We recently connected with Chris Ettrick and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I’ve found in my career(s!) That my success comes from being 100% myself. Not in the “I’m so great of course I’m bound for success,” way, but in the “I share the good, the bad and the ugly,” of who I am.

I was first licensed in hair in 2007, and from the start you were always told to “make it about the client.” Don’t talk politics, don’t talk religion, don’t talk about yourself. Which has some merit, but the issue with that is you’ll never make a personal connection with them. It wasn’t until 2013 when I stopped working for corporate salons, that I learned sharing your life and asking meaningful questions was the formula the most booked, the highest earning and genuinely happiest stylists were doing. It was my first day at my new salon, and I distinctly remember the women next to me (shout out Melanie!) asked her client about a date he went on. Nothing too crazy, but then she asked “Did you have sex with her?” When I tell you my world shattered, the sun exploded, I died and was reborn, I’m barely exaggerating. I came to realize that’s just who Melanie was the longer we worked together. This amazing unapologetic Leo women, who was talented at hair, but excelled at getting to know people and letting you know who she was. About 6 months into working there, I started taking stand up comedy and improv classes to unlearn the idea I wasn’t worth getting to know, or that my clients didn’t want to know me. Sharing those experiences with people generated bigger audiences for the comedy shows I was on, helping me to become a finalist at the Portland Helium comedy clubs funniest person contest. I was also voted by readers of our local newspaper as one of the funniest comedians in town, and eventually got a hosting gig from 2018-2020 with Microsoft.

Chris, 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 like to think of myself as the dinner and show version of hair and pole dance instructing.

I decided to do hair because i knew i was going to have to work through college, and saw this documentary on Tammy Wynatte, who spoke about how she maintained her cosmetology license throughout her entire career. I believe her quote was, “There’s 3 jobs that will never go away. Doctors, because people will get sick. Hairstylists, because hair grows. And bartenders, because people are gonna drink.” I didn’t want to become a doctor, was too young to be a bartender, and i liked fashion and style anyway, so hair seemed like a great idea!

With everything I do, the most important thing is that you always end up looking and feeling your best, with a lot of laughter on the way. It’s also become really important to me, especially when I started dance, to make sure that everyone knows they are actually perfect and beautiful before they sit in my chair, with whatever body they’re in when they come to a class, or whatever their life is like before they sit an the audience of a show.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The best resource you can find when starting a business is a mentor! Someone you trust, who believes in you, and honestly, has what you want. When I realized jealousy was the most useless emotion, it opened up so many doors to finding myself in spaces and situations where I could approach well-established, super-successful people with curiosity instead of fear, or even anger, that they were at a place I desperately wanted to be at. I’m so thankful to the people who have shared their wisdom with me. It’ll save you potentially risky mistakes, points of view you might never have considered, and a peek behind the curtain to the amount of effort it’s going to take to maintain a business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best strategy for any business isn’t just getting clients to refer others, but also incentives. A 20% discount for the referrer and the referee is what I do at my salon, which could make a big difference on a pricey service like coloring. It also helps because I already know that they’re gonna be good, loyal clients, because they were vetted by someone I already like and trust to not send me people I wouldn’t want to spend anywhere from 45 minutes to 6 hours with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stmartinspdx.glossgenius.com
• Instagram: chris.ettrick