Follow one stylist’s journey, discover limitless possibilities. 

Whether you’re graduating beauty school, seeking your first salon home, or looking to level up to a salon that better fits your life situation and goals, once you have a cosmetology license, you’ve got beautiful options.

Laura Gunter, 2024 MODERN SALON 100 honoree and Ulta Beauty Design Team member, knows this first-hand. She shares her stylist story from its roots to today. She explains how she discovered and pursued new opportunities along every step of her career and offers practical wisdom to help you navigate yours.

Laura says she remains positive about her career choices and what’s next because she feels so supported behind her chair at the Salon at Ulta Beauty. Get inspired as you develop your own career dreams! Follow @LauraGunterBeauty and read on to learn more about her journey—and why Ulta Beauty is a beautiful option for you, too. 

Laura Gunter
@LauraGunterBeauty
Licensed since 2007
Years with Ulta Beauty: 9
Salon/Store #487 in Georgia

What made you choose beauty as a career path?

“I needed a way to pay for college, and a friend suggested cosmetology school,” Laura Gunter says. Once she earned her license in Alabama and started making money working and sampling different local salons, she soon realized that the professional salon industry was a great fit for her overall career. Laura’s passion for creativity intersected with her interest in teaching and helping others develop their skills.

“I knew early on that I wanted to get into education, so eventually became a full-time educator for an Aveda Institute school.”

Why did you move to Ulta Beauty? 

As much as Laura loved—and still loves—education, she wanted to see clients, take care of guests and have more creative balance.

“When I first interviewed with Ulta Beauty in 2015, the focus on education and creativity was a very big draw,” Laura says. “I had been an instructor with a stable income and health benefits, and needed to maintain that level of security, and Ulta Beauty offers that.”

The move to Ulta Beauty was a win-win. And still is.

Where did your career lead once you chose Ulta Beauty?

Because of her experience, Laura joined Ulta Beauty as salon manager. The allure of many career paths and opportunities, along with the strong benefits and compensation Ulta Beauty offered, were all appealing. But the creative edge really piqued her interest. 

At her interview, Laura learned about the Ulta Beauty Design Team, stylists who maintain a thriving business behind the chair in their local Ulta Beauty salons while traveling to participate in high-profile creative collaboration alongside the Ulta Beauty Pro Team on everything from national shows and campaigns to leading trend education—all while representing their Ulta Beauty community of peers.

“That was it,” Laura says. “That’s what I wanted to do.” She had a goal and could see a path to achieving it.

After a year as salon manager, Laura shifted to another Ulta Beauty opportunity. She did in-salon education for Ulta Beauty as a full-time Services District Educators (SDE), supporting about 10 salons in her district with personalized coaching and classes while still seeing guests. Then, two years later, she earned a spot with the Ulta Beauty Design Team, a role which she maintains today, along with serving a full book of guests.

You moved across states but stayed with Ulta Beauty. How did that work?

“In 2018, my husband had a career opportunity in Atlanta,” Laura says. “In the salon industry, it can be hard to move, start over and rebuild a book. Ulta Beauty made it easy to transfer. I was already on the Design Team, so I rebuilt my entire career in Atlanta while traveling.” That was trying, Laura admits, but she felt supported. Laura credits the tools for success and systems that Ulta Beauty offers all services professionals as making the transition easy to manage and driving success for stylists, no matter where they are based. 

What moments make you most proud to be a stylist? 

“Seeing stylists supporting each other makes me really proud,” Laura says. “Helping each other get through tough times has made me proud of our industry as a whole.”

Ulta Beauty modeled this support in a big way through the pandemic, Laura says, and continues to do so through programs that celebrate services, elevate the professional, encourage financial literacy and prioritize joy and beauty for all. 

What is the hardest part of being a stylist?

“The most difficult part of being a stylist today, in my opinion, is fluctuating income,” Laura says. “It can be hard managing all the financial stuff, especially when you’re new to it.”

Ulta Beauty is passionate about stylists being successful, and structures goals around what you value and want to achieve. 

