Behind the Chair with Annilee: Flexibility, Boundaries & the Power of “The Chair”
When I sat down with Annilee in her sun-lit home studio, I felt like I’d stepped into the living room of a long-time friend—one who also happens to wield shears with Jedi precision. Annilee has logged nearly three decades behind the chair, but she started our chat by sharing the simplest (and smartest) career hack I’ve heard in ages: “I called around salons and asked which school was turning out grads that were well-trained—95 percent said Academy of Excellence.” That inquisitive spirit has guided every turn of her journey.
From Classroom to Kitchen-Salon
Annilee didn’t choose hairdressing to chase runway lights; she chose it for real-world flexibility. After kids and a stint in traditional salons, she carved out her own home studio so she could, as she put it, “work when the kids are in school and tap out when they’re not.” As a former salon owner who once scheduled around daycare pickups myself, I felt that in my bones.
The Business Brilliance
Annilee’s business playbook is refreshingly un-glam: hire a bookkeeper, lock down a solid scheduling system, and never underestimate word-of-mouth. Her referral program—free product samples for the referrer, instant win for the newbie—keeps chairs full and spirits high. “As soon as people hear there’s a freebie, they come in,” she laughed. And when she placed a five-month ad in a local magazine, her wait-list ballooned from two weeks to three months in a single month. The takeaway? Spend money where your dream clients actually look.
Home-Salon Boundaries
Running a salon steps from your couch sounds cozy until Uncle “Can-You-Squeeze-Me-In-Tonight?” shows up. Annilee’s solution: rock-solid policies on late arrivals, no-shows, and after-hours texts. “People think you’re in a home, so it’s just a side business… Have boundaries with communication—only return calls during business hours.” It’s the kind of boundary talk every independent stylist should stencil on the mirror.
Education, Mentorship & The Chair
If there’s a golden thread in Annilee’s story, it’s education. She still hears her early mentor’s voice saying, “Sit down—I’ll talk you through each section,” whenever a tricky cut walks in. Continuous learning, she insists, isn’t optional; it’s oxygen. And nothing beats the human connection: “I call it the power of the chair—people will download, and that’s what we do.”
Annilee’s path is proof that you can build a thriving, values-driven business on your own terms—with a dash of courage, clear boundaries, and a killer smoothing iron. Hit play on the full interview to hear us dive deeper into referral tactics, pandemic pivots, and why her clients call her “the hair-pist.” I promise, you’ll walk away with at least one idea worth trying at your next appointment—and maybe a reminder to call your bookkeeper.
You can find Annilee at:
https://www.instagram.com/redschair/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9CMNVplS9z881mic7-nTIw
Transcript
[Stephen] (00:00)
Please tell me a little bit about yourself and your salon.
[Annilee] (00:03)
My name is Annilee and I started my home salon about 13 years ago. I’ve been a licensed hairdresser for 25 plus years. I think I should go on 30, not gonna lie. Yeah, I’ve always worked in Victoria and I started out working for some salons. I took a break and then had kids and then came back to it and set up in my home.
[Stephen] (00:28)
Yeah. What sort of route did you go for education? Did you go the apprenticeship route or did you go through a hair school?
[Annilee] (00:34)
I went to Academy of Excellence when it was down on Port Street, way downtown. Absolutely. And actually, it’s funny, I called around salons and I said, which school is turning out graduates that are well-trained? And 95 % of them said Academy of Excellence.
[Stephen] (00:49)
Now that’s a brilliant idea to go ask the salons what schools they’re finding. love it. That’s really good. I haven’t actually heard that before. That’s a great tip.
[Annilee] (01:00)
Because there was, I don’t know, five or six schools at the time. And now there’s sort of like a couple of main ones in the apprenticeship program and then through VIU at the school level, which is amazing. I think the schools are doing a fabulous job that way. Totally, I would have loved that. Not that I think I would have gone into hairdressing in high school, but you know, it’s a good option for kids who are thinking about.
