The Strategy That Creates A Cult-Like Following

Hello, my friend. Welcome back to the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. One of my fave students of all time, Brandy Chavez, she's a badass, and she's in Arizona. Hopefully she doesn't mind us talking about her, 'cause I fully did not tell her that I'd be talking about her.

Um, if you have a problem, Brandy, just tell me to take it down. Um, but Brandy is, uh, really cool. Like, she, uh, just goes above and beyond for doing really awesome, unique, extraneous things in the business to set herself apart and create success for herself. Her retail sales are off the charts.

She does a really great job with her average service ticket, and she makes a great amount of money for how much she works, and she's just really, really cool. And the reason why she's been really successful is because she has a really clear niche of, um, hard water, okay? And she lives in Arizona, where there is a lot of hard water issues, and she was noticing that this was a consistent issue with a lot of her clients, and she ended up starting to advertise it and do these detoxes, and it's basically what she's really become known for and what she's mostly marketing to. And eventually, what Brandy came up with was her own method of how she approaches, uh, her hard water detoxes, okay?

And what this method has done is create a framework for a lot of strong opportunities and consistency and more advanced marketing and sales tactics in her business that have served her very well, both from her own perspective for her clients and for getting more booked up, more word-of-mouth referrals, and retail, and all of those good things. And so we wanna talk a little bit today about the concept of creating a methodology and why we think it's so powerful and, uh, uh, uh, talk about why you should maybe consider doing it. I am, I, I do want this to be a tiny bit conversational today, because I do really wanna hear what Jodi has to say about this, because she's so smart when it comes to, like, marketing and brand. And there are, like...

I have, like, some objections to the idea, okay? And I wanna know what your thoughts are, all right? Yeah. So here's where a method, from what I've seen with Brandy and others, comes to mind for me as a great idea.

We talk about invisible bead extensions. I'm gonna use this as an example, 'cause most of the people listening to this podcast is gonna know what IBE is, right? Cult-like following, right? Like, and when you are an IBE stylist, you are an IBE stylist.

Like, most of the time, you end up branding yourself that way. Um, it is, i- it is, it is its own ecosphere of, like, its own thing, right? So it's such a strong brand. Like, it is so strong, and I know this is, like, a controversial topic for some people.

I'm just using this as a brand example, okay? It's so strong because it is this method, right? Like, it's like you are subscribing to this method. I think that there's something, like, primal in us that makes us love a set, proven system.

Like, we want a predictable system to be a part of, even from a community standpoint. We want something that is going to give us some sort of fulfillment or answers or predictability or a sense of safety. It's something in, in our primal nature. I mean, I'm gonna even go as far as to say, like, I don't know if this is r- like, religion even.

Like, we all, we all, as humans, like, subscribe to these identities, I think. And th- it's just throughout history, it's something that has been very common and also works very well in business. For example, like, Aveda salons. Like, that is, like...

That is a very, I don't know about now, but it had been a very successful marketing and sales campaign for Aveda. Yeah. Because s- whole salons would be fully branded as Aveda salons, right? That v- very benefits, very much benefits the company, and if somebody loves the brand enough, they will drink the Kool-Aid, and they will be a part of the community.

They'll feel like they're a part of something, and they will do the advertising on your behalf and speak your praises. And if the, if it's, if it's fulfilling your needs, if it's giving you everything that it's promising, and from a truthful, actual, tangible perspective, then I think that is a really cool thing, you know? That, like, this brand has done a really great job at creating that type of, like, cult-like kind of situation. Like, I, that creating an identity, you know?

Beyond that, like, an experience. Like, there is, like, even with the Aveda, like, I, like, have, you know, worked at Aveda s- like, salons way, way back in the day, and it is, like, very much a systematized, like, method to the appointment, right? Like, there is the stress relief treatment. There is, like, the hand massage, like, all of these different elements that create more of, like, a method to how you conduct the appointment.

Right, and it makes it so there's a system that you can follow, right? So that's one big benefit. Yeah. So, like, for Brandy, for example, she uses this method to be able to educate her clients- Mm-hmm ...

through each step of how she goes about detoxing and then keeping the things at bay when it comes to the hard water symptoms and are, and the source of the problem, right? So when, in the consultation, she uses this method, like, visually laid out, as a way to break down everything and educate the client, which then makes it just feel so much more, like, official, like it's a proven system, and then it makes it very easy and organized for Brandy to be able to approach sharing this with people, right? It creates scalability. For those of you who are thinking bigger, big and beyond, you know, than just you, right?

If you wanna create another location one day, if you wanna have another employee in your salon, if you have, if you have multiple employees. Like, like, creating, like, these scalable, repeatable system... Dry bar, for example, right? Like, all the dry bars have these- Yeah ...

specific, like, blowout services or whatever, and wherever you go to any of these dry bars, then you're gonna have the same situation. So it just goes back to, like, it, it creates a scalable system, and I think that's, like, a really big pro of it. And it just creates a lot of brand recognition, and then by, by proxy, the customer then now feels like they're becoming a part of this brand. Like, they're a part of the identity.

