blank slate in front of me to build the life I always dreamed of was all I needed to take the steps to making great money again.

The lesson here — money CAN’T buy happiness. But that doesn’t mean you have to be broke. You just have to be unstoppable.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

There is no doubt that social media is HUGE these days – bigger than it’s ever been. And trends seem to change all of the time, which keeps us on our toes and sometimes even gets under our skin. I’m sure you’ve felt it; I have, too.

For those just starting out, I don’t want you to believe that social media presence is either a daunting task, nor just another mundane to-do on your list each day. But I will say that there’s no denying that it is your virtual storefront. And it’s often the make or break of whether or not people decide to book with you or buy your goods or services. Therefore, it’s important.

When building up your social media presence to get new clients or sales, my opinion has always been that people focus far too much on the vanity metrics — how many followers do I have? How many likes did I get on this post? How many views? I want/need to go viral!… the list goes on. My biggest piece of advice is to market yourself – in any way that feels right – and let social media be a *holistic* (that’s the key word) portfolio that helps people make a decision on you and your business when they find your profile. As a perfect example, I just recently broke only 2000 followers, but I get inquiries from potential new clients on social media every single week.

So many people get hung up on being embarrassed to show themselves, posting too often, or “annoying” their followers. But I’ll tell you – people want to buy from you for YOU. And social media is a perfect place to tell your story and show off what your business is all about! So I encourage you to get on there, be authentic, and let people know more about you. Everyone has something fun and cool about them, and growth and success in your business all starts with telling that story!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thatblondestylist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/that_blonde_stylist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThatBlondeStylistLA/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@that_blonde_stylist
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@that_blonde_stylist

Image Credits

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