Meet Kristle Jones

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristle Jones. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kristle, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Wow, that’s an interesting question. I would say that my resilience has developed throughout my life with all sorts experiences. It comes from every rejection, every failure and also every success. Kate Lane Salon in San Clemente is my 4th business and with each prior business, I had the opportunity to fail and then learn from those failures and grow and learn something new about what I am capable of. Those failures stung (big time) but they honed who I am now and how I show up as a leader in our industry and our community and what I prioritize as a business owner. In my mind, resilience comes with learning to fail and getting back up and trying again and doing better the next time.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

This is such a fun question! I am, at my core, a people person. What I love most about working IN my salon is connecting with the community and welcoming people in, helping them to feel their absolute best and most confident selves. When I’m working ON my salon (in the backend of things), I enjoy coaching my team and sharing my recipe for success so they can also have a successful career in, what I consider, the best industry out there.
Why do I believe that the haircare industry is the best out there? Well our industry is a unique one that allows beauty professionals to help others feel their absolute best on a daily basis. As the icing on top, my team learns how to do this and make an incredible income while enjoying a flexible schedule. One of my most favorite aspects about this industry is our special ties to our salon guests. We have the ability to be a part of our guests most special and intimate moments of their lives, from wedding hair prep to helping with post-partum hair loss, your hairstylist is interwoven into the threads of your life and what a special thing that is! I have been able to be a part of many first haircuts and some last haircuts in life as well as all the other special moments in between and I don’t take this for granted.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I think the three things that were most impactful in my journey were:
1. Experience (I would tell any newcomer to not rush this). There is something to be said of having time behind-the-chair and practicing all the skills needed to succeed. Experience comes with time and practice.
2. Trial and Error (so many industry newbies want to move past this so quickly but you learn by making mistakes). It’s ok to make mistakes, we are human. What’s important is to pivot, evolve and grow better in your skills during that process.
3. Keeping an open mind and educating myself often (make sure to find a wonderful mentor and take it all in and make sure to educate yourself regularly).

I would give anyone early in their journey in this industry or any other to do these things and enjoy the ride, don’t rush it!

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I think when it comes to this, there is room for both! I think we need to be a jack of all trades before we can be an expert in one. What I mean by that is that we may have an idea of a certain specialty we want to hone in on but you never want to get stuck. So throughout your career, take it all in, educate yourself on all the skill sets and improve the areas in which you are lacking. Then hone in and take additional classes in things you are most interested in as you progress in your career.
When I see new hair stylists trying to specialize in one or two things, I see it as a recipe for disaster. They don’t even know what they like yet let alone what their biggest skill set is! They need to experience all.the.things and for quite some time before specializing. And even when you specialize. I don’t believe that it’s wise to not have the knowledge to do additional services.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.KateLaneSalon.com
• Instagram: @kristle.katelanesalon