Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Deena Von Yokes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Deena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)?
The most important lesson is always to treat people with kindness; you never know what is going on in their lives. I also learned the art of staying in positive and productive conversation, so when my client leaves, they are happier than when they came in. Lastly, never talk or gossip about someone else; it will make clients uncomfortable and reflect poorly on you as a service provider. So moral of the story is you create a connection and attract others by staying in a light positive conversation and being that bright light that others are attracted to. I believe this makes clients remember you and want to come back again and again.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
How and when I started my career was straight out of high school at age 17. I was fortunate enough to have a job right away and worked for my mom at her salon in a fun beach town. I was so young and clueless I thought hair lighter was hair color because all I did all day was blonds. I soon expanded my horizon and went on a journey to find my passion which was the world of hair color. The light went on when I was still a teenager and went with my mom to an international hair show which changed my life. Vidal Sasson trained my mom in the ’60s, so of course, she went straight to him when we arrived, and I met his colorist Annie Humphrey and that. My friends were the encounter that changed my path regarding what I wanted to specialize in. I already had Haircutting under my belt because that was a given. After all, my mom was an advanced educator with a Haircutting academy. She always said you would eat, drink and sleep hair to be the best; guess what I did work all week at her salon and class all weekend at her academy. I believe that commitment, dedication, discipline, and hard work is the only way to be the best and master your art. I have to say you don’t see this happening with new people these days. It’s a different world and crazy how work ethic has enormously changed. I hope to be that mentor or inspiration for a young upcoming stylist. I believe after my 40 years, I need to share with whoever wants to grow in my industry any knowledge and experience I have. Now is the time in my career to leave a legacy and know I’ve impacted others and made a difference In my industry and someone’s life.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I feel very confident in saying all my hard work, dedication, and training paid off, and here is where I think a foundation of discipline is so huge when it comes to how high you want to go in your career.

Training, being an assistant intern, or apprenticeship, I think, is critical to creating that solid foundation when building your future. If you don’t set a solid foundation first, the house will not hold up in a storm. I love this analogy because there are many ups and downs in business, so you need to be strong enough to ride the storms. It’s not all bad, or I probably would have quit a long time ago.

Repor, there are so many rewards, and that usually came from connecting with clients and staff, so to me, people and relationships are what is most important.

Consistency, when it comes to essential work ethics like showing up and being there consistently, is crucial so people know when they can count on you.

Knowledge, a reputation can be established off so many things example, in my salon industry, you must keep learning if you want to stay relevant. People come to us for fashion inspiration. If you’re going to draw people and keep them coming, you need constant and fresh ideas.

Lastly, communication is the most important as far as I’m concerned. If you master the art of communication, you will have the key to the kingdom. Your word gets spread like wildfire, so I recommend you choose your word wisely. This has everything to do with what kind of reputation you want to build. It’s so important when working with others to be aware of how you are affecting others. Honey always attracts bees. Negative attracts negative, what reputation do you want?

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
social media and getting active in my community

Contact Info:

• Website: Studiosavvysalon.com
• Instagram: @studiosavvysalon
• Facebook: studiosavvysalon
• Linkedin: deenavonyokes
• Yelp: Studio Savvy Salon

Image Credits
Deena Von Yokes