[Stephen] (01:13)
It’s great to have that option now too.
stuff like that. Did you pursue another career first before coming into H.O.R.E.?
[Annilee] (01:26)
No, I just worked kind of retail, food service, whatever. Wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after high school. Totally. Yeah, just sort of fell into it.
[Stephen] (01:36)
That’s cool. Yeah. ⁓ So I guess that brings us to sort of how did you get started in hairdressing?
[Annilee] (01:42)
⁓ I was, when I finally realized I needed some kind of career and that I was not interested in going to university for four-year degree of something, I started looking for a career that would be flexible, which led me to looking into the trades. And then I was like, hair or aesthetics, what would be fun? And chose hair because I didn’t want to work on people’s feet. ⁓ I was like, no, cannot do aesthetics. So when I looked into it though, then I was like, actually it’s interesting.
[Stephen] (02:07)
It’s a
[Annilee] (02:11)
really enjoyed it and did well in school. It’s been a good choice, yes, but it was done much differently back then too, right? We didn’t have to do the Red Seal exam. We could just do the provincial one. So it was just done a little bit differently.
[Stephen] (02:15)
It’s been a good choice.
Yeah, it’s continually evolved over the decades.
[Annilee] (02:29)
continually
evolved, and then unfortunately now being deregulated.
[Stephen] (02:33)
That is the unfortunate side at this point.
[Annilee] (02:35)
Yes, especially when I realized all the training and all the stuff we went through. All the licensing people that would come around to salons and make sure your license was displayed. It was different.
[Stephen] (02:40)
Exactly.
Yeah, it’s been a very interesting thing with the deregulation.
[Annilee] (02:52)
Unfortunate, but hopefully one day we’ll get back to it. Yeah.
[Stephen] (02:54)
Yeah, fingers crossed. So when and why did you go independent as a stylist?
[Annilee] (03:02)
I went independent because I needed flexibility when the kids were younger and I chose to come back to it. Really, really needed the flexibility that I initially went into hairdressing for, which I wasn’t getting in a salon because you have to work the hours that they set you to work and that makes sense. But yeah, I feel like felt like working for myself. I could work during the times when the kids are in school, take off the times when they’re not in school and then just have that understanding with clients that
Sometimes things might need to change on a dime and I might need to reschedule I might need to pick up a kid stuff like that So yeah, and I also felt like I just didn’t really fit into regular mainstream salons. Yeah for whatever reason
[Stephen] (03:41)
Take ownership and take control of your situation when you’re in an independent space
[Annilee] (03:45)
Exactly.
Yeah, there was some bosses that had some interesting take on things. I like to show my clients how to do their hair sometimes, because if you can’t recreate it at home, what’s the point? Absolutely. And I remember showing a lady that and she was so thankful. And then my boss chastised me afterwards. He’s like, don’t you ever do that? They came in to pay for a service. but isn’t shouldn’t that be part of the service? Yeah, this is not okay.
[Stephen] (04:09)
Absolutely.
Yeah, and how their hair is after they leave the salon, they perceive that as the work that you’ve done. Yes. So if they don’t know how to maintain that.
[Annilee] (04:20)
But
he said, no, she’s paying you for the whole service. OK. Like, I’m not making her blow dry half her head, but I’m going to show her what to do. Anyway. So things like that. I was like, no, I kind of want to educate my clients. I keep some coming back.
[Stephen] (04:33)
That’s wonderful and such an important aspect. Yeah, that’s it. And we all have different mindsets and with the independent space you can set the culture that you want. So what’s one thing you wish you’d known when you first started out in hair?
[Annilee] (04:36)
Different mindset.
Exactly.
that you still need mentoring and that continuing education is so important throughout your entire career. I don’t know that continuing education was such a big thing 30 years ago. There was hair shows, but they were in Los Angeles or New York, and that wasn’t always feasible for people to go to. And when you’re a young stylist, you just don’t know. So I’m glad that it’s such a big thing now. And then don’t be scared of or take offense to constructive feedback, because that helps you grow and helps you learn.
and it’s okay.
