Artist Spotlight | Hazen Hair Studio

As the owner of Hazen Hair Studio, Amy shares insights on how selling retail brings people back into the salon, the importance of sending Product Recommendations, and how SalonInteractive helps foster deeper connections with her clients.

Q: What was your journey in becoming a stylist?

My path to becoming a stylist began naturally as a child, growing up with a mother who was a hairdresser. I would spend hours experimenting with hair in my family home. My mother had a rule to never leave the house for an errand without her hair and makeup perfectly done. Watching her do this and seeing how beautiful she looked every time is what sparked my love for hair and beauty. Growing up, I was always interested in the artistic scene, beautiful clothes, the latest hairstyles, makeup, and anything related to beauty.

I began styling my friends for proms and all sorts of events. When I graduated from high school, it was an easy decision to attend hairdressing school. The school I went to also had a chain of salons and its own beauty distribution store. I felt fortunate to have all these opportunities in one place. Sometimes you go to a beauty school, and then you're unsure where to get that first job. Having the beauty distribution linked to the chain of salons was really amazing, as it presented great opportunities and allowed me to understand the retail side of the business.

I worked at this salon for a couple of years. Back then, I had to work for someone for at least two years to get my full cosmetologist license. Now, licensing has changed, and stylists can graduate from school and enter the industry immediately, which I think is much better for the beauty industry.

Q: At what point did you become a renter?

After working my two years at my first salon, I decided to leave and go into booth renting. I didn't know much about the business and didn't have a large clientele going in, but I think that's the beauty of being young. There is less fear of jumping into something new and having faith in yourself to become an entrepreneur.

While renting, I realized: wow, I think I need some education, I need strong retail knowledge, and a strong product line to sell in my space. I then decided to join the distributorship affiliated with my first salon. I started teaching in their education program all around New England for a couple of color companies for about 10 years, which was really a lot of fun!

I bounced around a little bit in salons in my area and then jumped to a bigger salon about an hour away. I decided to move and go from renting to working in a commission salon, which was a different way of working for me.  It wasn't that I didn't enjoy renting; I wanted to join a group of like-minded stylists.

Q: What did your next experience teach you?

The salon I joined was owned by someone I met while previously educating. She was amazing; I still call her my mentor. I learned so much about the business part of my career. She attended school for business and then developed a passion for hairdressing, opening her own salon. I admired her leadership and how she ran her business. While working there, I had a business coach and learned how to become a better stylist. I also understood at that time how purchasing products brings clients back to the salon.

Q: Can you elaborate?

At that time, we didn't have SalonInteractive, so we were selling in the salon. That was hard because there was so much retail to choose from. We would have contests in the salon to sell retail, and I always won. Yes, I am a bit competitive. I really liked that part, but it was more about getting the client to come back in. If you sold them something, they were less likely to go to another salon.

If you visit a doctor and you are sick, you get a prescription. I don't want them to go into Target, Ulta, or Amazon. I want them to get what I think they really need, so that they won't have a shelf of graveyard products at their house.

Q: How did you discover your current suite location?

I moved to the Shrewsbury, Massachusetts area, where I started working for another salon. It was very challenging for me at that stage of my career because their approach was not sufficiently forward-thinking. I realized you really can't stay stagnant in the beauty business and continue doing the same things forever without change.

At that point, I was considering whether to open a salon. I think many stylists believe they need to own a salon to be successful, with people working for them. I didn't want that; it wasn't for me. I didn’t really want to manage other people in my heart. Although I think I would do a great job helping people, I love educating and teaching them, I just didn't want to oversee a staff. So, an individual suite made more sense for me.

I ironically saw a new business open in my area called My Salon Suite while driving down the highway. I thought: What is that? I went in and checked it out, realizing it was individual salon suites. I signed on immediately, and honestly, it's been amazing.

Q: What do you love most about the suite life?

I can pick what I want to carry for product lines I believe in and align with my brand. When I decided to do a suite, I really wanted a brand that I believed in, one focused on ammonia-free hair color. I decided that the products I wanted to carry needed to be more natural, so I branded myself as an ammonia-free hair color salon. And when you get passionate about something, you're more passionate about selling it. I sell more retail here than I ever have, even at a big salon.

