Why Specialization is Essential for Hairstylists in 2025

I am here in Vancouver with Jodi, and we have the opportunity to be recording our podcast in person, which I'm so excited about. And Jodi, um, helps me with my marketing and my social media and things like that. And so, what we thought was, um, with what she gets to see in my socials and what you guys always ask me questions about, um, that she would bring some topics to the table for us to talk about toge- today together. She'll be like prompting me and asking me the questions that you may have on your mind, so that way, um, we can give you some great value today.

So Jodi, today, we're gonna be talking a little about 2025, am I correct? And success in 2025. Yes. Things are changing.

Things have been changing, and so I feel like there's a lot of questions about, like, obviously client expectations have changed. You've talked about that a lot and, like, what is required, so let's talk about kind of what, what we need to do as stylists in order to attain and sustain success in 2025. Okay, cool. Where do you think we should begin?

So, I think where we should start is, what are the biggest trends that you see in terms ... 'Cause I think, as an industry, we love the trends. Yeah. So, what are some of the trends that you see in stylists that are really crushing it in, like, this year?

Well, I, first and foremost, specialization is key. Mm-hmm. Um, and you know, I get, I get personally a little bit insecure because I feel like I talk about this all the time. Mm-hmm.

But it's just becoming more and more relevant, you know? So if you're, if you're listening to this and you have already heard, like, the specialization conversation, you know, like, if you already know that everybody talks about how important that is, right? Like, I'm telling you, like, it is time to do- either double down on it or get on the train 'cause it's, like, about to leave, you know? Right.

It- it- it genuinely is becoming a almost nonnegotiable if you want to experience success beyond the average wage of, like, $28,000 a year as a hair stylist, and we see that in our studies and surveys that we put out. You know, the, uh, the consistency between hair stylists who are making more money year over year, even in this more volatile economy in time, is that they are under- they have a specialization. They- they are niched down. They- they are speaking to a specific person with specific solutions to a specific problem.

Right. And so, having a deep understanding of what that looks like and who that person is that you're speaking to and what problems they have and then understanding how to bridge their pain to your solutions and then present that- Right. in your marketing, um, it's- it's- it's a really powerful thing. And it- it- it's- I feel- I think in the past, like, 10 years, it was a nice-to-have strategy.

Right. And I think now, it is almost essential if you wanna set yourself apart. So, if you are a stylist then and you are, you know, you're not super specialized, how do you go about finding, deciding, like, choosing what niche you really wanna double down on if you do, you know, say you do quite a few things that you like. Yeah.

So if, so we dive deep into this in Chief Marketing Hair Stylist and, like, helping people figure out, like, what this actually looks like for them. And I think a big misconception with niching down or- or having a specialty is that it has to be technique based, and I think that's what really throws people off, um, is that they are like, "Well, I like doing all types of services." I think also people have a misconception where they think that if they start to specialize, then they're only ever gonna do that technique ever again. Right.

Um, and that's just not the case, and so if we wanna do a deep dive on all that, I have, like, a bunch of different ways I could go. But basically, like, for- for th- you basically start with, like, do you want a techni- do you wanna specialize in a technique or do you wanna specialize in an experience? That's how I kind of put it, and the experience is more like, um, it's not about the actual hair that you're doing. It's about the, the environment that somebody's walking into.

It's about taking, like, a pain point that, um, uh, customers or clients of hairstylists normally have and then really specifically specializing in that solution. Um, a very well needed, uh, example of this actually is, um, salon spaces for neurodivergent people or neurodivergent children even. Right. Um, parents have a very difficult time finding a, uh, salon space for neurodivergent children.

So, massive problem in all areas, right, that you may have, be equipped to be able to handle- Right. with whatever experience that you have, right? And if you dive deep into that, you know, you- you will just do so well. Right.

And you'll make such a great impact in peoples' lives because, like, people are begging- Mm-hmm. to find somebody who can truly take care of them, but they don't trust you because you haven't, you haven't gone 100% all in on showing that person that you know what you're talking about. And unfortunately nowadays, like, it doesn't just take one social media post to prove to somebody that you are specialized in that thing and that you can handle it. It takes your entire social media feed and your entire website- Mm-hmm.

speaking specifically to that one problem- Right. to make somebody feel like they can trust you and that it's worth spending a lot of money- Right. to want to come see you for that problem. And so, you know, it doesn't have to be specializing in the technique.

It can be the experience, and I think that that's a big thing that people who are a little bit against specializing, I think that it- it- it removes a little bit of a barrier. Um, if you do decide to make it so the experience is what you're gonna specialize in, it's so important that you go 100% all in on it- Right. and you don't waver from it too much. Of course, you are a dynamic person and you are- have a dynamic salon and maybe you do dynamic services and- and different types of experiences and you can absolutely showcase that, but the main majority of the things that you put out there should be speaking to that problem- Right.

over and over and over and over and over again. And, you know, Jodi, you work with me on my marketing, and we talk about this often, like, I get really insecure about talking about the same thing over and over again. Because I'm in my own head about this stuff, you know, and I know what I've said before, but it's so true that people need to hear the same message over and over and over again to true- for it to truly hit them, right, and for it to truly, like, resonate. Yes.

