We recently connected with Rachel Anderson and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I would have totally started my business earlier-actually I would have gone to cosmetology school earlier! I started cosmetology school when I was 22 almost 23 years old. I initially wanted to go to school right after I left university (at age 20) but my dad wanted me to get some work experience (which almost caused me to not go to cosmetology school). I actually got let go from my restaurant job and decided to enroll for the November class & finished the following fall. I dealt with an eb & flow between corporate salons & private salons. The pandemic made me realize that I could do this on my own. I was presented with an opportunity that I was scared to do for so long— run my own salon with my own branding and my own everything! Initially- I was like “Great! I love this! It’s just me & my clients, that’s it!” But now, 4 years later, I decided to grow and have a team, and I wouldn’t change that for the world! Except-I wish I just did it all sooner!

Rachel, 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?

When I was at university, they was a girl in my dorm who did hair services for various students. I would always ask her if I could watch! She eventually suggested that I should go to cosmetology school since I was so interested. In that moment, it wasn’t an option- I HAD to get my degree, that’s how you get a job right? I later had some personal things occur that caused me to withdrawal from university and I immediately told my parents I wanted to go to cosmetology school! My dad wanted me to take a break from schooling, get some work experience, and in a year if I still wanted to go to school, I had his blessing.

That was just the beginning of my education in the industry. From then on I always wanted to learn and educate myself on all things hair! This lead me to finding a love for hair extensions!

I feel like my love for education is something that sets me aside from other hairstylists, I’m always learning. I keep myself & my skills up to date so I can give my clients the best of the best.

As a stylist- caring for my clients hair health is most important-whether it be choosing the correct extension method for them or telling them their hair isn’t in the best shape to get their goal color in the moment. I will always be honest and give them a regimen to get them to their long term goal-even if it isn’t in the moment!

As a salon owner-I want future stylists to know—I’ll always have their best interest at heart. I’ve been in their shoes. And depending on your salon owner—they’re not always that great! One of my mentors once said “the best way to learn is by experience, as long as it’s someone else’s”

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I would say my best source would be a combination of instagram & facebook! Facebook groups allow me to reach local clientele, while instagram can bring me clients even a few hours away!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The start of my business was definitely a pivot point in my career! Salons shut down March 2020. In late March, early April I received a mailing from Phenix Salon Suites. They were opening one in my area. I decided to go tour, see what it’s all about. I sat down with my mom to go over my numbers from the salon. See if it was something I could do. We ran the numbers and it just made sense. I started my LLC in June 2020 and opened my salon suite in August 2020. And my clientele has changed in the last 4 years. While I did retain many of my clients from my last salon, many of the current ones are from social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: HTTP://www.rachelelizabethstudio.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/rachelelizabeth.hair

Image Credits

Jordan Danielle