Issue link: https://www.ahpindiestylist.com/i/1511260
70 indie stylist Volume 4 Issue 2 ARTIST TO ARTIST Choose Your Path Your career is a journey. Tread joyfully and re-route as needed. "Hairdressing has always been my first-choice career," says stylist Nikki Layne (@hairbynikkilayne). "But I didn't get to do it as a first choice. My family told me I was too smart for that." Layne was nudged toward college instead. She was two years through a three-year law school program when funding dried up. After a few years of using her bachelor's degree to work in jobs she wasn't passionate about, she decided to enroll in cosmetology school at age 29. "I've always wanted to do hair, so let me do it," she told herself. "It was the best decision I ever made." After a brief stint at a private salon that overpromised and under-delivered, Layne found her career fit with the Salon at Ulta Beauty in Delray Beach, Florida. Seven years later, she manages a lucrative business built on extensions and hair color. EARN, LEARN, AND LOVE YOUR LIFE Earlier this year, Layne and around 70 peers from Ulta Beauty salons were recognized as Diamond and Platinum stylists and skin therapists—the best of the best in annual services revenue. Layne was honored at the Platinum tier of $150K for the year, falling just shy of Diamond level ($175K). Not bad, given that she'd taken 12 weeks of leave in 2022 to have a baby. She also has 2-year-old twins. "The first time I reached six figures with Ulta Beauty was in 2019. If someone would have told me that four years out of beauty school, I would be producing $100,000 in services behind the chair, I wouldn't have believed it." This year, Layne passed the $100K mark by the end of July, halfway through Ulta Beauty's fiscal year. "My goal is $200K. It's surreal. I work 36 hours over just four days per week." BE SEEN AND HEARD One of the most popular sessions at the Celebrate U event was a Q&A panel with Ulta Beauty executives from services, technology, education, industry relations, operations, and more. "The entire experience was luxe, but this panel was my favorite," Layne says. "As stylists on the front lines, we can feel far away or isolated. Sometimes we just need to feel heard and included." Ulta Beauty Platinum Stylist Nikki Layne built her six-figure business around extensions. advertisement