We recently connected with Jenn Montoya Palmore and have shared our conversation below.
Jenn , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The best part about what I do is being able to really connect with people. It’s far more than just doing their hair. My mission when I began my career was to create an environment in which people felt safe. They could speak freely, share what was going on or not, just feel comfortable. Knowing that what they share stays with me and it wouldn’t go anywhere else. I observed other stylists and their various relationships with their clients and knew I wanted to have deep, meaningful relationships with mine as I grew.
As a hairstylist, clients come to see you in every phase of life. Happy, joyful occasions to the some of the saddest moments they may ever experience. It’s something that I recognized early on in my career and really understood there was a responsibility that came with that. I do feel that after all these years of seeing clients, that mission has been met and I have grown to have that space with them.
Jenn , 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?
I have been a hairstylist now for 27 years! I knew at 8 years old I wanted to do this. I was fortunate to do a 2 year apprenticeship rather than go to traditional cosmetology school. That meant I had to do double the hours vs. what a traditional school provided at the time. I apprenticed in a top salon and my mentor was not only a successful in-salon hairstylist but he was also a platform artist and celebrity stylist. I mention that because how he ran his own career was how he ran his salon and our apprenticeship, strict and very structured. It was very hard to get into. I had to shadow multiple times, have several interviews, and I literally called every single week to see if they made a decision. When I got the call I received the apprenticeship I was so excited! I looked at my apprenticeship as a two year marriage. I was so young but didn’t care about what I missed out on socially because I knew what kind of opportunity this was. I was learning from the best and going out would still be there when I was done.
Because being an apprentice on the job training in the type of environment, I learned very quickly what it meant to be a professional. Not much room for error. It was not an easy two years but the structure and discipline I learned is still with me today and I am so grateful I had that experience so young.
I fell in love with color right away. Once I was able to start taking my own clients I worked hard to master color so I could become a color specialist. I wanted to know every single detail I could. From formulating, color chemistry and truly know the why behind what I was doing. I wanted to make educated choices for clients rather than winging it. I had an amazing color mentor. Her name was Toni and she really taught me all I needed to know.
As I grew in my career I felt the need to give back and perhaps become a mentor to future or fellow hairstylists. I wanted to become a color trainer. I received an opportunity to do that with Paul Mitchell schools and became a trainer and color specialist for the schools. That grew into me becoming part of the John Paul Mitchell Systems corporate team. I wore many hats but all of them color related. I traveled domestically and internationally as a colorist, and color trainer. We did shows, trainings, photo shoots, product development, etc. I did that for 13 years and the experiences were incredible. As I was doing that I always remained in a salon taking care of my clients.
I began working full time as a hairstylist again in 2022. I am still a color trainer but do private classes for hairstylists or I am contracted for events. I missed being in the salon full time and now work at Bomane Salon in Beverly Hills, CA.
My focus with clients is mainly color although I still do cuts + extensions. A large part of my color business is corrective work or color transformations. I also focus a lot on hair and color chemistry because it is such an important part of coloring hair. My goal with each client is to make sure their hair remains healthy no matter what we do. If it means we need to do session work to ultimately get to the goal then we do it. I love teaching clients about hair health and how to properly care for their hair. I have really learned to lean on social media to help spread the word to clients and stylists on how to achieve various hair goals. Healthy hair is the priority and it goes hand in hand with color.
Now being in this industry for so long I really rely on my experience to solve challenges for clients with viable solutions so we can get to their goals together!
I love what I do and also love working with clients and being surrounded by my talented friends every day. I feel very grateful that I listened to my 8 year old self. The experiences this industry has given me are priceless.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think what’s really helped me is being 100% honest with clients. Because I work in an industry that relies on visuals to reach a goal, not all goals are created equal. If a client comes in with a color or cut inspo and it’s just not realistic for them, that has to be an honest conversation. Sharing with them what could work and how we can customize their goal to work for them. Setting realistic expectations, They may not always love hearing it but I believe they are thankful for the truth.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Social media has been such a great tool. I’ve used it to educate and share how I achieved various results to help give context to what I do. I think after photos don’t always share the whole story. I use the caption or posts to share more of the story so clients know what to ask for or to help hairstylists know how to possibly approach a similar situation. Also, DMs help clients who are new to you ask questions and learn more.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Jenn_starr12
