you all make me smile....

Today I had the most wonderful client in....someone that has been coming to me for about 15 years now.....she started with me when I worked in the city and now makes the drive to my salon about 40 mins away...she has been such a loyal client for so many years.....sending me many referrals, watching me grow from a young apprentice to now having a large shop of my own..... today we reminisced about the old days....

When I started my career I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work at a sophisticated upscale salon...I trained under a very well known stylist in our area. Working for him was a big challenge...most apprentice's ran out of there within the first 3 weeks crying, never looking back..they couldn't get out of there fast enough....honestly not many of us where stubborn enough to stick one year out let alone my record of 6.5 years....but let me tell you, I am thankful I did!
Raymond and I actually got along very well....from the beginning, I embraced the fact that I could learn so much from him....my goal was to soak up as much as I could from him....I knew this is what could make or break my future.
This is when I met my client today, she was actually a longtime client of Raymond's, I got to know her while I was his assistant......one day she needed to change her appt with him and needed in rather quickly, she knew she would not be able to get in with him....so instead of booking with one of the other longtime stylists at the salon, she was brave enough to give me a chance.....now remember this women was aware that I had hardly broken my scissors in yet....and she still trusted me!!! Now that is really really brave!!!

She was happy with what I did that day and we continued on with our relationship....and it has been going strong ever since.....she has since referred many of her friends to come to me from all over.....it still astounds me every time one of them comes in...that they would drive all that way just to come and see me.....

Today after she and I where finished laughing about all the drama that used to happen at the salon.....revisiting the times that Raymond would drop his comb and would clap his hands waiting for me to come and pick it up for him....or the time that he gave her some bench bangs in the effort to make her a bit more trendy, after many other hilarious stories she said the nicest thing to me.....she said
"Michelle, you are much like him you know.....you had a dream and you worked hard.... really really hard...you have overcome many obstacles and you will certainly have many more to overcome...but be proud....I know I have enjoyed watching this happen for you.......you just never know where picking up dirty combs is going to lead you, now do you"....

After that women left today, I had tears in my eyes......you know it is people like her that make it all worth it....people that are happy with what I do...that appreciate all the little things...that are kind and supportive...it is people like her that remind me how much I love what I do...and love all the people that come into my salon and trust me, not only with the obvious...their outer beauty but with all the the other stuff...the confidence's that we share...the secrets that are divulged...it is all of this that make my days SO worth it!!!

hugs to all of my clients today....old and new....
m :)