Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Rahoutis.
Hi Jamie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve known since I was a small child that I wanted to do hair and makeup one day as a career. I remember playing “beauty school” at my aunts in home daycare with the other daycare kids! I was talked out of going to cosmo school by many many people – never my parents though, they’ve always been so so so supportive of whatever Ive wanted to do. I worked in retail, and even manufacturing and I never felt like it was “right” for me. I’d almost always had done my moms color at home before I was licensed and there was a time I did some highlights on her before a family trip, and she went to a salon to get her haircut and the color was complimented highly from her stylist and truly, that made my decision to go back to school. I set up a tour for when we got home, and I signed up that same day and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. That was in 2017. After I graduated from PCI Academy in Plymouth MN, in 2018 I was started working at a salon that really helped me advance my craft, my customer service skills, and taught me so so much about the industry. I’ll forever to be grateful for that experience, I was there for almost 6 years before some unfortunate circumstances happened that my time with them was cut abruptly. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I immediately knew I was ready to take on having an independent space and I worked tirelessly for weeks to get it to come together. I opened Hair Jamz by Jamie at Salons by JC in September of 2024, and have been enjoying every second of it ever since. I used to think when people said that they put their blood sweat and tears into something that it was just a saying, but it has been proven that is 1000% true and my business is a product of that!
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?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with depression and debilitating anxiety so losing my job place of almost 6 years was incredibly difficult. I felt like I had lost part of myself.. like part of my identity almost? since I’d been there for so long. It has taken me 1 1/2 years to almost fully heal from that experience itsself. On top of trying to scramble to find somewhere to work out of and the funds to be able to run my own thing was hurdle after hurdle. I would soon learn that finding the place was the easiest of the journey. I’m grateful enough to have worked somewhere that had a simple IRA set up for us so I was able to borrow against that to be able to get the furniture and supplies that I needed to get up and running. Hardly anything ever goes to plan in life, things broke, didn’t fit, didn’t work out in the way I imagined them to, people who promised to help me with big projects flaked, so with the help of a couple of amazing people in my life (at the time), I was able to get it all together just in time to open for my first guest on September 17th 2024. The “before open” of course couldn’t have been the only hurdle. I then had to not only market myself all over again, post on different social media platforms to try to gain traction and find my target market clientele and building my schedule to be able to actually make my rent, figuring out how to make money to restock my products and supplies and be able to pay my personal bills… But now I had a brand to build. Before. Hair Jamz was just my hair page name. Now it’s *my* business. *my* livelihood & *my* brand.
I still have weeks where I don’t know if I will be able to make my rent with the services I have booked, so trying to learn about promotions and getting creative and running fun incentives and giveaways for people to book themselves a pamper appointment. I’ll say it took me well into my first year of being open to really start to understand the back end of the business and numbers side of things , on an independent stylist level and not a commission stylist level. And now I’m sailing pretty decently. Steadily building, and I have an amazing base clientele but am always wanting to grow and build! That’s not to say that there still arent struggles. I’ve had to move rooms within the building just to cut down on some weekly expenses, had my blow dryer completely die on me in the middle of a guest, my flat iron exploded one day. I’ve had soda explode from temperature changes from my car to the building. I’ve had a lot of personal struggles in the last 3 years that have gotten me to the point that I’m at to be able to handle a lot of what life throws at me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a mostly full service hairstylist/salon, I offer everything from cuts to colors, facial waxing (even inner nostril), keratin smoothing treatments, hair extensions and tinsel, and event makeup. The things that keep people coming back to me would be my transparency on realistic expectations, educating people on the science behind hair, giving results people love while also being able to work with their lifestyles, and my scalp massages. I offer up to an extra 15 minutes of scalp massage time – my guests rave about it! I even have a service for those who can’t/don’t want to wash their own hair. Come in. I’ll wash condition, massage your head, and detangle you and send you on your way. my favorite color services to perform are anything bright poppy and lived in, I’m obsessed with giving a seamless and blendy grow out for longevity between lightening appointments! I also absolutely love anything red/copper. Like I can’t even describe that in words. What I’m most proud of when it comes to my work is my work ethic. I was told my whole life that I’m lazy – which, I think we all can be unmotivated for dead end jobs right? I always crave more in this field. More education, more promoting, more giveaways, more love more care, more everything. I’m always thinking and planning about how what I’m doing in any given circumstance could make or break my business plan and my future. And struggling with mental health my entire life, having excitement and care for a future is so so so cool and important and I never want to lose that again. I think what sets me apart is that I genuinely take the time to get to know my clients and create a plan that’s realistic for them. I love the technical side of hair, but I also understand that great hair has to fit someone’s lifestyle, budget, and maintenance routine. Whether it’s a lived-in color or a precision bob, my focus is always on creating something custom that my clients can confidently wear long after they leave the salon.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I would say my biggest piece of advice for networking is to just talk to anyone and everyone who will listen, you never know who you will be able to connect with and what opportunities will rise from just a single conversation, of course social media is an amazing tool, however with the ever changing algorithms, sometimes it can be quite a challenge. So good old mouth to mouth is so so so important. I’m a pretty and awkward girly outside of place and people that I’m extremely comfortable around, so that’s been a tough navigation, however you kind of attract the energy you put out so it tends to work out in my favor.
Pricing:
- Base haircut pricing starts at $69
- Full blonding without haircut starts at $210
- Color corrections start at: $400/4 hours
- Consultations are always free! I can even do virtual in some circumstances.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hairjamzbyjamie.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hair_jamz?utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18nyC6b8Av/