[Stephen] (05:24)
But something a lot of us don’t learn is how to work with constructive feedback.
[Annilee] (05:27)
Totally, yeah. I always tell my clients, I’m like, tell me. Like in three days when you do your hair again, tell me, text me, something I need to know.
[Stephen] (05:36)
We always say we’re not great mind readers, but we’re good at fixing things once we know about them. That’s really great advice. And so what’s one or two tips that have helped you manage and grow your business?
[Annilee] (05:40)
Exactly, yes. ⁓
Having a bookkeeper, number one. For me, anyway, I’m not a numbers person. ⁓ Like most hairdressers, I like to work behind the chair. The admin stuff and the numbers are not my forte. So yeah, having a bookkeeper and then having a scheduling system. Definitely.
[Stephen] (06:07)
That’s brilliant. Bookkeepers are so valuable though, aren’t they? Oh, so valuable. Yeah. It’s one of those things.
[Annilee] (06:12)
I did my taxes one year and I was like, nope, let’s not do it again.
[Stephen] (06:17)
I think that makes it for all of us. ⁓ It’s not the reason. The reason we got into business is not usually to do bookkeeping. It is such a fundamental piece.
[Annilee] (06:23)
No, exactly. Yes,
yeah, there’s professionals to do different jobs for a reason. And I value that. love my bookkeeper. Very cautious about who I refer to her because I don’t ever want to lose her.
[Stephen] (06:32)
Thank you all our bookkeepers.
So you mentioned earlier that mentorship and education is such a big aspect. Have you ever had a mentor or coach? And if so, who were they and how did they inspire you?
[Annilee] (06:49)
not really specifically a mentor or a coach, but I did work for one salon where there was a older stylist older than me anyway. And she just, she just had confidence in people and she would walk me through really difficult haircuts even on herself, even though I was nervous and it was very technical asymmetrical cut and I was brand new out of school and I thought I can’t do this. She said, yes, you can. I’m to sit down in the chair, you’re going to cut my hair and I’m going to tell you how to take each section.
So she kind of mentored me a little bit through that kind of stuff. And I still remember her. I still see her occasionally at the suppliers or at hair shows and I always give her a hug and she remembers. So that was sort of it. But it was one of those things that kind of stands out in my mind. I’m like, no, that’s the kind of hairdresser I want to be. If there was younger people, kind of pay it forward.
[Stephen] (07:38)
Absolutely. Yeah, and to have someone help you build that confidence is totally invaluable. That’s wonderful. Do you have any advice for independent stylists who need help growing their client list?
[Annilee] (07:51)
Sure. It’s a learning curve. ⁓ Referrals and word of mouth are going to be the best advertising. Having a referral program, somebody recommended that to me. So every time somebody came in, would kind of get whatever. Whenever a new person came in, referred from somebody else, the person that referred them would get either a discount on service or a free sample product, something like that, which kept people coming in. As soon as people hear there’s a freebie or a deal, then people come in.
The referral program was definitely, definitely an asset. And then pre-booking people upon checkout was the easiest way to make them return. Yeah, but it also comes into the point of having your education keep that topped up because there’s new things. And if you’re getting stagnant in your skills, people will stop coming. It all kind of rolls into one.
[Stephen] (08:30)
It’s so critical, isn’t it?
and the pre-booking can be something that benefits both you as well as the client.
[Annilee] (08:47)
Exactly, yes, then they know what’s in their schedule. And having a system that reminds them is…
[Stephen] (08:49)
Absolutely.
And when it comes to the referral system, have you found one is better than the other? Do you give the gift to the client, the new client who’s coming in, or to the person who’s being referred?
