Faces of Sola: Career Advice

Posted on July 24, 2018
Sola Salon Studios

Our Sola community is a culture of beauty professionals who are continuously motivating each other in and out of the salon. We come from all walks of life, share like experiences and strive to be successful business owners. What’s beautiful about this community of ours is that we have all either given or received some great career advice at some point that we can pay forward.

We asked our 2018 Faces of Sola to share what their best career advice would be. Here’s what they had to say:

LaShonda Banks, Tress Elite Salon // Atlanta, Georgia // @tresselitesalon2

“Be a professional—present yourself well and always be on time.”

Morgan Cameron, Enlightened Beauty // Sacramento, California // @enlightenedbeauty

“Just do something that you love and do something that speaks to you. You spend so much of your life creating or being at a job. You have to work for yourself or with someone that shares similar passions that you have. And when you do that, you feel the success grow.”

Mahogany Plautz, Carve Salon // Minneapolis, Minnesota // @mahoganyhairstylistmpls

“The best career advice I could give someone would be to cultivate your clientele. The people who are in your chair are the people you will see the most and you will spend the most of your time with them. Also, work hard on referrals and pre-booking. The best career advice I have ever received would be from Kimi Bennett who is the Culture Ambassador for Sola and one of my dearest friends. She told me to go for it and to trust what I’m doing—that I have something to give to the world and to be brave enough to give it.”

Amanda Fagan, Saba Salon // Novi, Michigan // @amandafaganhair

“If someone was anticipating making a move or staying with a company, or making a hard decision, I would probably say to them, ‘Why not?’ I have experience in so many different industries. It all boils down to the same thing in your career and the question about taking the next step. Should I do this? Should I do that? Why not just try and explore it. Don’t let anything or anyone hold you back. Just do it. You’re not going to know unless you try it.”

Jennifer LaVigne, Jennifer LaVigne Hair Studio // Ann Arbor, Michigan // @jenniferlavignehair

“Everything I do, especially as I get older, comes down to karma. Reap what you sow. Do everything excellently and be an excellent person and be you. If you can do that, you will always harvest great results. The other side of it, you have to know the business side of business. Be disciplined with your money.”

Ashley Lantz, TressPassing Salon // Avondale, Arizona // @ashleylantzhair

“Don’t be afraid to take chances. Anytime I have felt uncomfortable going into something, I just jumped in and it gave me exactly what I was searching for.”

Alex Sylvester, Edge by Alex Sylvester // Birmingham, Michigan // @alex_sylvester_

“Don’t focus on making money. You’ll make money if you’re putting out good work. Your main focus should be the type of work you’re creating and putting out there.”

Ashley Lewis, Nest Hair Studio // Richmond, Virginia // @the_blondologist

“Find what your passion is and take control of your career. I cannot say it enough when I’m in class teaching that this is your life and you have to take control of it. As hairstylists, we are insanely lucky to have careers that are also wonderful hobbies. Hair is my hobby. It’s what I think about all the time, always thinking about how to do it better.”

Polly Sanders-Peterson, Polly & Company // Denver, Colorado // @pollysanderspeterson

“If you love something, it will really work for you. If you don’t, then find an area of it and work that angle and get to doing what you really love about it.”

Christopher Matthew, Dillinger’s Hair Company // Long Island, New York // @dillingershaircompany

“Get a lawyer! Just kidding J Don’t be afraid to bet on yourself, but if you do, you have to show up and do the work. What it boils down to is: bet on yourself and take responsibility. Whatever you’re doing, if you’re working for yourself or for someone else, do the work. Stop making excuses and take responsibility.”

Fun Fact: Did you know that Christopher Matthew is in fact a lawyer? It’s true! You can get some great legal advice from him in his legal blog post series: