We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Taylor Shira. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Taylor below.

Taylor , appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

The scariest thing about being a business owner is the uncertainty of consistent income. I have a three year old son to provide for, and I oftentimes wonder if I’m being an irresponsible parent by continuing to pursue my dream and maintain my self-employment. Is my small business enough to provide for us long term? Would I make more money working a regular office job? Is choosing the safe route more important than persevering and continuing to try to build my business? The most challenging thing is that I could make enough to cover all my bills in one day or I could only bring in enough to cover my booth rental in an entire week. That’s the nature of being a business owner, especially one who is a sole proprietor and is also relatively new to business ownership. It requires so much of my time and energy. Receptionist, stylist, unlicensed “therapist”, artist, social media manager, bookkeeper— I wear all the hats and fill all the roles. I find myself daydreaming about a job that allows me to leave work at work, and a job that I can step away from; one that doesn’t consume my entire life.

***BUT***
Would that job provide me with the many relationships and friendships I’ve built with my clients? Would it allow me to positively impact others? Would it allow me the opportunity to make others feel safe and heard and validated? Does this regular job fire me up, and fill my heart with passion? Do I get the same flexible schedule that allows me to be there for my son whenever he has appointments or needs me? Does it keep me constantly learning and growing and on my toes— never knowing what will be thrown at me next? Do I get the opportunity to do different things all the time which keeps me interested and prevents burnout? What about the ability to schedule days off or vacations whenever I want to? Would I believe in the company and their mission? Is the boss even nearly as cool? (😉)

I want to set the example for my son that hard things are worth it. The things that challenge us and scare us, the things that force us out of our comfort zone— those are the things most worth chasing in life. I hope he sees that I pushed through and carried on, even when it was difficult, to provide the best life for him and to be the best possible mother. I want him to see that he doesn’t have to work a job he hates just because it provides him with a hefty paycheck. The job that he feels happiest at will be well worth it, time and time again. When we are passionate about what we do, we make the world a better place. The passion shines through and impacts other people in such a positive way.

To sum it all up, I absolutely do sometimes find myself second guessing business ownership, but when the day comes to an end, I am so beyond thankful I took the leap to start my own business. To create a space that feels like home for myself, and a place that others feel safe and joyful and inspired in. A business that believes in great customer service and treating people exceptionally. A place where you’re guaranteed to get a quality service that you find great value in. A judgment-free zone where you can let down your walls and be yourself. I created this. A client recently called my space an “oasis” and it meant the world to me to know that they felt exactly what I’ve aimed to have my clients feel. I am undoubtedly happier as a business owner, and I intend to continue to grow my business to be the BEST it can be for anyone who steps foot in my door. I am so lucky that I have the privilege of being a small business owner, and the ability to positively impact my community.

Taylor , 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?

A question I always get asked is, how did I know I wanted to do hair and makeup? Honestly, the short answer is— I didn’t. Looking back it was obvious I always had a love for art and a playful interest in both hair and makeup (I have a photo of myself from middle school rocking “peacock eyes”, blending lime green into teal into purple, YIKES). I even remember taking some sort of aptitude test in high school and cosmetologist was listed as one of my recommended careers, but I still didn’t head down this path until a few years later. It’s funny how life can sometimes give us all the clues and yet we can still be so oblivious. I attended Rudy and Kelly Academy, a Paul Mitchell partner school in Virginia Beach, VA for my 1500 hours, and on my first day of cosmetology school, I knew. After school I joined a bridal team, Darling & Dapper, and also worked full time in another`commission-based salon. I knew it ideally wasn’t my forever— I dreamed of having my own space of some sort. As life would have it, I got pregnant with my son, Jenks, and decided to venture back to Darling & Dapper and only do weddings on the weekends. The owner, Liz Darling, was in the process of opening a huge new salon with tons of space for more stylists. My business, The Cosmo Cactus, came into existence as a result of Liz essentially shoving me off the cliff, but being my parachute on the way down. I’m so thankful she believed in me more than I believed in myself, because otherwise I truly don’t think I’d be at this point. When we decided to move back to Texas a little over a year ago, she asked me if I’d be interested in expanding Darling & Dapper to Texas, and of course I was thrilled to do so. I’m currently the Lead Texas Artist for Darling & Dapper, and we travel anywhere in the Hill Country for special event styling and makeup! I also rent the cutest little space inside of The Hair Depot in downtown New Braunfels, providing a full list of regular salon services!