[Annilee] (09:05)
Yeah, and then once they realize that that person got a referral I’m gonna refer people it’s the chain reaction. Brilliant. Yeah, yeah. Family, mothers, and cousins, and friends, and all of that.
[Stephen] (09:17)
is great. It’s so powerful when that referral is coming from someone who’s a peer rather than being an advertisement.
[Annilee] (09:24)
Yes, and I’m at the point now where I only take referrals, which is great. I trust my client base. Yeah, I can go with that. Yes, definitely does. ⁓
[Stephen] (09:33)
gives you a bit of a filter there too.
That’s wonderful. ⁓ Do you have any advice for someone opening a home-based salon?
[Annilee] (09:44)
Yes. Have patience. Things definitely don’t happen overnight. ⁓ Know your demographic. Know where you’re at, who you’re advertising to, what you’re selling, what your services are based on what the salon down the road is offering. ⁓ Have confidence in what you’re offering as well. Definitely have a late and a no-show policy in place.
via hard ass about it. Because people will take advantage. People think you’re in a home, so it’s just a side business. You probably don’t have a business license. You probably don’t pay your taxes. So it’s okay if I’m late. And last minute bookings, somebody told me, don’t take last minute bookings. I was like, and they said, you’ll set a precedent. I’m like, yes, you will. And it’s definitely true because the repeat offenders will definitely keep doing those things. So having good strong boundaries about late policies, no shows, last minute bookings.
Within reason, obviously. And then have boundaries with communication because it’s a home-based business. Only return calls and texts during business hours. Only talk to your clients during business hours. ⁓ those are kind of the three main things that stood out.
[Stephen] (10:55)
That’s brilliant. It’s interesting how it’s about building these boundaries slowly and establishing them.
[Annilee] (11:03)
Yes, and I think you don’t think about that when you’re starting at home. You’re like, okay I’m doing this because I want something to be flexible, but everybody needs to be flexible with me so I’ll just be flexible all the time. And yeah, really you get to a point when you’re like, no, I need to have these boundaries in place. And I didn’t start with all those boundaries. They were they came after a time and repeat offenders and it was definitely a learning process, but it’s good, right? We have to see that stuff in order to see it properly.
[Stephen] (11:23)
learning from.
Were there any other surprises that you didn’t expect about opening a home salon, either positive or negative?
[Annilee] (11:37)
Not really. I did a lot of research. Sorry. Yeah, I did a lot of research. I went on the town website. I needed to know what was needed to get a business license, all of those things. So not a ton of surprises. I knew I was going to have to redo some plumbing in the house. I knew we were going to need a fire inspection, that kind of thing. ⁓ But I researched all that. So I don’t think I had too many surprises. I think most of it was just the people that want to take advantage of your side business.
[Stephen] (12:06)
It is
interesting. I’ve worked from home for over 20 years and people kind of view that you’re doing sort of some, as you say, like a hobby or some side thing.
[Annilee] (12:16)
Yes, yeah, I’m like, no, this is not like the winter market. This is actually a legitimate business. Yeah. Yes. But I feel like I also became an educator along the way when I started in my home because I needed to update my skills. ⁓ People took that seriously as well. They were like, you’re actually out doing stuff in salons too. wasn’t just I’m to do this just because I need some pocket money.
[Stephen] (12:40)
It shows your commitment to the craft. And did you find it helpful as well having an external outlet when you were running the home business?
[Annilee] (12:42)
Yes, definitely.
I did because sometimes you get stuck in your four walls and you need I need out sometimes I’m not a homebody. I do like to be out doing things But yeah, it gave me a little bit of that salon taste that I I miss some of it But not all of it as we know it can be a little caddy and a little competitive Those are the things I didn’t miss but I missed being around a lot of people all the time having that camaraderie with your staff
employees and that many clients, right? It’s just, it’s a different environment. So it was nice to kind of go into those salons, have that, and then be able to teach at those salons a number of times. You kind of have that connection that you miss.
