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SEARCHShannon Demont has found her calling, having taken her passions for hair, photography, social media strategy, and education, and rolling them all into one successful offering: hair photography education.
"I always thought I could just work harder and make more money, but I finally realized I wanted to enjoy life a bit more too. Working harder does not always equate to making more money." - Shannon Demont
Shannon Demont
Shannon Demont has found her calling, but it wasn't obvious at first. We always like to remind stylists that your chair isn't all there is in this industry - it's not the only path your beauty career can take. As a hair photography educator, an in-demand niche that she carved out for herself, Demont is a glowing example of that.
Named to the MODERN SALON 100 in 2021, Demont took her passions for hair, photography, social media strategy, and education, and rolled them into one offering where she helps other stylists learn how to make their client hair photos look spectacular. She admits that it took her a while to discover that this was the right path for her, but her advice to fellow entrepreneurs is to never give up easily.
Name: Shannon Demont
Business: The Hair Photography Academy
Location: Leominster, MA
Years in the Industry: 15
Specialty: Hair photography education
Instagram:@shannondemont
MODERN SALON 100: 2021
Innovative, inspiring, relatable.
Don't give up easily. Always have integrity.
Take care of your body. If you learn to market well, you can be very versatile in any business. Don't allow being a hairstylist to become your only identity. Never stop learning! This career is truly what you make of it. The results are directly what you put into it.
Taking space mentally. If you feel drained, your mind and body are trying to tell you something! Take breaks regularly to enjoy life and check in with where you are at.
And don't play small - if an opportunity for something bigger is being sent your way, don't be scared of it.
Hustling until burn out, living for other people, and staying comfortable (even though it's sabotaging them).
Traveling to events - meeting lots of other stylists in the same position and having friends across the US. Also, taking a lot of time to create content and develop social media strategies - it has brought so many cool opportunities.
Working behind the chair (and hustling!) - it brought me to where I am and I'm so grateful to have worked hard. I stepped out a few years ago to educate fully, but it took me a while to realize this was the right path, and I was scared.
I always thought I could just work harder and make more money, but I finally realized I wanted to enjoy life a bit more too. Working harder does not always equate to making more money.
I always get so excited about content creation. Low exposure photos, yapping videos, and playing with shadows in my hair photos are totally my jam right now.
Following our own unique paths. We are not all meant to seek the same path, but I see lots of stylists "doing it" because "that's what everyone else is doing."
Honestly, how to use AI in our businesses, and how to leverage being a unique human in our businesses where AI cannot replace us. Authenticity will be more important than ever!
"Titanium" by Sia & David Guetta
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