Lessons Learned From Starting In the Industry at 15 Years Old

Let me guess, you are a hustling, bustling hairstylist behind the chair, working so hard to build a beautiful career for yourself, one that gives you time, freedom, and energy to spend with yourself, your family, and your friends. But you feel like you're always working in your business even when you're not behind the chair. My name is Hunter Donia, and I help you automate your systems and implement really beautiful strategies so you can grow your business without the overwhelm. And this is the Modern Hairstylist podcast.

Hello, friend. Welcome back to the Modern Hairstylist podcast. I am fucking hype for this episode because I have my friend, my colleague, my girl, my bestie boo, Miss Caityln Granger up in the house. What's up, Caityln?

How are you? I'm good, friend. How are you doing? So freaking good.

Caityln, so... Okay, wait. So, okay, hold on. Wait.

So, Caityln, just before we talk about why Caityln's here, Caityln, just introduce us, to us, please. Or introduce you to us, please. Okay. My name is Caityln Granger.

Um, I've known Hunter for a couple of years now, and I am a hairstylist that has stepped away from being behind the chair, and I am currently, uh, working on marketing for hairstylists, and I'm also doing a lot of marketing for Hunter as well. And yeah, now, I'm just kind of trickling into the little, uh, podcast gig with him as well. Yeah. You guys, so like, here's the tea.

So, every now and then, I talk to you... I t- I say this in my podcast all the time, I say this w- to people all the time, I say, "I need systems that hold me accountable," right? A- and I also hate talking to myself. Like, I hate, I hate pre-recording anything.

I love recording the podcasts for you guys, like, don't get me wrong, but I really hate, um, having to talk to myself a lot. It does not feel natural to me at all, and I really feed off of other people's energy. And so, Caityln, I've asked Caityln to come and join me to help just kind of co-host some of these episodes with me. And the great thing about Caityln is that she is working really closely with me, and she is a wealth of knowledge, and I trust her so much with so many different things as far as the industry goes, and she's creating resources for the industry as well too.

And so, Caityln's just gonna help facilitate these episodes with me every now and then, and I'm excited for you guys to get to know her if you don't know her already. We'll make sure to plug her Instagram in the show notes so you guys can check her out there because you definitely should. She teaches you guys all about how to market yourself as a hairstylist on Instagram, and she's absolutely amazing. But Caityln, what are we gonna be freaking doing today up in this bitch?

Tell me the tea. So, today, we are gonna dive a little bit into a bit of your backstory, and I want you to kind of, like, give us all the tea on how you got into the industry because I feel- Oh. like it's a fun story for everybody. Okay.

I mean, like, I'm down for that, like, let's go. Do people actually care? You know what I mean? Like, whenever anything like this comes up, you know, like, like, u- uh, I'm sure you listening to this, friend, like you hear this all the time.

It's like, you know, you, like, people really care about you and your business, right? Like, people really wanna hear about you, like, building a personal brand, et cetera, et cetera. For me, I, whenever e- I try to do anything like this or I'm, like, asked to do anything like this, I'm like, "Do people really actually care?" Right?

So, I'm, I'm insecure that nobody's even gonna, like, listen to this episode, but you know what? If you're ar- if you're this far in and listening right now, I wanna say that I love you and I thank you and I hope that you enjoy this situation in one way or another. So, Caityln, let's go. Ask me all the questions, and we'll get...

Well, well, p- prompt me, prompt me, and we'll roll with it. If I can just preface too, like, as somebody that has followed you for so many years, you're such a wealth of knowledge, and, like, I just wanna know everything about you, and I'm- ... certain that everybody else feels the exact same way. So- Thank you.

let's hop right into it. So, give me all of the, like, the generic stuff, like how old were you, what prompted you to get into it, what did school look like for you? Give me all the things. Yeah.

So, I always tell this story, but, like, it really truly is, like, the signature situation for me. So, when I was younger, when I... I cam- I came out in middle school. I came out when I was in, like, seventh grade, and I actually came out to my entire school on Facebook- ...

before I came out to my parents. I literally was out to my entire school for probably less than a year before I came out to my parents. Isn't that crazy? Because at that time, nobody was on Facebook yet.

It was only the kids. Like, kids were on Facebook. It was just, like, me and, like, all my other friends, you know? So, I was crazy on my Facebook, but I literally came out with a Facebook status.

And, you know, with coming out, I had always been interested in, like, more feminine ways of expressing myself, but I never, I never really took action on it because I was so scared. I was so scared of, you know, like, going against the norm and, like, not being masculine and, and all of that stuff. And, but once I came out, it... I was kind of like...

