"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." —Arthur Ashe
Whether it’s going to the gym, going back to school, opening your business, or writing the first post for this blog, getting started is usually the hardest step.
When it comes to making the leap to being your own boss and going out on your own, there’s more at stake than a lost workout. But the longer you wait, the more time that will pass, the more time that you give your time to help realize someone else’s dream to run their business their way, helping to make them richer. The longer I wait to begin, the longer I let my goals and my dreams pass me by and the more time I let the little voice in my head tell me that no one will be interested in what I have to say.
Fear is our greatest obstacle to beginning any new adventure, but anything worth doing costs something and contains a heavy dose of fear, requiring us to be vulnerable. Like most hairdressers, I face fear on a daily basis. I’ve always said that hairdressers are some of the most courageous people I know. Every day, every client, that same little voice is wondering, “Will my client like her hair? Will she like me? Will she like my salon? Will she be happy to give me money for it at the end? Will it be enough to pay my bills? Will it be too much that she never comes back? Will she rebook? Will she buy the retail I recommend? What is she says no?" Most days, I face those fears and walk away feeling successful, but even now, 25 years into this business, I occasionally walk away feeling defeated when things don't work out the way I wanted, thinking to myself, “Oh my god, I am the worst hairdresser in the world, a total fraud.” Those thoughts, those fears, those feelings have gotten easier with time, but they still creep in from time to time.
But every day is a new beginning. I personally have started over at least three or four times in my career, either because I moved to a new city, a new salon, or in one extreme case when my life and my business completely fell apart. I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in this industry, but I can tell you that I am happier now than I’ve ever been. I'm not only making A LOT of money behind the chair, but taking a lot of that money home. And at this stage in my development I have more time for the things that are important to me—my husband, Steven, and our dogs, Bruno and Ruth, as well as other pursuits like writing.
In 2020, I graduated from the University of Utah with a long-delayed bachelor’s degree in Writing & Rhetoric. And let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like that first-day-of-school anxiety at 47 years old. I even found myself wondering silly thoughts like, I hope I have the right backpack—I don’t want to be the old fuddy-duddy on the front row. I was anyway but the other students had their own fears they were facing daily, unconcerned about my age or my backpack.
So what am I starting now? What is the first brick in this yellow brick road? Well, I am starting this blog as an outlet for my writing, my professional writing for self-employed health and beauty professionals, as well as my creative writing. My hope is that I can share my experiences as a business owner and behind-the-chair hairdresser, as well as sharing the experience and insight of other successful people whom I admire. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in business for yourself for half a century, there’s always something new to be learned.
So here it is—my first blog post. I did it. I began.
Comments