And so, if you're gonna choose something to specialize in, you have to be able to go all in on it, and so when you're- if you're going to choose an experience, don't be afraid to, like, really be able to-... if you're going to choose an experience, it has to be one that you can actually make a big, um, splash with, or you can talk- Right. about a lo- a lot, or you can bridge pain to solution in, in a, a effective way that will resonate with people. So, if you're going to go the route of specializing in an experience, how, with, with the fact that obviously we're, we're sharing our work and we're sharing the hair, can you break down how you would bring that into your marketing?

Yes, 100%. And so, you know, we want, we still wanna post our work, right? But maybe we take a video of the consultation- Right. that brought you to then doing that work, right?

And then that video and the way that you communicate with that person will then speak to the experience that you're giving somebody, right? Right. Um, or, you know, of course, just posting about the experience and, like, what somebody gets and does with you. Yeah.

Um, it just, it depends on the experience, but there's absolutely a million different ways to showcase the, that you know what you're talking about, and that you, uh, that this is a specific thing that you offer. Right. Um, I mean, a really broad, a broad specialization that I think can work if you go hardcore all-in on it is having, like, a one-to-one private salon suite. Right.

It's getting a little bit difficult to maximize that because, like, it is such a popular thing now. Right. And we see salon suites going up in a lot of places, you know? Mm-hmm.

But if you, like, for example, if you go all-in on that, you know, then you can share your space. You can share what your room looks like. You can talk about your room, and you can even show, um, videos of you and your client with, like, a wide angle of your entire salon suite being shown, so it shows, like, there's no other chairs in the space. It's just you and that person.

Right. Um, so there's plenty of ways to showcase it. You just have to understand, like, what does the client have to see to be able to actually understand that this is, like, the specialty, I guess? Right, right.

And I think a lot of the times, uh, when people are specializing, too, they're like, "But I do a lot of clients that have this," or, "I do a lot of this service, but I don't necessarily grow it." Can you speak on what it looks like to kind of pivot- Yeah. your, your marketing to be more specialized? Absolutely, yeah.

Um, honestly, it just, unfortunately, it takes models, you know? It takes maybe possibly doing some work for free. Right. Um, and it takes, you know, getting, like, that one person and that one opportunity that you have maybe to get a shit ton of content and making the most out of it.

Right. Um, for example, I'm just gonna be real with you guys. You know, me and Jodi are here today, and we're doing this podcast recording in-person, and we're trying to batch as many fricking podcast episodes as we possibly can, you know? Mm-hmm.

I'm ev- I've even brought different shirts that I might have on in different clips, so it doesn't look like we're in the same spot a- all the time, right? Yeah. So, like, same for if you, let's say, you just have this one person that is the person that you want over and over and over again. Yeah.

And if you do the specialty on over and over and over again, um, when that one person comes in, you better make the most out of it. Right. Like, put different jackets on them. Like, ge- get a shit ton of pictures and videos and angles, and, like, document the entire thing.

Book more time with them. Right. You know? So you can actually maximize that.

Um, but then, also, it's not just about the content that you post. It's also just about, like, the words that you use in your bio. It's the words that you use on your website. Yeah.

Like, that's truly, at the end of the day, what re- really is going to make somebody trust you as well, is, like, that your core messaging, especially on your website, like, really speaks to the pain points of those individuals- Okay. and doing the research. You know, you don't have to, you don't have to have those clients to be able to do the research. Right.

You know? Let's say that you have friends who have the pain point that you're trying to solve, um, and they have a hairstylist that they love, right? You can still ask them, you can still survey them and get data from them and understand, like, what they would need to hear to want to do business with you, right? Right.

Um, so as far as pivoting goes, just, like, make the most out of the small amount of people that you do have already- Right. and maximize that, but then also make sure that you're doing research to then furthermore understand, like, what those people would need to hear, so that way you can put that in your core messaging and your marketing, and then get those people ch- through the door, so that way it then, it just compounds- Right. 'cause then you'll start to get more of th- more of those people. You'll be able to post more content of them.

It'll be easier. You'll have a better understanding of those people because you have more of them now. You'll be able to, uh, dial in on your messaging even more. It just, just starts with starting.

For sure. You know? Is there any mistakes that you see when, you know, stylists are niching down, and they've, they've identified what it is they wanna do more of, or, you know, the experience that they wanna speak to? Are there any common stumbling blocks in the process, or any things that you see that maybe go a little bit wrong- Yes.

in those beginning phases? Yes. Number one is not being specific enough. Mm.

