Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Small.
Hi Adrienne, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been a licensed stylist for 16 years with a specialty in hair color for the last 6.
There has never been a time in my life where it was never about hair! I was the 12-year-old taking braiding clients in my parent’s home and the college student who was studying biology while pressing and curling in my dorm room! Having the opportunity to work for high profile stylist and educate on some of the biggest stages this industry has to offer put me in the position to want to show others what this industry has to offer.
I recently took the time to go back to cosmetology school to receive my instructor’s license and now I am licensed and certified to teach every aspect of this industry! Although I have so much more in me, being open to trying new things and asking for what I wanted definitely got me to where I am today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not!!! Every single thing I set out to do threw obstacles in my way.
The biggest obstacle was that good ol’ “Imposter Syndrome!” It was always the one thing that kept popping up saying I couldn’t do it, or I wasn’t qualified enough. It for sure kept me from moving forward with a LOT of things out of fear.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I currently work inside Salon de’ Coupe in Bartlett, TN where I specialize in hair color. Hair color is the one thing that allows me to totally transform my clients while being able to get creative with different textures of hair. Although I am literally at the peak of my hair color career, I will be retiring from behind the chair at the end of this year to put more focus on my teen nonprofit and my online hair color academy.
The Adrienne Small Foundation (TASF) is my 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves teens ages 13-19 who are interested in any aspect of the beauty industry. In our 4 years of service, we have mentored over 150 teens and provided over $95,000 in beauty school scholarships. Being able to partner with other beauty professionals and brands has been the highlight of TASF’s growth.
Hair Color Concepts® Academy is my online hair color training program that I created for beginner and intermediate stylists looking to further theirs. knowledge in hair color. This program is the reason I made sure I obtained my instructor’s license, so I could ensure I was able to teach every level of stylist foundational level hair color.
Education is a huge part of who I am and has quickly become what I’m known for and I love it! I love that I’m able to serve on multiple levels of it- from my teens in the nonprofit to the stylist in my color community, I’m extremely proud that I am able to pay it forward and give back the way I have been able to thus far.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Being a hairstylist, if I’m not behind the chair, I’m not making money.
Covid shut us out of the salon for 3 months. That was 3 months I had no income because it WAS my sole source of money. Thankfully, savings wasn’t an issue, but Covid quickly showed me that I had to have other alternatives for income and that is when I turned to online education.
The online world was THE place to be because we weren’t in the position to be in person due to Covid and now I wish I had done this sooner!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@adriennesmall.com
- Website: www.AdrienneSmall.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aj.small
Image Credits
Marcus D. Porter Studios