“At Ulta Beauty, we support your individual financial goals and help you make the best decisions for your lifestyle,” she says. “We have a great 401k program to help stylists save for the future, and access to short-term and long-term disability. As a stylist, you can never be too prepared, especially when you work in a physical career like ours.”

What is the best part of being a stylist?

“There are so many different paths you can explore today. When I first became a stylist, it felt like there were just two ways to have a successful career—you could own a salon or be a platform artist. Now there are so many different, completely valid ways to shape your future in beauty. You can be a coach and mentor, a social media influencer or educator. There are pathways for every stylist.”

Why is a Ulta Beauty a good career choice?

There are so many reasons to choose Ulta Beauty, Laura says. One is easily overlooked.

“Ulta Beauty is a great option for anyone who wants to leave work at work. Stylists tend to have a hard time setting boundaries, and support at Ulta Beauty is built in.

“When I’m on vacation, I’m on vacation. Because we care so much for our guests, stylists tend to undercut our services and undervalue ourselves. Having those boundaries and structure in place— like the online booking system for guests—is important.”

What are some of your most-loved achievements as a stylist?

“Winning the North American Hairstyling Awards for Team of the Year with Ulta Beauty was one highlight. Having my first Assistant Stylist with Ulta Beauty graduate the program is another.”

The six-month Assistant Stylist program at Ulta Beauty benefits both the new stylist and the mentor, Laura says. “You gain a lot of business acumen when you are working with a busy stylist behind the chair. You see first-hand what a successful experience with a guest involves. It’s more than just mixing color. Halfway through, the Assistant Stylist is taking their own guests and still working in tandem with a mentor. You’re learning and strengthening skills throughout.”

Share one last bit of wisdom for stylists just starting their journey:

“Be patient with yourself. You’re not going to become an overnight extensions specialist. Focus on what you want to be doing, the skills you aspire to develop, but don’t overlook your guests who come in for their gray root touchups. They will be loyal to you and support you throughout your career.”

U BELONG HERE

Meet stylists who have reached impressive tiers of salon success in Celebrate U. Learn directly from your peers about their Ulta Beauty experience, their “secret sauce” of success, and what they value most from their careers, including:

• Industry leading (and paid!) education that puts your skills first with Ulta Academy, new Trendspiration classes and more.

• Unmatched earning power and compensation.

• Benefits including paid time off, insurance and more.

• Exclusive 6 Points of Service program to keep happy guests in your chair.

Learn more and apply at careers.ulta.com.

Click to read the digital edition of Celebrate U!

FIND YOUR TRENDSPIRATION!

If collaboration, education and creating and customizing the latest trends for your guests is your priority, Ulta Beauty has you covered. Click here to go behind the scenes and learn about the new Trendspiration series of in-person and hybrid classes that are part of the industry-leading Ulta Academy curriculum, led by the Ulta Beauty Design Team.

The Ulta Beauty Design Team

LET’S TALK FINANCE: WHAT EVERY STYLIST SHOULD KNOW

Ulta Beauty provides amazing tools to drive success. One that has grown under the leadership of Senior Director of Education and Creative Anna Manukyan is a focus on financial literacy.

Anna is a certified financial educator and passionate about helping stylists strengthen their financial skills and independence. On behalf of Ulta Beauty, Anna educates stylists throughout the industry and recently spoke about all things beauty and finance at MODERN SALON’s Boot Camp in Atlanta. 

Check out these five quick tips Anna says any stylist can act on now to start creating and securing a beautiful future:

1. Open and start investing in an index fund as soon as you start working.

2. Don't wait until you "make it" to start investing even small amounts weekly or monthly.

3. Time is money! Know the power of compounding interest.

4. Track your money! Is it working for you or for someone else? 

5. Keep learning how investing works! Your future self with thank you! 

Make financial learning a part of your regular beauty education routine. Follow Anna and @amanukyan, catch her Finance Friday posts, and download her free Financial Mastery e-book @beautiful.wealth. Learn more about financial and career possibilities at careers.ulta.com.

Anna Manukyan
Ulta Beauty Sr. Director,
Education and Creative