Hair Hero
Welcome to "Hair Hero," the ultimate podcast for hairstylists seeking inspiration, knowledge, and growth.
Join your host, Ryan Weeden, founder of the 8-figure brand Masters of Balayage, as he shares his journey from being flat broke to becoming massively successful, all through the power of hair.
Each week, Ryan engages in intimate conversations with industry leaders, icons, and trendsetters, uncovering their secrets to success and sharing actionable insights.
Tune in to elevate your craft, fuel your passion, and become the hero of your own hair journey. New episodes drop every week—don't miss out!
Hair Hero
Unbreakable: How to Last Behind the Chair (w/ Ryan Weeden)
What if you could transform your hairstyling career by mastering the secrets of long-term success? Tune in to this solo session of Hair Hero, where I, Ryan Weeden, share my journey and invaluable lessons on the power of consistency, mindset, and self-care. By making time for skill improvement and client follow-ups, you can build trust and reliability that lasts. Discover why self-care is not just a luxury but a necessity to prevent burnout and physical ailments. I’ll also guide you through a crucial mindset shift that will help you confidently charge what you're worth and overcome imposter syndrome, allowing you to understand your value and project the confidence needed for a sustainable and fulfilling career.
Strong client relationships are the foundation of any successful hairstyling career. Learn the art of treating clients as individuals rather than transactions, transforming them into lifelong supporters. Effective communication, clear expectations, and maintaining healthy boundaries are key elements we'll cover, from initial consultations to continuous engagement. Staying updated with trends, techniques, and technologies is essential for long-term success, and I’ll share how you can remain at the top of your game. Elevate your career through community engagement and promotion, and don’t forget to share your experiences on social media. Remember, be bold, be brave, be you!
Be Bold, be Brave, be You.
Thanks for you listening.
-Ryan
Follow us on Instagram:
Masters of Balayage - www.instagram.com/mastersofbalayage
Ryan Weeden - www.instagram.com/ryan.weeden
For Live Classes:
www.mastersofbalayage.com
For Professional Products:
www.mobprofessional.com
For Online Classes and Certification Programs:
www.mobmastersacademy.com
Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Hair Hero. I'm doing another solo episode here, and I tend to do this when I haven't had a lot of time to interview amazing heroes in our industry. But we're going to interweave that here and there. But these solo episodes are near and dear to my heart because I can really touch on some powerful topics and subjects, things that are personally affecting me, and maybe even challenges that I've overcome as well. So they are short. They are powerful, just like my nuggets of wisdom.
Speaker 1:What did you think I was going to say? But today I'm going to be diving deep into a topic that I think every hairstylist, no matter where they are in their career, can benefit from Long-term success behind the chair. You see, in this industry it is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle. We work hard, we work long hours before, after our shift, during our shift, we focus on filling our books, keeping up with the trends, content creation and sometimes just making it through the week. But what about the big picture? What about looking ahead? What about creating a career that not only sustains you financially but also keeps you passionate, growing and excited for the years to come? Now let me tell you a little story. From early on in my career, I remember those days when I was so eager to build my client base, to find those dream clients that I would take anyone who walked through the door. Didn't matter what time it was, what day it was. I'd work long hours, weekends, holidays. I'd answer my phone whenever, I'd answer DMs whenever, before or after my shift, midnight Didn't matter. I was so eager to get those clients and while that helped me get started, it just wasn't sustainable. I burned out. It took a real shift in how I approached my work, both in the salon and in my mindset, to actually turn things around and build the kind of career that I'm proud of today. And that's what I want to share with you today the secrets of long-term success behind the chair. We're talking consistency. We're talking mindset. We're talking building strong relationships and always being open to learning and growth. Student for life that's what I always say. Let's dive in. All right, first things first. Let's talk consistency.
