Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennilyn West. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jennilyn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Chez Cherree is a play on two things: my nickname, Cherry, and a french term “Cherie,” which means “lovely one,” “darling,” or something close.

Cherry comes from a silly song I listened to at 14, when I had a crush on a boy in math class. The lyrics went “I think it would be hip to give you a kiss and taste Cherry Chapstick.” I instantly used this name as a code and a link to the cute boy from math. On the internet. In video games. Eventually, it just became part of me, somewhat of an alter ego, no longer having any ties to math class kid. I even used it when I was in a band to keep some privacy.

After hair school, I worked for a very toxic salon. They gave us a lot of free education, which was incredibly helpful, but it was at the cost of the mental health of most of us stylists. One by one, everyone left to go to salon studios, because they couldn’t deal with the atmosphere anymore. The salon made this very hard and threatened us if we left. If they found out where anyone ran, they would send private investigators to take pictures of my ex-coworkers and their clients. When we were brand new stylists, they coerced us into signing non-competes. While the city I lived in didn’t take them too seriously, the company could certainly harass you and ring up fees in lawyers. They actually successfully sued only one ex-coworker of mine for $150,000! He had to declare bankruptcy after-the-fact, and the reason he left the salon was simply to escape feeling unsafe as a gay man.

You get the picture.

When I decided to leave, it was because I was threatened to be fired for having panic attacks. I knew that was something I couldn’t control, and had to get out. I went to a friend who had snuck away and never been found by the company, and she became my mentor, coaching me on how to leave without them knowing where I was. Her first suggestion was to use a different name, and honestly, I only thought of Cherry. I had used it so many times as a pseudonym, and it felt natural to respond to the title.

However, when I told my mom about my idea to go by Cherry, she didn’t think it was professional enough. I believe her actual words were, “That sounds like a hooker name!” *facepalm* I was determined to make it work, and show her that it could both fun, and professional. Planning out my business step by step, I started to think about what atmosphere I wanted to cultivate. In my mind, I had the idea of a cute french boutique mixed with a relaxing spa-like experience. Something soft, like sea-foam or light aqua, with splashes of white, black, gold, and red.

The Parisian boutique I had in my head got me thinking. What if cherries were part of my whole vibe? How could I tie that together with french? And then it hit me. Cherry kind of sounds like “Cherie.” “Chez” means “home of,” If we take both meanings simultaneously, then it says it’s my home (Cherry), and your home (you’re the lovely one, duh). I loved the idea of people just feeling like it’s their space to be themselves. A couple of my designer friends suggested turning the “e’s” in my logo into cherries, and I spelled it wonkily “Cherree” because I could. Why not add all the cute cherries possible ????

Even my mom thought it was cute! Needless to say, it’s was the best move I could have made, and it’s still my business name 6 years later.

Jennilyn, 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 first graduated from college in Psychology. While I was there, I fell in love with hair styling. My best friend at the time was a cosmetologist, and she was so passionate when she would explain to me what she was doing. She even let me do her hair, with guidance of course.

I just wanted to go to hair school! I love Psychology, but I saw how well being a stylist could work into that realm. Psychology fascinated me, because people fascinated me. I love to hear their stories, relate to them, learn what makes them unique. I enjoy being there for people, but I’m also very sensitive, so being a therapist always made me nervous, I was afraid I would get too attached and feel too responsible for the emotions of my patients. I enjoy that as a hair stylist, I get to make them feel seen, heard, and beautiful, and can then point them in the direction of the right kind of therapy for them. I can be an instrument for mental healing, and keep the boundaries I need for my own sensitivities.

During hair school, I fell in love with the geometry of hair cutting, and the chemistry of color. That just kind of stuck with me. I really see it as art, and design, and I loved it more than anything else we did in Cos school. I enjoy literally anything that falls under cut and color, but I don’t do much outside of that. My goal is to make it look like the color grew from your head, even if there is no way it possibly could have, even with a fashion color. I’m very detail oriented and meticulous. I take my time, making sure the hair feels good, and the colors last. If I have to take a class to figure out how to do what you want me to do, I will. I’m that dedicated! I absolutely love anything to do with blonding, dimensional color, balayage, and fashion colors. Right now my favorite hair cuts are the shag with those curtain bangs, bobs, and textured pixies. The truth is, however, that I love a good challenging color correction, or trying to match a picture. The puzzle of it all is fun for me!

Something incredibly important me is that the client feels as relaxed as possible. That looks different on every person, and I’m happy to facilitate your wellness. Some people want someone to talk to. Some would prefer not to talk at all. Others are bothered by certain smells or textures. It’s all okay with me! I try to be very accommodating, and even have relaxing teas and hot towels to help in whatever way I can. Being a safe space for everyone is a big priority to me, so I’m always looking for new ways to make that happen.

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

I’m kind of old school mixed with new school. I have social media, but I generally just use it to showcase my work. I don’t really aspire to be in front of a camera or keep track of posting all the time. But, my work speaks for itself. Facebook marketplace groups and word of mouth, plus a strong work ethic are what have helped me find and retain the most clients. Many people come to me based on my photos alone. I don’t filter them, so I can provide similar results for anyone that comes in. I truly care about my clients, and it shows.

I actually started from scratch in a private studio when I moved back to Utah from Ohio. I’ve managed to build my clientele with no help from anyone else (except my clients’ dazzling reviews). I started by finding popular facebook buy/sell groups, and posting ads, anywhere from once a day to once a week. I was able to afford suite rent from day one, and have slowly had to advertise less and less. Less than four years later, I’m busy. Sometimes too busy!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

A few things. The first is my work. I’m meticulous, and detail oriented. I take my time, and really work to make sure someone is happy before they leave. I take classes year after year to make sure my technical skills are on point. I’m always studying, and learning new ways to deliver better results.

I truly care about everyone that sits in my chair, and I think they feel that. Often, I hear from people that they don’t normally talk much, but they find me easy to talk to. That’s because I have no judgment, and just want people to feel safe.

One last thing is that I don’t bash anyone in front of my clients. A lot of people that talk to me tell me that their last stylist would talk badly about other clients, and they knew she was saying things about them when they weren’t there. I’ve always been really against that, and made it a point to not talk poorly about anyone, let alone my clients. Feeling safe and relaxed is so important when you are spending so much time with someone! It’s the difference between a good appointment and a great appointment!

Contact Info:

• Website: Chezcherree.square.site
• Instagram: @cherrydoeshair889
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/chezcherree