[Stephen] (13:26)
That’s really cool. Yeah. And passing on that knowledge is just.
[Annilee] (13:29)
And
then you can come back and do your thing again, which is great. It re-energizes you to do it all again.
[Stephen] (13:35)
That’s fabulous. And who did you do educational work for? Wonderful. Yeah. Well, that’s very cool. Was that mainly on Vancouver Island or were you kind of…
[Annilee] (13:39)
How Mitchell.
Mostly,
yeah. They unfortunately are not massive. Like people know who they are, but they, I guess BC is very much, a lot of people use different brands. They use other bigger brands, which is fine. But a lot of people kind of had that mentality that, they’re old. I’m like, yeah, but they’re not. They’re great. But yeah, lots on Vancouver Island because of the sales reps at the wholesaler that would push the Paul Mitchell stuff because they believed in it and they loved it.
places like Vancouver, just a much bigger demographic where people are going to pull from the bigger, more popular brands, more modern, more that kind of thing. Yeah. Vancouver Island. Oh, five years. Perfect. Yeah. And I got too busy here. Yeah. It was hard to schedule. So was like, then 2020 happened. So, gosh. Yeah. Yeah. It was fine. I left at a good time.
[Stephen] (14:25)
And how many years did you do that for?
What
was it like having a home salon during the COVID era?
[Annilee] (14:40)
Well, you want to talk about boundaries? man. Well, I tried to follow all the BHA rules, all the things, and I did. ⁓ But yeah, was, for the most part, it was good. People were very respectful. I had a few clients that just said, no, I’m not until we can’t wear masks anymore, I’m not going to come. I don’t want to put myself at risk. So I just, had to respect everybody’s wishes. ⁓ But they also in turn had to respect that I was still upholding everything else that other salons were holding up.
So one person at a time. So don’t bring your family in at the same time. ⁓ You know, we’re all wearing masks. We’re all doing this stuff. I need extra time in between clients to sanitize all the things. And then please don’t talk about it. Because me having the same conversation 10 times a day is exhausting. So yeah, it was definitely interesting. But I had to respect everybody’s things. I had some clients who were going home to an uncompromised family and some that…
just didn’t care because it was just a cold, what’s your problem? It’s like, man. And then do you vaccinate? I ask people? Can I ask people? All the things that were, it was definitely stressful. And all the rebooking. All the rebooking. But it gives me a good thing to go back on now when people are like, no, I have to postpone my appointment. I’m like, but do you remember in 2020 when you had to postpone it for two months? You survived.
[Stephen] (15:50)
All the repos.
This is so much better.
[Annilee] (16:03)
Great.
It’s okay. Two weeks is fine. It’s not nine weeks. But yeah, I did all the shutdown. Now it’s same as everybody else. Yeah.
[Stephen] (16:11)
Yeah, and you managed to navigate it okay financially and everything.
[Annilee] (16:15)
Yeah,
it was what it was. Well, I did the Serb thing and then actually one of my clients was the HR manager at Epicure in North Saanich. So she called me and said, Hey, do know anybody that wants to pack spices? I’m like, yes, I would love to come in and do something with my time. So yeah, it was good. ⁓ that’s perfect. Yeah. So I went in there, packed spices for eight hours a day. Yeah. So did my husband and so did Matthew at the time. they sent continually. My husband still works there now.
[Stephen] (16:38)
Yeah, was good. Literally spliced it up.
Yeah, it’s just down the road for me.
So what’s your favorite thing about being a hairstylist?
[Annilee] (16:55)
I would say just connecting with my clients. ⁓ Yeah, that personal one-on-one, getting to know them, you get to know their family, get to know, I mean, I’ve gotten to know people through, you know, having babies, doing those kids’ hair, those kids growing up to graduation, know, people’s weddings, divorces, grandkids, funerals, like you see so much of people’s life and I really truly look forward to it.
having that connection and hearing their life updates when they come in for their appointments, even if it’s six months later or a year later. I love that. It is, yes. And to see through so many heartfelt things in people’s lives. Most people don’t get to see that in their jobs. And there’s something about the chair. I call it the power of the chair. People will download and it’s fine. That’s what we do. You can laugh at my sign on the way out. It says the hairpist is in.