It was almost like I was so excited to have an excuse. An excuse is not the right word, but that's what I thought about it, like, as a time, an excuse to just show up as who the fuck I was and not have to, like, explain myself for it. It's like, "No," like, "I'm gay. This is who I am, and I dress how I dress.

It is what it is." So, I got into makeup really fast. My best friend, Megan, who is still my best friend since second grade, we, like, dug into her, like, pink Caboodle. Did you ever have a Caboodle, Caityln?

Did you ever have a Caboodle? Uh, you're gonna have to tell me what it is. I... Maybe.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Okay, so Caboodles... So, Caboodles are, like, um, like makeup cases basically, and like, I don't know if they were necessarily specifically geared for kids or not.

I don't think they were. They were, like, makeup cases, long story short. So anyways, we, like, dug deep into my best friend... into Megan's Caboodle, and like, I just, like, started, like, f- destroying my face with makeup and, like, like- ...

we literally have a picture. Like, there's this crazy picture of me and Megan, like, in her bathroom, like, taking a picture of us in the mirror, and I have, like, like, green eyeshadow from, like, under eye all the way up to my eyebrow, and I just look, like, insane. And I... You know, I just started, like, playing around with makeup a lot, and I started to color my own hair.

Like, I remember one day, I, like, went home to my dad, and I was like, "Dad, I am dying my hair, like, black and white stripes like a skunk." And he was like, "No, you're not." Like, "You're not dying your hair" and I was like, "Watch me," and I literally went and dyed my hair the next day. And so then, like, it snowballed into, like, I just co- star- I started getting really interested in coloring my own hair.

It was like a joke, like, with my teachers at school that, like, I would come to school with, like, a different hair color, like, every week or every month. And so I was just, like, really fascinated with expressing who I was on the inside on the outside as well, and how... And I was really fascinated by how, you know, the expression of myself on the outside through beauty, how it really helped me, like, gain confidence in who I was. And, and, you know, it really was owning the fact that I was proud of who I was, and I wasn't gonna give a fuck about what anybody thought about me, and if you don't like me, then, like, get out of my way, you know?

I didn't think about it o- about it like this at all when, when I was... when I was doing it back then, but I look back, and I really see, like, wha- like, how it shaped me and how, how important it was for me to have been experimenting with my self-expression through beauty. And so, being that person, I didn't really fit in in a lot of spaces. Like, I didn't really love sports too much.

I had, like, a small group of friends, but, like, I didn't, like, have, like, super specific hobbies. Like, my mom made me try every sport, and I didn't really love it. And because I really loved beauty, I had heard about, uh, my high school's local vocational cosmetology program. I was like, "Oh my God.

This, like, seems really interesting. Like, this seems like something, like, I might actually really enjoy." I literally... You're not allowed to apply until your sophomore year, but I was, like, in eighth grade, and I was, like, on their website, like, applying- ...

because I was just, like, so eager and, like, antsy to wanna get into the program. And so I somehow, someway begged and pleaded my parents to finally let me go, and so I started in a vocational program at the age of 16 in my cosmetology class. And it was the first place where I really, really, really felt very celebrated for exactly who the fuck I was, and celebrated for how I expressed myself and how I experimented with makeup and hair and stuff. And I was just so hyper-focused and fascinated with, like, everything that had to do with cosmetology.

And I've always said, you know, for me, I know this is the opposite of a lot of people who get into the industry, but I feel like for me, I liked working with my mind more than I liked working with my body, right? My physical tests, like, my, my physical tests that I had to take, like, you know, doing hair and, and getting tested out for that kind of stuff, that was always my struggle. The... Like, the paper tests, I was like, "F yes."

Like, "Let's go." And I was like alwa-... I would always get, like, A pluses on that type of stuff. And so I...

You know, I loved to study. Like, I loved the theory. I loved when we had theory. I wanted to, like, eat up every type of information.

And I was, like, the annoying kid in class who was asking the questions, who, like, everybody else would wish would, like, shut up. You know what I mean? I was, like, the nerd. So, it just became, like, this really crazy, uh, important passion for me, and I ended up getting a job at the salon that I got my hair done at.

I had told my, my hea- hairdresser, Shannon, that I had enrolled in my vocational program, and she was like, "Well, why don't you apply here?" And I was like, "I mean, like, I'm only, like, 15, 16. Like, I do- I don't know. I just feel like I'm not really ready for that."

