From Parent to Child
Now, I have some pretty amazing parents who I think did a great job of raising me.
However, my parents weren’t entrepreneurs. Having a parent that comes from a business background is a different type of parent. They teach their child things that most people won’t learn until they are in the real world.
When you’re a hairstylist, of course, you’ll pass on all your hair knowledge, but it goes deeper than just hair! The relentless hustle and bustle it takes to follow a passion will be exposed to the child.
You will learn all the ins/outs, and the dos and the don’ts. The child will be able to apply these principles to any aspect of their life, even if they don't follow after the parent.
Continue reading below as I go through some of them!
16 Lessons To Learn
#1 Hair Care
Of course, this is the best lesson of them all!
You get free access to all things relating to hair care! How cool is that? Being a child of a hairstylist you’re going to learn the foundations of hair; the why’s, the what’s, and how’s.
You will learn the importance of clipping your ends, how to protect your tresses from color damage, and what styles aren’t good for your hair. A lot of people spend money going to the salon to get educated on the simple foundations regarding their hair.
Knowing the importance of hair care is essential, and unless you have someone who can guide you through it all, you will have to figure it out on your own.
#2 Learn To Do Your Hair
Besides the fact that you get your hair done for free, you also learn to do it yourself!
A hairstylist can be some pretty busy people, and I’m sure they don’t put their child first when they want the newest shade of pink in their hair.
They still have to run a business to make sure home is taken care of.
Depending on what style you’re going for, you could pretty much do anything yourself.
You will get one on one training for special techniques and styles. Also, if you ever wanted to follow in your parents’ footsteps and make some money doing hair and helping your friends out, that’s an option too!
Knowing how to do hair also saves you time and money. Over time it will become second nature to you.
You could also use that knowledge and educate others on understanding the importance of hair.
#3 Creativity Flows Naturally
This part is where the real world lessons come into play!
I believe one of the ways someone becomes creative is by following an example. The hair industry has to be one of the most creative fields around. There are so many different styles and techniques that it could never become boring.
You can’t help but feed off of that energy after being around it regularly.
Eventually, you will become a person that can look at something and create a masterpiece from nothing.
You become an observer and day-dreaming; always thinking of new ways to get things accomplished. The likelihood of you ever becoming stagnate, would be slim.
Growing up with a boss, and watching them figure things out, can only benefit you in the long run of your own life.
#4 Social skills
Nowadays, it’s not what you know, but who you know! Relationships are the key to success!
Being around a hairstylist should teach you how important networking is. You must make connections regularly and constantly put yourself in the spotlight to get ahead in the field you want to pursue.
Social media plays a huge part in having social skills too.
You’re able to utilize hashtags so others can see your post, invite organizations to events you’re having and reach out to people who may be in need. Even if you still need to get used to being social, social media helps with that.
You could start interacting with people so that you can begin to change your mind until you’re ready to apply those skills in person. No matter what you do, having social skills can either make or break your business.
#5 Patience
I think a fun way you can learn patience from a hairstylist is from being their mannequin!
Who else would your parents practice on when they get inspired at eight-thirty at night? You! I believe that it also teaches them the importance of always working on your craft and staying focused.
It lets you know that everything doesn’t come overnight and you will always have to time your time.
If you don’t have patience, you will feel like you’re in a rushed mindset. You are always feeling as if you aren’t getting anywhere. Looking over the journey of a hairstylist can be a humbling experience.
Seeing how they first had a passion went through schooling and put in a million hours to perfect their craft.
It all that you do, it will always take time.
#6 Leadership
Leadership is a major role that not many can fulfill.
If your parent is a salon owner, then there’s much to learn from that. If you’re running a business with staff, leadership teaches you how important it is to lead by example.
When you instruct a team of people to follow specific rules and regulations, it will be vital that you adhere to them as well. A lot of businesses fail because of leadership.
If you aren’t doing your best, then nobody can will.
#7 Hygiene
I spoke to a woman whose father was in the hair industry, and she stated that he taught her always to have fresh breath!
This lesson should be taken seriously regardless of what career path you follow or how you live your life. Especially when you’re working in public. You don’t ever want people to know that you’re possibly not taking care of yourself.
Of course, if you just ate a sandwich packed with onions; in that case, carry gum or mints with you.
#8 Appearance
Your appearance and how you take care of yourself is very crucial on every level.
Especially when working with people daily! A lot of hairstylists follow the mantra that no one would want you to do his or her hair if your hairs not done yourself.