Speaker 1:If there's one thing that I've learned over the years, it is that success doesn't come from a big breakthrough or a lucky break. It comes from showing up day in and day out with the same level of dedication and passion. I've always said and always learned that it's not about being in the right place at the right time. It's about being the right person in the right place at the right time. Think about it your dream clients are looking for reliability. They want to know that every time they sit in your chair they're going to walk away feeling amazing that their money was well spent. That level of trust doesn't just happen overnight. It happens when you commit to consistency, not just in your work, but in your communication, in your messaging, your attitude, your dress, your appearance, the way you walk and hold yourself, and your willingness to improve.
Speaker 1:One thing that's helped me maintain consistency throughout all these years is creating routines. Now I'm talking about simple habits that keep me focused and on top of my game. For instance, every week I am going to block out time to work on my skills, whether that's watching tutorials or on-demand videos, youtube things you know, videos and things to help me level up my skills, practicing techniques, practicing speaking or even revisiting the basics. I also set aside time to check in with my clients, whether it's sending out follow-up messages, emails, texts or planning for their next appointment. And let's not forget about self-care, because self-care, guys. Self-care is self-love.
Speaker 1:Being consistent isn't just about showing up for your clients, it's about showing up for yourself too. Now I've learned the hard way that if you don't take care of yourself mentally, physically and emotionally you're going to hit burnout faster than you think. You're going to have physical ailments. I had carpal tunnel, I had shoulder injuries all from doing hair. So consistency also means setting boundaries and taking breaks and knowing when you need to recharge. What I want you to take away from this today, this little talk, is that consistency is going to build trust Trust with your clients, trust in your abilities and trust in the process. And once you have that trust, success becomes a whole lot easier to sustain and your clients are going to keep coming back time after time referring their amazing friends to you.
Speaker 1:Now consistency is key. But let's be real, guys. Your mindset can make or break you in this industry. I have seen some incredibly talented stylists give up because their mindset had held them back or their ego got in their way or, as I heard recently, their ego is not their amigo. On the other hand, I've seen stylists with average skills rise to the top because they believed in themselves, set big goals and refused to give up when things got tough.
Speaker 1:Now, one of the biggest mindset shifts I had to make was getting comfortable with raising my prices. I think a lot of us actually feel guilty when it comes to charging what we're worth, especially in the beginning. We think, well, who am I to charge that much? Or what if my clients can't afford it? I mean, I couldn't even afford my own services, especially at the beginning. But here's the thing You're providing a valuable service. You're invested in your education, your tools, your time and your craft and you deserve to be compensated for that, especially because we are delivering an experience, not just the service. And the more we can enhance that experience, the more value it becomes. It all starts with knowing your value. When you know what you bring to the table, you stop second guessing yourself. That's what's going to help you get through this imposter syndrome. And when you stop second guessing, you project confidence. And let me tell you, clients can sense that confidence. When you're confident in your pricing, they are going to respect it and they are not going to approach you or complain about it or battle you for a discount.
Speaker 1:Now, another mind shift I had to make was getting comfortable with failure, because there's a lot of it. Early on, I used to take every mistake personally. If a color didn't turn out the way I wanted or if a client wasn't 100% happy, I would beat myself up about it for days. But here's the truth. Failure is part of the process. Every single stylist, no matter how successful, has messed up, and even the best of us still mess up. Hopefully we just mess up a lot less. The key is to learn from those mistakes and keep pushing forward. Failure, my friends, is feedback. It is not the end. It's just a step on the road to success.
Speaker 1:So if you are sitting back listening to this on a break or in the car on the way to work whether you've had a good or bad day if you're listening to this and you're feeling like you're not there yet or you day, if you're listening to this and you're feeling like you're not there yet or you still feel like you got that just a hairstylist kind of feeling. I want you to know this Success isn't a destination, it is a mindset. It's about showing up every single day with energy, with intention to improve, to grow and to be better than you were yesterday. You don't have to have it all figured out right away. Just keep moving forward with the right mindset and the results will follow.
Speaker 1:That person sitting in your chair on that particular day at that particular moment should be the most important person in your life. You need to make sure that they are cared for, that they are happy that you are there to give them an experience, from the second they step foot in the salon to even after they leave the salon checking up, following up, making sure that they love the experience they received inside the salon with you. Bail-yage, bail-yage, bal-yage you know, it doesn't matter how you pronounce it. Your clients just want to know that you're good at it, because they're paying a lot of money for your service. Sure, you can take a class here and there, search on YouTube, learn a hack here and there on Instagram, but it's never going to be enough, because to excel at bal-yage, you need structured learning with experts that have been where you are and can show you how to reach your goals.
Speaker 1:Hi, I'm Ryan Whedon, founder of Masters of Balayage and one of the first balayage experts to bring modern balayage to millions. And right now, masters Academy, the number one online trainer for balayage artists, is now offering lifetime memberships. That's right. No more monthly payments, no more overdrafts, just a one-time payment and you can get over hundred hours of balayage and blonding tutorials on demand to watch and re-watch on your time. Our new Masters Academy lifetime membership also includes our three world-famous certification programs the Balayage Masters Program, the Blonde Masters Program and the Extensions Masters Program. Not only do you get to own all three of these now, you also get master certified. So if you're stuck lacking that balayage confidence or just need an awesome excuse to raise your prices, masters Academy is the answer. And right now you can save $100 off any lifetime membership. Just go to wwwmobmastersacademycom and use code MYL my life at checkout to redeem your $100 off promotion. I'm going to say it again. So go grab a pen and write this down. Go to wwwmobmastersacademycom and use code my life and redeem your promotion now.
Speaker 1:All right, let's shift gears and talk about something that just cannot and should never be overlooked Building strong relationships with your clients. I mean, right, it should be a given, but a lot of stylists, especially newbies, treat our clients like they're single serving people. Single serving, just single serving. They come in, you treat them like a transaction, like they're in, they're out. You never think about them again when we need to be building these strong relationships so it actually increases our success by increasing the lifetime value of these particular clients. When you make a client happy and over and over again, they're going to tell their friends, they're going to review you online in positive ways and that is going to feed the success of your business. I mean you could be the most talented stylist in positive ways and that is going to feed the success of your business. I mean you could be the most talented stylist in the world, but if you don't know how to connect with your clients, your career is only going to go so far. You're not going to reach your potential.
Speaker 1:Now, clients come to you for more than just a haircut or color. They come for the experience. This is what I've been talking about. This is what I always talk about. They want something memorable. They come because they trust you to make them feel good. And that trust it's built over time, once you get over the initial hump, the initial consultations of hey, getting to know you like the first date kind of feeling. After that you're building a relationship, you're building trust, you're building value and it's built by being genuinely interested in your clients, by remembering the small details about their lives and by making them feel like they're your priority. The moment they walk through the door, they're the most important person in your life at that time.
Speaker 1:For me, building relationships, it starts with communication From the very first consultation or pre-consultation. If you've followed my training in the past, I'm listening, really listening to what the client wants and needs, and it's not just about their hair, it's about their lifestyle, their personality and what makes them feel confident each and every day. When you can connect with your clients on that level, you're no longer just offering a service, you're offering a transformation. And guess what? Transformations are expensive.
Speaker 1:Another important part of building trust is setting clear expectations. I always make sure that my clients they know what's possible, what's not and what they can expect from the service. Being upfront and honest from the get-go, it just prevents that disappointment and it ensures that clients trust you, even if things don't go exactly as planned. And once you have these conversations, you start to get more comfortable with yourself and your communication and you learn what you should say yes to and what you should say no to, because you shouldn't take every single person that sets foot. Once you have some power, once you have some income coming in. I know at the beginning you got to take what you can, but once you are in more of a control situation, you shouldn't be saying yes twice to challenges that you're not confident you're going to get the result that you want.