And she was like, "Well, why don't you just, like, give it a try? Like, you... Like, getting a head start would be really cool." And I went ahead, and I gave it a try.

I walked into this job interview with crazy ass makeup- ... a wild ass outfit- ... and, like, literally, like, I had a... I had clip-in blonde, like, 22-inch extensions at the time.

Yes. It was wild. Like, it was wild. With, like...

With, like, a pink, like, accent piece in the front. It was fucking crazy, and I, like, wore heels into this first interview. And they were like, "Oh my God." Like, "Who is this kid?"

I love it. And they hired me. They took a chance on me. And so my first day working in the salon was they hired me as a general assistant, so I just was...

just, you know, just was, like, cleaning up after everybody. It was a larger salon. We had about 35 employees, and so, you know, it was a really big hustling and bustling space, and so they, they could afford to use general assistants and personal assistants. And so I was, like, cleaning up and, like, helping with shampoos and blow dries and mixing up people's color, et cetera, et cetera.

But yeah, my first day at the salon was actually my 16th birthday. It was, like, literally April 2nd of that year. And my manager was like, "You know, you don't have to... Like, I noticed that this is, like, your birthday.

Like, you don't have to come in for your first day on your birthday. Like, you can wait a little bit." And I was like, "No." Like, "This is the best birthday gift ever."

"Like, let me come in." And so my first day ever was my birthday at the salon. And then shit just went off from there. So I'll pause there.

That's an amazing story. I love that. Isn't that wild? Yeah, that's- Whenever I, whenever I hash this out fully, 'cause like, you know, I'll go on, like, other podcasts or I'll get interviewed by other people, and they'll ask me and, you know, I can't get this deep into it.

But every now and then when I'm, when I get really this deep into it, it's really... I even am fascinated by it because I'm like, "Wow, like, I really just fucking did all this shit." Like, I just... I don't know, it's crazy.

Anybody listen to th- listening to this right now, I highly recommend that you somehow, someway find the space for you to hash out, like, what got you here and what your journey has been. I feel like we don't do enough positive reflection, right? 100%. Do you feel like now that you have, like, just rehashed it all out, like, does that bring up any, like, feelings or emotions for you, or, like, any, like...

are you triggering any memories or anything like that? I mean, the feelings and emotions... and this ha- has been consistent and this is why I do what I do right now, the feelings that I have are just, like, so much gratefulness and thankfulness for this fucking industry. Y'all can think it's as corny as you wanna fucking think it is, but, like, literally, like, this industry has given me everything that I have.

Everything. I'll even go as far as saying, you know, my, my parents probably don't love me telling this story, but my parents were, like, totally cool with me being gay. Like, they were totally fine with it, they didn't give a fuck, right? But this is, like, a very classic story for gay people.

It's like... or queer people in general. A lot of the times, parents don't really care. They don't care if you're gay.

Like, they don't care if, like, who you end up loving. Sometimes they do, of course, that happens, but, you know, for me personally, um, my parents didn't really care that I was gay. What they cared about was everybody else's perception of me. Mm-hmm.

What they cared about was me having a harder life. What they cared about was my safety, you know? They cared about, you know, me getting, like, beat up or, like, hate crimes, right? Mm-hmm.

And, you know, it was cool for me being gay, but when I started to wear makeup, and I started to, like, color my hair, and I started to wear, like, girly clothes and, like, heels and fucking 22-inch blonde clip-ins that were just disgusting- ... you know, that was, that was, that was scary for them and, and, um, it really challenged our relationship at the time, you know? And I, I... we went through a lot when it came to all of that stuff, and I wanted so bad to just, like, be myself and continue to express myself.

And don't get me wrong, I did, no matter what, because I just knew that that was right and I felt like I really wanted to. But, you know, they very much... I, I got into a lot of fights with them about it. And when I got my job at the salon, and when my mom first ca- ca- came to see me and she realized tha- that, like, I was accepted, and not just accepted but celebrated for who I was and how I was showing up for myself, you know, and how I was, like, expressing myself, like, everybody, like, was, like, fucking cool about it, and, like, everybody in the salon, like, loved it, and, like, I felt really safe and, and people really were, like, encouraging me to be myself.

When she was able to see, like, how successful I was, although she thought that, like, what I was doing and who I was would make things harder for me, that's when, you know, things really turned around for our relationship. And now she's, like, you know, my biggest fan. She'll, like, tell me, like, how beautiful I looked at some point or, like, in this outfit or that outfit, you know? And, you know, I, I...

like, again, like, this industry, like, it's given me everything, and, and that's exactly why I am an educator. That's exactly why I do what I do now, is because I fucking hate it when I'm in these free Facebook groups online and I see these people saying, "I wish I chose a different industry. This industry is too hard. I'm burnt the F out.

