Talking with Industry Professionals

Hi, I’m Angie Lashbrook and I am at KJ & Company Salon in Cedar falls, Iowa. We are in a new development in the Industrial Park of Cedar Falls. We’ve got a lot of new businesses around us. There are gyms, there’s physical therapy & a great coffee shop. It’s a nice new development that is getting us a lot of new clients and families into our new facility.

We have a staff of 24 right now and that includes our hairstylists, our barbers, our estheticians our front desk. Then we also have options for chair rentals within the salon as well. So that shows that once you get out of beauty school, you have a spot here to start as an employee and you can grow & build.

Right out of high school I decided to go into beauty school. I wasn’t 100% sure that maybe was the right thing for me but I always loved doing my own hair, so I thought ‘let’s try to do other people’s hair’. And I always liked talking to people. I was a waitress all through high school and customer service was very important. And speaking to people, I just always enjoyed that. Because it was a shorter program, that was enticing to me because I didn’t see myself going to a 2 or 4 year college. I wanted to get in there, do my education, get out and make some money.

I was 18 when I started, and I got through the program in just over a year. I then started at a chain salon in the area. They had 3 locations and that was nice to have the support of a larger salon that gave a lot of education and I loved that. I think that helped me feel more confident in myself and what I was doing. Then I had an opportunity to have an interview with the owner of KJ & Company. That was amazing! I met with the owner and manager, and we had a really nice meeting about what they offered & what they do. I was very impressed and decided it was time to make a change. I was with the previous salon for 3 years. Really didn’t intend on leaving but the opportunity came, and the money was nice.

Was I the best student in school? No, and they can attest to that, I’m sure. Would I call in to school on Saturday mornings occasionally? Yes, and when I’d call in, they’d say ‘you’re not sick. You just maybe went out a little too late last night. So come on in.’ and guess what, I came to school because I knew it was best for me. I had the encouragement of the staff there to get me through. It is such a short time in your life to go to school and to get this degree. Just get in there and get it done. You do go through the roller coasters of that’s amazing and it’s great at first and then you do go through a little bit of a lows. Like, ‘oh when am I going to get done?’. Then you get through that, and you get towards the end, and you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then you know you’re almost there.

There is a place out there for everybody. I always recommend going to different salons and doing a little job shadowing. Seeing what their salon vibe is and how well you would fit into their vibe. Finding the right salon spot is ideal and don’t want to wait till the end. That is totally my advice, don’t wait until the week of graduation to start finding a job. If you start looking a few months before you graduate that is very impressive to everyone you interview with. It shows you are taking charge and you are planning to have a job before you even gradate, and I think that is ideal. That always impresses me a ton when I see somebody months before they graduate, and they are trying to plan out and figure out where they are going. That also makes you so much more excited to finish up those hours and get to your graduation.

CAREERS IN DEMAND
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