We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cory Toth. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cory below.
Hi Cory, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
As a hairstylist, I have been able to develop my confidence and self-esteem in my technical skills because I am always continuing my education. This keeps me confident in my ability to always stay up-to-date on all of the current hairstyles and color trends. From the early days in my career, learning everything that I could was very important to me. I would watch educational DVDs in the backroom of corporate hair salons featuring stylists I looked up to. I would be learning something new from the stylist working next to me. I have taken many in-person and hands-on classes with brand educators. I even follow and watch other hair stylists on social media. I have had many years of hands-on experience with most hair types and textures. I am always looking for ways to learn new tricks & techniques to help me create custom looks and styles for my guests.
There is something so special about the relationship hairstylists have with their guests. I believe haircare goes beyond just hair; it is about building trust and understanding by listening and providing an exceptional experience. Each and every guest that sits in my salon chair helps to build my confidence and self-esteem in my abilities and skills as a hairstylist and salon owner.
After I have created a new look for a guest by enhancing their own beauty, their features, and their confidence in themselves with a fresh new haircolor and hairstyle; when I spin them around in the salon chair to see themselves in the mirror for the big reveal and their eyes start to light up and sparkle, a smile comes across their face, and their body language tells me that they are feeling beautiful, confident, and happy… all before they ever say a word,
THAT moment with each guest is what brings me excitement and joy. That is what keeps me passionate about being a hairstylist.
To be able to say that I have helped many people feel beautiful in their own unique ways and to have helped them
feel good about themselves is an honor in itself. To have had the opportunity to create a comforting, safe space for my guests to have connections, conversations, and story telling all while providing them with my best in being their hairstylist has been a dream come true.
After 24 years of being in the beauty industry, I have realized that I have touched many people’s lives in a way I never knew was possible. All of those same people have touched my life in a profound way and literally supported my dream career. It is humbling and more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.
My guests are amazing people who CHOOSE me to be their hairstylist. And they keep choosing me. And they like to tell their family & friends about me. And then those people become my guests. And they keep spreading the word about me and my small business. Then my little world grows and grows. It’s a truly amazing experience.
I feel like I’m making a small difference in the world, one haircut at a time. And that, my friends, is the best thing for self-esteem that a woman can have.
I love what I do.
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?
I began my journey as a hairstylist while I was still in high school. I grew up in a small midwestern town and joined a vocational program during my senior year of high school. I went to high school classes for half of the day and then I would go to cosmetology school for the remainder of the day. I enjoyed all of the creative aspects of hair cutting and the science and chemistry of hair color, but most of all I enjoyed making people feel beautiful and confident with their new hairstyles.
I was a licensed cosmetologist shortly after I graduated high school. I spent 15 plus years working in a corporate salon setting. Honing my cutting and coloring skills, building an extensive clientele, and learning all I could about the business side of the industry. I ended up climbing the corporate ladder from stylist to assistant manager to salon manager. Winning multiple awards with the highest recognition in the company. Becoming the top ranked stylist in my district, and being a top ranked manager in my district for the company. I spent many years running a successful corporate salon inside of a mall. Eventually, I left the corporate salon setting for privately owned salons. At these salons I was able to focus on continuing my education with different brands and classes. As well as, focusing on my guests fully.
When my family and I moved from the midwest to southern California, I took some time to establish myself as a hairstylist. I began working at a newly opened salon right after the pandemic and that gave me the opportunity to start building a clientele and to get people talking about me as a hairstylist in southern California. My client base started growing and having sustainably. After a little over a year, I decided to get a salon studio and open my own salon.
Peachy Keen the Beauty Scene is a private salon studio. It is a place for my guests to indulge in some simple self-care with a new haircut or fresh color service. I offer an assortment of hair coloring and highlighting options, haircare treatments for every hair type, plus every haircut is custom created for each guest based on their specific goals and needs.
Peachy Keen the Beauty Scene is a calm and cozy salon where my guests can relax and feel comfortable discussing their haircare needs with me, free from distractions and other people. Truly a one on one experience with each guest.
I offer complimentary drinks and snacks with every appointment. I love making my guests a warm cup of tea or coffee while we discuss their hair concerns and goals.
Everyone is busy and life is stressful. Slowing down for a some simple self-care with an amazing scalp massage, a haircut, and fresh highlights while enjoying a warm drink with good conversation is going to help anybody feel a little bit better.
I am always accepting NEW guests and I would love to have you in my chair.
I can’t wait to meet you!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most impactful skills that I have picked up along the way would have to be:
1. Being confident in my technical skills as a hairstylist. Knowing how to create the hair styles and the colors that people are asking for is crucial.
2. My communication/consultation skills. Listening to my guest’s wants and concerns while giving them my professional advice, realistic ideas of maintaining the desired look, and how often I recommend in-salon appointments.
3. My time management skills. I need to know how much time is necessary to do the service I am providing. Time affects all aspects of my business from scheduling appointments to having enough time for each guest to whether I have time to eat lunch or not.
My advice for anyone who is in the early days of their hair artistry career is to learn from your elders in the industry, learn from your experiences with guests, and learn from your mistakes. Don’t compare yourself to other hair artists. The only person you need to compare yourself to is the you from yesterday. Be unique and enjoy working with your guests. Take care of your own body and mind. Nourish yourself with healthy foods and have ways to recharge yourself. Being a hairstylist is hard on your body and your mind, but it is also very rewarding.
Being in the beauty industry is fun and exciting, and you are an artist who creates beauty in the world.
We are also service providers. We are providing acts of self-care and we are providing human connection. For many people, the most consistent and safest way to experience this type of human connection is in regular salon visits.
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?
I think, as a hairstylist and business owner, when we focus only on one specific hair type, or one particular type of clientele, or even one specific service to provide, this limits our potential stream of revenue.
Now, I do believe in mastering your craft and becoming a specialist in your profession. I also believe in working on your weaknesses and learning how to improve those skills. From the business side of being a hairstylist, the more knowledge you have on all aspects of hair design and hair care, the more money you will have the potential to make.
All people have hair at all ages and stages in life. I believe a hairstylist should be well-rounded in their abilities to service all people and all hairtypes.
I am a well-rounded hairstylist who specializes in hair cutting and hair coloring for all ages and all people. I am always trying to learn something new, that’s what keeps me excited about what I do. It’s my pleasure to be able to provide the absolute best in my haircare knowledge and my abilities to serve my guests and my community.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://peachy-keen-the-beauty-scene.square.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cory.peachykeenthebeautyscene/profilecard/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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