Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydnie Boucher.
Hi Sydnie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My passion for hair started at a very young age. I am one of five daughters, so I grew up playing with my sister’s hair! When I was a senior in high school, the idea of cosmetology school crossed my mind, but I knew I also wanted to go to college to experience college life and still be young while I could.
Halfway through my freshman year of college, nothing was clicking, and I knew college wasn’t for me. I finished up my freshman year and moved back to Memphis. Shortly after summer started, I applied to cosmetology school. A little over a month later, I was accepted into the school! I was enrolled in the full-time class, so it took me a year to graduate! I was looking for a job everywhere except Memphis before I graduated.
I knew I wanted to become an apprentice, but I didn’t want my name to be associated with that title in Memphis. I also wanted to go somewhere I knew I could really learn a lot. Two months before graduation, I accepted a position in Seaside, FL as a salon assistant. After I graduated, my boyfriend (at the time, and now husband) and I packed our things, and moved to Florida! I stayed with that salon for six months and then transitioned to a stylist at another salon.
One year later, my husband and I moved back to Memphis, where I accepted a job as a commission stylist at Salon Dixie. I stayed there for four months until I was offered a higher commission rate at A la Mode salon in Germantown. Once Covid hit, we were out of the salon for eight weeks. After those eight weeks, my business really began to take off. In September of 2020, the owner of A La Mode asked if I would want to move to a new salon with her, and three (out of sixteen) other stylists from the salon.
Of course, I said yes! In October, Michelle, the owner of A La Mode, shut down her old salon and bought a different salon just south of Saddle Creek. I am currently working at Salt & Light Salon, where we have been since October 2020.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the very first struggles I had as a hairstylist, was being too creative. I was very involved with my cosmetology school, and I am the type of person who wants to make changes for people and make their lives better. I would do things that weren’t “their way” or how the instructors would do things, so I would get in trouble.
Another struggle I went through was in Florida. I worked at a salon where I was asked to be a manager but was not getting paid to be a manager. I also was not getting paid in regular payments, I would have to remind the owner to pay me frequently. She also was not a licensed professional and was doing services only licensed professionals are allowed to do, so she was arrested. It was at that moment, I knew I needed to leave that salon.
One of the biggest struggles of my career as a hairstylist was going through Covid. I was out of work for eight weeks, and since I was on commission, I had zero income during that time. My husband was a server, so he also had no income, and we had a nine-month-old child to provide for. I applied for a nannying position and did that during covid to make ends meet.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My business is a small business I’ve started from the ground up. I have been in business for about a year and a half. I am an independent hairstylist in Germantown at Salt & Light Salon. I specialize in all types of blonding services! I’m known for making people bright blonde, but also having brunette clients who want the lived-in/natural sun-kissed look!
Something that sets me apart from others is my technique is so low maintenance most of my clients only come in every 4-6 months! I am most proud of the growth I have had in the past year in a half, and since Covid, my husband has become a stay-at-home dad for our two little girls. Having him as our stay-at-home day, and me being the full-time provider for my family is one of my biggest accomplishments.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My best advice is to find someone you can look up to and trust. Luckily for me, the owner of my salon is my best friend’s mom, and I have watched her grow her business and salon from the time I was in elementary school. Another thing about networking is don’t be afraid to ask for help.
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Contact Info:
- Email: beautybyboucher@yahoo.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/beauty.by.boucher
Image Credits
Caley Petty Photography
