Meet Chloe Ammond

We recently connected with Chloe Ammond and have shared our conversation below.

Chloe, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

It may seem counterintuitive, but my confidence and self-esteem comes from the times / places in life where my talents and personality weren’t celebrated. There were many times in my life when I thought “If I were a different person, then people would like me.” But I realized that changing who you are doesn’t make people like you, it just makes *different* people like you. It’s also exhausting! You can be a perfect human being, and there are people who still wouldn’t like you. If you’re happy with who you are and are generally kind and respectful, then people’s dislike of you usually comes from their own insecurity. It’s actually about them, not about you. The best thing I did for my confidence and self esteem was surround myself with people who were also confident and comfortable with themselves, I found that they were more open to embracing my talents and personality.

During those tough times (as well as the COVID 19 quarantines), I learned the power of independence. I learned that if there was no one else in my corner, then I could still overcome just about anything on my own. While yes, journeys are much easier and more enjoyable with other people to support you, it’s comforting to know that I can catch myself when I fall.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am an independent hairstylist at Bradley Salons in Grand Rapids, MI! I specialize in curly hair, color, and perms, but I pride myself on being able to do just about anything. I started off designing hair and makeup for theatre, but I transitioned to doing hair in a salon.

I love this quote from Josh Groban because it perfectly describes my work ethic. “Hire a former theatre kid. I don’t care what your business is, it will go better if you hire a theatre kid. If you need somebody who can work on a deadline … If you need somebody who can take over a job in a pinch and do it on almost zero budget, hire a theatre kid.” If someone is experiencing a challenge with their hair, or they have an idea of what they want, I love using my resources and knowledge to solve that problem or bring that idea to life. There is no better feeling than the look on someone’s face when they love their hair!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

First and foremost is my love of learning. When I’m teaching a class and a student tells me that they’re struggling with something, I congratulate them because the desire to learn is half the battle. Especially with the internet, there is so much education available on any topic imaginable. You just need to have the desire to learn it.

Second is intrinsic motivation. Hairstyling is a very competitive field, and just going to work, doing the bare minimum, and going home doesn’t cut it anymore. For every hour I spend in the salon on a client, I spend another hour at home learning new skills, practicing, and doing the “boring” business things. No one is looking over my shoulder making sure I do it, but I know wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t do those things.

Third is a love of people and your craft. You can tell when someone doesn’t want to be around you. And when you don’t love what you’re doing, it shows in the final product. And like I said, doing the bare minimum doesn’t cut it anymore. There’s a salon on every street nowadays. And if a client can tell that your heart isn’t in it, they will go to a stylist whose heart is.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

It sounds like a cop-out answer, but I think both! There’s merit in both methods, and as long as you’re improving something, you’re improving. For me personally, my first priority is being an expert in my specialties. But I also make time to improve in areas I’m not as strong.

That’s why I love being in a salon with 8 other stylists that have different specialties. When another stylist needs an extra hand or an assistant, I’m always jumping in when I can. I’m a firm believer in just saying “yes,” because inevitably I will use the skills I learned from that experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Chloe_Ammond

Image Credits

Andrea Lane Photography