Antonio Gonzales: 6 Essential Tips for Being Successful

by Antonio Gonzales on Monday, July 26, 2010

I was born in Trinidad in the height of a hurricane. I spent my childhood surrounded by the sights and sounds and smells of Carnival and the other Indian, African and Spanish festivals of the Islands. Loving the amazing costumes, I got my start dressing my sisters and doing their hair and makeup. An opportunity came up to work with Trinidad’s leading costume designers, makeup artists and hair stylists. After I left the Island, my career evolved with work in Munich, Los Angeles and now New York City. Here in New York, I am a stylist at the Orlo Salon in the Meat Packing district. Vogue magazine recently named me as one of the rising hairstylist stars in N.Y., I was awarded the best haircut of 2008 by shecky’s.com, Gotham Magazine called me a Shear Genius and Allure Magazine featured me as one of the best cuts 2009.

See Antonio’s blog here.

I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have the ability to share with hairstylists my business-building advice. Moving to New York (the fashion capital of the world) and building my business from the ground up was a very humbling experience. After trudging that long road I ended up in the same room with a hairstylist whose career I have followed for the past 15 years (Orlando Pita), and to have him give freely what he taught himself was a blessing. Because of this I feel I can safely give you advice from the heart and I do hope it makes a positive difference in your success.

EGO

Let’s not waste any time: The No.1 business killer is ego. It does not matter if you charge $30 for a haircut (my first price in NYC) or $200 (my present price), ego is the one thing that will set you apart from the winners. Don’t get me wrong, there are many successful people with big egos, but they are limited in ways that the “truly successful” people aren’t. Recently while I was at lunch in between client appointments (as we all do) and chatting with Orlando, we broached the subject of being a better hairstylist, and in his own words he told me, “No matter how good you are, there is always something better you could have done on your last client, photo shoot or movie.” Basically he’s said that there are no excuses—there’s always room for improvement. Now this is coming from a man who has an amazing career (his haircuts cost $800!). If he thinks that way about his own work, then there is definitely room for us up-and-coming hairstylists to improve our thoughts about the work we produce daily. In other words, stand by your work but be open to improving it . . . if not on the head you’re working on, then on the next one.

PUNCTUALITY

I don’t care if you are the hair messiah, be on time for your client. Your worth is measured by your respect for your client and salon. We all know the stylist that’s busy but is always late for their client, and we all know how their clients really feel about them. Sure, when they finally saunter into the salon to a full book, the clients may smile, but on the inside the client left waiting doesn’t feel fully supported, and it’s important for each and every one of yours to feel the respect and attention a paying customer deserves. Eventually these late-to-school stylists always learn this lesson the hard way, as the end result is always a loss in business. Showing up on time is crucial as both an assistant and a primary hairstylist, and helps set the foundation that your developing business skills will build upon.

KNOWING YOUR SKILL

It is very important to know your weaknesses. They are what set you apart in the salon and what is preventing your business from growing. If you are great at blowouts and your haircuts are weak, make sure that blowout is the best darn blowout you have ever done (every single time). I’m speaking from experience here: I remember being in a salon and feeling insecure about my cut; I knew my business depended on my strengths and I would do whatever it took to make that just-OK haircut flawless. In the meantime I was willing to do whatever it took—including eating a little humble pie every now and then and asking for help.

I recommend that you observe the better haircutters (or colorists) in the salon and ask questions if they are open to answering them. I would also make it known to the salon manager or owner that I was aware of my challenges and would do anything to overcome them. Throughout our careers we may know what our strengths are but it’s our weaknesses that really matter. And educate yourself: Read anything online you can find regarding the history of hair. Visit bookstores and look at photographs, educate yourself with what others in the industry considers beautiful. Open yourselves up to the masters in the creative world, and when I say “masters” I mean the hairstylists who are out there making hair beautiful. Ignore the people with the super PR machines that send press releases out at the drop of a hat. There is such a thing as “too much PR,” and it can easily hurt more than it helps.

