After transitioning from beauty school to working in salon environments for 7 years, Shantel Phillips shares how she built deep client relationships and made the leap into suite ownership, offering real talk on what it takes to succeed at every stage.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

🔅Shantel worked in salons for 7 years before opening her own suite, crediting that time with helping her build confidence, strong relationships, and a loyal clientele.

🔅Her salon experience gave her real-world training that school alone couldn’t provide—especially in client interaction, business flow, and team dynamics.

🔅She emphasizes that building client trust over time is key to retention and long-term growth.

🔅Balance is possible, but priorities shift — Managing executive roles while building a brand taught Nick that clarity and boundaries are key to avoiding burnout.

🔅The emotional transition from being part of a “salon family” to working solo in a suite can be tough, but it is necessary for personal growth.

🔅Financial preparedness and knowing how to manage income, expenses, and taxes are crucial before going independent.

🔅For new stylists, Shantel recommends gaining experience in a salon first before jumping into suite life.

👉Follow Shantel on Instagram

The Hairdresser Strong Show is all about Salon Owners, Rising Stylists, and Seasoned Stylists sharing their experiences, successes, failures, and advice to inform, educate, and empower their Fellow Hairdresser. We won’t stop until we are all: Hairdresser Strong.

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The views and opinions of our guests are theirs and important to hear. Each guest's views and opinions are their own and we aim to bring you diverse perspectives, career paths and thoughts about the craft and industry so you can become Hairdresser Strong! They do not necessarily reflect the positions of HairdresserStrong.com.