[Stephen] (17:28)
Pretty special and unique connection,
[Annilee] (17:50)
I’m going to charge extra for that service now.
[Stephen] (17:53)
Exactly, it’s got to be an add-on.
We upsold you to the herpes session. It is, it’s a very special and unique role being a stylist and having that connection with people.
[Annilee] (17:58)
Yes, totally.
Yeah, well nobody else gets that close to you. Right? Your doctor maybe sometimes, but not even. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. But your hairstylist is in your personal space in your personal bubble for two hours sometimes. ⁓
[Stephen] (18:11)
to that five minute appointment.
There’s some very interesting articles actually about hairstylists identifying medical issues and things like that because they’ve been in such close contact.
[Annilee] (18:27)
Yes, we see things on people’s heads, behind ears, all those things. You have to have that awkward conversation. You should probably get that looked at. Totally. But then it’s good to have the update come back where people are like, actually it’s nothing. It’s like, oh good. Thank goodness. And then actually it was, but it was really early. It’s like, thank goodness. Totally. Yeah. And actually I asked my doctor about it one day and he said, yeah, he we see a lot of people referred from their hairdresser. I’m like, good. But there’s actually courses that will teach you on what to look for as a hairdresser.
[Stephen] (18:44)
Yeah, help someone else.
[Annilee] (18:59)
I know I was like, that’s a benefit. But then you don’t want to identify everything wrong. Totally. It’s like, take a course, you’re like, no, I have all these conditions.
[Stephen] (19:04)
way.
Totally.
Yep, yep, the hypochondria starts seeping in. Yep, that’s good. What were some of the key turning points in your career?
[Annilee] (19:13)
Totally.
he turning point turning like starting my own home salon, ⁓ putting myself out there by becoming an educator. And the other one was taking out an ad in a local magazine, the seaside magazine. took out an ad. It was a five month ad in the love your local section. And I went from being booked out two weeks to being booked out three months within a month. Wow, it was insane. And then I
almost pulled my ad. It’s too much, I can’t do it. It was hard to manage because I didn’t have an online booking system at that point. So I was answering calls and texting and calling people back after hours. It was a bit much. And I would say about 90 % of those people still come, which is great. So a couple of key main turning points, but yeah, becoming an educator, updating my skills and then taking out the ad.
[Stephen] (20:05)
That’s incredible.
That’s incredible. Yeah. And was that a big cost taking out an ad like that?
[Annilee] (20:18)
think it was average. I mean, the old adage, it costs money to make money, but I feel like it’s just the cost of doing business. I didn’t feel like it was anything exorbitant. wasn’t like $500 a month or anything. But yeah, it was a five month contract and it was a flat fee and I got to change the ad every now and then. So yeah, I met a lot of people through that and it was great.
[Stephen] (20:39)
That’s brilliant. Yeah. And for context here, you’re sort of in a town of about 14,000 people or so. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So.
[Annilee] (20:48)
it’s a small town everybody knows who you are and then everybody knows who your kids are because you have pictures of them up so they know and they see them around working they’re like I know you so it’s big enough to be have a little bit of anonymity but small enough that people still recognize your your family when you’re out and about.
[Stephen] (21:06)
I actually remember when your ad was in Seaside. you?
[Annilee] (21:08)
Yes.
That was before Salon Monster. Why didn’t you call? ⁓
[Stephen] (21:12)
Exactly.
I had to learn that I had to let people know that we existed. It turns out that’s actually a good thing to do in business.
