We recently had the chance to connect with Terri Hoover and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Terri, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
The most misunderstood thing about the hair industry is that most do not realize that it is a profession. We may not have gone to college (some do) but we have gone to cosmetology school and if you are into your profession you have gone to hours and hours of classes. There are very few people that have not been to a hairdresser or barber. We work very hard and deserve the same respect as any other profession.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! My name is Terri. After over 30 years of cutting and coloring hair I have now stepped back and I work with my business partner, Rebecca and my husband Thomas to provide a place for our staff to collaborate, learn and further their profession.
I bought a little hole in the wall salon on the outskirts of Lake Highlands (Dallas) over 35 years ago with the small inheritance that my grandparents had left me. I had just graduated cosmetology school and had never had a job over 6 months, well maybe 1. I had bartended and waited tables from 18 to 26ish and most of that I was under the influence… My aunt was trying to get me on the right path so she was pretty skeptical. But here I am 35 years later in a beautiful location with about 20 employees who are living out their dream of becoming a hairdresser.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I never listened to anyone trying to tell me who to be. I have traveled at my own pace, burning, okay torching a lot of bridges in my youth. It took me a while to realize that almost everything I do affects others. In the last 25 years I have laid down my weapons of mass destruction and begun to try and meet people where they are and know that everyone has a story, a past and that has shaped us into the person we are now.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering is a worthy opponent but the fight is hard and to fight alone seems futile to me. After many years of heartache, much self inflicted, I began to call on the Lord. He heard me and stepped into the ring with me. It wasn’t instant but it gave me hope and I would say resilience but it did not come quickly. When my son was killed in 2005, my soul suffered a wound that I could not recover from without Him. All of that to say… suffering taught me I do not have to do it alone.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Funny, I just asked one of my besties this question last week. She that she knows I love Jesus, my family and my brother… not sure why he was an add on.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope that people remember that I loved them and that doesn’t always mean that we will agree on everything. I have a core staff that I/we have been able to rub up against one another and knock off the barnacles so to speak and go back to work. We don’t hold grudges, just say what you gotta say and go back to work. It is rare but beautiful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://artistikedge.com
- Instagram: theterrihoover
- Linkedin: AE hair studio
- Facebook: Artistik Edge hair studio
Image Credits
Ann West
