Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jael Pettigrew. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jael, appreciate you joining us today. Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?
Maintaining a high quality salon experience as my business grows is a must for me! One of the things that I love the most about the beauty industry is that it is ever growing and changing. With each year there is new technology, new techniques, and even new tools coming out! This can be a double edged sword though because if you don’t stay in the know you will get left behind and end up deemed… a dated stylist! In a time where State Boards all over are lowering the amount of hours required to obtain a barber or cosmetology license and YouTube and TikTok are the prevailing sources of education, the most effective way that I have found to ensure that Cut, Colored + Crowned is consistently producing quality work is by taking continued education into my own hands. Hair Shows are my favorite place to absorb knowledge and get inspired. Watching other artists work and create, seeing new salon technology to make salon life more ergonomic in action, and refreshing my kit with new tools reinvigorates my salon space. Professional beauty supply stores also offer color, cutting, styling and even business classes for its members that I take advantage of to ensure the quality of my work.
While YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram all serve a meaningful role in helping stylists stay up on popular styles and trends it can not replace traditional education from a licensed cosmetologist. Unfortunately we live in a society that wants everything NOW, and it shows! I am constantly having conversations with new clients about how hard it is to find a full service hair stylist that provides a complete salon experience and quality work for a reasonable price. As a veteran stylist I take pride not only in the work I do but also in the way my clients feel while they are in my salon space. The salon is meant to be a place of relaxation so I make sure my suite is clean and welcoming for each client, even on the busiest days because it shows my clients that I care about the quality of their entire experience.
As a business owner and stylist quality control is a constant journey. I consistently ask myself what can I do better? I recently had an experience with a client who has extremely sensitive skin. We tried multiple different “all natural” shampoos and products for her locs but she continued to have allergic reactions. One evening I decided to try my hand at making a product that I could retwist her locs with, without her having an allergic reaction. I spent hours going over her allergy list, researching different ingredients, and playing chemist in the kitchen until I had a product I was pleased with. At her next appointment I shared with my client that in my determination to stop this cycle of allergic reactions I’d created a loc jelly specifically for her. The shock and appreciation on her face was priceless. Needless to say, my hard work paid off and I was able to provide a top tier experience for a loyal client with results that she loved! Experiences like this are my constant reminder that quality always wins.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi! My name is Jael and I am the owner of Salon Cut, Colored + Crowned and a Master Colorist specializing in coloring naturally curly hair. I have worked in the beauty industry for 15 years, 10 of those behind the chair as a stylist. I am an artist through and through so I realized at a young age that the corporate life was not for me. My very first job was at Intown Studio and Day Spa in downtown Atlanta where I worked as the receptionist while on summer break. I was constantly watching the hairstylists and makeup artist do what seemed like magic on their clients. In there downtime they would teach me little tips and tricks and that peaked my interest as a 15 year old girl just starting to play in make up. In highschool I dabbled in many different art forms from fashion and photography to music and painting but I’d always come back to the beauty industry. My junior and senior year of highschool I was in a work-study program. I worked at a local barbershop as the client coordinator and on the weekends i turned my bedroom into a beauty salon. I learned so much about running a shop in those two years and really started to get interested in the beauty industry but not quite enough to view it as a career choice. After highschool I went to SCAD for photography but something was missing. As a 1st generation college student I was so worried about letting my family down but I knew I was not happy on my current path. After an honest and heartfelt conversation with my mother she advised me to go back to the beauty industry, and we all know moms know best so that’s exactly what I did!
Cut, Colored + Crowned started off as Jael’s Beauty Bar a mobile beauty bar that offered brows, lashes and basic hair styling. I did this on the side while I worked other odd jobs to provide for myself. Eventually I began working at Medora’s Hair Salon in downtown Decatur as the receptionist. Within a few months I moved up to shampoo assistant and client coordinator. It was in this position that I realized my love for hair and client relationships. After much encouragement from the owner of the salon and the other stylists I began an apprenticeship under the salon owner. Over the following 20 months I worked a rigorous schedule assisting the salon owner, learning everything from perms and highlights to salon sanitation, and studying for state board. With Just 2 months till completion Meldora closed her salon and I was faced with a huge decision. I could either go to school and start completely over (because apprentice hours are non-transferable to school hours) or switch gears completely and find something else to do. At this point I had fallen completely in love with hair so I swallowed my pride and applied to Paul Mitchell The School Atlanta. This was one of the best decisions I could have made! PMTSA pushed me and molded me into the artist I am today. My mentors sharpened my skills and accepted nothing less than 110% from me everyday.
