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

Caitlin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I have a million reasons every day to be grateful that I am a business owner. There are a lot of perks that come with being your own boss but there is also a lot more riding on your shoulders. You have to wear all of the metaphorical hats and if a hat doesn’t fit right you have to delegate that role to someone else and pay them.

Sometimes I think it might be nice to just have a “regular job”. This thought comes to me typically when I’m not respecting my own boundaries. I recently worked 10 days in a row getting myself pretty close to the point of burnout before taking a break. When you are an independent business owner the work doesn’t go anywhere when you are gone, you either work extra hours before or after a vacation to make up for the time away and there is no such thing as PTO.

Whenever I have these fleeting thoughts I’m quick to remember that I don’t have to ask permission for the time away and that I get to decide where to draw the line with my scheduling. The PTO, health insurance, and maternity leave would be fabulous and may be something I figure out down the line but for now I’m grateful for my scheduling freedom.

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

I started Hair Heroine LLC in December 2019 out of necessity when the salon I had been working at closed. I decided it was time to create a space that was a reflection of my passion and purpose. I had worked in traditional salon settings in Royal Oak, MI and Grand Rapids, MI for a decade before setting out on my own. I learned a lot from each place I worked and was able to create a vision for what I wanted in a work space.

Behind the chair, I seek to create a safe space for my guests to be totally authentic, where I can help to enhance and elevate their beauty from the inside out! I love to take my job on the road for weddings, stylized shoots, and fashion shows. I have had amazing travel opportunities and have worked backstage at New York Fashion Week on shows for Oscar de la Renta and more. One of my biggest career triumphs however was being able to mentor and inspire other incredibly talented stylists. I love seeing other people succeed. My main objective is to celebrate and empower every person I work with.

I am looking forward to growing my business and providing an accessible space for like minded artists and beauty professionals to grow their independent businesses within an inclusive community that celebrates authenticity.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first moved to Grand Rapids I had to start over completely. I didn’t know many people and when someone has a hairstylist they love they aren’t going to jump ship just because a friend moved to town. I had to work second and third jobs just to support my career. I worked in retail, in restaurants, and even hosted trivia all while working a full time schedule behind the chair. That was my second and hopefully last time running the gamut. The beauty industry takes a huge amount of hustle and dedication and the rewards are more emotional than monetary most of the time.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Many people will say that social media is the best way to grow a clientele. In my experience what actually grows a clientele is authenticity and skill. You can have a fun flashy Instagram and make eight million TikToks but if you don’t have an authentic connection with your clients it won’t mean anything. Focusing on expanding your knowledge and skill set will get you much further than an Instagram post with 2k likes on it. When your real life clients are happy and appreciated they will refer you more real life clients. I’m not saying to ignore social media, have fun with it, be yourself and definitely use it to promote your business, just don’t make sure it’s a reflection of what you want your business to look like.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hairheroine.com
• Instagram: @hair.heroine
• Facebook: Caitlin Eyk Hairstylist