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Being a stylist is hard work. Add in the pressure of owning your own salon and having thousands of followers waiting for your next post and it can be completely overwhelming. These days so much more is expected of a stylist than just showing up and working with clients, you have to be a marketer, an entrepreneur, and more. So when we see someone who looks to be doing it all, we just have to know their secrets.
Morgan Thomas is an award-winning hair stylist, salon owner at Jade Beauty Co., and social media sensation. We caught up with Thomas to learn about her journey to hair, her social media presence and how she works to make her business as successful as possible.
What first got you interested in doing hair?
Thomas: “I originally went to college for a year. I was going to go into nursing and said, after a year, I have to follow my heart and go with hair. I think it was just the creative pull, and that’s something I’ve always been interested in. As a kid, I’ve just always been a creative person, so I feel like [being a hair stylist is] a great creative way to make money, right? I’m essentially getting to do art every day, but people pay me – and pay me well – to do that. It was like a natural progression for me.”
Did you ever think your career was going to turn out like this, being behind the chair and a social media star?
Thomas: “I had a big 2023. It was very exciting. Sometimes I’m still like, ‘Really, like me?’ I have a lot of pinch-me moments of, ‘How is this my life that I get to do all these amazing things with all these amazing people?’ I didn’t ever expect to do this, but it’s kind of my personality, and it felt natural. I think any time something feels natural, it generally will be successful. But it’s still weird. My kids think it’s weird. My husband thinks it’s weird. I think it’s weird. It’s funny, though. It’s been a really fun outlet in my career.”
How do you draw inspiration for your content?
Thomas: “Being in the industry as long as I have, you have endless amounts of content. I have a story for everything, so you can draw inspiration very easily. But, sometimes, I think of things on the fly. I’m not someone who’s going to whip out my phone anywhere. Have I?! Yes… but that’s not typically how I operate. Most of my Reels, I film in my closet. I do a lot of green screen stuff. That’s my niche, but I have whipped it out in public before,” she giggled.
Where did you get the inspiration for your Funny Video of the Year, “When God Designed Hair Stylists”?
Thomas: “I was quite surprised that that was the one that [won]. Some [Reels] you’re attached to, and you’re like, ‘But, why not this one?’ Although, if I have to watch it one more time, I might barf, but that [Reel] has a sweet spot in my heart. Some people ask, ‘Where do you come up with this? I want to be in your head.’ I’m like, ‘No, you don’t. It’s a mess in there.’ I think of things, and then try to always put a twist on them. Anything I think of, I ask, ‘But how can I…make it about hair stylists?’”
Do you ever feel symptoms of imposter syndrome or anxiety from being chronically online?
Thomas: “I was always an anxious person, so what did I do? I became a hair stylist, and then I put content on the internet. Because, you know, that’s not anxiety-provoking,” she laughed. “I definitely have imposter syndrome. I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t. Sometimes when those lulls happen, you wonder, ‘Am I not funny anymore? Is my content not good? Is my work not good?’ I used to get really upset over comments. [Now], I don’t mind at all. If you’re having a bad day and need to troll me, that’s fine. I always reply back with kindness because that makes people realize how silly they’re being. If you have a problem with it, take it up with my character. I know myself well enough at this age that when something is too much, I take a break.”
What advice do you have on correlating your business’s success with your social media presence?
Thomas: “Sometimes people think, ‘Well, you’ve had a lot of viral things happen, so that must be why X, Y, Z has happened for you.’ Part of that is [absolutely] true. The more your face is out there, the more your name is out there, the more brands want to work with you. But! Follower count does not equal success. I was at 1,800 followers for a long time but was fully booked behind the chair. Hard work is always going to outweigh follower count. When all of this goes away, I know I will still have a job. I know I will still have a full clientele. I rarely film in the salon. Most of my clients didn’t even know I’m on the internet. I don’t ever want content to interfere with my relationship with [my clients] or the time and money they spend in my chair.”
What other tools have helped your business succeed?
Thomas: “I’ve been with Schedulicity for 7 and a half years, and it’s been great. Lots of brands knock on my door to say, ‘Hey, we’ll give you a year [of scheduling] free.’ No, I’m good. What locked me in was the way Schedulicity handled COVID. [They stopped] taking our payments when we weren’t behind the chair and getting paid. [Schedulicity] doubled back and [extended fee-free scheduling services for months after stylists returned to their salons]. To me, that was huge! That’s a lot of revenue, and no other brands that I worked with or used did that. It has everything I need, too. My behind-the-chair business completely runs itself. It’s priceless, because I don’t have to do anything. Everyone books online or prebooks with me at the end of my appointment. I don’t have to keep track of anything. I don’t need one more thing to keep track of. Everyone asks, ‘How do you do it all?’ I say, ‘My behind-the-chair business runs itself, and much [of that is because of] Schedulicity honestly.’”
What’s your go-to Schedulicity feature?
Thomas: “I can’t live without text message reminders. I know that my clients know when their appointment is. All my clients…appreciate the text messages so much. I don’t know if they think I’m doing that, but it just automatically happens,” she laughed. “I love the text message reminders because I don’t have to enforce policies. A lot of people talk about [enforcing] no-show and late/cancellation policies. I don’t have that problem. I never have to enforce policies because of the reminders. I get no-showed maybe once a year, and I rarely have late cancellations, so reminders are key for me.”
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