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

Jacey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

That question is deep… coming up on 2 years in March of Covid madness I’d say almost everyday I think about how life sounds like it would be easier or hold some normality with a good ol 9 to 5, Some paid time off, maybe some insurance or being able to call out sick. Or maybe able to work at home and life didn’t get disturbed by the pandemic roller coaster. Being a Hair stylist doesn’t come easy and it’s not as glorious as it sounds. But they don’t tell you that before you take the year long dramatic plunge into Beauty School. Now I wouldn’t change my profession for the life of me, but I do think about how life would be if I took a different Path.
I’ve owned my business 7 years now, I wish I can say it’s been easy lol. Nothing easy about owning a business no matter what it is, I wouldn’t change it but constantly consider to change to the stereo typical “normal”.

Jacey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

This is a loaded question, I’ll try to answer all and not get sidetracked. I am a hairstylist going on 15 years or something like that. It was never my “dream job” and to be honest never even a thought in my head to become one. In high school (independent study’s) my goal and passion was always becoming a mechanic, bought my first car at 15 a 1974 Volkswagen bug. I worked on it myself, loved being able to work with my hands while I read the Haynes manual. I went to school and even got certified in steering and suspension at Truckee meadow Community college. I loved it, until a rack & pinion I was pulling took me down, thinking I was strong as a man/boy at this point in life. Jumped up all the boys laughed as I laughed but…. That was the moment I discovered I’m just not as strong as a man. It’s sucked! But I excepted it and moved on with life thinking “hey motorcycles are smaller” so I went that road. Moved to Arizona to go to MMI (motorcycle mechanic institute) this was it. Loved being able to work on things that I mostly can muscle lol.
That came to a smashing halt when I had a accident skateboarding a 12ft vert ramp breaking my pelvis, right sacrum and my legs popping out of socket. I found myself in the hospital not being able to walk and going into surgery. I can’t remember how many days I was in the hospital as it all was a bit of a blur. But I do remember having to walk from my bed to the door (maybe 20ft) in order for them to release me. I did it as my sister watched, I think it took me over a hour maybe more, I’d have to ask. To make it but I did. They released me in a wheelchair haha good god, just telling this story is strange. I ended up coming back to San Diego and staying with my sister that was a hairstylist already, she would come home with cash.. which in that day I was floating through life working at skateboard shops and searching for a way to find success. My sister talked me into going to beauty school as my body was not the same anymore. I fought her on this because I didn’t want to wear a dress and hair sounds so stupid to me being the tough skater that I was. But I did it and listened. I started realizing that it too is working with my hands and I didn’t have to put on a dress(yes I wear them now) but able to create something, I was actually liking it. I made it through the hell of beauty school with the motivation to make something out of my life once and for all!
15 years later, I can’t even explain how much I enjoy creating beauty hair, but that’s not what keeps me going. It’s making people happy, it’s making them feel beautiful, it’s listening to their stories, it’s having a friendship with each and everyone of my clients, it’s my girls that stand beside me at the salon, it’s the ups and downs of times to find the strength to work another day, it’s to some days fake a smile to make a smile.
I wouldn’t change my job, no way! This is amazing, I don’t know if everyone feels the way I do about doing hair but for me I worked hard to get where I’m at and I’m damn proud of it!

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

I’m pretty sure everyone know’s the answer to this question. COVID… Covid almost killed my business. I will always remember the feeling of the first shutdown. How weird the world felt. I’m not even sure how many month was the first one, I actually listened and stayed away, worked on the ranch my horses where boarded at to make a couple dollars. I forgot how exhausting manual labor was, even cut hair in between stalls outside for $20. Nothing fun about it. Finally the governor lifted the stay at home order on the first shut down, I was so excited to be able to work again. That’s when the Riots happened in La Mesa the night before we where suppose to open. That night I watched my cameras to the salon with the news going just praying they wouldn’t take what I worked so hard to make away from me. Not now, not when we are able to open tomorrow. My daughter sat next to me while tears came down my face. She held my hand in suspense. We can hear all the voices outside our door sounds of anything and everything. Luckily my door help as they tried to kick it down, next day is surreal. We boarded up the business we are opening up the next day.
After more shut downs and now on the edge waiting for words of the governor daily, I sat and watched one by one my stylist where quitting.
Needless to say, loans and grants are not for businesses that don’t have employees, we where independent contractors! The known essentials!! Unemployment was a fun hope to jump through so left us no other choice but to work behind the boarded up business I was watching slip through my fingers.
4 out of my 7 stylist quit, I understand but as a single mom this was devastating. Melody and Debbie where my ride or die’s, us 3 held down that place working through the shut downs, hiding and then not hiding! Getting complaints from people that didn’t understand that us 3 had kids to feed and rent’s to pay, left us no other choice but to work or we all sink. Those 2 women I can’t thank enough because without them there would be know us!
2 years (in a month) and I’ve almost built my business back from almost the ground again. We stand with 6 stylist leaving us 1 less then before the pandemic.
We almost lost it all, but we didn’t and here we are today!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I actually can’t pinpoint a “strategy” i did what felt natural. I didn’t plan anything so to say. I said yes a lot to anyone and everyone, worked 7 days a week in the beginning years. I don’t do advertising and I barely post on social media, probably should but after 7 years people come on their own and I kinda feel like the underground spot people come too.
Some like our style, some dont! And that’s ok. But as for as a strategy I have no clue… kindness I suppose.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.crowsalon.com
• Instagram: crow_salon
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/crowsalon/
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/crow-salon-la-mesa