Hair Artisan: Stephanie Clare
Business Format: Independent Stylist
Salon Information:
STEPHANIE CLARE HAIR ARTISTRY
143 E Germann Road #101, Suite 304
Gilbert Arizona 85297
Email: stephanieclarehair@yahoo.com
Phone: (480) 200-9880
Website: www.stephanieclarehairartistry.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanie.clare_hairartistry/
President’s Note:
It is with great pleasure that we recognize Stephanie Clare as Desert Botanical’s first Featured Artist. Stephanie became known to us through a client who loved her work, but moved too far away to continue to see Stephanie as a regular client. Stephanie’s artistic talent, business acumen and free spirit represent exactly the type of artisan Desert Botanicals aspires to support in our mission statement. Namely, providing independent stylists and salon owners with the hair care products and services they want and need to succeed.
We are committed to such artists’ success and unlike big corporations’ that push products down, we are here to collaborate with hairstylists to complete the portfolio of products they need and use every day.
#BeThere #Collaborate #SocialResponsibility is our motto. I hope you enjoy this interview with Stephanie. I believe many will find her story both inspirational and recognizable, especially given the today’s COVID-19 challenges. If you can find the time, please share your story with me at: john@dbotanicals.com.
The Interview
Q: What got you interested in becoming a hair stylist?
A: I’ve been interested in style and fashion from a very young age. I even gave my Barbies “custom” styles. I knew in high school that I wasn’t interested in a typical four-year college. I took a pre-college course at MIAD (Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design) and did not like it, so for me it was cosmetology all the way from that point on.
Q: How did you train to become a stylist?
A: Three weeks out of high school, I started my training program at Martin’s College of Cosmetology. It took me about eleven months to complete the program. I chose Martin’s College because it gave me the opportunity for a lot more one-on-one attention from my teachers. It was a little more expensive than competing schools but had significantly fewer students. I look back on it as an extra investment that turned out to really pay off for me in terms of my professional learning and development.
Q: How long have you been in the business?
A: I was officially licensed in 2000 and have been styling hair now for 21 years this year. I first developed a good clientele in Appleton, Wisconsin and was very busy but then decided to move to Arizona to be near my sister. It was a little bit frustrating to have to rebuild a client base from scratch, but I joined a well-regarded multi-tier salon as a Senior Stylist. Through hard work I moved into a management role pretty quickly but found over time that I really didn’t like having managerial responsibility as much as applying my skills the way I wanted with the products and tools I found to be most effective. As a result, I opened my own salon in 2019 and haven’t looked back. I’m very fortunate, I am fully booked with a lovely portfolio of regular clients that appreciate my work and I love what I do.
Q: What are your specialties and target clientele?
A: I specialize in color and hair extensions. I offer many methods to be able to customize the options to fit each client. I am certified in the IBE technique (Invisible Bead Extensions) and absolutely love the effect I can create with them.
Q: How do you reach and promote yourself to your target clientele?
A: I mainly promote through referrals and word of mouth (WOM), very grass roots. I’ve found that when you have a passion for your work people recognize it and word gets around.
Q: What (other than COVID) are your biggest business challenges? How are you overcoming them?
A: I think confidence is the key for me. Having the belief that I will succeed and I can do anything I put my mind to has been critical to my success. In addition, I have a wonderful support network has meant everything to me!
Q: What impact has COVID had on your business and how have you limited its negative impact on it?
A: Luckily, working in a single suite has been helpful dealing with COVID19 exposure strategies. I work by myself in my own suite and wipe everything down with anti-septic between clients. In addition, I made an investment in a high-end anti-viral air purifier that helps put my clients at ease. I think these extra-steps have really paid off. I haven’t seen the downturn in business that some of my peers have.
Q: What tools, equipment and services have been helpful for your business to succeed and grow? (Possibilities include hair tools, business software, salon equipment, social media and other promotional venues), etc.
A: I am a proud alumni member of the Thrivers Society. It’s a program specifically tailored for my industry. It’s helped me in so many ways.
Q: Do you have any especially funny or challenging customer situation that you could share with us and how you navigated it?
A: Well, probably the funniest situation I have is back from my days as a student at Martin’s. I had become very proficient cutting hair on mannequins but the first day I was promoted to “work on the floor” I was absolutely terrified. My first cut literally took three full hours to complete. My panic was so obvious to my customer that she finally said, “honey, you need to take a break and have a drink of water.” Fortunately, the customers at the school only had to pay $7.95 for a cut so they were very patient with me. Looking back on it, it’s a funny story to tell and I bet it’s a common experience. Today, there are times when things don’t turn out quite the way I was expecting but my training and experience keeps me calm with the knowledge that I have skills to make my customers happy. Probably my biggest challenge now is trying to get a full understanding of my customers’ hair-history so I know exactly what needs to be done to get the desired effect. This is most especially the case with hair coloring. Not knowing the full history of what has been done to the hair can have disastrous results.
