How To Be A Successful Stylist In A Small Town
There are many reasons why people don't pursue their dream of becoming a Stylist, but the reason I hear the most is "I live in a small town, and there's really no need for a Stylist. You really need to live in a big city to be successful." Sound familiar? Maybe it's something that goes through your mind when you think about following your dream. I know it's something that almost prevented me from starting my career while living in small-town USA. But here I am a decade later, a successful Stylist, and I'm going to share the secrets to starting your own successful Styling career, even if you do live in a small town.
Be Positive - Before you get started you really need to clear your mind of all the reasons you think your business won't be successful in a small town. Stop telling yourself there's no demand for your services and start thinking about how you can create that demand. Remember the movie Field Of Dreams with Kevin Costner? "If you build it they will come." The same applies to your business. Your future clients may not realize yet that they need your services, but if you approach it the right way, they'll soon be wondering how they ever survived without you.
Identify Your Potential Clients - You'll want to be very clear about who will benefit from your services. Spend time getting to know people in your community and how your services may help them. By identifying your target clients you can then develop a clear strategy about how to reach them. Create your client avatars and get very specific. Marketing to everyone is not going to work, you need to take a targeted approach.
Use The Right Marketing Strategies - Once you know who your potential clients are then you can develop your marketing strategies. Your strategies when working in a small town will be different from big city Stylists. Think about the places in your town where your future clients spend their time, hairdressers, small clothing boutiques, or maybe the gym, and use these locations to promote your services. When I first started my business, I went to my hair salon and asked the owner if I could leave some brochures. She was more than happy to let me and even began telling her clients about my services when they were in her chair. This was actually the way I got my first client, and then word-of-mouth marketing became the most valuable tool.
Become Part of Your Community - Being successful in your community will actually depend on you becoming active in your community too. Look at every town event as a promotional opportunity. Local charity and volunteer events are great from a PR perspective, and it's also a great way to give back. When I was just starting my business I held a charity fashion show along with my hair salon and a local clothing boutique. We raised a lot of money for a great cause, and we generated publicity for our own businesses, simply by donating our time and resources. The more active you become in your community, the more opportunities you'll have for sharing what you do. Word-of-mouth marketing is crucial in a small town so don't be shy about sharing what you do, even if it's at the dog park or at your kid's soccer game.
Go Local - Does your town have its own newspaper or internet channel? If so, then reach out to them and offer to write a style column or do a vlog. In small towns, the local newspaper is still where most people turn to find their community news so you'll be able to reach potential clients.
By using the right tools, creating the right partnerships, sending the right messages, and having the right mindset, you can be a successful Stylist no matter how small the town you live in. Take it from someone who's been there and done it :-)
Happy Styling!
Louisa
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