On this episode of On Point, our host Taylor Burke speaks with Alyssa Hare, a salon industry entrepreneur and educator. Alyssa is a hairstylist, blonding specialist and extensions expert. But before she was a hair expert, Alyssa worked at a sandwich shop. Out of high school, she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. Her mom suggested beauty school and after interviewing with a local beauty school, Alyssa decided to enroll. 

She was nervous; she always had an interest in fashion & beauty but before starting, she didn’t even know how to curl her own hair. At one point, she considered dropping out of school, wondering if she wanted to be in the beauty industry. After persevering and eventually graduating, she passed her state boards and landed her first job as an assistant at a salon. 

As an assistant, Alyssa’s passion for hair grew. She got hands-on learning and discovered what she really liked to do and what she didn’t. Alyssa found that her time as an assistant was vital in her career as a hairstylist. Without trying different aspects of hairstyling and seeing what sparked excitement within her, she wouldn’t have discovered what brought her joy. After trial and error, she found her niches: blonding and extensions. 

Because she sees being an assistant as essential to becoming a successful stylist, Alyssa works to bring more fairness into the salon. Compared to full-time stylists, assistants are often seen as inferior, not referred to by name, and bossed around by their superiors. Now that she has her own chair and clientele, Alyssa encourages her assistants to find their voice and confidence while helping them figure out what sparks joy within them. Hare says, “I just do and try to be the things I want to see happen in the industry,” which helps build a positive salon culture. 

Before COVID hit, Alyssa was on top of the world. She was confident, successful and thriving. After lockdown, she refused to sit idly by, waiting anxiously to reopen. She channeled her energy into bettering herself by enrolling in a coaching program. She also formulated a plan for reopening and how she would make her clients feel comfortable when coming back into the salon. 

Alyssa has worked hard to build relationships to foster mutual trust between herself and her clients. Whether they’re trusting her to transform their dark hair to a lighter shade or to take the proper precautions in the wake of a pandemic, Alyssa understands what it takes to make a customer feel safe. She also knows when to admit her faults, seeing them as an opportunity to grow while being completely honest with herself and her clients about her limitations. 

Listen to Alyssa’s journey and discover how hard work and confidence transformed her life in On Point, an exclusive podcast from Vagaro, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other streaming services.