We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelsey Plaster a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kelsey with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I get my work ethic from my parents! I grew up watching my dad build his business from the ground up- working endless hours, always being available to customers, doing whatever was needed to be done in order to finish the job. Along with the countless hours behind the scene, ordering parts, doing the books, etc.
On the other side, I grew up watching my mom have a way of making everyone feel special no matter where she went or who she was with. Always taking the time to smile and say hi, acknowledge everyone. and just make everyone feel noticed!
I knew I wanted to create a business/atmosphere where I blended both of those together- a strong business foundation doing whatever was needed to get the job done to my best ability, while making my client feel noticed, appreciated, & feeling like their best self when the left my salon!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hi! I’m Kelsey, born and raised in a small town, which I’m my opinion is the best way to grow up! I’ve been in the cosmetology industry just shy of 13 years, 7 of which I rented a booth, & going on almost 6 years of owning my own salon. I love all things hair, but I mainly focus on blonding + color services along with K-tip extensions.
Shortly into my career, blonding just clicked & I quickly became known as the go to stylist for all things Blonde! I love foiling, to me it’s therapeutic. Over the years, I’ve developed my own signature foil placement to create seamless bright dimensional blondes along with another signature placement for a lived-in blonde that requires minimum maintenance!
On that note, there may or may not be something in the works that I will hopefully launch in early 2026 that will allow me to share my knowledge + tips with fellow stylists! 🙂
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the three qualities that helped me get to where I’m at in my journey are:
1: always willing to learn & try new things
2: always willing to be flexible with my time in
3: the drive to be successful!
Advice I would have for someone starting a journey similar to mine would be: to remember that owning and building a successful business takes A LOT of time- physically at your business & behind the scenes. Put in the hours, get creative, ask questions, more importantly learn from the answers & I promise it will pay off!
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
If I was told today that I only have 10years left to live- I honestly wouldn’t change much. I truly enjoy coming into my salon everyday for work. I have some of the best clients, that have turned into family and friends!
I love living a simple life. Small town living, with my boyfriend, close to family, friends and my salon!
I try really hard to make it to all of my niece & nephews actives the way it is, the one thing I would change if given a 10yr life sentence would be to make sure I prioritize spending more quality time with them! Quality time is my love language! Spending time with my loved ones is the one area I do & would definitely prioritize over work!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @hair.by.kelsey.plaster
- Facebook: @hair.by.kelsey.plaster
- Other: tiktok: @kelsey.plaster
Image Credits
First picture: Kayla Walsh Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
