We recently connected with Natalie Pinault and have shared our conversation below.

Natalie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

There is something so safe in knowing you have the true love and support of your parents. It goes all the way back to me playing sports growing up. I really wanted to try them all. I loved hockey, softball, dance, and soccer and I was very busy and dedicated to all of them! My parents never missed a game or performance. I remember messing up a big play in hockey that resulted in a goal and I looked up in the stands and saw the support in their faces to keep trying, don’t get discouraged. I found the same exact support years later thinking of which colleges to pick and what direction I should go in life. Deep down I really wanted to be a hairstylist and own a salon some day, and I told them that. So, off we went to check out all the cosmetology schools in Minnesota. The last one we went to was The Aveda Institute in Minneapolis and it was written all over my face, I found my happy place! My mom saw how I came to life walking through the building watching everyone learning and being creative. They saw the passion in me and never doubted I could make it in this industry. They fully supported me in my dream, and continue to do so until this day. I thank them for always believing me and giving me the encouragement to keep going and take risks.

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

I have been a hairstylist for 20 years and have owned Harlowe Salon for 3 and a half years now. We are a salon of independent stylists, which means, they all work for themselves at Harlowe. Our industry is unique in that we can all run our own businesses but have a cohesive team atmosphere in the same salon. This was very important to me to have a space where we all felt like a family and really enjoyed spending time together, since we spend a lot of hours at work every week. I think the type of environment we as a team, have created, is what makes Harlowe so inviting for all of our guests. They feel our energy and closeness. Our service focus behind the chair is hair only. We have stylists that specialize in custom color, precision cutting and extension work. We carry the hair care brands Oribe and Davines. We love that both have their own powerful brand presence and have incredible performance, but have different vibes. Clients are drawn to each brand for their own details. Oribe has incredible smoothing and reparative benefits, while Davines has a natural organic feel and an amazing curly hair line. We also carry some curated local makers and female owned small business goods from around the country. It was important for us to make an impact supporting local artists and female entrepreneurs.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I have grown and sustained a thriving clientele behind the chair a few times in my career. After moving to NYC then rebuilding as a rental stylist and now as an owner, it all required knowing who my ideal clientele was. I think it’s really important to know who you want to attract. Each time I rebuilt, I implimented some basic manifesting exercises. I wrote specific lists of who my ideal clientele was and I got really detailed on what I was looking for. Then I started to use social media to help communicate to that dream client was. I think getting really detailed and specific of what you want is imperative. If it grows slowly that is ok, it just means you are growing week by week and actually retaining the clients, versus one time clients who never come back. I have build a business where I vibe with my clients. I am with them for several hours at a time, so I want to like and feel connected them. I feel so much more creative knowing who my dream client is in my chair.

Any advice for managing a team?

Coming from a place of gratitude and having connection for each of my coworkers is really important to me. I want them to feel appreciated. I want them to know I am thankful they choose to be at Harlowe. They could work at any salon in the cities but they choose to be here with us. This is just what has worked for me and feels right in my heart to do as an owner. I think having that energy surrounding us just naturally keeps the morale high. I go into a lot of situations thinking from their perspectives, what would I want my owner to do or how would I want my owner handle this? I try to be open and have good communication with each stylist. I think feeling heard goes a long way, so I try to be a good listener before I react. I’m always interested in learning to be better, to do better!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.harlowesalon.com
• Instagram: @harlowesalon
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/harlowesalon

Image Credits
Erin Renee Photography Shop Arlo