My style is very lived-in and boho. My favorite types of color are the sun-kissed, low maintenance highlights that only need a toner refresh ever so often and a touch up once or twice a year. I love the way they grow out and I love that they stay looking fresh and natural for longer, especially for my clients that don’t have the ability to come in as frequently. My cutting style is very textured and blendy; I love for everything to look soft. I also really enjoy doing bold and contrasted colors, as well as fun vivids! I LOVE a good transformation. I regularly cut both men and women’s hair, and I’m obsessed with the mullet trend making a comeback. I love offering a variety of services, so I have a very diverse clientele and things always stay interesting. I am absolutely happiest when I am providing special event styling and makeup services, though! It’s such an incredible honor to be trusted to make someone feel like their most confident and beautiful self on such an important day or life event. I love the true raw artistry that sculpting hair and painting faces allows me. Staying up to date on product knowledge and educated on new techniques is also incredibly important to me. I’m always trying out new things to provide my clients with the best possible service. As many successful entrepreneurs have stated, complacency is the enemy of success.

I’ve been told a time or two that I have a sparkling personality, and I try to emulate that in everything I do. It’s important to me to be real and genuine, but to also give my clients my best every single day. I want every person sitting in my chair to feel safe, heard, and beautiful. If something isn’t right with their appointment, I want them to feel 100% comfortable communicating that to me so we can correct it. My goal with every service is to have you feeling MOST like yourself when you leave. People come to salons because they are needing to feel confident and refreshed, both mentally and physically. They can gush to us about all the wonderful things in their life and allow us to share in their grief in the same appointment. Stylists are among a small group of people who are almost immediately trusted and it is a huge responsibility to bear. People sometimes underestimate the power we hold— we completely possess the ability to be life changers and to leave people better off than we found them. When you look good, you feel good… and if we take the time to listen to our clients and build them up, we will have made far more of a difference than we realize. I am incredibly proud of the business I have built, and so eager to see where it goes from here. I’m confident in my ability to provide top notch services through extensive consultations and a genuine desire to deliver what my client wants. I truly believe that the artistry is just as important as the experience, and I hope that is evident with those I come in contact with.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Word. Of. Mouth. My clientele is a direct result of heavily believing in great customer service and a dedication to genuine client happiness, and then those wonderful clients recommending me to all the people in their lives. The most mind blowing feeling is having someone who has never even sat in your chair recommend you on a local Facebook group purely because of the reputation you’ve built. I always offer a 20% referral discount because I so greatly appreciate when someone is willing to go out on a limb for me, and I know that 90% of my clientele has easily come from word of mouth.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Every single service, no matter how big or small starts with a thorough consultation. I always take the extra time to ask 1 million questions (roughly), and really get myself inside the brain of the client so I can provide them with a result as close to their exact vision as possible. Oftentimes, I am told that they have never even been asked these types of questions. It really sets the tone and gets you off to a great start when you make sure you, without a doubt, have a solid understanding of their wants and needs. I am very detailed and I extensively think out the best plan of action before I start anything. I go the extra mile to make sure everything within my control is absolutely perfect, even if it requires a lot of extra time and steps. I own up to my mistakes and am completely transparent in every scenario. I make sure that my client has a safe and judgment-free environment where they can feel free to be authentically themselves, and I genuinely try to form a relationship with this person. For me, it’s about a great experience. When people feel heard, understood, safe, and you can also execute a great service, you have created value. All of these things have helped me build a reputation as a stylist who truly cares and is passionate about her job, and will take the time to make sure you get exactly what you need.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @thecosmocactus
• Facebook: @thecosmocactus

Image Credits
Cortney Miles Photography Amy Dang Photography Blu Tree Studios Photography