No matter how talented you may be as a stylist, finding your niche is imperative. Sure, it’s great to be skilled in providing hairstyling services of all kinds. However, taking the time to find your niche is one of the best things you can do to attract loyal customers and make more money as a hairstylist. If you are struggling to find your niche, it just takes a little time and effort. For those who do not have the proper guidance, this can be quite a daunting task. Luckily, we have some expert tips right here designed to do just that.
Huddletime with Chris Aaron
Before gigging in, let’s find out more about this week’s Huddletime guest . Chris Aaron is a hair stylist with 16 years of experience. He is an educator, fashion stylist, and much more. He has worked in TV production for the Sundance Film Festival. Chris has even been known to work on epic events such as the Oscars. He’s been wildly successful in a wide variety of markets, but also within his own unique niche: textured hair. By many hair stylist’s standards, Chris is living the dream. Not only has he figured out a way to earn a living as a stylist, but he has also become a long-term staple of the glamorous (often fickle) entertainment industry. This makes him incredibly qualified to give advice and guidance on this topic.
How to Dig into your Niche to Make More Money as a Hairstylist
Given that Chris deals with both “normal” and celebrity clients, his methods are a little different from the average stylist. Chris routinely wakes up at 3 am to be able to service both his regular and celebrity clientele. He works hard to build and maintain relationships with clients of all kinds. Chris is a stylist to the stars and provides services and amenities as such. He is often faced with potential clients unable afford to pay him what he’s worth. Something we will talk about below.
So now, here’s some tips to help you establish a niche and make more money as a hairstylist…
Never Settle
Chris has dealt with the same challenges all stylists have experienced during this pandemic. But, his unwillingness to settle has made all the difference. He surely admits that ingenuity has saved many salons. As such, he chose to use his resourcefulness and to find ways adjust to the temporary turmoil. To thrive as a stylist, you may need to offer new services and revitalize old ones. Do what’s needed keep your client flow and steady and consistent.
Update your Skill Set
When business is slow, this is a great time to update your skills. For instance, you have lost clients because you do not provide a particular service. Therefore, consider learning how to provide that service. On the other hand, think if you have lost clients due to poor customer service. If so, you may need to take a training course on how to provide outstanding customer service. Either way, if you are facing financial uncertainty, strengthening your skill sets is an excellent way to move forward.
Diversify your skills
Moreover, Chris wants stylists to know that even though they are focusing on a niche, they should still be willing to diversify their skill sets. For instance, since Chris focuses on textured hair, he should be able to provide every service that someone with textured hair may request. This can be anything from a cut and color to a wig install or anything in between.
The point is that there is still a wide range of things you can learn and perfect once you choose your niche. That is where you should be spending your energy if you want to continue to thrive as a hairstylist. Similarly, if you have a salon that focuses on providing coloring services, you should make sure you can color any hair type and that you are abreast of any and all techniques that will allow you to cater to your client’s needs. Therefore, rather than getting stuck in a styling rut, you should always be looking for ways to expand your existing skill sets.
Follow Your Passion
For stylists who are having trouble finding their niche, Chris suggests following your passion. Rather than going with what is trendy or suggested, stylists who really want to find their niche should focus on what they enjoy. It doesn’t matter if you are great at coloring hair if you’re bored. On the other hand, if you truly love performing a technique that you feel will not make you money, focus on that until you find a way to make it more lucrative.
For instance, many hairstylists refused to work with textured hair until recent years. Therefore, those who chose to keep their hair in its naturally kinky state were forced to do their own hair or seek out unlicensed stylists. However, these days, textured hair is becoming a trend. Those who took the time to learn how to style and care for this type of hair now have an almost endless list of clients.
Learn how to Teach
One of the best ways to learn is by teaching others. Chris is not only an incredible stylist, he’s also an educator. Therefore, one of the ways he reinforces his own knowledge is by teaching it to others. If you are struggling to create a niche, then consider teaching the basics to others to reinforce your own knowledge. This can be a phenomenal way to supplement your income during times of financial uncertainty. In fact, there are always people looking to start new businesses and learn new skills. This is a great reason to create a course or program that you can sell to the general public.
Know your Worth
Chris stresses the importance of knowing your worth as a stylist. Although lower prices will obviously attract more people, higher prices attract those who can actually pay you enough to live comfortably. Chris urges every stylist to consider pricing carefully. If you have had to go to school, take training courses, spend countless hours perfecting techniques, etc., you should be paid as such. Do not be afraid to charge what you’re worth. If you’re truly worth it, you will find those who are happy to pay it.
Be Confident
Lastly, no matter if you’re trying out a new technique or raising your prices, confidence is key. For instance, when you are raising your prices, you may lose some clients. However, you have to be confident enough to know that you will gain new clients to replace them. Similarly, if you are trying out a new technique that a client is leery of, you must be confident enough to complete the process and allow them to judge for themselves. You will never be able to please every single client. However, as a stylist, you should have the confidence to do your best and make it right if you mess up or otherwise disappoint a client.
Overall, there are plenty of things you can do to dig into your niche and make more money as a hairstylist. This list was created based on the first-hand experiences of stylist to the stars, and textured hair guru, Chris Aaron. He has been working as a stylist for over 16 years and has demonstrated what it means to be excellent within the hairstyling realm. To learn more about Chris, go to: https://www.christopheraaronstyling.com/
These tips are meant to guide you to become the best stylist possible, while also carving out a lucrative niche that can help you achieve financial freedom. Follow them, but also be flexible in recognizing which ones will help your business and which ones are not for you.
For more great Salon Cadence tips, view all our articles.