Competing allows stylists to network, build confidence, practice new techniques and measure themselves against the beauty industry’s innovators. Across the different competitions, winners often have two things in common: a passion for their work and a mentor to guide that passion.

Ramsey Sayah is the owner of Texture Salon, a past Wella North America Trend Vision award winner and someone who exemplifies the empowering mission of Wella Hairdressers at Heart.  He has some advice for stylist on finding a mentor to support them during the process of competing.

Commit to Entering

Step one is to commit to competing. Although it sounds obvious, no potential mentor wants to commit to a competitor who might run the minute things get hard. For Ramsey, Wella’s North American Trend Vision Awards (entries running until May 15) has helped him challenge both his mentees and himself. “When you compete, you really learn a lot about yourself and a lot about where you are in your industry. It’s a way to measure your craft.” Stylists at Texture Salon definitely have a competitive edge, and with good reason. They have a history of success at North American TrendVision Awards, but Ramsey assured us it’s not luck. “We’ve all really embraced the competition.”

Choose Your Role Model

Look for a mentor whose passions align with yours. “Sincerity is very important,” said Ramsey. Find someone who “shares their passions sincerely and honestly.” Loving what you do shows, and Ramsey saw that in his father, a barber and one of his many mentors.  “A mentor is probably the most important thing to have in any industry, because if you don’t have mentors, who are you looking up to?”

Be Open

You have to candidly share your goals with others to find a mentor that will truly benefit you. “The true key to success is to share your passion with others,” said Ramsey. He learned this valuable life lesson from one of the industry’s most beloved mentors, the late Fabio Sementilli. “As hairdressers, we give a lot of ourselves to our clients,” Ramsey said. But make sure you’re extending that generosity beyond the chair to other stylists around you. If you do, the connection will be clear!

Be a Lifelong Learner

Both mentors and mentees should open to learning at every stage of their career, and it helps to seek out multiple role models to help guide you towards excellence. “One mentor can answer a lot of questions for you, but they can’t answer all of them. It’s important to have mentors in different areas that are masters of their game.” What’s Ramsey’s most valuable quality when seeking a mentor?  “Look for people who inspire you.” Luckily we’ve got plenty for you right here.

 Competing is a learning experience. A support system of peers or mentors can be your best asset, especially when it comes to your first competition. “We all need someone to lean on, or to make us believe that we’re doing the right thing,” said Ramsey.

 For more information on mentorship, scholarships and industry inspiration visit HairdressersAtHeart.com. For more information on Wella’s North American TrendVision Awards, visit WellaEd.com/competitions.