I have been in this industry for 27 yrs. In the first year, after the completion of training (1998), I started showing symptoms of something. In 1999, the symptoms had progressed to the point of hospitalization and a ton of testing. At the end of 1999, it was determined that I have Myasthenia Gravis (MG). In January of 2000, I had a thymectomy to control the MG. I was told I needed to find a new profession. I just couldn’t. Instead, along the way, I tried to educate people on what MG is , how I was living with it and explaining how important it is to be understanding of invisible diseases.

  I was on the hunt for my perfect salon home, and at this point (2015), I was working for my 4th company.  It was a terrible situation. I felt stuck. On one hand, I made decent money, and the location was perfect (right around the corner from my home) as I had 4 young kids at the time. The problem was that it was a toxic and draining environment. I felt like I never got a break from work. I lacked boundaries, I am a people pleaser, and they took advantage of that.  It was exhausting. I was sick all the time. I knew I needed to take better care of myself, and that meant finding a healthier workplace. Even though the environment was not healthy, you still form strong bonds with not only clients but also the people you work with. One of my closest friends decided to go out on her own. She started renting a chair, from a very kind woman, and working for herself. She told me all about it. How happy she was and told me that the person she rented from really wanted to help me better my career. That I deserved it. With everything that was going on, I was terrified. I had been sick and out of work off and on. Sometimes, I’d be out for a month. I had been told they were the salons clients, not mine. Would they follow me? What if I continued to be/keep getting sick, and now I have a chair rental along with all of our home bills? My husband saw how stressed I was after every day at work and said it can’t be worse than this. Myasthenia Gravis is easily triggered by stress, and I knew I needed to manage it.  I finally took a leap and  announced that I was leaving that salon and going out on my own. The next day, my symptoms of MG cleared up, and a few weeks later, I opened The Dollhouse! Has it been stressful? Yes, sometimes. Have I had some bumps in the road? Of course! Have I gotten sick? Yes, I will always have MG. However, with the support of my family and friends/clients, my business has flourished, and it’s only going to get better!

Hi, I’m Sabrina Ermatinger.  I call myself a Beauty Artist. I have been cutting and styling my family’s hair since I was about 14 yrs old. I always thought I would be a hairstylist. After high school, I dove right in. I loved it and after 27 yrs, I still love it! I love that it’s always changing. I offer quite a few different services to ensure that I’m not doing the same thing every day. A girl likes to switch it up, ya know? My clients love that I am eager to learn and if they want a new service, I will do what I can to learn about it and make an educated opinion on if its right for my business and my clients. The key to succeeding in this industry is always being willing to learn. What was right last year may not be the best this year. I offer almost all things hair. Extensions, color, perms, smoothing treatments, haircuts, healing treatments, special occasion services. I offer nail treatments and services. I’ve recently become licensed as a tattoo artist, building my permanent make-up clientele.  Right now, I’m only offering brows although, I’m in the works of adding new services but haven’t completed my training yet. So far I’m really enjoying it! I am always looking forward to meeting and building new relationships.

Something someone told me at the beginning of my career was that you can’t please everyone. Sometimes, you will do the service, and the client will hate it, not that you did it wrong. It just wasn’t for them, for whatever reason. Sometimes personalities don’t match. Sometimes, the change was too big. Sometimes, they were looking at the face on the inspiration photo and not the hair. Sometimes, you are just not in that clients budget. Whatever it may be, remember that this is business. Don’t take it personally. You are not for everyone.

In my first year in my career, I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis. It is an autoimmune disease that severely weakens your voluntary muscles. I was told to find a different career path, but I just can’t really see myself doing anything else. I really love this ever changing industry. I have spent my career trying to educate people on this invisible disease so that when I do have a flare-up, they are understanding. In fact, even when I’m well, my clients tell me not to work so hard. 27 yrs later, here I am.