Today we’d like to introduce you to Tori Rutledge.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
At the age of 30, I decided to leave my previous career of 12 years and pursue my passion in the beauty industry. It was a scary idea to drop everything I’d known and leave behind everything I’d worked so hard to achieve, but I knew that I wanted to look back 10 years from now and be proud of what I’d accomplished and show others that it’s worth it to pursue your dreams. Society makes you feel like you’re supposed to have a job, be married and have kids by 30 which can make you feel so old at such a young age. I wanted to reinvigorate life back into my career and find the joy that I had been so badly missing. So, it made my decision and jumped into cosmetology school full time. I took my decision seriously and worked hard to do my best and soak up everything. During my time in school, I earned several awards for top sales, highest client count, and enjoyed being the first to work in the school’s mentorship program. I wanted to inspire my classmates to not only do well but to be proud of their decision to cosmetologists.
I graduated Valedictorian overall 8 Ogle School campuses and was honored to give my Valedictorians speech at graduation in front of my peers, family, and teachers. Something most people don’t know is that after you graduate cosmetology school, the education doesn’t stop there. If you want to be the best, you must continue to take classes and attend seminars to keep your skills sharp and the fire lit. After a year and a half working for a salon, I broke out on my own and am a proud business owner. Being self-employed is hard work but it’s so rewarding. The beauty of it is that you can be as great as you allow yourself to be! The amount of work you put in will show and your business thriving because of it. Work hard, stay humble, be kind.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After making my decision to go to cosmology school, I was surprised by the number of people that think so little of this career. They would say, “Hairstylists are always poor” or “Oh, you just do hair?”. They easily demean a career that they nothing about! I had to ignore the naysayers and focus on what I knew I wanted. People don’t know you need chemistry, anatomy, business skills, marketing, and effective communication skills to be a successful cosmetologist! And EVERYONE gets their haircut, so where would this world be without us?
Another struggle was leaving a well-paying career to attend school full time. During hair school, clients come in and pay reduced prices in exchange for allowing students to practice their skills. Students don’t get paid for the services and only get $2-$5 in tips for each service. It was a scary adjustment but I was able to live off of savings while in school and I saved all my cash tips to buy groceries. If you want something bad enough, you will do whatever it takes to make it work. I went from buying groceries with tips to owning my own business, making my own schedule, and showing all those naysayers what is possible with hard work.
My advice to anyone interested in being a cosmetologist is to follow your passion!
1. Do your research and find the right school for you. I was blessed with excellent teachers who showed me the many sides of this industry and helped me not take myself too seriously.
2. Learn as much as you can! I took several classes at my school to give me more offering for my clients. I wanted to learn as much as I could that way when I had my own business, I had plenty of options. I took classes on acrylic nails, makeup, lash extensions, hair extensions, and facials.
3. Set goals. I set a goal early on that within two years of graduation I wanted to be in my own boss and be in a private salon suite (which I was able to achieve in a year and a half). A yearly goal of mine is to take continuing education classes. They cover anything from haircuts, business, color, and the newest techniques. I also have a goal to give back and help teach and inspire those just entering the beauty industry. I feel I had an advantage over many of the other students I went to school with because I’d already been in the business world with experience managing a business and doing marketing and advertising. Most of the students were much younger than me and I don’t think they fully realized the amount of dedication you have to have to make it on your own in this business.
4. Find a mentor. It is so easy to get discouraged or not know what the next step is. Find someone you look up to and reach out to them for encouragement and advice.
5. Keep the fire lit. We all have days where we get burnt out or need a push. I follow several pages on Facebook and Instagram that are strictly encouraging and inspirational. What you put in is what you’ll put out.
What should we know about Tori Lenell Salon? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As a brand, I want to be known as an “every woman’s” hairdresser who focuses on healthy hair. You don’t have to be an Instagram model to get your hair done with me. EVERYONE deserves beautiful, healthy, stylish hair no matter who you are. I work with my clients to find styles that complement not only their face shape but the amount of styling they like to do. All of my services are customized for each client because everyone’s hair is different and there is no one size fits all in cosmetology. I also love to take the time to teach clients how to use products properly and achieve the style I create for them at home.
My specialties include personalized haircuts, natural, dimensional hair color, and Brazilian Blowouts. I also offer highlights, balayage, grey coverage, beard coloring, reparative deep condition treatments, facial waxing, and brow shaping and makeup.
Following my healthy hair motto, I carry brands that are designed to make your styling a breeze without heaviness and harsh ingredients. Each customer receives personalized product recommendations based on their hair type, style, and home routines. I want to make styling as easy as possible for each client so I take the time to show them how to use each product so they can be successful at home.
I believe what sets me apart from others is that I always try to put myself in my client’s shoes. I ask lots of questions to get an idea of the type of person they are and what matters most to them. Everyone has a story and I believe it’s important to know that. I don’t just want to get you in and get you out. Each client deserves to feel special when they sit in my chair and I make it a point to show them that I will always be 100% honest with them and do what is best for them and the health of their hair.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
As a kid, I was always disciplined and felt like my morals were the most important thing. I always believed in doing what is right and worked really hard to set a good example for my two siblings. I know that a person can seem so put together on the outside and be fighting a battle when no ones looking.
I still hold strongly to those beliefs and I feel like it has made me a hard worker and a person of integrity. I want to be an inspiration to others and be compassionate. I have always reminded myself that you don’t know what someone else is going through, and you always need to be one point because you never know who is watching. Being the best Tori I can be is important to me and it’s something that has stuck with me my whole life.
Contact Info:
- Address: Tori Lenell Salon
(Inside Legacy)
4824 SW Loop 820
Fort Worth, TX 76109 - Website: www.torilenell.com
- Phone: 817-770-0680
- Email: info@torilenell.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/torilenell
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/torilenell
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCluc4FPeZV1mVyjVscoDWMQ
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