We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marcella Palumbo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marcella below.

Marcella, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

What it takes to be successful is to truly love what you do. I know the expression is said a thousand times over “if you love what you do you never work a day in your life”. Yes I do work 5-6 days a week BUT I love every minute of it. If you have the passion, the drive, and the courage to go for it– you will absolutely be successful with whatever you do. I can tell you to be a hard worker, study trends, spend less make more, etc. All of those things will happen because you have so much passion, drive and love for what you do that they will naturally come. Your success will naturally come just because of how much you love what you do.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My biggest passion in life is empowering women to look and FEEL good everyday and on their wedding day. My story is so simple and silly. I have three older brothers and grew up in an Italian household. As much as my mom tried to put me in the same sports as my brothers, it just wasn’t for me. I was a girly girl through and through. When the time came for college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I went to a local community college. As it was time for me to graduate, I didn’t know what bachelor degree I wanted to pursue and decided to enroll in cosmetology school since I had always wanted to do hair and makeup. (I even had an art project in the 5th grade where we had to create a license plate of the career we wanted– mine ready COSMOGRL.)

I started cosmetology school a week after I graduated with my AA and graduated a week and a half early from the program. I worked at a few different salons but couldn’t really find my home. It was when I was going back to school to finish my BA degree (because you never know where life can take you) and I couldn’t fit my school schedule into my salon life. I had to find a salon that would be open to flexible hours. I found a Style bar and that is where my passion for the bridal industry bloomed.

I worked there for about a year before I started taking brides on my own. My bosses were okay with me doing work on the side which is super rare for the industry. I was very lucky and feel that I got into my business at just the right time as well as my passion for styling and creating updos.

I was able to grow my business on the side while working there and going to school. I graduated with my BA, got a full time job while still doing hair on the side and realized how much I wasn’t happy at my full time job.

For me, my passion and love for doing hair, meeting new women, learning about their lives, their loves, their cultures, it lit me up SO much more than any office job could. After 3 years at the full time job, I had it and decided to go out on my own.

It was the best decision I could have ever made for myself and for my career. I became even busier, grew my business and was happy!

Even through a 3 month shut down, loads of restrictions, 1 years worth of weddings canceled, I still say to this day I made the right decision leaving that job. Thankfully, things got better and now I am even busier then I was pre covid and I couldn’t be more grateful to wake up and to love what I do.

I was blessed to open my salon suite in Jan of 2021 and have been there for 2 years now.

I love doing hair and makeup, but what I love most is being able to connect with my brides and clients. Getting to know them all on a personal level, knowing their lives, their histories, their families, being there for them through the good and the bad. I am so honored every time someone choses me to be a part of their big day and every day. I believe my love and passion for what I do is what sets me a part from everyone else. When I meet a new client or bride, I always say “are you open to hugs because I am a hugger?!” Those are my type of people– the ones that want to connect, laugh and create some awesome hair color and styles.

I always say Good Vibes, Great hair and makeup. I am your ultimate hype girl, your confidant, your stylist and your friend. I am proud to retail a sustainable and natural hair care line and I have also created my own line of luxury clip in hair extensions, Mystical Manes, for all of my brides to rock on their big day.

I am proud to say that I am in the works of growing a wonderful bridal hair and makeup team as well as looking for a newer and larger space for my salon.

I am so excited to see what the future holds for Styles by Marcella.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2020, I was set to do 100 weddings. My biggest year yet of weddings and it was going to be my. most lucrative. We all know how that turned out. I had to truly pivot. Styling and weddings were not a thing and if so it was 10 people or less so most weddings were cancelled or rescheduled.

I had always loved doing hair color so I decided to start playing more with it during the shutdown on my doll heads. When we came back to work, I was able to create an entire different set of clientele with just doing color and cut services, not just bridal. I am happy to say that because I became so busy doing color, I needed to move my home studio into a salon suite. It was the best decision I could have made. I am fortunately booked out every 4 weeks and have a great flow of steady and amazing clients!

I am now able to do both weddings and regular hair services and have grown a great business by doing both.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

My side hustle was doing hair and makeup on the side while having a full time job. I was working 7 days a week, 10 hours days. I was so miserable at the full time job and was always happier dong hair and makeup. I kept hearing my family say “401k, benefits, security” so I stayed until it got to a point it was affecting my mental health and my personal relationships. I said to myself I couldn’t do it anymore after 3 years and I believed in myself and my passion that I could leave my job and turn this side hustle into a full time, blooming business. And that is exactly what I did!

I was able to post on social media to gain clients, I had clients refer me to their friends and I was able to book as many appointments as I could while still working Full time. I really didn’t go out with friends much as I was always busy working and trying to grow my business. That truly paid off because when I finally had the courage to leave that job, I was so busy. I had opened myself up to new days and hours that people needed me and from their it just grew. With the power of social media and word of mouth and leaving my job is what helped me to be where I am at today with my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stylesbymarcella.com
• Instagram: @styles_bymarcella
• Facebook: Facebook.com/stylesbymarcella1
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/stylesbymarcella
• Other: stylesbymarcella on TIKTOK

Image Credits
@whoissamruh @photosbysiobhan_ @studio27 @krystalbalzerphoto @nicoledelgrecophotography