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SEARCHMaking the move from an employee-based salon to the independent contractor model is a very personal, one-size-does-not-fit-all for stylists. Here’s how one hairdresser has experienced the change.
"My suite is a single and it’s fairly large. I can have two stations and at some point, if I wanted to I could double-book, having an assistant helping me, and even have another stylist in there working.
"Right now, I enjoy the pace and what I have going."--David John
@davidjohnla
Stylist David John (@davidjohnla)has had a long and successful career at some of the busiest, buzziest salons in Los Angeles, including Fred Segal, Serge Normant and Sally Hershberger. He recently opened his own studio inside the Salon Republic in Beverly Hills. A combination of factors, including the after effect of COVID lockdowns in California, led to his decision.
During the last year, John had lost a few of his longtime clients; they had moved out of the area or found they could no longer afford his services. “We also lost the ability to double book appointments because of COVID restrictions, so it was important to me to maintain my level of income but I wasn’t going to be able to do that in the salon.”
A previous assistant had posted some pictures of his suite and John thought it was beautiful…so he started to investigate spaces.
“I chose this location because it’s so close to my home so I can walk or bike to work. It’s very clean, they have towel service, and I love their business model—things are run very, very well. This Beverly Hills location also had natural light, which was important to me. And my clients like it because they feel very pampered, getting one-on-one attention.”
Other pluses include an on-site retail center, a small beauty supply store, where renters can purchase from leading beauty brands. “You buy the product at wholesale and you can sell to your client at retail,” says John. He is carrying Rene Furterer in his new studio space and gets full commission on all the products he sells.
The person most surprised by this move might be John, himself. “I never wanted to own my own salon, before, because I didn’t want to manage other people, I didn’t want the overhead, I didn’t want the headache. But I can handle myself and I kind of like that.”
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