Hello, Beautiful!
I recently had the (most fun day ever and the) privilege of shooting my good friend Sieana’s head shots. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like a sunny “Friyay” off from work spent sipping Ocean Waters and lounging in velvet chairs. Sieana is a total babe, but it also doesn’t hurt that she has some serious hair and makeup skills. I started coming to Sieana’s adorable in-home salon for my hair coloring needs about three years ago, and I love my sessions with her.
For starters, Sieana’s in-home salon has the most unique, Palm Springs back in the 60’s vibe that I totally love. Trust me, just walking into her home will give you all the heart eyes and a major sensory overload of the best kind. Her living room and salon are like being inside the most perfect Instagram feed.
Another perk of having a girl boss (AKA a small business owner) color + cut you hair instead of a major salon is the experience: talking about whatever you want while listening or watching whatever you want on TV (without competing with the all the blow dryers blasting in the salon); sipping on some wine (sometimes I even have my husband drop me off and pick me up so Sieana and I can really have some fun), and of course; avoiding super-high salon prices while getting individualized and complete attention.
I’ll never go back to where there’s random people’s hair all over the floor. You can’t make me.
I asked Sieana to give us all some major girl boss advice for the blog, and boy do her words inspire.
If you’re interested in learning more about Sieana’s business and how she got to be where she is today, keep on reading for more . . . . .
“When I finally got my wits about me and hunkered down seriously with college, I pursued Interior Design . . . After all, that’s what I thought I wanted to do throughout my childhood . . . After college, I got my first job with a designer who put her name on every creative thing I did. That alone made me realize that I didn’t want to work for anyone else unless I was gleaning and learning from them in return.
I also came to the realization that I did not in fact love interior design as much as I thought I would . . . At least when it came to working for other people, although I still love design when it applies to my own space.
During college I ran a side business out of the common room in my dorm. I cut and foiled girls’ hair for the cheapest rate around. I thought, My mom was a stylist for 30 years, so I must be, too . . . right? I loved it, and what’s more, I was good at it. On that note:
One thing I have learned throughout the years is that if you do something you are naturally gifted at – and you are willing to add hard work and lots of education – you will never feel like you are working a job, but rather giving back to the world and inspiring others to follow their goals and dreams.
I soon realized after starting cosmetology school at Paul Mitchell in Little Rock, Arkansas, that it was almost impossible to work a full-time job and attend school while finishing the education piece in a timely fashion. This realization brought me to Charlotte, North Carolina, where I finished out the last half of my schooling while living with my sister. I immediately got a job with a prominent salon in town just two days after graduating.
I worked for this salon as an Assistant and Junior Stylist for almost 2 years. I knew I was not extremely happy with the salon environment, but I also knew I had a lot to learn. Cosmetology school teaches you the bare bones of what is necessary to pass your exam and get your license. The salon is where you get the knowledge and tenacity it takes to be a good stylist.
I soaked up everything like a sponge. I did not think about anything else when I was at work except for watching and learning everything I possibly could.
I remember all too vividly driving my 40 minute commute to and from work 6 days a week, spending my time mostly crying because I was making such meager wages as an Assistant. I didn’t know how I would even afford lunch most days, but I kept going until life threw me a curve ball . . .
My body had been giving me some subtle signs that I needed to slow down a little, but then the symptoms got worse. As soon as I transitioned from the Assistant position to become a Stylist, I found out I had a female type of cancer. It was a glass half full + half empty sorta situation. It wasn’t as bad as it could be, but it wasn’t good either.
In the next 6 months, I went through an unsuccessful surgery and then began chemotherapy and radiation. I worked the entire time. I feared if I did not, I would lose my hard-won new position in the food chain of the salon, because stylists can be vicious. My normal day was going to radiation, going to work, falling asleep while waiting for clients because my body was exhausted from the treatments, going home, and thinking I could never survive doing it all again the next day. But I did, and I got through it.
Remember when I said stylists can be vicious?
I left the salon shortly after I completed my treatments because I found out some of my “friends” and co-workers at the salon had said some really terrible things about me behind my back . . . while I was focused on getting rid of my cancer. It broke my heart, and I left never wanting to feel that way ever again.
It was scary not knowing what I was going to do next, so I went back to bartending. The money is good and I needed the mindless work to get through what I had just been through, what it had done to me mentally and physically. I needed some rebuilding all around.
I met an incredible business woman through bartending that became my first concierge client. She encouraged me to get back into doing hair if that was what I loved. She introduced me to her circle of friends and I now do most of those ladies’ hair. It started out as a side gig; just me rolling a little bag into their homes, doing their hair, and then going back to tending bar at night.
Four years later, I have my own salon in my house, and I still make house calls for the customers who prefer it. It is a special thing to be invited into someone’s home – and their life – as their hair stylist and their friend.
I love the feeling of knowing that every bit of my income is a reflection of my own hustle, and I do not answer to anyone but myself. The feeling – that there’s more potential within me that I’ve yet to unlock – is always there, and I am always dreaming up new business opportunities.
Since starting my concierge hair business, I have become busy in the wedding hair and makeup industry from Charlotte, North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia. My color clients come to me from all over the country, including North Carolina, New York, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia.
As my family plans to migrate to the Charlotte area, I am happy with the small but flourishing business I have created for myself here. I have been blessed with clients I care deeply for and who treat me like family.
Always forward, never backward.” – Sieana Robinson
Isn’t she incredible? Sieana is one of those people who just radiates beauty and strength, both inside and out. Her story is so empowering, and I love that it includes women encouraging other women to pursue their dreams. I hope I meet a lady at a bar one night who changes my life. Until then, I’m going to keep my hair looking fresh with Sieana. Contact her at 704-557-6126 for her pricing, wedding package information, and availability.
And if you’re in need of some fun and affordable lifestyle head shots in the Charlotte or East TN area, contact me at weddings.wanderlust@gmail.com for my pricing! I would love to show you just how beautiful you are.
PS – I’ve got a fun fact for you that really speaks to the way Sieana treats her clients . . .
Sieana texted me the day before my spine surgery earlier this year in February after seeing some of my Insta posts to check on me. (That’s what girlfriends are for, AmIRight?!) Instead of putting together my normal canned response, I confided in her about how I was feeling (imagine a total mess that couldn’t walk without the support of two people), and just like that, she was on her way to my little apartment.
Sieana stayed with me while my mom and husband went to grab much-needed groceries and dinner to bring back for me. She brought her stylist supplies so she could braid my hair “just like Khloe Kardashian” for my surgery. (I would just like to disclose at this time that, hell yes, I keep up with the Kardashians, and Khloe is Bae.) My hair hadn’t been washed in days, and I was covered in layers of sweat from the constant pain I was in coupled with being unable to stand for more than a few seconds, but I felt so loved and cared for.
It was a little thing, what Sieana did for me, but it is a little thing I will keep close to my heart for the rest of my life. Her kindness became one of the sources of my strength the next morning when I arrived to the surgery center. I will never forget the stream of compliments I received from the receptionists, nurses, anesthesiologists, and surgeon who came by while I was being prepped for surgery. You see, my surgery had to be STATed, and the first opening available fell at 5:00AM on my birthday, February 9th. And while that wasn’t ideal, I had Sieana’s Khloe Kardashian braids. And with Khloe braids, anything is possible.
Until Next Time, Wild-Hearted Wanderer,
xo,
eg
