Issue link: https://www.ahpindiestylist.com/i/1421270
42 indie stylist Volume 2 Issue 4 WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED AND INSPIRED AFTER 45 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS? Reinventing myself—having the hunger to learn—is what keeps me excited about this business. That said, I think every human being loves having some sense of progress, purpose, passion. That is the fuel in the engine— wanting to be better at what I do. Looking at what I've done is not good enough. It has to be better. So I think it's always about: How do we do things better; how do we innovate; how do we do things that are new? And today, the genius of the world we're living in is that there are so many things, so many opportunities to learn. This morning, just before our interview, I had two choices—listen to the news and get depressed again or say, "Right. What do I want to learn today?" So, I listened to a group of venture capitalists, and all the while I'm thinking, "I can't believe this; a hairdresser listening to venture capitalists talking about how you pitch your business to raise funding!" It's like Shark Tank, and I thought it'd be really interesting to listen to how people pitch their businesses, because the hair industry has been so badly hit by COVID and so many people are hurting. Wouldn't it be good if we learned how these investors think? I mentor a lot of people, and if there's a way I can turn them on to something, wouldn't that be amazing? CAN YOU SHARE A CAREER OBSTACLE YOU'VE OVERCOME? Confidence and self-belief are always a battle, and I've worked with some of the greatest legends in the world who have the same issues. So, I'm not alone. I think it's a degree of how you manage it, how you cover it up, and how you navigate through it. And I have now found a way to authentically own my space and start believing in myself, which is really scary after 45 years. WHEN CUTTING HAIR, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO STOP? Ooh, that's a great question! When to stop? You know, Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." Knowing when to stop is so important. Less is always more. What happens to most of us hairdressers? We work very close to the head, an arm's distance away. We're on top of the head, generally, and we don't take the time to stop and look in the mirror. When you look in the mirror, you're designing from the client's perspective. But if I'm only looking at the client's head from the top, I don't know when to stop. Sometimes when the client is walking away—when she's at reception—you look and go, "Nice one!" or "Oh gosh, it'll be good in six weeks." Or "I didn't realize her body type was like that!" We only realize when we step away, and we look at the big picture. Sometimes it just starts by listening to somebody talk to begin thinking like successful people think. You've got to think the right way to be successful, to be motivated, to be inspired.