[Annilee] (21:22)
Yes, yes. And that’s even my neighbors are like, we had no idea. I’m like, yeah. And I should have had a sandwich board on the lawn or something, right? But yeah, yeah. Actually the editor at Seaside, she said, you just had something to offer at the right time. It’s like, good to know. And the right demographic. I researched who reads this magazine. Who do I want in my chair? I’m like, I need retirees that have time in their day because I can’t work every evening and weekend. That’s not why I initially came into my house.
I was like, retirees read this. They have the money to spend in the salon and they still need their hair done. yes. Again, knowing your demographic. We live in a town with a lot of retirees. So I was like, how am going to get to them? How are they going to find out about me?
[Stephen] (22:05)
And the magazine is a perfect medium for that demographic.
[Annilee] (22:09)
Absolutely, because it’s handheld. not, I mean, it is online, but at that point it was being delivered to everybody’s door in their Peninsula News once a month. So it was perfect.
[Stephen] (22:18)
That’s fabulous. That’s really cool.
[Annilee] (22:21)
Yeah.
[Stephen] (22:24)
Do you have any favorite tools or treatments you like to use?
[Annilee] (22:28)
That was a hard question. I was like, Oh, can I do I have to narrow it down into the few? Well, there’s a while I put it a bunch on my station. I am I love my palmital mural smoothing iron. My favorite tool is it multiple times a day. It’s a workhorse. It’s got titanium plates. It just it works. It works for smoothing. It works for curling and it heats up in 30 seconds. Even if I forget to turn it on and while I’m putting my thermal protectant in somebody’s hair, it’s heating up and it’s done.
[Stephen] (22:32)
You can have a range. ⁓
[Annilee] (22:58)
And of course, along with that thermal protectant. ⁓ Right now I’m loving the Joico Heat Hero. Yeah, and as far as treatments, I’m really liking the Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate. ⁓ Yeah, those are sort of the main ones. And as far as styling products, I got my Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam out there and the Oligo 18-in-1 Beautifier, which has…
18 beautiful things in it that I can’t name but it works as a detangler and a thermal protectant and amino acids and conditioning. Yeah. And probably a million other things.
[Stephen] (23:32)
Brilliant.
Totally. There’s so many that come into play.
[Annilee] (23:38)
There’s
so many, I know, and I always wanted to be that hairdresser that only had like one line to pull from because that’s less confusing. And of course, as things go on and you morph into what you’re going to be, now I have three or four different lines that I bring in because I have favorites from each one. Exactly, exactly.
[Stephen] (23:52)
Yeah, each one fills a different role, doesn’t it?
It’s hard to find one particular company or two particular companies that can cover that.
[Annilee] (24:00)
cold spread. and then supply and demand were on ingredients were an issue back in 2020. So absolutely, I had to be able to pivot and rethink how I was going to do my business.
[Stephen] (24:09)
Totally, yeah. So how do you balance creativity with meeting client expectations?
[Annilee] (24:17)
⁓ Well, I’m always up for trying something new. ⁓ But when people want to try something new, ⁓ I have a good solid consultation with them because we need to talk about their growth pattern of hair, what their maintenance is, all of those things. ⁓ And if they’re on board with it, then the world is my oyster. They usually let me go for it. ⁓ But I do also let them know that that inspiration picture they brought in will be inspiration.
I can’t make you look exactly like that person or that picture. We can do our best. And then just having realistic expectations for them. It helps me kind of, I guess, get that out there, whatever they want, and telling them this might take three appointments to get there or yes, we can do this all today. yes, if you want bangs, that’s fine. But just know it’s going to take a bit to grow out.
[Stephen] (25:10)
So comes down a lot to expectation setting.
[Annilee] (25:13)
Expectation setting, yes. I mean, everybody says over, what is it? Under promise, over deliver. And that’s good to a certain extent, unless somebody’s lying about their hair history. And that’s a whole other thing. But yeah, I think just having realistic expectations for them, and then I can be creative within my own wheelhouse, and they’re usually happy with the results.
