Every day our guests participate in the hands-on training that allows our students to learn their trade. Because of your community involvement, we are happy to announce this month's Graduate Spotlight, Stephanie Bratcher, because their success is also yours.
Standing out as a Stylist
Since graduation, Stephanie needed to set themselves apart from other stylists in the salon world. Stephanie says the best way to do this is to “listen to your clients” and ask questions. “I get face-to-face with my clients and ask them about their hair and their lifestyle, their goals, and any major life events coming up. I ask them about their favorite hair ever and their worst hair ever. Most importantly, I don't move forward with a service until I'm sure my client is sure about what we're doing. Setting expectations for your guests is vital to ensure they'll be happy - even if that means our goal isn't hit for a couple of appointments”
Salon life
Being behind the chair “I get to work alongside stylists who work a couple of days a week (for the love of their clients), and with stylists who can be home with their babies five days a week and “sling bleach” the other two days and live a fulfilled life".
‘We also have leadership opportunities in the salon beyond just being behind the chair. I love knowing our industry has so much flexibility and many different definitions of success. Our salon is full of many different types of stylists and our leadership is always pushing for everyone to have their best life - however that looks for them!
Advice for upcoming AIP Grads
"The best advice I could give to upcoming grads is to make solid goals and surround yourself with a team of people to help you reach those goals. You need people around you who lift you and will remind you why you're doing this! This career can be tough. Beauty is subjective and we're human and make mistakes. You WILL get bad reviews and cut that girl’s bangs too short”, but your “amazing team will remind you what's important! Because even though all of those things are true - you will also get to be with people on some of the best days of their lives.
Stephanie Bratcher is currently a Level 6 Stylist at Annastasia Salon in Portland. Check out her IG@stephbratchstyles
We want to take a moment to thank all of our Instructors who are also stylists and mentors. They are creative and think "outside the box" to share their knowledge. And thank you to all of our guests who are patient and supportive of our students' education. Thank you again for being part of the community.