We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erica Westbrook a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Erica, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
I hope to be known for the way I loved and cared for the people around me. It’s an honor to have the trust of not only my clients hair, but their hearts. I hope that everyone who sits in my chair knows they are seen and loved. My faith has shaped the way I see people and myself. I don’t believe I have it all together or know the answers, but I can treat people like they matter. No matter what walk of life you are in, when you come through my doors, you will feel welcome. I hope the legacy is leave is that no matter your background, race, beliefs, my role is to love you and make sure you know how valuable you are.
Erica, 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?
My Aunt is a huge reason I’m where I’m at today. She always spoke life over me, and made me believe in myself. She was the first person who told me she thought I’d make a great cosmetologist one day.
Growing up, I was often described as a “Tom boy”. I think a lot of friends I went to high school with were shocked that I was going into cosmetology. I wasn’t the most fashionable, nor did I care. I did however care a lot about people, socializing, and building relationships, which makes me wonderful at my job but made me a terrible student. I stayed in trouble for talking too much.
I failed my first semester of college, and when I started my second I knew I wasn’t in it. I called my mom to tell her I couldn’t do traditional school anymore. I was told I had to pick something else so I defaulted to what my Aunt spoke over me all those years ago.
I’ll never forget the first day I got to run my fingers through my mannequins hair. I felt I might finally be good at something after all. Fast forward 13 years later and I still love what I do. All the things that kept me in trouble in school now had purpose.
My favorite thing about what I do is the role I play in building others up. I get to listen to all of their highs and lows. I consider it a privilege to sit in the sadness with them over a multitude of things. I have prayed with, cried with, celebrated with, and rejoiced with them and it’s rewarding. I hear it all, and I don’t take it lightly. I’m honored to have not only their trust in my ability to bring their vision to life but also to hear what’s on their hearts. I’m most proud of that.
Creatively, it’s helpful to know my clients and their personality. I love seeing my clients branch out because there is trust.
Color corrections, and big transformations are so much fun! To see the way my clients light up in the mirror when I spin them around, make it all worth it! So I am big on a personalized experience. That is the heart behind what I do!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I found myself exhausted to the point of burn out trying to meet others expectations for my life. When I unlearned this, and began to step into being my most authentic self, it set me free. In fact, I went through a really hard season in my personal life, and I couldn’t possibly meet others expectations. I found myself in survival mode, focusing on the next right thing. I found myself navigating who I was apart from what I saw as a loss. I don’t think people talk about when these life changes happen you actually grieve yourself. I was communicating with loved ones that I will do my best, but it’s possible I may not meet their expectations. It freed me up to re discover who I was when I felt a lot in my life was being stripped away. What I learned, I am created unique, with my own set of gifts, talents, and things I offer, I am resilient, and I am not broken beyond repair. God met me where I was, and I can see His faithfulness in my life when I look back and see how I got through it. I learned I am free to be me, imperfectly navigating life as I go, it was a very humbling place to be in. So I take that and try to meet people where they are, listen to their needs and build up what feels broken. I know what it feels like to feel lost, to feel alone, to feel misunderstood. When you start living your most authentic self, not everyone will be a fan but at least you have your truth. It takes being able to be real with yourself, to accept others for their real self. I am proud to say I welcome everyone and love to see how unique and different everyone is. I think it shows in my work in that I personally don’t choose to specialize in any one thing. I love to be able to cater to the needs of my clients, and just like every client has different personalities, their hair is a reflection of the diversity I am able to service in my salon.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’m a small business owner, and rent a salon suite. When we experienced the shut down so many clients were offering to pre pay for services to help me out and it didn’t sit right in my spirit. I didn’t want anyone paying for anything they weren’t receiving. A friend of mine reached out and asked if I had considered doing raffle.
I announced I’d be doing a raffle shortly after with a $5 entry for a haircut and $10 entry for any chemical service. We held the raffle over the span of a week and I promoted on my social media. I held an Instagram live on my business page and we drank wine together, listened to music and held the drawing! It was also a fun way to connect virtually with clients, and a fun competition. Each person who contributed received a credit to their future service for participating and I announced the two winners live. It was so much fun, and a creative way to bring in some income for my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: Westbrookcothesalon.com
- Instagram: @Westbrookco.thesalon
- Facebook: @westbrookco.thesalon
- Other: Tiktok: @westbrookco.thesalon