I'm at my wit's end." Like, it really hurts my heart, because for so many different reasons, this industry is so amazing. Like, the power that we have to make an impact in other people is just so magical, but also the impact that it makes in us, as in us as a h- as human beings and as service providers, is really special. And I don't...

and I hate to see anybody wanting... want, want or feel like they have to give that up because of the lack of knowledge or tools that they need to be successful. And that's exactly why I fucking do what I do, because I don't ever want somebody to feel like they, they sh- they need to give up something that has alre- that has given them and can continue to give them so much. That is powerful, heavy, all the things.

That was- ... you've got me, like, emotional over here. Like, goddamn. I, I'm just like, "Okay, let me collect myself."

Um... It's okay. I mean, it's just, like, it's honestly the tea. Like, it's gotten me to where I am today, you know?

Like, and that's wha- like, 'cause that's why, again, it's like it's... I really do think it's important to reflect on, like, what's gotten you here, because every single person... Um, I had a conversation on Clubhouse, like back when Clubhouse was a thing, and we were talking about, like, having a why, right? And why it's so important to have a why when you're approaching things in your life and your career, and, like, I think that every single one of us has a why, whether we know it or not.

And I think that it comes back to just, like, your lived life experiences, and, you know, I think reflecting is a really important thing, and doing it in a positive way, because we all too often reflect on, like, negative experiences, or, like, we wish that we had done this or had done that, when in reality, like, every single thing that has happened, I don't think, I don't think there's such thing as happened to us but happened for us, right? Everything, whether negative or positive or whatever, it's brought you to where you are today and it's why you're doing what you're doing today. You know what I mean? 100%.

But anyways, enough of the sappy No, I love that, and I feel like you brought up so many good points about, like, wanting to, like, rekindle that fire for people in the industry, because I remember 10 years ago being in cosmetology school and, like, I was freaking invincible. Like, you could not stop me. Yeah. I was so on fire about the industry, and, like, of course there's highs and lows, but, like, having resources like your education is...

I mean, it's what got me to, like, a really incredible point in my career before I stepped away from Behind the Chair, so it's- Hmm. so powerful. Thank you. Yeah.

Thanks for sharing that. Yeah. So, if you could give any young stylists or even cosmetology students any words of advice or any advice that you could give those young people, what would it be? I'll tell you what I would have told myself, how about that?

I would love that. And, you know, I ended up naturally just kind of finding this myself anyway, but I wish I had known it earlier, I guess. You're waiting for s- like, this, like, moment to hit or, like, you to be discovered or, like, something to explode you and your career into success, and, like, it's not fucking coming. Like, you're- you're begging to, like, get featured on Behind the Chair.

You're seeing all of these crazy people doing these crazy things on Instagram, and, like, these people with, like, these, like, millions of followers, not literally, but thousands of followers, right? And you're seeing these people, like, you know, just getting really celebrated online, and you see these big educators on stages and, like, you're- you're just waiting for your moment for that to happen for you, and it's not gonna happen unless you take action and you're intentional about it. And also, think about what you really fucking want, and sometimes you have to experience things to really figure out what you want and what you don't want, right? 'Cause I know I had to.

But, like, you know, think about what you really want. Well, for me, like, I just felt like I was in this space where, you know, I was just doing hair, like I- I got onto the floor, I was doing hair, I was pretty booked up, and I was- I was doing pretty well and I was happy. I was really- I was really happy, honestly, but I felt like there was something missing. I was like, "Okay, what's the next step," right?

Like, w- what brings me to the next level, like, what- what is gonna give me these, like, thousands and thousands of followers on Instagram? Like- like, that was something that meant something, right? And it was like, first off, n- that- none of that shit means anything unless it's moving you closer to what you really fucking want, right? 'Cause you can have all the followers you can get, you can get, uh, featured on some big publication in the industry, but in reality, what does that really bring you at the end of the day?

Like, does that bring you money? Does that bring you, I mean, like some sort of credibility to move you closer to a goal? Like, what does that bring you, right? And so I feel like I was just, like, waiting around for some big break to happen for me, and I wish that I had some better focus and direction towards what I really wanted, because I would have taken action a little bit earlier and I wouldn't have just been, like, waiting around or, like, sad or, like, feeling like I had no other opportunities to attack, you know what I mean?

