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

Janet, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

We all come from different experiences and upbringings. We learn from these events and we grow from these moments. My experiences have driven me to create a safe place for stylists to have the ability to express themselves with no judgment and push them to be their best selves. During beauty school, I was told negative feedback from my educators. I would never become something. It made me feel less than. Their words had an impact on me. But, I didn’t let these actions stop me. It fueled me to become better and to show I was capable of doing what others thought I couldn’t.

My mission for my business is to create a positive community where the hairstylists feel confident, driven and motivated. The views in the beauty industry can be quite competitive and quite challenging. It can be a place of competitiveness, negative environments and ego. It’s a girl world and girl world isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. It can be intimidating. It can be discouraging.

Im currently an educator at Paul Mitchell the School in Denver. Since teaching, I’ve had multiple of my past students now licensed individuals, call me or message me how they are not happy where they are. The salons they are currently working is not what it seems. They explain the environment not being a positive one and education isn’t pushed. They feel more alone. As an educator and future salon owner, the mission is to create a community of confident stylists where they can flourish into being their best versions of themselves. Confidence is key to growth. Community is building a team of positive mindsets and drive. Motivation is the fuel that creates the business to grow as a whole. As DJ Muldoon would say, “Knowledge destroys FEAR”.

Janet, 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?

Since as long as I can remember, music has always been a huge influence in my life. The first moment I had my first Walkman with an extra set of batteries in hand to having my first IPOD with pink headphones. It has always been my escape. I remember walking down Walmart with my mom and purchasing my first DVD music video and it was the band Motley Crue. They were a major glam band from the 80s. Since then, their fashion played a huge influence in my life. From leather, leopard print, denim, red lipstick to red nails. Most importantly the big teased hair! Oh man, I remember buying all the Aquanet from the 99 cent store. Fashion became a part of me and I loved every part of it. I use to thrift my outfits to create looks and til this day I still do. I even use to cut and color my own hair to recreate the 80s inspired looks! I had many friends asking me to cut and color their hair because they liked it so much. Mind you, this is me through my middle school and high school years so you can say I knew I wanted to be apart of the beauty industry early on. After my high school years, I was enrolled in Paul Mitchell the School Pasadena to pursue what I wanted to do.

In my beginning years, I learned the importance of building relationships. I learned networking is the biggest challenge for many. Yet, it’s a key towards success by having the ability to push yourself in being in uncomfortable conversations to uncomfortable situations to meet and connect with others. By doing so I had the opportunities in my career to meet influential hairstylists by attending hair shows, advance education, hair parties to network even working along side them. By creating connections you create doors. In the near future you might cross paths with one another and collaborate or even build a brand together. In the industry finding mentors who can guide and share their experiences to help your path to success can help guide towards the right direction. The more mentors you meet your growth can become endless. From a recent book I learned, “We all have different mindsets, heartsets, healthsets, and soulsets.” – The 5am Club. When you find those who share the same energy or even greater energy it becomes a community of people who want to grow together, thrive together and succeed together.

There’s many people sharing all the goods and the positives in theirs lives but, not many are open to share about the negatives. As cliché as it may sound but, we’re human and we all make mistakes. It’s hard to talk about sometimes when we live in the generation of “perfect and cool”. There was a time in my life where I was comparing myself to other stylists. The luxury, the traveling, the sponsorships, the money, the followers. I was so busy comparing myself and counting what others had that I forgot to count my blessings. What I had, what I had accomplished and what I have achieved in my career. Social media has the ability to inspire but yet, has the ability to discourage just as easily. We are living in a generation where we are so busy entertaining others that we sometimes forget ourselves in the process. I learned to stay true to my goof ball ways and continue to laugh at my own jokes! Let’s just say Im a misfit in a world of blonde hair, perfect smiles and all tan outfits. Im the 80s metal head girl who loves a good pair of cowboy boots and an all black outfit to match. I laugh loud with a snort at times and I dance and sing at random. I guess you can say I will never make that mistake again!

Another mistake I did throughout my career was remaining stagnate. I started in my career giving $6 haircuts. Yes, $6 haircuts. I commissioned 50% from those $6 so, I was making $3 a cut. Yeah, inflation has gone crazy! Yet this was 13yrs ago and I was young. I started my hustle in my career at the age of 19! I will never regret where I started and where my journey began. But, what I did regret was remaining comfortable. I was at the same place for 4yrs and I felt as my growth had stopped. I got comfortable. I loved the people I worked with but, my love for hair had stopped. I knew I needed something to change and that something was me pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I wanted my spark back.. I made the leap. I closed the chapter and I began a new one.

