I love my work.
I love it more now than I ever have.
It hasn’t always been that way. There were days when I thought I was done in the industry. I wasn’t enjoying the work. It impacted my creativity, my business and my personal life.
I got stale.
I was doing the same thing day in day out. Turning up to work and ticking the boxes. Dealing with problems as they appeared and staying longer than I should have, thinking these were important things that only I could sort.
This wasn’t for me. I shouldn’t be feeling this way. It wan’t healthy.
If I didn’t change something it would have been the end of my hair career.
I had to work out what I wanted from my work. Could I have the best of both worlds? Could I have a work life balance that suited me?
Turns out I can.
I now have better hours, more money and more personal time.
Here’s what I learned from my experiences in this:
– Don’t be accountable to anyone else.
I decided the freedom I desired couldn’t be achieved if I was restricted with employment or staff. I wanted the freedom to be able to do my own thing…everyday…anytime I wanted to. Never to have to ask for permission.
Employment restricted me. I didn’t like having a limit to the amount of time I could have off. Having restrictions to the amount of Saturdays I could take off. We have social lives…we have families…our personal lives are important.
Then having to commit to a certain amount of hours in one space wasn’t for me. Being in a salon for 38 hours a week would kill me, not only mentally but physically as well. Hairdressing is hard on the body and that type of workload. I’m a creative and I need external stimulation. I like to travel and see what’s happening around the world with hair so I made it happen. I can now attend and do hair at as many fashion weeks around the world as I want.
I also don’t do staff anymore. I loved my staff but they were also a restriction.
The buck stopped with me as a salon owner. I was responsible for everything that happened under my roof. If they were off or away who is the one who has to cover? Who needs to make the calls…who needs to keep it running? You do.
I was a slave to my staff and my business. Not anymore.
– Set your limits
How many hours can you do a week? Sure…we can do as many as it takes but that takes it toll mentally and physically. Some people will be better at it than others but to me that’s not the real question…
How many hours in your week are more important than work?
I prioritised my children. I wanted to be able to drop them to school and pick them up on set days. They are only young once…and I didn’t want to miss that time because I had to work.
What ever you might prioritise is just as important.
I knew what hours I didn’t want to work to suit my lifestyle and then set my available working hours around that. I refused to miss things because of work.
– Follow your dreams
Picture your perfect job. What are you doing? Where are you?
If you don’t know it you’ll never achieve it.
Here’s my picture:
I’ve started work mid morning after sorting my kids for school. I’m only doing the hair of the clients I enjoy doing. I don’t rush…I take an hour for each client as a service space. I drink great tea and coffee and I’m listening to a great selection of vinyl on my vintage stereo. I’m surrounded by art and collections of things I enjoy and I’m talking to my clients about all the things I did at Paris Fashion Week and if I’ll be heading to New York next. I do one late night because I still enjoy working in the evening. It’s a different vibe and there might even be drinks of great wine with the clients. I’m looking forward to working on Saturday because I love how busy it can be…and that’s fine with me because I know I get to spend the following Saturday enjoying family life because I have it off. The week ends with music pumping as I clean the space with a beer and reflect on how good of a week it was. I’ll then have the next 3 days off as rest and to work on my business ventures.
This isn’t just positive thinking…this is what my actual week of work looks like.
I’m happy to work…none of my goals can be achieved without hard work. I just do the work around my priorities now.
My own hours, my own rate, my own choice of the work I do.
I’m a Solo Stylist and I love my work.
Key Points:
- You don’t have be accountable to anyone else
- Know where your priorities lie
- Your dream job is achievable
Until next time…
Craig
The Solo Stylist
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