We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Audra Springer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Audra below.

Audra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Before taking the risk and working for myself behind the chair, I had always worked for other businesses. I had great experiences, had awesome people to work for and built lifelong friendships.
Although, I would often think about how flexible my hours could be, how there would be no pay cap, how I could make every idea possible that came to my mind by working for myself.
When I finally took the risk and went behind the chair full time, renting a booth, I started out slow.
It felt like I had all the time in the world because I was trying to fill in time gaps from where I would work my part time job.
I was happy, but a little stressed knowing that I needed to build a bigger clientele.
I wasn’t giving myself a lot of boundaries with my time since I was single and lived close to my place of business. I would take a lot of clients on whenever the time worked for them, not me.
As time went on, I built a full clientele. Almost felt too full at times. I was working sun up to sun down and even working my days off to get clients in.
I soon would find myself in a committed relationship and even help raise my now step son.
This changed everything.
Here I am with a full clientele, but also wanting a life outside of work.
I ask myself daily “what is the balance?”.
I will often joke and say I don’t know if I will ever find it because I’m a Capricorn.

Like I mentioned before, I would think years ago how working for myself would be so much easier and more flexible. I’ve learned it’s not.
Even when I’m not physically working, I’m working.
Answering messages, social media marketing, checking bank accounts, budgeting, planning, rescheduling when something comes up like an ice storm or a friends baby shower, going to product stores, inventory, cleaning, folding towels, etc.

The question was am I happy as a business owner?
My honest answer is, it truly depends on the day, the week and the hour.
Every day is different.

Do I think about a “regular job” and what it would be like?
I couldn’t lie and say I don’t. I do. I often think how easy it would be to go in, do my job and leave every day at the same time.
Especially now having a family of my own.
At the same time, I wouldn’t change it.
I’m working on the boundaries and hoping to really find a balance sooner than later.

Audra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m 28 and I have been a hair stylist for 8.5 years. I started out working part time other places while building my brand in the salon and slowly building a clientele. Eventually, I would build the clientele and work full time for myself behind the chair.

When I was in high school, I became interested in becoming a hair stylist after talking to my hair stylist at that time. I graduated and went right into beauty school.

I specialize in hair color.

Problems that I solve for my clients could be everything from figuring out what color would be best.. to giving relationship advice. It goes both ways too. I treat most of my clients as if they are my friends/family and they do the same.
I wanted to create a brand and a place in my chair where someone can feel safe to talk or not talk.

I’ve learned that doing hair is so much more than just doing someone’s hair.
Sometimes a client truly just needs a friend for a few hours and sometimes so do I.

What I am most proud of? That would have to be my younger self 8 years ago.
She didn’t give up when it got too hard. When there was literally $0 being profited from being a hair stylist.
Working two other jobs just to pay for products and booth rent at the salon while I was building some clientele.
I would call my mom and just cry. I would question everything.
I’m proud of younger Audra for not quitting and staying disciplined enough to push through.

Something I want my clients to know is how thankful I am for each of them. Without clients, you have nothing. I’m thankful for the ones who continue to support me when I mess up a hair color, when I wake up with a family emergency and have to cancel day of, when I’m continuing to try new hours to spend more time at home and especially when I just need a good vent sesh.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

When I finished the program to become a hair stylist, I decided to take a chance and move to the big city. When I moved to Grapevine, I was staying with my grandparents since I didn’t have a job being a hair stylist yet.
I decided to look into the medical aesthetic side of the beauty industry.
I finished the program at National Laser Institute and started sending out job applications.
The first job I was able to get was in Southlake being a laser technician. At this point, I still wasn’t a hair stylist in a salon.
My (now forever friend) was also a technician at this clinic. One day her mom came into the clinic and told me that she owned a salon in downtown Grapevine. At that time I had 0 clients and 0 potential clients.
We discussed that I could work there part time and she would help me get on my feet.
For about 5 years being a hair stylist was my side hustle. I eventually found another part time job and worked for an amazing plastic surgeon in Southlake who allowed me to work 8 hours a week, helping him and his awesome team at his practice, while building clients at the salon.
Eventually I needed those 8 hours at the salon.
What started as doing hair on the side, turned into my full time business.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Social media first and word of mouth second. I was about 3-4 years in to being a hair stylist when everything changed. A lady that worked in the office next to the practice I worked at, asked me if I would fix her daughters hair.
I agreed and set the time up. We fixed her hair and next thing you know my phone is blowing up.
I had no idea she had 10,000 + followers on Instagram.
This changed my career. To this day I still have clients that in some way came from Hailey. Forever thankful for her.
I tell all new stylists or stylists wanting to build, take advantage of social media, post your work everyday, do giveaways, post about you, be real and post the good and the bad. Social media is the first thing most of us look at in the mornings and it’s the first thing we go to look up someone’s work. I am blessed by receiving so many awesome clients from social media.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: audralynnhair
• Facebook: Audra Lynn Hair
• Yelp: New Image Hair Skin And Nails – Audra

Image Credits
My picture was taken by Bree Reinhart Hair pictures were taken by myself