[Stephen] (25:38)
⁓ Alright, now we’ve got a couple of Salon Monster questions. ⁓ So why did you choose Salon Monster over alternatives?
[Annilee] (25:41)
It’s perfect.
⁓ Well, I tried the other alternatives and then I chose them because they had the features that I required without the extra cost of things I didn’t need. A lot of them were charging fees for new clients coming in and it was a lot so I was like don’t need that, don’t want that so that kind of made the online booking thing null and void. ⁓ And I also love supporting a Canadian company and it’s local. You guys are just down the road.
[Stephen] (26:12)
Certainly lovely for me. It’s so nice for me to be able to come and sit down and have conversations. Yes. I so appreciate how kind you’ve been with that. ⁓ And what for you is the most beneficial feature of Salon Monster?
[Annilee] (26:27)
For me, ⁓ the reporting just is so much easier than some of the other platforms out there.
[Stephen] (26:33)
That’s wonderful to hear.
[Annilee] (26:35)
It was yeah, it was easy. My bookkeepers had no problem. There’s been no questions going, what is this about? What is this one?
[Stephen] (26:41)
That’s
That’s it. The life of the stylist. Launderer and hair stylist. Pretty much, Yeah, ⁓ we were just out for dinner with my friend two nights ago and it was all washer and dryer stories. It was a little ridiculous of all the washer and dryer horror stories of the life of the stylist.
[Annilee] (26:49)
We have to do it
I know when you need a new washing machine, which one do you get? Eventually, they’re not going to last forever.
[Stephen] (27:08)
Yeah, seriously, they’re all gonna break, so…
⁓ How would you compare running your hair business now before, sorry, how would you compare running your hair business now before you started? I could read, right? How would you compare running your hair business now versus before you started using salon muster?
[Annilee] (27:25)
Yes.
I say I was struggling with the other booking platforms due to the rising costs and being a sole proprietor, a lot of them more focused on the larger salons. So I wanted something that I knew I just, I wasn’t going to pay a giant fee for Five Stylists when it’s just me booking. ⁓ And yeah, Salon Monster does both those things easily. It works.
[Stephen] (27:57)
it. And what would you say to someone considering signing up for Salon Monster?
[Annilee] (28:02)
I would say if you want support at your fingertips then go for it. ⁓ If you want to support a Canadian company that’s a bonus I think. ⁓ Yeah especially when you don’t have a receptionist the online booking is amazing and then I can go in and adjust when somebody books something online. I love that clients can put in notes when they do book something online just in case. ⁓ Yeah and then I can adjust things based on that. I would say go for it. ⁓
[Stephen] (28:28)
Brilliant. And are there any other things that you’d love to share with like a younger you or a young stylist that you think, you know, the sort of things you wish you’d known? I mean, we covered that a little bit.
[Annilee] (28:42)
yeah, I would say have realistic expectations. Just research what the industry is about and what you want out of it. And you’ll get out of it what you put into it. But just understand what it’s like. You’re not going to come into doing hair out of beauty school on a runway. It’s just not going to happen. You have to do some of the grunt work first. And that’s okay. You’re going to have to do the laundry. You’re going to have to dust the shelves. Those things are okay. That helps you understand how a salon works.
So that if you ever want to run your business one day on your own, you have those basics back in your head. So yeah, I would say just have realistic expectations.
[Stephen] (29:19)
Yeah, yeah, there’s so much more to running a business. Yeah
[Annilee] (29:23)
And nobody starts at the top. Yeah. And that’s okay. Yeah.
[Stephen] (29:26)
And when it’s your own business, at the end of the day, you’re the one who needs to get it done.
[Annilee] (29:30)
Exactly. Yeah. And I will get out of it what I put into it. If I don’t want to work today, I’m not going to make money. But that’s on me. It’s not on my employer. Totally. Yeah. No, there’s lots and lots of things I could go into, but I’ll keep it at that.
[Stephen] (29:45)
Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down today. I really appreciate it.