Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Deacon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear a story from back when you were an intern or apprentice. What’s a memorable story you can share with us?
Starting out as a Cosmetology apprentice, I was filled with excitement to begin working at my first salon. I wanted to learn anything and everything about the industry. I remember not wanting to miss a detail when it came to interacting with clients, formulation, and application. Through much trial and error, eventually, I began to develop my own set of skills and clientele.
I started traveling, pursuing every educational opportunity available. Initially, I was solely focused on measuring up in my craft, that it wasn’t until later I started realizing there was more to consider. It’s not enough to simply do good hair— What sets you apart? Are you prioritizing trendy products or clean ingredients? Can you create a space where people feel safe enough to let down their walls to communicate and build trust? Taking the time to be conscious of how you want your business to operate will make all of the difference in the long run. During one training I remember hearing a quote that has always stayed with me [“business like life is about how you make people feel. It’s that simple, and it’s that complicated.”-Danny Meyer ]. The more I traveled, the more I learned success can be measured beyond face value in a number of ways.
Apprenticeships can provide the safe space for you to make mistakes and learn to fix them on the spot. You want to use this opportunity to soak everything up as if you are a sponge. With the unique opportunity to see behind the scenes of your trade before fully leaping in any one direction. Learning from the good and the bad what you will carry with you into your own professional career. Even when experiences aren’t initially positive, there is still value in learning what not to do. Your particular vision and outlook might be exactly what is needed in the industry. Learn as much as you can without losing your unique self.
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 got started in the beauty industry in high school through the PRCTC Cosmetology program. I spent the next few years traveling and taking classes at every opportunity. I have always known that beyond creating beautiful hair, I wanted to build my dream salon. My focus is creating a space that is non-toxic from the way we treat each other, the healthy hair routines we are building with our clients, to choosing cleaner ingredients in our products. We are always looking for opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle, making small shifts over time to live more sustainably. When you step into our salon, you may notice a hint of sage in the air or the lush plant life thriving in every corner. When life is stressful and seems to be pulling you in a million directions, I wanted our space to be a calming place where you could just breathe. A more relaxed pace environment centered around quality over quantity. Our salon is most known for healthy hair, vibrant colors, natural curls, and individualized cuts. We love to share education whether we have the chance to attend class or host in the comfort of our salon home. Each stylist is independent and focuses on learning a limited number of particular skills really well. This allows each of our stylists to further develop their expertise and specialize in services that set them apart. Depending on what you are looking for, whether it’s the perfect blend, blonde, color, curls, fringe, etc. We have someone or know someone who can help you. We do a lot of corrective work, especially working with new clients. If you have been struggling with your hair and are ready to try something different—visit our website to learn more about our team and how to schedule a consultation with one of our stylists. If you want to make changes for healthier hair, it doesn’t really matter where you are starting from. We can help you move in the right direction.
Any advice for managing a team?
I think the most important part of any relationship is healthy communication. Meeting regularly as a team and individually. Not just to talk but also to listen. If you are only meeting when there is an issue, people may already go into it with a negative mindset. If you are meeting regularly almost to refocus and refuel it can be a really positive experience. I am particular about getting the little things right so I always want to celebrate those small wins right along side the big milestones. We intentionally spend time getting to know each other through the ups and downs of life. Knowing each other in this way helps us let our guard down to be a genuinely supportive team. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed or burnt out in most careers if you aren’t taking enough time for yourself. I always want to encourage my team to rest, vacation, travel, and enjoy life to the fullest. As our well-being improves individually, we all flourish as a result.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
We retail products, plants, locally made goods, and custom DHC merch in-store and online through our website www.deaconhairco.com. When you make a purchase from DHC—at the end of every year, we set aside 1% of retail sales towards a chosen non-profit. We love seeing this small goal accumulate through the years.
I started designing our brand, website, blog, and merchandise back in 2018. I will say there was definitely a learning curve with aspects of technology. However, I found there is surprisingly a lot of help out there if you are willing to look. And if that doesn’t work, I’ve been known to phone a friend (shout out to my tech-savvy uncle Wayne). I especially love propagating plants within our shop, creating new designs for our merch, and writing for our blog. Our most recent design “Deacon Blonde” just hit the shelves and is available in-store and online.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deaconhairco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deaconhairco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Deaconhairco/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-deacon-b72410156
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/sarahdeaconhair/ https://www.instagram.com/dhcacademy/ https://www.pinterest.com/DeaconHairCo/
Image Credits
Cassidy Dawn Photography Matt Day Photography Coraline The Great Photography