Q: Why do you think that is?

If you work at a salon and you're vibe aligns closely with their culture, you will achieve a lot there. But if you're not on the same wavelength, you're not going to always like what they offer. I never really understood retail when working for a commission salon. It wasn't until I went off on my own that I felt more ownership of the client's experience and the aftercare.

I don't bring a lot of retail into the suite because I have a smaller suite space, but I can promote it online through SalonInteractive and on my Instagram, which is what I do a lot. There are a lot of products I don't have here that I promote online.

I'm 20 years plus doing hairdressing. I'm at that place in my life where I love working with people, but I also like being able to run my own business smoothly and enjoy my out-of-the-salon hours. And that's the nice part, because when I'm home and I'm not working, SalonInteractive is still working, selling products.

Q: What is your consultation process, specifically for a new client?

It can be overwhelming for a new client. They want a haircut and may want to change their hair care routine. They know they need product, but sometimes they're afraid of the bill at the end of their salon experience.

I always start a new client in my chair with a consultation and let them know I have this system, and I bring up that it's SalonInteractive. I tell them, 'I'm going to send them a recommendation through a text message with every product I use in here today, so they can think about what they might need.

When I send them a Product Recommendation, I always say, “Research it, make sure you don't have something like that already at home.” That way, they don't feel the pressure as much, and they select what they want to buy. I have some clients who buy products after their service, but a lot of clients buy at home within two to three days.

With SalonInteractive, I can add as many product lines as I want. Being in a suite, it's a smaller space, so I try to limit the inventory that I stock, and I don't always have everything I want for resale. So if a particular client is saying, “I'm having hair thinning,” I will respond that I have this other line that's really good, and I'll send a Product Recommendation through SalonInteractive.  That way, they can think about it without the pressure.

Q: Did you realize when you started with SalonInteractive what it’s about?

I completely understood, and I think it's genius. Being a solo entrepreneur, it's hard to have multiple ways of selling to a client without having a huge overhead.

So, when I first heard about it, I thought: I can have a free platform and make it look like my own website, and sell products to clients, and then it's shipped from the distributor, and it looks like it's from me. Wow, that's amazing! I set the platform up right away, and it's been nothing but wonderful for me.

I love all the pictures and the different designs that are up on SalonInteractive. The clients can see your products when they scroll through the website I offer. There are five templates, and they're very professional-looking. My clients think I made that template, so believe me, it's really good.

Q: What's that experience like for your clients? Do they understand how it works, or do they think you're the one packaging it up?

At first, a lot of my clients thought it was me sending the products. Some of them still think it is me. If they have a return, they can bring it right back to my salon. My clients like how easy the returns can be.

I do think there is a good connection with the client because of the Product Recommendations sent to them after the service. After the client receives my recommendation, they are now going to my website, see everything professionally done, and start shopping.' When they purchase, it's shipped by my distributor, and it's always packaged beautifully. It doesn’t look like it comes from my distributor but from my studio, and that's more personal for the client.

Q: How often do you send Product Recommendations?

It's hard to remember all the time what you have used on a client, even if they ask you days after their service. Now that I have the recommendation tool to send them Product Recommendations, I know exactly what I've sent, and they do too. I can easily refer to what I sent them and then say, “Oh, that's the product that you want. I have that here today, or you can still get it on SalonInteractive.” I really love the recommendation tool.

Q: Do you feel SalonInteractive helps you stay more connected to your clients between services?

100% yes, because one thing that I believe in is that when a client leaves with product, they're more likely to come back to you. However, you don't want to overwhelm them and sell them too much; they can lose trust that way as well. By personally recommending products through SalonInteractive, it adds a more personalized touch with the client. They feel that their stylist took the time to send me a Product Recommendation catering to exactly what they need.

I send recommendations out every time. I may repeat a product that I used on them or introduce something new. Every time they get that, they're going to feel a connection to me, which is far deeper than just shopping online. The personalized touch makes them feel like you've taken care of them, and you're not just letting them walk out the door and forgetting about what you've done for them.

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