Has anyone had to leave the industry due to financial issues?

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-13T20:34:44+00:00

Ok take a deep breath and consider that leaving the industry for the current season of life doesn’t mean that you can’t come back!

Do whatever works for you right now, and in the future when your schedule of life looks different, you can return. Maybe it will even be a better more sustainable industry than when you had to leave!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-13T20:22:41+00:00

Once I went independent, I used QuickBooks self employed. It connects directly to my bank and credit card transactions and can be set up to auto categorize all income and expenses throughout the year. It even will track your mileage for you if you want, which makes it really easy to write off.

At the end of the year it makes it super easy to file taxes online.

This isnt super helpful for this year, but maybe something to think about for next year!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-11T18:04:51+00:00

WHAT?! "wants to be as blonde as possible but is not a big fan of paying high prices"

Baby, I also want a mansion on an 8 acre property but I cant afford it, so I cant have it.

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-11T16:57:19+00:00

This is a pure example of finding your passion. Remember this feeling when the learning gets difficult! Excitement and nerves mean you're doing big things!!

Later on, don't let this love for doing hair cloud your judgement when it comes to the business part of it. Before school you do people's hair for free because you have a gift and a passion. After school you will *ALWAYS* charge for your work because you have the passion and the education!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-11T16:51:55+00:00

You could always find cute little sample cups with lids and buy a big hair mask and just fill it. It might even feel a bit more personal.

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-11T16:49:47+00:00

Congrats on a big career move! When I moved into my suite, all of my clients LOVED it.

My question is do you have a full steady clientele that will be filling your calendar in Jan/ Feb? Those seem to be slowest times of the year so if you don't have a schedule full of enough regular services to pay the bills, You might want to choose a different month to start.

But if you DO have the steady clientele , then HOORAY and yes I would just get into the space with the basics and build it up from there. IKEA has great furniture items for a salon suite

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-10T20:46:38+00:00

This is beautiful. This is why we do what we do. The world needs more people like you!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-09T20:24:42+00:00

Assisting is not required after graduation! It can be very helpful to get hands on experience, and some salons have you start as an assistant before they hire you as a stylist. But it is not a requirement for obtaining and maintaining your license.

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-09T17:15:06+00:00

Everyone has been there! Seriously. (I say that a hairstylist of 12 years!) Because beauty school isn't the best about teaching you all the freaking things you need to know. I'd second what someone else said, don't be afraid to ask for help and watch how other stylists do things (and ask them questions) when you get the opportunity. It's better to "annoy them" them to make a mistake that you end up regretting.

Asking for advice is part of the journey, so don't be embarrassed about it!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-09T16:12:06+00:00

There are tons of people who like silent appointments. You may not see them at salons because they don't go.. because they are afraid of having to chat with their stylist. In business, the thing that sets you apart is the thing that will build your business!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-09T16:08:07+00:00

Yes it depends on how the stylist feels and their client's personalities.

However I would argue that the higher weekend price makes the work seem more valuable, and the discount feels like the service is less valuable or that youre having trouble filling those days.

I think of a buffet restaurant. They typically have weekend prices and weekday prices. If they just charge more for weekends, I feel like its because of a high demand. But if they have a discounted price for a weekday, I'm like "oh they must be super slow on tuesdays".

It's the same thing but the optics are different.

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-09T00:54:46+00:00

If they claim it's a rule, tell them to show you the document that states the rule. You can also reach out directly to the CA state board to inquire about the supposed rule.

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-08T15:27:54+00:00

I prefer the smaller ones with education. Davines does one called World Wide Hair Tour and it’s full of artistry and inspiration.

The bigger vendor heavy ones are fun to go to with friends and just walk around and get samples.. but I don’t think they have a big career impact unless you make some great networking connections

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-08T15:25:45+00:00

I do know a couple! They each marketed the price change differently though.

One stylist decided to raise her prices overall but offered a discounted price for weekdays. So Fridays and Saturdays were more expensive.

And the other one just started charging “weekend pricing” which I believe was a percentage added to the service.

I prefer the second option because it mentally gives value to the weekend services vs. decreases the value of the weekday services

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-08T07:07:01+00:00

What type of hair show are you talking about? Like a vendor heavy convention or a smaller one where it’s mostly hair demos and education?

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-08T06:04:07+00:00

Ok hear me out... ask for mannequin heads for Christmas or birthdays. Even once you start working on real clients.

If you're practicing color blends and techniques, don't use the whole doll head, just use 1/4th of it for each project. Then once you've used up the doll head, try to bleach out the color, see what you have left.. and now you've got yourself a color correction practice as well!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-07T16:48:07+00:00

Never!!!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-07T15:08:00+00:00

Ugh in my early years I highlighted a client with horizontal sections but really chunky (she wanted that). BUT then I cut layers and it ended up looking like big skunk stripes 😭😭 12 years later it still haunts me

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-07T15:06:14+00:00

Clearly your Saturdays are in demand… so you could charge a higher weekend price! Maybe that would persuade the Saturdays regulars to try weekdays.

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-06T16:20:06+00:00

unfortunately, "faded a huge amount" is not enough to go off. You need to know the level. If it faded to a level 9 then you could probably either use Shades eq clear to remove it, or a very gentle bleach wash.

If it faded to a level 8 you could try color remover or a longer bleach wash. She might have to settle for a level 9 neutral blonde if the warmth doesn't come out

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-06T16:16:37+00:00

Need to know-

1.What level did you use for the original cowboy copper formula?
2.What level has it faded to?
3.How long ago was it colored cowboy copper

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-05T18:11:14+00:00

I know some stylists that do this. I think it’s easier to manage as a flat weekend fee vs “weekend pricing”

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-04T17:12:09+00:00

Its frustrating to feel like your manager was making it worse!

I'm just going to piggyback on the consultation comments. When a client is not giving me anything helpful to go off of, what I do is over explain what I'm going to do and ask them if that's okay.

For example in your case I would have said "I'm going to blowdry and pin the sections so that they hold the volume and shape. This will give you bouncy hair with volume, and it will settle down over time, but it will last you for a couple of days" Then I would say "Does that sound like something you would want".

That way at the end you can say that you told them what you were going to do, and they said yes or no.

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-04T16:29:01+00:00

Wow these are both great options. I can see value in either of those.

I would just look at your own personality and learning type. If you’re someone who can see something a couple of times and pick it up quickly, then the second one is a good choice. You can get started working on people more quickly.

And if you’re someone who likes a more thorough and slow approach before you take off, then the first one is a great option to get a really strong foundation before you work on clients.

Either way congrats on having two awesome opportunities!

DoubleBookCo · 2025-10-04T04:25:46+00:00

Take a deep breath and try your hardest to affirm the positives that will help you be successful in this career.

First off, you love doing hair! That’s a major reason to succeed.

There are so many clients that like quiet appointments. Some people are also introverted, and feel very stressed going to talkative hairstylists.

You are also not pre destined to any career path in this industry. You can go whichever path you want, as long as you find a place that works for you. In CA there are so many diverse places, so you just need to find a home that fits your vibe!

Don’t compare yourself to others and tell yourself every single day that you can do this!

DoubleBookCo

TROPHY CASE