Speaker 1:And here's the tricky part with all this it's the setting of the boundaries. Building strong relationships doesn't mean letting clients walk all over you. I know you're a people pleaser we all are but we need to control ourselves. You need to establish healthy boundaries to protect your time, your energy and your business. Now I have had clients who have tried to push for these last-minute appointments, text me in the middle of the night or who didn't respect my time and early on I would accommodate them just to avoid conflict. But I've learned that when you set clear boundaries and you stick to them, it's only going to benefit you, but it also earns you more respect from your clients. Another reason not to answer something after hours a text, a DM or communicate after your quote-unquote salon hours, working hours is because once a client knows they can contact you at a particular time that's not convenient for you, it doesn't matter that it's not convenient for you. They're going to contact you because they know you're going to respond and if you don't respond at that time, when they do it again, they're going to take it personally. So at the end of the day, guys, your clients are your business. Treat them with respect, build a relationship that is based on trust and always, always, always, above all else, provide a stellar, memorable experience. That is how you turn a one-time client into a lifelong one.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about one of the most crucial parts of long-term success continuous learning and adaptability. I am talking about student for life kind of stuff. The beauty industry it is always evolving. It's hard to keep up sometimes. New trends, techniques and technologies they are popping up all the time and if you want to stay on the top of your game, you got to keep learning. I've seen stylists who hit a certain level of success and then they just coast. They just think it's the easy breezy street from there on. They stop attending classes, they stop experimenting and eventually their work becomes stagnant. I mean, think back five years when some of the most top influencers that you watched and admired like where'd they go right? But the best stylists, they never stop learning. They're always looking for ways to refine their skills, to improve their client experience and to stay ahead of the curve. For me, I make a point to invest in education every year. I don't necessarily have a budget, but I'm willing to invest large sums of money for my growth, whether that's attending a class, taking an online course or even learning from other stylists in my network. It's not just about staying relevant. It is about pushing myself to be better, to grow, and it's not just about technical skills, of course, not as a stylist.
Speaker 1:You also have to adapt to changes in your business and your marketing. Social media, for example, has completely transformed the way we connect with clients. It's exhausting if you're not doing it right, right, always having like you feel like you got to do another post or what am I going to post about? It's hard to maintain that type of consistency and stay motivated by it. If you're not using it to showcase your work and engage with potential clients, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. So you have to find a way to keep at it.
Speaker 1:But here's the key Adaptability doesn't mean jumping on every new trend. It means staying true to your brand and your values, of course, while being open to change and finding out maybe what the best platform or way to engage your future clients is. So if you're feeling stuck or you're uninspired, I need you to ask yourself when's the last time you learned something new? When's the last time you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone, taking that bold action, and not just one. You're not just dabbling, you're not just dipping a toe. You are doing it over and over again, taking this bold action, trying new things until it becomes boring or comfortable, and then you keep pushing yourself further. That's how you get ahead. The more you learn, the more valuable you become, and the more valuable you are, the more success you'll attract.
Speaker 1:All right, to wrap things up, I want to leave you with this Success behind the chair isn't about one big break or some magic formula. It is about showing up consistently, having the right mindset, building strong relationships and always being open to growth and learning. Student for life. If you take just one thing from this episode, let it be this Success is a journey. It's the small everyday actions that lead to the big, huge, long-term results, and you don't have to be perfect. We waste so much time waiting for something to be perfect or waiting for ourselves to be ready that we end up procrastinating, and a lot of times, it never even happens. So just keep showing up, keep learning and keep pushing yourself to be better. You don't have to have it all figured out.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Hair Hero guys. I hope you feel inspired to take your career to the next level. And remember, if you are enjoying this podcast, please leave a five-star recommendation. I would greatly appreciate it and, for this episode particularly, screenshot it right now and post it in a reel or on your story and say that I'm a student for life and I will reshare it with you. Tag me at ryanwhedon and I will see you soon. And, as always, be bold, be brave, be you. I'll see you in the next episode.
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