We were lucky to catch up with Shariel Fernandez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shariel , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’m definitely humbled to say I am able to earn a full-time living for my family doing what I love. I think most will agree that you don’t really know “what you want to be when you grow up” by the time high school comes to an end. For me I had zero knowledge in the beauty field, only what I saw on t.v or magazines, but it’s always been something I wanted to learn more about. In 2013, I gave cosmetology school a shot and never looked back.

I knew from the minute I entered the school this was the industry I belonged in & have felt the best doing every day. It was going to provide me the income and the time freedom I needed and I didn’t know how I was going to get there but I showed up every day. I remember I was taking clients in my moms living room charging hardly anything just to get more proactive and start building a clientele haha, good times but I had to start somewhere. A lot of those same people are still in my chair today, that’s truly a blessing for me. They’ve referred friends, family and have truly helped me grow as a person and stylist.

Cosmetology is not a walk in the park, you really have to be a visionary, chemist, have great communication skills & be able to execute. I took the challenge and went all in, not knowing if I’d succeed I just took every opportunity to grow and build my skills, I wasn’t someone that had this dream since I was a little girl so it’s really cool to see how far I’ve come. My art has grown so much from where I began, I owe it to the educators that share their talents. There is still so much more I want to accomplish, I’m very excited for the future!

I don’t feel there’s anything I would do differently other than start my apprenticeship sooner during school. Education is so much more freely available to us now & thats been a game changer for the industry. You can’t ever stop learning, find what you enjoy doing and run with it. I feel grateful for the mentorships I received, as well as, the opportunities that were given to me and for all of my guest that have sat in my chair and continue to inspire me. Social media is huge! I’ve been able to grow so much in 5 years at Porte Noire, because of it.

I believe everything happens at the right time, things happen for you, just don’t lose sight of your goals and nothing can stop you. Just work hard, take care of your body & mind and always keep an open mind to who you can learn from!

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 name is Shariel Jasmyn Fernandez, I am a hairstylist of 9 years at Porte Noire salon collective in Tampa,Florida. I specialize in color corrective services, blonde services, smoothing treatments haircutting and special occasion hairstyling. I have been partnered with Monat for almost 4 years as my second business, I’m so obsessed with the products & the company. I am a 31 years old Latina, happily married for 5 beautiful years to my husband Carlos & a momma to 3 amazing boys & my beautiful bonus daughter.

I attended Paul Mitchell the school Tampa at 23 years old, from 2013-2014. Shortly after graduating, I worked at a Redken focused salon in Lutz, Florida for 4 great years. I was able to gain so much knowledge, building my skills through my mentorship program, as well as, attending guest artist classes & Redken Symposium. In 2017, I decided it was time for me to evolve and start my own business, in which, Shariel Jasmyn LLC, was created.

I started my business almost over night at Porte Noire. I remember feeling so nervous, but a good kind of nervous because I knew that this was going to be an amazing journey. This year in May I celebrated my 5th year in my suite. It’s bitter sweet, seeing how quickly the years went by but how much my business has grown as well as my confidence. The support of my guests have carried me through the years, I’m so grateful!

One of the biggest moments my guest experience being in my chair is the education I provide to them. Majority of the time someone presents an inspiration picture(s) and expect it to be 100% duplicated. I always start with a strong consultation & learn the hair history to help them decide if this would be something possible for them as well as, the time and commitment it requires to maintain. Transparency is key, it builds trust and you’re actually helping your guest understand what they’re asking for so everyone’s on the same page. I’m really disciplined with that because it allows me to create custom looks for each individual and over deliver.

I love all color and cuts! I also work with children and men, I’m always up for a challenge and love to think outside of the box. Working with a clean beauty company has helped me be more conscious on what I’m applying to my guest and always strive to have the best products provided.
Monat has given me a huge opportunity to earn income when I’m not behind the chair allowing me to be present with my family and myself personally. The culture, company and products are all amazing, we focus on giving back to the community & family. I invite anyone that’s looking to expand their income & time freedom customized around their lifestyle, to come meet my amazing team and community!

I’m working my way into more freelance opportunities on the runways & bridal as well. That was what first inspired me to join the industry actually, my love for fashion. I love creating and transforming my guest into a more confident version of themselves. It is the best feeling ever! I’m super chill, love to laugh (every once in a while we cry) and you’ll mostly always hear some good jams in my chair!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

We’re taught very early into hair school about timing, how to be quick and be able to service multiple guest at once. For me that impacted me negatively because everyone has different hair density, texture length and hair history. Most guest don’t know the difference between services when booking either whether it be online or over the phone. I learned I needed to have more control over my time and be able to have the one on one time with my guest for their services big or small.

When you understand how the products work and color theory you also gain more control over your time. So I had to teach myself how to slow down and give each reservation more attention. This for me grew my business, it wasn’t about how many people were in my chair in a day, it became how can I give my clients an experience & provide longevity for their color? That was the game changer for me.

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

Recently in the last 4 years I had a lot of life changes, moving, marriage, children, the shutdown. No one is ever prepared for how to juggle work and life and run a successful business without neglecting the family. This was a difficult shift for me simply because all I knew was how to work as much as possible, I was too scared if I didn’t take a client my business was going to fail. It lead me to a few burn out moments but I picked myself back up and pushed forward. I created a schedule that works for my business and family, I’m able to have the time I need to do the personal work to continue to grow myself and salon. Monat helped me a lot with that because of all the resources they provide as a business partner. We not only learned product knowledge but personal development, business models, communication and marketing strategies. These are all key in any business and I’m grateful to be apart of a company that can help me grow all around even as an independent stylist.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.myMonat.com/sharieljasmyn
• Instagram: @slayedby_sj
• Facebook: Shariel Jasmyn
• Linkedin: Shariel Jasmyn