Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Suzi Knight. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Suzi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started cosmetology school at Paul Mitchell in Atlanta in 2014, and spent 14 months learning everything I needed to know and more to get started in the industry. I think anyone deciding to come into the hair industry should pick a school that suits their needs financially, and creatively. However, you learn the most when you start working in a salon. With this industry, you’re constantly learning new things, and how to do services quicker, and better. You never really stop learning.
I worked in a few before coming to Color Geek, and after starting here in 2019 my skills have grown exponentially. The founder/previous owner, August and his team really helped me find my confidence in doing hair.
Really getting to know your clients needs, and what services will work best for each person is incredibly important. Being open, inviting, and knowledgeable about your craft really helps connect you with every person in your chair.
For me, my biggest obstacle was myself. If I failed at something I always felt completely defeated, and felt like I would never get better. But working with the right people, and having such wonderful mentors at Color Geek, I grew to have the confidence I need to really shine in my work.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Let’s start at the beginning, yes? Color Geek Salon opened in 2010 by August Alderman, and quickly grew over the years. For so long we were known as “the island’s best kept secret.” I started going to color geek around the age of 16/17 (2010) and August was my stylist. I started working and mentoring under him and Valerie (senior stylist) in 2019. Since the moment this salon opened we’ve stood strongly and proudly as an ally salon. We’re a part of Strands for Trans, and proudly support the LGBTQ+ community. We’ve also grown into a wonderfully multicultural salon, specializing in all textures, and color.
In 2022, Danny Merritt took over ownership of the salon as August and his sister, Jenna (owner from ‘’21-‘22) could move on to bigger things in life. This led me, Suzi, to become the manager of the salon. I try to keep some of August’s vision alive, and we’ve also welcomed so many new things. I encourage all of my stylists to be themselves, and let their creativity shine. Myself, I really pride myself in my color work. I’m currently working on being the vivid specialist of the salon, as it’s my favorite service to do! Jade, Shanna, and Andrea, while multi-talented, are all masters of textured hair. Jade and Shanna provide Keratin Complex treatments, and Andrea is our curly girl specialist. Shes trained in the Reno Cut, and if you need some curl help, shes your girl.
I love this salon with all of my heart and soul, and with a new staff I really love watching everyone grow in their skills and confidence! These girls are absolutely wonderful, and you can really see their care in their work. I love doing hair, and I have to say, I wouldn’t be where I’m at without August and Valerie cheering me on along the way.
I’ve learned so much about business and running a business from Danny, he’s been a great mentor in that aspect. I still have so much to learn, but I really try everyday to do the best I can to make working and being a client at Color Geek an awesome experience.
Color geek is a place of creativity, inclusion, and acceptance – of everyone. We always want everyone to feel welcome, and feel safe. We’re here to help you feel amazing about yourself and who you are as an individual.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

At the moment word of mouth, and social media has been really helpful with building clients. The stylists are also really good at marketing themselves when they’re out and about. But I would say, for me personally, quite a few of my clients have come from friends or other clients that refer people to me. Lately, I think the world of Instagram is really important, which I think most people in the service/art industry would agree. Creating captivating content is difficult, but I’ve noticed when we post videos of us doing work, it really attracts attention.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think the biggest obstacle between us stylists and clients is the understanding of how difficult it actually is to do hair. With the world of Tik Tok and YouTube I think people think things can change easily, or that all stylists are created equal. We all learn the craft differently, and execute services differently. No two stylists are the same. Meaning, you may see one stylist for a few years, and for whatever reason or another have to find a new one. That new stylist can give you a similar if not the same result, however it could be done differently than your original hairstylist. I think that makes some clients nervous, and switching to a new stylist is difficult in itself. I know, I’ve had to do it!

I think the best thing any new client, and even returning clients, can do is have clear communion with your stylists. Bring photos, let us know if you have a budget, and it’s ok to tell us if you feel like we’re not picking up what you’re putting down. The same goes for stylists, clear communication is key.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.colorgeekhairsalon.com
• Instagram: thecolorgeeksalon
• Facebook: The Color Geek Salon