They are a person who goes to only Aveda salon. I'll go as far as to say, I'm just gonna give you guys another strong example, like Monet, for example. Like, the people who are drinking the Monet Kool-Aid are fucking drinking that Kool-Aid. Yeah.

And whether, whether it's ethical or not, whatever it may be, it's like you can't deny that, like, this is really strong marketing. And of course, you get to approach anything that you do when it comes to this ethically, right? In the way- Mm-hmm ... that you know is morally correct.

What were you gonna say, Jodi? Well, when I'm thinking about this too, it even goes beyond brands. Like, I can think of a few, like obviously the Curly Girl method, that's something we can all, like I think a lot- Yeah ... of us can recognize.

And then I'm even thinking of a couple different influencers who are, it's like in, uh, instead of, like recommending certain brands, there's like categorization. So Abby Young is one of them. Um, Jillian Gottlieb is another one. Abby Young has like, a- and both of these people have like, massive, massive, like, uber-influencer platforms.

Abby Young, it's haircare, and instead of recommending specific brands, she has like a system of like, this is the type, this is the categorization of product, and then you build your method or you build your own Abby Young method. Same thing with skincare, right? So I do think it kind of just like categorizes things, and then when these people are then having those, like, brand partnerships, it doesn't feel to their audiences as though they are being sold to. It feels as though, okay, now I'm facilitating this method with recommendations for you.

So I do think the psychology behind it is super interesting. Very interesting, and I love that it, like, almost makes that selling a little bit easier. Like, like we talked about with Brandi as well too, you know? Yeah.

And it does feel more natural, and it feels more exciting, and I do, again, I do think that there is something like primal in us that, like, makes us much more likely to assimilate to something like this, you know? Um, like for example, so then like Brandi's clients, like whenever she's, whenever the client is out and about with her friends, family, whatever, and their friends are talking about how their hair's fucked up or whatever it may be, then the client will then say, "Oh, well, I use the Brandi hard water method, and that's what makes my hair whatever." You know? I mean, people talk about it with their products that they use all the time, it's just like in a different way, right?

So like people will be like, "Oh, I'm obsessed with X brand. They do this for me." But I think, like, from a system perspective, like if they say like, "Oh, I do the X method," I think it makes it that much stronger of a recommendation 'cause it's just so official. It's like f- it seems fully realized.

It seems like something that somebody can naturally trust- Mm-hmm ... and recommend, so it creates more brand loyalty. And then, then, I mean, for those of you guys who are listening, I mean, how many times have you had clients maybe wanna come see you, and they're like, "Okay, but can I bring my Monet products?" I know that this has happened to a lot of us.

This has happened to me before, right? Like, that's really crazy strong. That's just so strong as far as loyal, brand loyalty goes. Like, that is just a very crazy loyal example of, of brand loyalty, and then it makes that person feel extremely loyal to that system because now they are so trusting of the system because they've seen that it works.

They have, they're extremely educated about it, and it's the thing that they know feels good, and so it's comfortable to them. It feels safe to them, and they don't wanna step outside of it, so then it breeds, like, really intense loyalty as well too. And so there's just a lot of strength to this. Now, my objection or my question, I guess, and maybe I have, maybe I have my own answer to it, but I don't know.

I wanna hear what your thoughts are. My objection to this or where I would be careful about it, I guess, is I'm thinking, and we talked about this in a recent episode, I'm thinking from a level of awareness perspective, okay? I'm thinking about the lowest hanging fruit, you know? I'm thinking like, is this, when is this concept too advanced?

When is this too premature? When does this show up in the funnel, right? When we're trying to give somebody a reason to care, right, do we go straight to like, "Oh, we have this method," as a hair- I'm thinking from like a hairstylist or salon perspective, right? Like when we're advertising ourselves, especially early in the career, or not even in the career maybe.

Maybe early in just building the clientele and great, gaining momentum. When does one consider actually doing this? And d- is it any time, and then you just are careful about where you put it? Do you know what I'm, do you know what I'm trying to get at here?

Yeah, I do. And do you wanna hear my take? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm like very curious.

Okay. So I think that something like a signature methodology is going to be very dependent on your service niche, right, as to whether or not and where it would make sense. So for example, like in our last episode, we talked about giving people a reason to give a shit, you know? And I think that part of this, like depending on your service niche, like if you're solving a very s- like a very clear problem, like something like hard water, right, then I think this inserts itself a lot more easily because as part of your consultation, and that's kind of where I think it would probably come in for most people until it's more established.

It's like, okay, these are the steps that we go through and this is why. Or even, like when we talked about gray blending, when you were, um, talking about the, the person who doesn't do any lightening and they're gray blending. Like, I think that when someone either comes in for a consultation or books, um, an appointment, then maybe you're like, "Okay, this is the way that I do this. I follow this method, and here's why."

So that it's almost like that educational piece. Um, and I do- like- I don't know that this is something that would necessarily work or be necessary for every stylist. Like, I'm sure that there is some way of creating your own signature methodology for most people, but, like, I do think this is probably one of those things that is going to be very dependent on, like, the problem you solve. Like, and I'd be thinking about which specific person does this serve, how can you systematize.

