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

Hi Jenny, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think the beautiful thing about success is that the definition is different to each person. It is something very personal that I believe can change as you grow and go through different stages of life.
Personally, I tend to dream really big and over time scale the idea/task to fit what I’m really searching for or looking to accomplish.
When I was younger, first starting out in my career, I had aspirations to move to a big city and become some sort of famous stylist. I wanted to be a part of the flashy lights and the fashion shows and ‘be somebody’ but as I have gotten older and had more experiences with clients and colleagues, my goals have changed. I started a small salon with a partner and very quickly we grew the business into something larger than life, in my biased opinion. It was truly a dream come true in a way I didn’t know I needed. Being in the position of a leader in some sense was probably the area that taught me the most. Over the last few years, the world has changed and I have changed and I realised I was searching for something different. I really love building relationships and connecting with people. I think everyone has something positive to share and being someones hairstylist is a great way to connect with folks of all walks of life.
This year ended with me passing along my share of the ownership fully to my partner, and it was a sense of freedom I’d been looking for for some time. I am so thankful for the experience and I am thankful to be in the position of creating success on my own in my own way.
I think that what it truly takes to be successful is courage. Courage to go for what you want, to start something, to learn new things and to trust yourself. I think courage can also know when it is time to make a change, knowing when it’s time to start a new chapter.

Jenny, 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?

My name is Jenny, I am 33 years old and have been a hairstylist for 13 years. I graduated from the Paul Mitchell school in Charlotte NC and have had the pleasure of building my career in this every growing city. Over the course of my career I have worked at several types of salons, I have experience in men’s grooming (Although I don’t dabble in these services nowadays) and even spent some time in training for cosmetology education. I have taken multiple color and cutting classes over the years. I should’ve always known that I would step out on my own as an independent stylist as I tend to try and accomplish things people tell me I can’t..
In 2016, a colleague of mine and I decided to venture out and open our own salon. We started in a small studio, and in less than two years, doubled our size and space. In less than three years, we doubled our space again and quadrupled our staff size. It was a dream! It is by far the thing I am most proud of in my career thus far. As of 2025, I have officially given my share of the ownership to my partner, and will be starting off on my own in a smaller but wonderful salon.
I very much look forward to the freedom of focusing on my education in my craft and finding more ways to create a great guest experience. I am so thankful to have grown such a loyal, kind, and supportive group of guests.
Part of what makes me a great stylist is having the freedom to focus on passions I have outside of my chosen career. These are the things that recharge my soul and inspire me. In my off time I love to bake sourdough and other treats, I do a lot of crafting and I love spending time outdoors with my husband, pups and our family.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about what I do is the relationships I build. When you are someones stylist, you typically see them multiple times a year, sometimes more than you see friends or family! And being able to emotionally connect with women who are going through tough times or joyful times and being a safe space for them to share their feelings or accomplishments are frustrations is rewarding in such a way that you could only understand if this is the job you have. I feel so fortunate to have met so many amazing, supportive women throughout my journey. I have met some truly inspiring people and being able to serve someone in a way that gives them confidence or joy is an unmatched feeling.

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

I think the most effective way to grow and maintain a clientele is to just be yourself. If you want genuine connection and want to build trust, you have to be yourself and trust in yourself. Part of trusting yourself also means investing in yourself and looking for new ways to elevate your craft and client experience and I feel that applies to most industries. Consistency is also key, making sure that clients know what to expect when they are coming to you for services and know that you can deliver. I think it is also effective to be honest, know when and how to take accountability know when you need to make adjustments. Just generally being a good human is a great way to build clientele.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fishbish_creates/

Image Credits

Mary Bird (photo of me in blue)
Jenny Fish (other images)