Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Gardner.
Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! My name is Erin Gardner and I have been a stylist for 17 years. 3 years into my career, I became an independent stylist and began renting my own chair. I worked in two great salons and built an amazing clientele.
In 2020, I used the salon shut downs as an opportunity to get certified in two extension methods. I fell in love with the transformations extensions provided for my clients and began building out a brand new part of my business.
By 2021, I knew to continue running things efficiently I needed a space where I could hire an assistant.
There’s no doubt that my extension business was one catalyst for opening My own salon.
When a retail space became available near home, I jumped at the chance and in 2022,
Gardner & Co. Salon opened its doors!
This space is everything I hoped it would be. We have 8 stations for rental stylists and an assisting program that I hope will provide a great launching point for new talent to build their own independent businesses.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I feel very lucky that I found a contractor willing to take on the project, and we actually ran into very few supply chain issues during our construction phase. I think the biggest challenge was continuing my current client load while building out the salon.
I’m certainly not unique in the stresses of parenting during the pandemic. With two young girls at home, some days I felt like I couldn’t give enough of myself to any one thing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The salon industry is changing rapidly and I am so happy to see it moving in a direction that will make it an even better career for future stylists. Only a few months into being a salon owner, and I feel my role is already shifting to that of a mentor for younger stylists.
I truly believe being an independent stylist is the way to do this business best, and I see a gap between the time a student graduates and the time they begin taking clients and building their books.
They need training and a hand getting their business practices in place. I want to help them do that so they can skip the step of signing a year-long contract as an assistant somewhere else.
Often times stylists give up on this profession because they don’t feel they can make the living they set out to. They pick up a shift here or there at another job and soon they drop this all together because it seems like too much.
The goal is for them to feel confident enough to build and start making a great living right off the bat.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
In the last two years, I’ve definitely taken some of the biggest risks in my career. I’ve learned to trust my instincts in all of this. I believe it comes down to the relationships and trust I’ve built with my clients and now the stylists working with me, and that’s one of the things I’m most proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: Gardnercosalon.com
- Instagram: @gardnercosalon
Image Credits
Decora Topp photography