Mm-hmm. You're not a- a- a girl, uh, you and everybody else is a color specialist, you know? Like, uh, you can't specialize in color. Like, and again, we're talking from a marketing perspective, right?

Like- For sure. like, and I think that's another big part of, like, the niche-down conversation, is understanding that, like, this is a marketing strategy- Mm-hmm. first and foremost. Mm-hmm.

Like, you can take whoever the hell you wanna take- Right. you know, as far as their clients go, and Suzie, who may b- be your specialty that you're marketing, she has a sister, a mom, a daughter, a whoever else-or, who will want completely different techniques or services than Suzie does. And so, like, you will naturally get other, like, referrals- Mm-hmm. just besides the, besides just the specialty that you're marketing, right?

Right. But it's a marketing strategy, first and foremost. Biggest mistake that I see is people not being specific enough. They're scared that if they go too, too narrow- Mm-hmm.

that they're going to, uh, leave people out, right? But if you're speaking to everybody, you're speaking to nobody, because in today's day and age, in, in just consumer behavior in general, not just our industry, in general, in, across all industries- Right. like, there is so much noise. Yeah.

There is so much noise, and people are just so sick of being spoken to in all these different directions and all these different ways, and if you don't cut through that noise by specifically speaking exactly to what that person needs to hear- Right. with that exact specialty that is specific, then you're not going to be able to cut through the noise at all, and you're not gonna be able to get somebody to trust you. And so, you can't be a color specialist. Everybody's a color specialist.

100%. You have to be, like, a blonde-... specialists. Yeah.

And l- at the very least, like in my program, like w- like I have examples of this, right? Like, okay, color specialist is a no. Blondening specialist, okay. Mm-hmm.

Low maintenance blondening specialist. Right. Hell, yes. Better.

Like that is like absolutely yes, because you can dive so deep into that and there's a super specific market for it, and it just makes your marketing so much easier- Right. because you know exactly what you need to say and what you're talking about. Yeah. And it makes somebody who has that specific problem really, really loyal to you- Mm-hmm.

hard to leave you, and very much willing to spend a lot of money with you. 100%. I love that. Thank you for that breakdown.

So do you have any predictions, other than speaking to everyone and being super general, about any other things that will no longer work that are not gonna fly in 2025? Well, another thing that I would've loved to chat about in this episode, 'cause there's so many things that we could talk about with 2025- Right. is pricing transparency. Right.

I think pricing transparency is becoming massively important. Mm-hmm. Um, I think that clients are, have been burned and they are seeing a bunch of social media posts about others being burned. Right.

Um, and then also even ourselves in the past couple years have, like, posted these posts talking about, "Oh, I charge a thousand bucks for this and this is why I did it," and mo- in a kind of like, uh, boastful way almost. Right. And it has really turned people off. Right.

And so pricing transparency has become massively important in being able to gain trust- Mm-hmm. and be successful to get new clients into the chair. You have to, they have to trust your price. Right.

And so with that, I think that hourly pricing is a no-go. Mm. Um, and you know, here's my tea. Like y'all can run your business however the hell you want to, and, and however you decide to run your business, I will do my best to support you in making that work for you.

Right. That's like my entire thing as an educator and as a consultant is like you will come to me with what, with the way that you wanna run your business. I will give you the pros and the cons, and I will tell you how you can make the most out of whatever you have going on, because hourly pricing may work really well for you. Right.

Like you may absolutely love it, and so then great, let's figure out how to make it work. But if you are in a circumstance in which you're trying to understand like why this isn't working for you or you really want to be, you know, uh, ahead of the time in understanding what's going on in the world and, and make your business align with that- Right. then my advice is no more hourly pricing, because people, it does not make sense to people. Like it, it, or it does make sense to people, but it's scary and they're apprehensive because, you know, they just don't know what they're getting themselves into as far as the price goes.

Right. You know? Um, and they could think that you're just taking your time because you want a little bit more money. Right.

Um, and actually when we ran our survey last year or so, uh, people, only 5% of people, um- Wow. f- out of 500, uh, women in the United States who visited a salon, only 5% of people preferred hourly pricing- Wow. over the, over package pricing and a la carte pricing. Right.

Um, so people are untrusting of it. I think that it's, there's a lot of cons to it for the stylists themselves, um, that we can get into another time. But yeah, it's something that is not gonna work out very well for getting new clients into your chair. Yeah.

That makes a lot of sense. So when it comes to the most important piece of advice that you would give a stylist for 2025, would you say, what, what would you say that would be? Specializing and doubling down- Yeah. on specializing.

Yeah. I love that. Like so doubl- uh, specializing, doubling down on your specialty, and then also understanding the data and research and the exact messaging that you need to really connect with somebody. Right.

And then connect with them on every level of their client journey. Right. And understand what they need to hear and what they need to see to want to continue forward with you- I love that. within your specialty.

I love that.

End of transcript. © 2025 Hunter Donia LLC.