Does that make sense? Am I making sense? Oh, 100%. I- I'm like- I'm recapping my entire career, like yep, yep, yep, all that sounds right.

Yeah. I just- I remember Brit- I mean, I remember Brit saying, like, at one point, like, a lot of people are just, like, waiting around, like, waiting for the sec- sex- success to happen, and, like, they're doing the same shit over and over. Like, they're just, like, going into work and just, like, working their asses off, like, five days a week, and, like, n- nothing's gonna change unless you make changes and take action or/and you seek the mentorship and the education and, like, everything that you need to seek to actually, like, learn how to move forward in your career. And the other thing is too, whether it is that you have a goal or you have an intention or you want something new, or do you want to be really peaceful and, like, happy with just, like, really creating a great career for yourself behind the chair?

And honestly, this is unpopular opinion, but it is okay for you to intelligently and strategically, right? Sustainably be ex- okay exactly where you are and what you're doing right now. If you're happy, right? If you're happy and you are- you're getting the living that you need to be making to take care of yourself, your family, and you're having fun and, like, you feel really good about what you're doing, there's no need for you to, like, have to be chasing something else.

But if you feel like you would like improvements in your life or you would like improvements in the way that you're approaching your career, if you feel like there's more potential for you, then there has to kind of be intention with that, and you have to make a plan for it, because it's not just gonna come to you. You have to take action for it, you know what I mean? 100%. Would you say too, I feel like we're kind of in this era in the industry where we're throwing around the word, like, specialist all the time, right?

Mm-hmm. And so, like- Yeah. I feel like these younger stylists are really getting into this mindset of, "I have to know exactly what I wanna do for the rest of my career." Mm-hmm.

Like, do you feel like there is a time and a place where you can just, like, change your mind about what you wanna do, like? Yeah, I remember, um- I remember, uh, having a conversation again on Clubhouse a while ago, and, you know, we were talking about specialties and stuff and niching down, whatever you wanna call it, and we had a su- very successful, I would say, more traditional hairstylist, like, come into the conversation, and they were just kind of like, "What happens when all of your, like, young balayage clients get older? Like, are you just, like, not gonna do their gray root touch-ups?" And I said, I was like, "Just because we have a specialty right now doesn't mean that we can't change our specialty later."

And balayage wasn't a th- I mean, balayage has always been a thing, but, like, balayage wasn't the thing that it is now until, like, 15...... years ago maybe? Not even. Right.

And, like, w- you never know. Like, there could be, like, the next trend that could, that somebody could create a whole specialty around, right? Like, the world fucking changes. It's just that the pandemic has literally sped us up by 10 years in, as far as business and economy and consumer behavior goes, and we are all r- like, marketing and the knowledge of marketing and the way that consumers are shopping right now, it's accelerated the awareness of the power of niching down and having something that you are the specialist and the expert in, right?

And so, I think that we're just having, like, a lot of, um, conversations and transitions into us becoming those things right now, and I think it's just happening really fast and quickly, way quicker than it would have otherwise. And, you know, we don't know what this is gonna look like in 10 years. Like, maybe, like, the jack of all trades will come back. Maybe somebody's, for whatever reason, is gonna want the jack of all trades again, you know?

It just- you just have to just roll with the flow and go with the flow. I feel like that's what we all... We- we- that's what we just have to fucking do, you know? But you can change whenever you need to change or you want to change.

But I also said you don't know what you're gonna like until you've tried something sometimes, right? Absolutely. You really don't know. Like, so I think, like, for anybody who was starting out, I would say, like, don't completely discredit something.

Like, at least try, you know, every food once, right? Like, um, at least try to test out something, at least, right? Take education about... Even now, as a specialist, I mean, for me, like, I'm- I've been, like, a low- low-maintenance color specialist.

I don't take new- new haircut-only clients at all. They have to get a color. I took a... I've taken a lot of haircut classes actually, over the past year, like, a lot of them, and they've been super freaking inspiring and helpful for me, and I actually kind of, like, rediscovered my passion for...

No, not rediscovered. Discovered a new passion for haircutting. Not that I'm gonna act on it per se. I'm not, ah, that passionate about it, where I'll do a whole rebrand or anything like that, but, you know, it has really reinspired me, and it's helped me bring back really special skills and knowledge back to my main specialty that can be completely applied as well, too.

Mm-hmm. So, you know, I think that this pressure to niche down right now, it needs to be just, like, taken with a grain of salt, but also taken into consideration as a really strategic, like, strategy, and, like, it's powerful, and it's not to be ignored right now. Absolutely. And one more little question for, like, the newer and younger stylists.