Looking for those, like, common threads essentially, that pull it together for your specific service niche and for that problem that you solve and your ideal client. So, that's my thoughts. What about you? Thank you for that.

I, I agree with you. And I also think it comes down to, too, like, are you actually, and I say this s- softly, like, are you actually doing something unique, I guess- Right ... as well too? Right.

You know? Like, I guess you can brand anything as your own method. I mean, it's very easy to just be like, you know, "This is my idea- Right ... and this is how I uniquely go about it."

And, like, technically, we're all going about our own situations in our unique ways. Like, we're asking different questions, we're communicating in a different way, we might do it in a different step, right? But, like, I mean, the hard water example or the gray transformation example is, are really, really good examples of things where there's not a lot of really big advertised, like, systems or solutions yet. Like, yes, there is, but from, like, a personal brand perspective, I don't really think so, right?

Where it's, like, one hairstylist, like, coming up with these things. And even, like, the gray transformation situation, the person, this person that we're, we're referencing, like, they only do lowlights. Like, they don't do any highlighting for this specific method, right? Wow.

They have their own unique thing. And she literally, like, she came up with it because she started doing it on herself. Right. And she found great results doing it, and was like, "Oh, well, clients, whenever they ask me about it, I'm just doing what I started to do on myself 'cause I found such..."

Like, I think that that's, like, a really great, like, stem, or I'm sorry, like- Yeah ... seed for it to start from. I think that's, uh, you know, uh, I think also too, like, just you heard me just tell a story, right? I think a lot of the time, these types of methods or brands, brand kind of cult-like followings a lot of the times, they do stem from those, like, origin stories, right?

They, they stem from, like, "I, I was not able to find a solution for myself, so then I just created my own solution, and now this is my method," right? I mean, I would even say I probably have a methodology, I'm just not branding it that way, you know? Sure. Like, with my forms, and automations, and my signature, like, step-by-step, like, how people automate the pre-visit experience, right?

Yeah. Like, like, it is very much a method, and it came from struggle and not having a solution that's out there and available to you, so you created your own. Yeah. I think that that is where, like, if you naturally have that, you might as well take advantage of it, in my opinion.

100%. And make it fully realized. Well, yeah, 'cause it, it, like, removes... Like, what I always, 'cause I, like, obviously work with a lot of educators, and one of the things that I talk about when it comes to developing a signature methodology, it's gonna be different behind the chair, but, like, it's almost removing some of the cognitive load from your client or from your student, right?

Like, you're walking them through this, so they're not feeling, like, their brain's not going in a million different directions of, like, "What about this? What about this? What about this?" Like, it really is, a lot of the time, a communication framework as well as, like, a methodology framework, if that makes sense.

Yeah. That very much makes sense. I mean, Brandy literally just, like, noticed, like, what her consistent patterns were, I think, and then just kind of really flushed out the idea, and then documented it. And then, you know, I always say, like, if it's not documented, if it's not on paper, it's not real.

But I think it's really powerful what can happen when you do start to, like, actualize what you're actually doing on a day-to-day basis. Right. Or what your unique circumstances or experiences are. I think it's, like, a great example of if you wanna set yourself apart, the only thing that somebody genuinely cannot replicate is you and your experiences, your own unique human experiences.

And I think that, like, this same concept is very relevant to that, where it's like, if this is truly, like, your own unique experience, your own unique thing that you've came up with, you've come up with, then take advantage of that, right? And actually write it down. And, like, don't be afraid to use it as a framework to make your job easier and make your marketing stronger. Exactly.

And to your point earlier, like, coming full circle on, like, when is the time. Like, you know, when you are starting your clientele. Like, as we've had this conversation, I think, like, I've landed on this is probably not something I would try to force at the very beginning of a career, 'cause I think it's something that your, like, your own experience, your lived experience, like, your, you know, experience working with clients, it's gonna kind of evolve from that- Sure ... versus forcing it at the beginning, you know?

100%. And it can only make it s- like, it can only make the momentum that you have even stronger. Yes. Very much so.

All right, my friends. Thank you so much for tuning into the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. I would suggest maybe if you're like, "This is an interesting concept and it could be strong," I would just suggest maybe thinking about, like, am I doing anything uniquely? Especially if you are already niched down.

I think that also really does have to do with this, obviously, right? Like, normally with a method, we're talking about a specific type of service, right? A curly method, an extension method, whatever it may be. So especially if you're a niched-down stylist, like, you already have a great foundation.

But if you're approaching it in your own unique way, where it's not just, like, completely replicated from somebody else or a brand or whatever it may be, think about that and maybe write down the steps that you go through or the common patterns that you see with all of your clients and how you get them to success. And maybe start to actualize it as your own method and brand it for yourself. And maybe make it a page on your website or just talk people through it in the consultation to make things easier and better for you. Love that.

Thank you so much for tuning in to Modern Hairstylist Podcast. Shout out to Brandy for allowing us to use her as an example, even though I didn't even get her permission. Don't sue me. Love you.

I will take this down if you want me to. So much love. Peace out, Girl Scout. Bye-bye.

End of transcript. © 2026 Hunter Donia LLC.