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

Kortnee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Just like anything else, running your own business has its perks and fallbacks. Some of the perks are that I have control over most everything from the services I offer, the products I decide to retail, the music that plays and who gets to sit in my chair and who doesn’t. My absolute favorite perk is that I make my own schedule mirror my son’s schedule so I can be there for him more often than not and I am extremely blessed to have that option. The drawbacks are kind of doozies like having to organize your own health insurance, retirement and all of the expenses that come with owning everything on top of paying taxes every year, which is all just a part of life and having to make responsible decisions but I would have to say the biggest drawback is not getting any sick days or PTO. When me or my son get sick and I have to reschedule anyone because I don’t have anyone to help take over or fill in for me that day. Whomever I had to reschedule then gets bumped to another day meaning I work extra long days just to catch up. I absolutely hate having to reschedule anyone because I value everyone else time and schedules who have organized to come see me, but I have to remember to give myself grace and allow myself to recover on those days. It’s a weird balance.
Sometime I think about how simple it would be to go work for someone else where all of that is taken care of for me, and no one bats an eye when you get sick and you still get paid, but I remember how dull and mundane that life used to be so I would rather stay organized and take care of everything myself than live my only life working in a place I know I’m not meant to be in.

Kortnee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kortnee and I am a hair stylist with my own little salon suite, Top Knot Stylist. I got into the beauty industry back in 2012 because I have always been a bit more on the artsy side and sitting in a classroom writing thesis’, sighting sources, and learning about nonsense that I would never use in the real world and accruing an insane amount of debt for 4 years just wasn’t going to cut it for me anymore (trust me- I tried.).
I’m going to be honest, the first few years of being not just in cosmetology school, but out in the industry once I had my license I didn’t love the choice I made because doing hair is HARD when You are first starting off! There is so much information You need to know in order to not completely suck at doing hair and it was so overwhelming at first.
I then had my son, Levi (8) and quickly figured out that doing hair was the best way to financially provide for the both of us so I decided to stick with it. After a few years of playing with color I then figured out I LOVE helping women be blonde! I found my niche and completely fell in love with the industry all over again! Once I found my place in the hair world, I became obsessed. I had this weird drive I have never really had before to absolutely perfect my craft. I can honestly say I LOVE my job and the salon is my place of peace. I couldn’t be more grateful for the life I have created for my son and me.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Actually, Now! With the state of the economy, I am pivoting my marketing to move more towards a more lived in blonde rather than an all over platinum blonde to provide my clients more time between appointments so when the recession hits, we will all be better prepared.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Referrals is a big one a well as instagram and facebook. But people are more willing to go to someone who has been highly referred rather than just stumbling upon their website, so referrals are everything, social media just seals the deal.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.topknotstylist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/top_knot_stylist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TopKnotStylist

Image Credits
Rebecca Rice Photography