We recently connected with Courtney Monroe and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, appreciate you joining us today. So, folks often look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight – but that often obscures all the nitty, gritty details of everything that went into the growth phase of your business. We’d love to hear about your scaling story and how you scaled up?

I started cosmetology school two weeks after graduating from the University of Michigan in 2009. It wasn’t a popular choice – many of my peers started their careers in tech or business or pursued masters degrees – but investing in cosmetology school was a decision that made me feel the most like myself. But what nobody tells you about becoming a colorist/stylist is that it is a TON of work and usually an uphill battle to success.

I struggled to find a salon home in Ann Arbor because I couldn’t find a workplace where I wouldn’t be limited in services-offered nor underestimated. Sometimes, stylists of color – particularly Black stylists in predominantly White communities and salons – get pigeonholed as a salon’s texture stylist because other stylists have minimal experience with coarse, curly, coily, or kinky textures. While many of us are proud to serve clients who have textures like ours, it also limits our ability to explore other areas of the industry. Telling salon owners that I wanted to become a color expert, when all they saw was the potential revenue that could be made by an increase in multicultural clients, meant that my interests would be minimized and my growth would be stagnant. Needless to say, I took a while to do some additional research on local salons before landing at Pura Vida Color Studio in downtown Ann Arbor. This is a salon where I’ve been able to have a transparent and authentic relationship with the salon owners, been empowered to try new things and invest in new opportunities, and been able to communicate my interests in the industry.

I am immensely grateful that my experience at Pura Vida has been one of support and growth, which is why I have remained a part of that team since the Fall of 2011. But any good stylist will tell you that continued education is absolutely critical to build a healthy career. Cosmetology school only scratches the surface of what a professional should know, and I needed lots of additional training and refinement. I assisted the master colorist/salon co-owner for over a year before taking clients – meaning, I needed to balance another job to pay the bills! This is something that nobody likes to discuss for fear of being crass, but it takes several years to build a consistent enough clientele base to render a decent income. Many newer stylists who aren’t able to depend on family for financial or housing support find additional jobs while being fine-tuned in the salon. Industry classes and developmental opportunities are important, but so is paying the rent on time – so between the two careers, I found myself working 60+hrs/week and being stretched thin for many years. That type of overworking leaves very little room for you to have a balanced lifestyle, and I neglected my personal wellness at times. I knew that eventually it would take a toll on my performance in the salon, so a decision needed to happen! As I evolved more in the industry and became much more proficient with my skills, I began winning awards, aquiring extra certifications, built a robust and consistent guest list, and I became part of the leadership team in the salon. I thoughtfully made the choice to be singularly focused and ended my 10+ year multi-job lifestyle, and I am very much looking forward to learning more in this new stage of my career in the salon industry.

Courtney, 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 am a Senior Colorist/Stylist with over a decade of experience creating natural-looking, dimensional, modern color (and cuts!) for my guests. My goal is to elevate the impact of a guest’s hair – I want them to look like the best version of themselves, with the healthiest version of their hair. I do a lot of dimensional coloring (highlighting/lowlighting) using various techniques and encourage tonal options that work the best for the guest’s current hair color. In other words, I don’t advocate for colors that are an unreasonably strong contrast from a guest’s natural color because there are numerous, more-realistic options that will NOT compromise the integrity of the hair. I love chatting with guests about everything from current events, to travel experiences, to the shows they binge! I’m also one of the Success Leaders in our salon – helping to mentor and coach stylists who are newer in their career in hopes of them having a well-rounded experience and a growth mindset.

I was born and raised in Detroit, MI – and I’m a PROUD product of Detroit Public Schools. I graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2009, and the Douglas J Aveda Institute in 2010. My continued education courses and certifications are in balayage highlights (Balayage Summit, Los Angeles 2019), precision cutting (Vidal Sassoon, Toronto 2016), and advanced color theory (Davines North America, Montreal 2019 and Brooklyn 2022). In 2014 I passed the exam to be recognized by the Board of Certified Haircolorists (BCH), and in 2021 and 2022 I was honored to win “Best Hairstylist” in Current Magazine’s Best of Washtenaw County.

In 2022, I was fortunate to consult with the North American HQ of Davines, a global hair color and product company which we use in our salon. The opportunity with their Brooklyn-based team was aimed at creating a more inclusive and equitable future in the beauty industry, and I’m currently continuing that work.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

When you’re working in the beauty industry, having a positive reputation – in both skills and professionalism – is mandatory. Social media and other forms of PR are great tools, but referrals from other guests are STILL the most common reason why a person chooses a salon or stylist. Building my reputation has been an intentional journey of developing my skills with extra classes and certifications, as well as developing business competencies. People respond well to a stylist who is talented AND professional, and it helps with guest retention and generating referrals.

But honestly, being myself with clients has been the biggest reputation-builder because authenticity sells itself. I’m a hard-working introvert, who’s a little bit of a nerd, that cares a lot about social justice, tv/movies/music, and sweet treats (sneakers earn an honorable mention here). In most cases, guests have appreciated seeing more of my personality and it’s offered them the opportunity to be their authentic selves as well. Because when a new guest sits in a stylist’s chair for the first time. they are often very nervous, so its important to make the environment more comfortable and less awkward.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think non-creatives don’t always understand the hard work involved in creative professions. There is a notion that unless you follow a traditional path, you can’t be successful and your career isn’t considered legitimate. As a person who obtained a degree, worked in higher education then pivoted into the beauty industry, I’ve learned that building a creative career from scratch is a challenge that takes lots of confidence, savvy business skills, and grit. While many people have been challenged by their respective career journeys, if there’s a roadmap or standard trajectory that most abide by, it’s very different from the highly individualized journey in creatively-driven professions. You need to be a self-starter who can build a network, understand how to sell your skills, continually invest in developmental opportunities, be comfortable operating on your own, be willing to take risks, and often have an abnormal schedule. That alone should be enough to give creative professionals the same respect as those in medicine, education, or any other career that is highly specialized and respected.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mypuravida.com
• Instagram: c.l.monroe_llc

Image Credits
Headshot photo: Hannah Holland Hair photos: Courtney Monroe