With a decade behind my chair I’ve had the privilege of working under some amazing stylists that I am honored to call my mentors like Stephen Webster of the Black Girl Blonde brand and Dallas Christopher of Private Label Extensions. They helped me find my mission. Watching Dallas create effortless updos and signature styles while on his design team, and seeing Stephen take a client from one flat color to a beautiful dimensional blonde that complements her skin tone all without any damage to her curl pattern was awe inspiring to me. Watching them I knew what kind of stylist I wanted to be. There are so many myths and mistruths told to clients with curly hair. We are constantly told what colors we cant do because it will damage your curls, or cuts that are done curly and look great…until they are blowout and straightened. I wanted to end that cycle so I opened Cut, Colored + Crowned a safe space for all textures and lengths. I customize cuts and colors specifically for each clients desired look and lifestyle. I pride myself on being a creative chemist. I’ve worked hard to master coloring curly hair without damage and though that means that some color jobs are time consuming and labor intensive the final product is always rewarding!
Have you ever had to pivot?
Like many others all over the world Covid-19 had a huge impact on my industry resulting in a major pivot for me from salon manager to salon owner. Within just weeks I went from normal days in the salon to the government deeming my industry non essential and not even being allowed to work. I had never experienced anything like this! In school you’re told that the beauty industry is recession proof, but this wasn’t a recession it was a pandemic and it was uncharted waters for most of us! Anyone who knows me knows I am not one to let grass grow under my feet so while on the stay at home order I was coming up with a plan. I put together hair care kits and shipped them to clients so that they could maintain their hair with the professional products that I use in the salon. I taught virtual classes for parents who needed help styling their children’s hair. I even did haircuts outside when the opportunity presented itself. I didn’t give up, I got creative and found a way to continue providing the service my clients have come to know and love me for.
In time salons started to open back up but that presented a whole new challenge. Clients and stylists had been confined to their homes, scared for their lives and the lives of their loved ones for months. Nerves and tension was high, people were tired of wearing masks, but we all knew we had to figure out what our new normal looked like. Managing a full salon under these conditions was no small task but I made it happen. We stocked up on PPE gear, took refresher courses on health and sanitation and got to work. The first few weeks were hard but we kept each other encouraged and eventually we found our rhythm again. I was so proud to see my team come together during a difficult time and bring some smiles back to the community.
Unfortunately though Covid had taken its toll on the business and the owners were forced to close the salon, calling for yet another pivot. Big changes were happening in the beauty industry and large salons were no longer practical with social distancing still being very heavily practiced. I took this opportunity to open my very first salon suite. Out of adversity, Salon Cut, Colored + Crowned was born! I now have two salon suites, one located in Houston, Texas right in the heart of midtown and the second in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
The best way to be an effective team manager is to get to know your team. I know that may seem over simplified but I mean really get to know each and every person as an individual. When you take the time to actually get to know your team members you can better lead them. Remember that each person is different with different strengths and weaknesses. What motivates one team member may not motivate another. By getting to know them individually you can structure your team so that you are a strong united front that works together and learns from each other. I have found that a large part of keeping high morale in the workplace is making sure year team members feel fulfilled in their position. By taking the time to get to know them you can see where their talents can best be used making each person an asset and not overworking other members of the team. Take the initiative to remember important dates like anniversaries and birthdays. Showing genuine care builds your team up and keeps morale high because they know that they have a manager that listens and cares about them.
Contact Info:
- Website: styleseat.com/jaelpettigrew3
- Instagram: @cutcoloredandcrowned
- Facebook: Jael P.
Image Credits
Photo #1: Yamir Ellis Photo #7: Nadine Berns Photo#8: Rashid Tillis