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

Donna , appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

Everyday I wake up, I strive to make people feel as beautiful as others see them. We all could use that, right? For others to help us see what we may not willingly think about ourselves. I am so lucky to be in a position to be able to make someone feel their best by transforming their hair to best fit them and enhance their already beautiful features. You never really know an impact you’ll have on someone, what kind of day their having, what’s going on in their personal lives and what they may be battling and trying to overcome. I had a client who was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met and she was so funny too, I swear we laughed her entire appointment telling stories and jokes back and forth. I finished up her color and styled her hair and she loved it! I loved it too, which is crucial, because I’m my own worst critic, lol. Aren’t we all? Anyway, so fast forward a few weeks and I had been having a rough time mentally juggling my career, business, mom/wife life and wondering if I was doing enough. Was I making a difference at all? I was in my head and had been there for while. One Saturday morning, I get a text from that same client and she sent me a selfie of the day we did her hair and said that specific day was one of the lowest points she had ever been in her life and that talking to me and getting her hair done made her feel so much better. She went on to say how much of a difference I made to her and I instantly started tearing up, because not only was I unknowingly making a difference in her day during her appointment with me, she reminded me of why I do what I do and gave ME the reminder I needed. We’re all human. We need love and compassion and women empowerment. It’s human nature to be kind.

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?

Gosh where I do even start. I started doing hair eight years ago, which seems so wild to me, because I still feel like I’m constantly learning and evolving. That’s the best part though, the constant evolution of what we do and how we can do it better. I would say over the last three years, I really honed into what I felt I was meant to do in this industry and for me that was soft effortless color, specifically blondes hence my blonding specialist title. I’m a sucker for a blonde. The tones, the way it brightens your face, enhances your features and the appreciation of it all. If I had to highlight one thing I was most proud of in my career, it would be the obstacles I overcame to get to where I am today. I was a single mom to my Landyn for five years until I met my incredible husband, Will. Starting your career, building a clientele and finding your comfort in what you do all while raising a child by yourself is not for the faint of heart. I doubted myself in my work and in motherhood many times. I made lots of mistakes, but I sure as hell learned from every one of them. In the end, it made me become a better person, a better friend, a better mother and a better STYLIST. It gave me my empathic heart, my demeanor and compassion towards others and my stride to make other women feel and look their best. Thats what I would say I am most proud of. You cant look good on the outside without feeling your best on the inside and if I am able to help do both, well I’d say that’s a damn good day for me.

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

Definitely social media and word of mouth. Instagram is free advertising and a great way to connect with clients and other people all over the world. For me specifically, I have connected with so many stylists from all over the US from Arizona to Texas. I often ask my clients how they were referred to me and social media comes up often. Specifically hash tags. If you’re not using hash tags to expand your posts and business, you need to!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think one of the biggest lessons I was taught starting my career is as a new stylist, you had to be the underdog for x amount of years before you were given the right to be more successful or better than someone who has been doing hair for longer than you. I started my career with those thoughts and worked at a salon where I was not treated like an equal, because of my age and how long I had been doing hair and it was a total buzz kill. I was very uninspired and was forced to take clients I didn’t want to take and offer services I wasn’t wanting to provide, because “that’s just what your do to pay your dues” I would always hear. I will say, working under another stylist and having respect for them and their craft and what they have to teach you is the best way you can learn as a new stylist. I don’t necessarily think you need to “pay your dues”, but to give respect and earn respect and work hard for where you want to be and how you want to be viewed to clients and to other stylists. When you’re first starting out, you have to keep your mind open to learning everything, the good and the bad and taking that and using it to become the stylist you want to be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Hairbymadonnab

Image Credits
Christina Crespo Photography