A Sovereign Stylist: Stacie Young

As a company, The Sovereign Stylist team understands that without you all, we would be nothing. So, to give back to our community, we have decided to interview and formally introduce the top contributor of the group each month as well as gift one year of membership to all top contributors that have been in the group for a year or more.

So without further ado, our Sovereign Stylist for January is Stacie Young!

Facebook: Stacie Young - Forever Young The Salon of Witchcraft & Wizardry

Instagram: @squiresly

Twitter: @squiresly

LinkedIn: Stacie Young

Stacie Young is a 17-year industry veteran from Kansas City, Missouri. She lives the suite life at Forever Young: The Salon of Witchcraft and Wizardry, located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri (also known as Westport). Her hobbies include live-action role play & playing video games. Stacie is a dog-mom; unfortunately, one of her 3 fur babies recently passed away due to an autoimmune disorder. Jethro is a 10-year-old German Shepard and Andie a 12-year-old Husky. Before becoming a stylist, she spent nine years assisting stuntmen, working in Wild West Shows, as a squire at Renaissance festivals, and model photoshoots.

Stacie decided to enroll in cosmetology school so that she could get paid for doing makeup. While completing her certification, she was Student of the Month on multiple occasions and found her niche for selling retail. Because she is highly motivated and a self-learner, Stacie was able to graduate in 9 months. Unfortunately, the first salon that she worked in did not have enough clientele for Stacie to earn a commission, so she found a new position at an Aveda concept salon and eventually transferred to Kansas City.

Every day when Stacie gets to her suite, she turns on the lights, takes a deep breath, and turns the music on, which helps create a relaxing atmosphere not only for her clients but for her too. “I really love my own little suite; it’s like a getaway from the norm.” She has big plans for the future of her business, too. Since she is licensed in three states, with plans to obtain licensure in more states, Stacie wants to go mobile, and she envisions “...a full-on moving building.”

Her advice for new stylists is, “Always follow your gut.” She also adds that it is essential always to be learning and doing research to know your worth. Stacie also adds that it is crucial to have a referral or loyalty program for your clients and promote it continuously. Further, she notes that it is vital to be friendly with your clients, but not to make them your friends. When stylists make friends with clients, often boundaries are crossed, and the stylist is taken advantage of.

When asked what our industry needs most, Stacie said, “We need uniform regulations all across the board, especially in beauty schools. We need to get all of the state boards together and on common grounds for regulations. Such a uniform approach will help make everything safe and sanitary. So, we can keep U.S. salons open.” She also feels that young people coming up in the industry need to be adequately educated to prevent being taken advantage of and mistreated.

Stacie heard about The Sovereign Stylist (TSS) through a friend in the industry.

“I really love the support and the laughter that you all bring. It’s good to see a stylist group that is different where you can talk about serious matters, but also get a good laugh without things getting catty.”

Stacie feels that, in the TSS Facebook group, she can genuinely be helpful to fellow stylists.

To wrap things up, Stacie wants stylists to remember that THEY are the reason clients come to you.

“The product doesn’t matter. What matters is how you make them (clients) feel. It’s the experience they get from you. There are plenty of people in the world that do great hair, but if you're not engaging with your clients and offering them a place they want to go, then they’re not coming back.”