You only get one first impression, and you should always make it count. Looking a certain way tells people what’s important to you too. It lets them know what you’re all about. It’s important to always dress for the occasion.
If whatever you’re doing has a purpose, it’s best that your appearance reflects that.
#9 Selling (upselling)
Most hairstylist usually ends up creating a product that they can sell to their customers. Having selling skills are so important because it’s one thing to have a product, but it’s another thing to get that product in someone’s’ hand!
You should be able to study your market, be great with words, and figure out how to keep a customer coming back for more.
#10 Marketing
When you see a hairstylist's chair empty, that was always understood to mean they aren't making any money. Keeping it filled was their top priority.
You should learn great tools on how to market yourself from a hairstylist because they must do it all day long. If you’re in a field where you have something to share with people, then this lesson will benefit you greatly.
Creating a product or brand is easy, but if the world doesn’t know about it, then it was almost a waste.
Hairstylist would teach you how to get your name out there, how to document proof of a sale, and even how important references can be.
#11 Strong Work Ethic
If you don’t have a strong work ethic, then that means you don’t work that hard.
People in the hair industry grind hard and hustle to get their name out to the world. Studying their moves, you would learn how important it is to work until the job is complete. You don’t ever want to be known as lazy or provide low quality of work.
When you slack off, it will always show.
Being reliable, a team player, and well rounded are a few principles that play a significant role in having a strong work ethic. Most hairstylists demonstrate this all the time. They would teach you that it starts from the inside and pours out.
Focusing on your why, also keeps you focused. You often hear stylists say that they do what they do for their family and to have a better life. Staying committed to a good work ethic will allow everything else to follow suit.
#12 Time Management is Crucial to Success
Hairstylists know how to be super-efficient because it’s a part of their brand and the everyday grind.
If they have eight clients that day, then they need to be able to provide a service to them in a certain amount of time. It’s essential to build a good skill set so that it will allow you to make smart but fast decisions.
Understanding that things will happen and throw you off but that’s normal, and you have to learn to bounce back fast.
So many people think the time is on their side, but it isn’t. Learning to plan and staying focused is essential. Clock watching is also a good thing because it shows you’re aware of the time.
Communication plays a big part in this as well. For hairstylists, they know all too well how it hurts them when people are running later. It may potentially throw off their day. A big takeaway is respecting other people's time. If you’re going to be late anywhere, it doesn’t take but a minute to give that person a heads up. If taken likely, communication can make or break any relationship.
#13 Independence
I ran into a person who said one of the greatest things they learned from their hairdresser parent was independence. Because their mother was always working hard at building clientele, they had to learn things on their own.
Being independent teaches you to figure things out and be okay being alone. Their mother didn’t neglect them or anything, but they wanted to prove that you didn’t need to always rely on people.
#14 Loyalty
One of the greatest things to learn is how important loyalty is.
Hairdressers will be quick to let you know what happens when you treat a customer well; they always come back! You're going to what to remember that when dealing with customers. Think of it as karma.
Yes, there’s good karma too and whatever good you throw out into the world will always come back.
#15 Know Your Worth
Knowing your worth is very crucial in every level of life, especially business.
You often hear people who are entrepreneurs say if someone doesn’t buy your product, don’t worry because another person will. Knowing your worth and how valuable are will get doors opened in your favor.
It lets the world know that you’re aware of what you deserve. After a while, hairstylist prices rise after a while. That means that their clientele must understand their value has just increased as well. That’s why a celebrity stylist cost way more than a non-celebrity.
Going through life is the same thing. You must know your worth in all relationships, careers, etc. And as you grow and become wiser, be okay to let the world know and don’t even budge.
#16 You Can’t Please Everyone
Sometimes this lesson is hard to understand no matter what field you decide to venture through.
There are over seven billion people in the world who all come from different backgrounds and have different mindsets. Its no point in thinking you could please everyone.
Hairstylist can’t please all their customers either. You often hear them tell stories of how people bring in photos and say “make me look like this person.” When you’re not able to perform on their level, they get upset, and that’s okay.
So many people get caught up in trying to set unrealistic goals when in reality they just set themselves up for failure. Doing the best you can, when you can, should always be enough.
Real-World Preparation
As you can see, these 16 lessons that you learn from having a hairstylist as a parent are principals that prepare you for the real world.
Of course, a parent will teach their child all about hair, but it’s deeper than just that. It’s about understanding your place in this world and conveying a message to people.
Also, it's about understanding what it means to be a hard worker and staying focused on that. It’s also about self-worth and taking care of your self.
Do you have a parent that's a hairstylist? Let us know in the comments below!
