We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Michael. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.
Emily, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?
Absolutely—and also no. Of course there’s a part of me that wonders what would’ve happened if I had taken the leap earlier, but I truly believe every step of my career led me exactly where I needed to be. The years I spent learning and growing my clientele timed out perfectly. Opening my own space didn’t happen late—it happened right. It came at a point in my career when I was ready creatively, emotionally, and professionally, and that timing has made all the difference!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been in the beauty industry for twelve years, beginning my career after graduating from Paul Mitchell with color honors . Over the years, I’ve grown as both a hairstylist and makeup artist, finding my passion in hair color, extensions, and wedding hair and makeup. Today, I’m proud to own my own salon suite, which allows me to offer a personalized, elevated experience for my clients. I was recently recognized as Best of Franklin Hair Salon in both 2023 and 2024 which has been an incredible honor and in 2025 I was awarded a Marquis Whose Who award as a business owner.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of the biggest pivots in my career came during Covid. Overnight, my entire business which is built on personal connection and human interaction came to a halt. Being shut down was incredibly hard, both professionally and emotionally. I had to quickly adapt how I connected with clients, stay creative, and find ways to support people even when we couldn’t be together physically. That time changed how essential human interaction truly is, especially in an industry rooted conversation and hair care. Returning to the salon after the shutdown was a weird navigation at first but I am so glad we’re back !
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Post, post, post! Show your work, show your personality, and don’t wait for perfection. Engage with local businesses, reach out, be kind, and actually interact. Treat social media like a community, not a billboard. Be yourself, be a friend, and make it your own and see how it grows.
Image Credits
Headshot – onah leigh photography