Editor's Note:

Many people leave their post-high school training (trade school, college, cosmetology school, junior college) with an increased understanding of the skills they hope to apply in their chosen field--barbering, hairstyling, cooking, phlebotomy--but the skills that support their success moving forward still need to be acquired. Among those are how to value your services, how to budget, how to practice good time management, and other necessary must-know tools as they climb the "adulting" ladder.

When Anny Van Driel, a stylist, owner, and educator, started to visit beauty schools, she recognized two things: one, she had something valuable to give, and two, that schools were doing the best they could and the wider industry has a responsibility to step up and fill the gaps.

VanDriel created Pricing Isn’t Personal, an education platform that helps hairstylists take the emotion and uncertainty out of setting service prices. Her framework teaches professionals to calculate profit per hour, align each service with their income goals, introduce price increases confidently and build businesses that support their desired time and lifestyle. She says the approach helped her increase her income over a decade while retaining clients and reducing her hours behind the chair.

The following is a blog from Van Driel on what she discovered when she went back to school...

What I Wish I'd Learned in Beauty School

After creating a pricing system for hairdressers, Pricing Isn’t Personal, I thought the beauty school would be a great place to test out my new material. So I asked if they wanted a presentation and they said yes. I’ve now been circulating through their campuses for a year, teaching a class per month. What I thought would be a one-time presentation has turned into a regular volunteer gig. And I love it.

Why I Teach

I teach pricing classes to hairdressers because I’ve seen so many (including myself) struggle with pricing. Sure, there are the confident few who have figured it out and are thriving, but what about the rest of us?

In an industry of predominantly women, sharing business knowledge and real systems to grow profit is necessary. It’s the first step in valuing our career, and therefore ourselves. Helping hairdressers make more money, take more time off, have more of the life they want was not something I intended to teach, but it’s what I’ve learned and therefore what I share.  

In 1997, beauty school taught me basic hair services and how to avoid spreading a communicable disease, but it left me ill-equipped for many other career challenges. I relied on strong mentors to model professionalism and boundaries. I was never taught a pricing system, and was eventually forced to figure it out when I decided to open a salon.

We’re Not Prepared for This

It appears that this gap in education, teaching the business side of doing hair, still exists today. There’s not much time dedicated to teaching students the reality of having a business. Not to mention a highly personal, human to human business. 

As hairdressers, we are tossed into a career where we are dealing with human emotions head on. We’re quickly confronted with managing interpersonal relationships while maintaining professional boundaries. When things are good and our clients are pleased, we love our jobs. But when a client complains or has unrealistic expectations or is pushing against our boundaries? We’re not taught how to deal with that, then or now. 

When I first opened my salon in 2018, I hired new, inexperienced stylists. We worked through tears, feelings of inadequacy, developing client boundaries, learning how to say “no”, learning when to have a price increase and how to communicate with our clients. These are foundational pieces of a successful career. 

At the beauty schools, I always begin my presentation by asking the students what they hope for their career. What are their goals and where do they see themselves working in the future? Overwhelmingly they want to work for themselves. They want to rent chairs, have studio suites, own salons.

Unfortunately, there is not much in the beauty school curriculum that prepares hairdressers for any of this. And because of what they see on social media, many believe building a business might be easy. That if they rent a space and post some reels, clients will come. Maybe that will work for some, but for most it’s a career death spiral. 

We’re Trying Our Best

As an industry, we’ve never had real business guidance unless we’ve sought it ourselves. We graduate beauty school without a core understanding of boundaries, human interaction, and professionalism. This was true in 1997 and from what I see, it’s still true today. 

The schools are not to blame. Their resources are limited and their curriculum is mandated by the state. I see instructors genuinely caring, and working hard to support the students. Part of that support is allowing educators like me inside to help fill in gaps and provide real world expertise to the students. 

There’s More We Can Do

I believe our industry matters, that being a hairdresser matters. And through my experience volunteering at the beauty schools, I now believe that there is room for all of us vets to pay it forward. If you have something to share, especially something that is not a part of the standard curriculum, I encourage you to reach out to your local beauty school and volunteer a class.

Are you skilled in using social media for client building? 

Are you excellent at photography and figured out how to use photos to attract new clients?

Do you know the steps of setting up a business in your state, the costs, the structure and the expectations?

Do you have excellent client consultation skills and a framework for client communication? 

These are just a few examples of topics I believe the schools and students would be eager to learn more about. Whatever you’re able to share, know that ultimately you are playing a part in helping another hairdresser, another woman, strengthen her career. 

Anny VanDriel is the owner of Be Rosie Salon and creator of Pricing Isn’t Personal.