Currently Im educating at the Paul Mitchell the school Denver and it’s been an absolute experience for me. Never did I see myself as an educator. I had the opportunity to become one and Im very grateful I took the next step. My journey of teaching is all for a reason. It’s getting me ready for my next steps in my career which is a soon to be salon owner. Teaching is not easy. It’s more than just reading and showing students what to do. It’s much more than that. It’s about being present, showing them to be patient within themselves, being attentive, and understanding everyone learns differently than you. Educators are therapist, friends, inspirational speakers, cheerleaders and mentors. As an educator my goal is to make education fun and as engaging as possible. It’s taught me to be a better presenter, a better speaker and a better listener. Education has made me understand how to be around 500 different personalities and still be grounded with all the high and low energies around me. My goal for the students is to push them be their fullest potential by giving nothing but, tough love and honesty. My future vision for the salon MODERN MISFIT is to disrupt the old salon values and create a highly educated and driven environment for stylist to grow together as a community! Where they can be themselves, loud, enthusiastic and motivated! As DJ Muldoon would say, “ Knowledge destroys fear!”

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’ve never been a reader. Until I set a new goal for myself. It was to read at least one book every year. Since then, I I have read 7 books. I can say, I’m officially a reader. When I can on my day as off, I love driving down to Barnes and Nobles in my early morning. I enjoy entering the book store and the first smell of book and coffee shop just hits different. Im excited. I began reading Robert Greene books as my first reads and many would say I was ambitious to start with that author of choice. He’s written “ The 48 Laws of Power” and many others. His books helped me see views differently when it came to understanding others behaviors to my very own. His books helped me improve my management skills through the power of behavior and value. Since working as an educator and weekend hairstylist, its build me to be provide a listening ear. I use to be the person who would for someone to finish to then be able to speak my mind or subject. How rude, right? It taught me to listen with intention and tone of voice does matter. It’s cliche but, its usually what you say to others but, HOW you say it.

Another book, I’ve been enjoying is “The 5AM Club”. It’s shared entrepreneurial stories, lessons and quotes. It’s quite inspiring. Until this day, the book had me thinking with the quote, “We have different mindsets, heartsets, healthsets, and soulsets.” It made life seem so much meaningful than JUST a mindset. We all learn from each other because we have different mindsets on drive, goals and passion. The quote resonated with me because it made me see wants and needs differently. It’s inspired me to accept what is. Some of us are so caught up with what we want SO badly, we don’t realize it’s not what we need. Life changes and we need to learn to adapt and move forward. You can say I’ve been growing up. It’s been helping me think bigger to accept my faults that we all are still learn and will die learning.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

This might be mundane but, COVID. My life began in California born and raised. During my career, I made the leap to open my own studio and start a new chapter to my book. I realized I wanted to start my own adventure to build myself and begin a brand. I named my studio “Electric Flower Studio”. I was quite obsessed with Jimi Hendrix. During the period when I was working in downtown LA, I was nicknamed “Flor” and “JFlowers”. Sunflowers became a big part of my life. I was compared to one. That’s a longer story. I began my new chapter in 2020. Yeah, we all know how that goes. I opened shop and I closed 5 months in. I was a mess of emotions. I was going through a rough match in my home life and then adding to the fire I closed the one thing I had to keep me going. After, I had a whole new world present itself to me. My now fiancé. My now partner. He had me see a life that didn’t include California. I left the state to live in Nebraska. I know scary. A city girl living in a country world. Yet, I found so much peace. I found someone who wants more than. I found someone who taught me its okay to adapt. Oh man, Im a person of consistent routine. He made me see stepping out of the regular to the irregular can be okay. This pivot in my life changed my life for the better. It brought me to live in 2 different states. It brought me to my now home the Mile High life of Colorado. Which by the way, I’m obsessed with.
The pivot gave me the opportunity to become an educator. It brought me to an opportunity to see my horizons differently and my want to start my business again! It gave me my new life. Yet, I’m not saying it’s rainbows and butterflies. We all go through our moments in life when past trauma or bad happens. I’m still learning. I’m still growing. But, I’m excited for life. My heartsets, mindsets, healthsets and soulsets are all on their way!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @modernmisfitllc

Image Credits
@jennuh @imagesbykathyg