Nowadays, it isn’t enough to just be amazing at doing hair to be the busiest and most requested stylist. With every hairdresser showcasing their work on Instagram, clients have a buffet of stylists to choose from. A quick picture of your clients’ hair or a casual post isn’t going to have your ideal clients start flocking to you. It takes a lot more thought and a little more planning to become the most requested stylist.

It hasn’t always been easy for myself, either; I started out in this industry making less than $100 a week, sitting in the back hoping a client would walk in. But, after many years of failing and trying again, I have been able to scale my business to more than six figures in revenue behind the chair.

Now, I’m on a mission to help all stylists reach that kind of success, while skipping the ugly years of struggling and not making ends meet. So, I’ve put together this guide of the most important things that you can start doing today to level up in your business.

Instagram / @marrahsmagicalmane

What Are Clients Looking For?

Our business lives and breathes only if clients choose for us to do their hair, so what are they looking for when they are trying to decide who can do the best job? Clients will look through your work and decide if you are a good fit for them and the style they want.

Firstly, clients notice your overall brand and your vibe. Do you have a color theme, a specific thing you specialize in, such as foilyage or balayage? Are your pictures good quality, or did you take them quickly in your chair? These are all little details that they notice right away and can turn them off from even calling you. Rarely are potential new clients looking at how many followers you have. They are looking for quality, content and personality. They want to vibe with you and feel like you will understand them and what they are looking for. So understanding these things and really getting specific on your brand, your brand’s voice (how you talk to your potential new clients), your uniqueness, such as things that you specialize in and do very well, and producing quality content (great photos capturing beautiful hair) are the foundations to becoming the go-to hairstylist.