Dio Couture

Also, Fashion Week in NYC starts soon, so keep an eye on who designed what and who did the hair, and relay this information to your clients! The inspiration you get can really make a difference in your next client’s hairstyle, and it also helps to keep things fun. For a great example, check out this amazing hair style by Orlando in Paris for Dior Couture. (Shown right)

And go online to peruse style.com every day, if you can. There you will find the trends and looks that are as current as it gets, right at your fingertips and updated daily. Style.com is better than any magazine on the market, and without the gossip . . . believe me when I say that celebrity gossip won’t build your business.

Lastly, remember those mannequin heads from beauty school? Go out now and invest in a couple, and practice on your downtime. Do cuts, updos and braiding. Keep your fingers busy and your talent will follow.

EDUCATION

Your education outside of the salon is key to improving your skill. As we all know, this can be very expensive and occasionally warrants some support from the salon. If your salon is not in a place to help, then do try to accomplish it on your own.Save up your tips (even hide them if you have to!) to pay for color education or new cutting skills. Ask your color distributor to send an educator in “for free” so that you can pick their brain for tips on improving your color techniques. Source information from people like me for classes of value (rather than those you could probably do without). I am more than happy to guide you via email. Be open-minded to using any color line, and don’t let any particular color company convince you to use theirs exclusively: Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. I’ve worked with the lot of them: Redken, Sebastian, Framesi, Goldwell, Davines, Wella, Clairol, Matrix, Joico, Dia Color, Majirel, Richesse . . . they all work, and they all have a particular place in a salon.

Also remember that there are many cutting companies claiming to have the right answer for the perfect cut. I say, after completing a certain amount of classes, dig deep and find that individuality that sets you apart. Who you are as a creative being is vital for your success. Never allow that to be limited by all the “don’ts” in our industry. The “don’ts” have been proven wrong time and time again: “Don’t use a razor on dry hair” (Orlando proved that one wrong), “don’t ever cut without thinking degrees” (cutting by numbers is overrated). Hair is a fabric and the head is round, now be creative!

PRE-BOOKING

90% of my clients pre-book their appointments. Pre-booking is a way to have your clients rest assured that their appointment time and date is secure. We all have hand-held gadgets nowadays, so your clients can surely make an appointment in their calendars. It’s really easy to do. Here’s a common scenario:

Janice is leaving the chair and it’s all hugs and kisses.

Hairstylist: “Great seeing you! And remember, for us to keep your haircut looking great year-round, you should schedule your next haircut now.” Or perhaps: “Janice, for your single process to always look healthy and vibrant, please schedule your next appointment. If we wait more than six weeks, it’s more work, which means more of a financial investment on your part.”

Janice heads the desk to pay.

Desk: “Thank you so much for your visit. How was everything today?”

Janice: “Fierce!”

Desk: “Wonderful! we recommend that you schedule your next appointment to get the time and date that’s best for you. I would be more than happy to do that for you now. We will call you in advance to confirm your appointment so that you can make changes to your time then if needed.”

Janice: “Well… I don’t really know my schedule so let me think about it.” (At this point, the receptionist should echo the hairstylist’s previous comment regarding the benefits of booking ahead.)

Trust me, Janice does not want to spend more money, and you should not have to do more than what Janice is booked for. In other words, if your client needs a single process and comes back in two months, it’s more than a single process, it’s a color adjustment.

If your clients are used to being squeezed in whenever they want, this is a very bad habit. I used to schedule like that for years, taking clients according to their needs. Now I work “by appointment time only.” There is no squeezing in of clients. If I squeeze in a client, then someone is being cheated of “good quality service.” Tell your clients this and I assure you that they will not want to be the one receiving the “push out of the chair.”

This brings me to:

QUALITY

For me this means: working only on one client at a time. If you think that doing three clients at once with two assistants is best, then hats off to you, I respect that. I feel, however, that for my undivided attention and for my best work, I really can only do one at a time. Assistants may be well-trained to help but their “quick problem solving” is not the same as mine. I do all my blowouts after my haircuts. I understand my haircut, so if I do a wet cut I need to do the blow dry so the dry cut is perfect.

Remember, short work gives shortcut results.

I look forward to any questions or input you may have for me.