Meet Keenan King

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Keenan King a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Keenan, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?

My parents and friends always pushed the boundaries of what was considered normal. While some of my peers had never left the Chicago southside neighborhood I grew up in, I was blessed to have accessibility to family trips and vacations in California. My mother worked downtown and I would often venture to the heart of the city and experience a different environment other than my own. Those vacations and commuter trips opened my eyes to what else is possible in life and how to think differently. When we moved to the northside of Chicago I was immersed in a completely different environment. Meeting people that were from all walks of life that had unique interests and were pursuing their goals gave me the desire to want to do more than what I thought was available to me. Surrounding yourself with like minded people is the best way to change your mindset. Fear is just the unknown and with knowledge and understanding you can make moves to accomplish what you desire. If you never take a risk you’ll never know what you can achieve.

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?

I moved to LA from NYC a year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I lost a majority of my business as a wardrobe stylist during that ripple effect of unrest that followed. I did an apprenticeship to become a hairstylist acquiring my license in 2006. Working under talented stylist gaining knowledge of my new skill I notice the lack of diversity in their clientele.
Their lack of understanding hair with texture confused me. How could they have all this time invested in their craft and not know how to cut hair of multiethnic women? I began my journey to learn how and have been learning ever since. With the help of my clients I now specialize in textured 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?

Good teachers are hard to find. As an apprentice I had to distinguish what I wanted to learn and what I knew I didn’t need to learn. Knowing the rules first before you can break them is key to becoming better. There are 100 ways to do the same thing. Just make sure you have an understanding of what not to do. There is a new group of people entering your field every month so you need to have something that sets you apart from the masses. A specialty that your audience will seek out. Otherwise you are just one of the many and no different from anyone else. So if color or cutting or weddings or nails is your thing, be the best you can be so you can build your marketing around that and your audience with be streamline direct to you.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

The hair business is over saturated in Los Angeles yet there is still plenty of business to go around. Most people don’t realize the physical and emotional component to this job. Physically it is important to keep yourself healthy, eat right, hydrate during work hours, exercise and stretching are important. If you find yourself just working without allowing time for this what are you living for? Emotionally we come in contact with a large diverse public base. You don’t want to interject your opinions onto someone yet you may have to absorb their opinions, feelings and emotions. Being a listener is hard for some people but I have learned that it is the best asset to have in this business and your clients will appreciate it more than you know.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Keenanhairstylist.com
• Instagram: keenan_hairstylist
• Other: Located at the Compound Salon Culver City,CA

Image Credits

Andy Rooney ( my Portrait Photo)