Anthony Simmons shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Anthony, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Right now I feel like I’m being called to dream bigger. Over the past year or so, I’ve started to see the fruits of my labor have been around for longer than I was allowing myself to know. Now, I feel like I can confidently fantasize and actually make plans to make those fantasies reality. No more telling myself things are unrealistic. If something seems lofty, I put it on a timeline instead of sitting in the clouds thinking of what could be or could’ve been.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Anthony and hair is my claim to fame. I love color like some would a spouse, creating precision cuts, and blowouts that last all week but, the real goal is getting my clients to feel more at home in their own bodies.
The name Aunthoney (Aunt-honey) comes from the fierce shift in how my personality presents itself when I am loving my look and loving myself. in the same way that Beyonce taps into the personality ‘Sasha Fierce’ when she preforms, my confidence brings out my wit, my charm, and shows everyone who I am inside. Without experimenting with my look over the years, I would have had a much longer journey to self-discovery so, this is my way of helping the world find themselves. To find their Aunthoney or Sasha Fierce.
It’s more than just gossip and hair-do’s. It’s confidence and self love.
The vibe I’ve curated in the salon is both electrifying and relaxing, almost like a neon daydream. It’s both serious and whimsical because, we are too. We have to be chameleons in our day to day lives so, I’ve decorated a space that reminds clients, “you’re more than your job and obligations and you’re allowed to be serious and have fun with it too”. The sky is the limit, so lets create something that works for your lifestyle AND your personality.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Fear and insecurity in my ability to create, think and thrive.
In the beginning of my career, I let fear make a lot of my decisions. I could’ve been in a high end salon in Uptown with a completely different trajectory, straight out of school, if I hadn’t been so scared and insecure. I was worried I was too slow, too sloppy, and generally not good enough for that kind of environment. In reality, I was fresh out of beauty school and those were all things that plagued EVERYONE at that step in the industry. But, out of fear, I got a job at great clips and learned all I could about cutting, then Drybar for styling, and finally a “low brow” chain salon to round everything off with color.
At that point, I could’ve gone to any high end salon, worked as an apprentice temporarily then conquered the world but, again, I was too scared. I stayed in that chain salon until it was driving me insane. However, shortly after the covid lockdown was lifted, I got an opportunity to become an independent stylist with a family friend. We would be splitting rent 50/50 and making our own rules, how could I pass that up? Now, the catch was that I had 2 days to either pack my stuff and go, or let this opportunity pass me by and see where fear would lead me next.
Now, I’ve been a successful small business owner for 5 years and loving every second of it!
At this point, fear is a major setback. If I have anxiety about something and I don’t assess it, make a plan and execute quickly, I miss opportunities that could cost me clientele. Jumping in head first is definitely scary but beneficial even if you fail. At least something was learned and you know fear didn’t keep you from it.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been a couple of times when I almost threw in the towel. After about two years working with a suite mate, our rent in the salon space was going up significantly. My partner was far more prepared to go solo than I was. I was pretty distraught for a few days but, the idea of throwing away all the work I had done to get myself to the point I was at then, throwing away all the freedom that being independent gave me, sounded like suicide.
I was about 4 years into my career without a full book of clients so I thought I would have to step all the way down to being an apprentice again if I went to a salon that matched my current price point. I probably wouldn’t have but, I didn’t have appointments more than 2 weeks out of the month. I thought life was over.
I’m honestly still not totally sure how it happened but I made the move to the building I am in now and just keep leveling up from here!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
More and more so every day. I do my very best to be as authentic as I can be, especially with my clients. I don’t care much for the performance aspect of life. I don’t see a point in acting like you’re in a good mood when you’re not, making small talk when there is nothing to say, playing a part that does not fit what you believe.
We are all human and we should be more accepting of that in each other. I give my clients the option to book silent appointments, choose music or movies during their appointments and whatever else would make them feel more comfortable to let their walls down and just be themselves, even if only for the time that they spend in my chair. I do my best to be the first example of that by letting people know when I’m feeling more like a listener than a talker, that almost always gives my clients the green light to relax.
I am also very vocal about my political beliefs, my opinions on trends, tv, movies and music, and I don’t shy away from disagreements on those topics. I very often learn something new when people feel or believe differently than I do, so the idea of holding that back to fit in or to keep peace, just holds me back as a person. I want everyone to feel that way, open and ready to learn, but secure in who and what they are.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Adding and taking away service options. I understand the appeal of being a niche stylist, sticking to what you do best and nothing more and, while that is a goal down the road, I don’t know what else I’m that good at yet.
My passion lies in color, of course, but my color clients are all over the place. Vivids, blondes, reds, brunettes, I really do it all. Specifying and sticking to one could be great for me but, there are a million different things I can do with my license and I have a long time to figure out what it is I want to take me into retirement. Seems like a disservice to myself to not explore every interesting option until I figure it out.
That and just being independent in general. I’m not sure what my end goal is here. Do I open my own full service salon and hire employees? Do I go into education? Editorial work? I have no clue but, I know I’m currently taking the essential first steps no matter what direction I decide to go when I reach the fork in the road.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aunthoneydoeshair.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aunthoney.doeshair/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AunthoneyDoesHairr/
Image Credits
Photography by Darren Roberts