Do you feel like there are tips, as far as education goes, for new stylists that you would recommend? Like, I think it's pretty obvious to all of us at this point that, like, cosmetology school, like, just brushes the surface, right? So, like, they need more. Like, where, where would be a good jumping off point for them?

As far as business goes? Or, I'm sorry, as far as education goes? Education in general, yeah. I mean, like, literally anything...

That's hard. Anything that is going to be teaching you about business from other industries' perspectives. Like, the reason I am so successful, and I have been successful in my behind-the-chair business and in my online business, is because I have seeked out education from outside of this industry about business. It's because I have taken notes from Fortune 500 companies.

It's because I've read books from CEOs of real-ass companies and books that they recommend to read to other entrepreneurs. That is why I'm successful. It's- it... Because we, for some reason, we get so, like, tunnel visioned into- into what's working in our job, and yes, our job is super special, and it is really unique.

It truly, really is, and it has its own power and its own nuances. However, we are a business just like every other mother-effing business, and the rules of capitalism, the rules of psychology, and the rules of consumer behavior, they don't change, you know? If anything, we have way, way more untapped power and potential to tap into that is not tapped into, because we don't have this knowledge and education. And so, any type of education out there that is gonna teach you about business, business, okay?

That is taking notes from other industries is the best possible fucking thing that you could do for yourself. Like, period. And take it seriously. Take your- take your job seriously.

It is a career. You are creating a fucking business job life for yourself. You are now the CEO of yourself and your business, right? And that takes education and knowledge, mentorship, and community.

Period, okay? You can fucking cut all the fucking hair that you fucking want, and you can be like the best hair cutter ever. I don't give a shit about how beautiful and amazing your extension blend is. If you don't know how to create a business and run a sustainable business, then you're not gonna create the life that you want for yourself.

Period. Whew. Yes, so good. We're gonna have to turn these into, like, recreate these into, like, reels.

Seriously, this is, like powerful shit. Just giving us all the gold nuggets. Okay, Hunter. Well, that was super, super enlightening, and I really enjoyed getting to hear your story today, and I'm sure everybody else really enjoyed it as well.

As well as, like, all of your advice to, like, the younger, just starting out stylists. I think that that was super, super valuable, and I hope that it really provides everybody with exactly what they were needing. We've got a couple more things coming down the pipeline this month, just kind of getting to know you a little bit more, about after you were out of school and, uh, what doing hair looked like for you in the industry moving forward. Litty.

I'm freaking down for it. Thank you so much for being such a great facilitator for this first time around, dude. I'm sure that the people listening are so excited to hear more from you. We're gonna have to have a whole...

We will be having a whole episode where you share all your tea. So y'all just get ready and excited for that. Are you ready for that, Caitlin? So much tea.

There's gonna be...All of the tea. English tea, actually. English tea.

Caitlin, oh, my God, you guys, Caitlin is literally ... It is fucking a l- 11:47 PM where Caitlin is right now because she's in the UK, and I, and I did not force her. I told her many times that I was like, "Are you sure? Are you sure?

Are you sure?" And she was like, "Yes, we're gonna do it at this time." I was like, "Okay, so y'all don't call me mean or abusive." Well, thank you so much for the opportunity to get to do this.

I am really enjoying myself, and I'm o- I'm certain it's only gonna get even better from here. Just gotta work out all the kinks. Yeah, we're gonna have fun. So, I hope that you listening to this, my friend, I hope that you hopefully, possibly enjoyed getting to hear my story about getting into the industry.

And share this with any newbies, share this with anybody who you know who is just getting into it or just starting out. Like, please, because I think that, you know, the awareness of how this business needs to be treated a little bit more seriously is something that is really, really, um, important. And so, also, if you agree with me about that, if you agree with me that, you know, we need to change the standard that we hold ourselves to, if you agree that we as hairstylists deserve to be treated just like any other freaking industry, any other career, any other profession, then I want you to leave a five-star review wherever you're listening to this, whatever platform. And if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, I want you to leave a tiny, little testimonial, um, about how your experience has been listening to this episode or the Modern Hairstylist podcast.

It helps us reach more beauty professionals just like you to all together and you helping us elevate this industry together, okay? So, thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you, Caitlin, for hanging out with me today. I really appreciate it.

So much love. Peace out, girl scout. Bye-bye.

End of transcript. © 2022 Hunter Donia LLC.