Conversations with Carlie Means

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlie Means.

Hi Carlie , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in the Phoenix/Glendale area. I started as a receptionist at a salon in Glendale when I was 16 years old and fell in love with the industry. I Started at Penrose academy pretty quickly after I graduated highschool and became a licensed cosmetologist in 2014. I did an apprentice program for a year. Shortly after then jumping head first into renting my own suite and working for myself. My most recent salon suite I moved into is in the exact same shopping center that my first job as a receptionist was in. It’s all very full circle. I love the industry today the same way I did in 2011 when I first started. I truly don’t feel like I work, I absolutely love my job and all my clients. Spending the last 30 years of my life in the same very large city has shown how the small the community can still be at times. I love what I do and I love where I do it.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The cosmetology world is one of the most saturated industries. There are salons on every single corner and almost anyone knows at least one hairstylist. It’s a luxury service at the end of the day. Which means I have to deliver every single appointment. You can’t give your client a single reason to go to that friends stylist who does it $20 cheaper or whatever the case may be. You have to remain consistent no matter what’s going on in your world. Building a clientele when the only promise you have if rent for you space is due at the end of the month and you have to find a way to get people in your chair to pay for that luxury service that can very much feel like another bill when they’re coming in every 4-6 weeks.

The emotional load of a hairstylist takes a true empath. Getting to build relationships in my chair is my favorite part of the job. Some of these women have been with me since my very first room that was the size of the bathroom at my new place. 11 years of watching each other grow in a very 1 on 1 kind of way. 2 hours at minimum chatting very 6 weeks for 11 years will get you real close with people and that’s such a beautiful piece in it all. But it’s also the heaviest part. Not taking home your work is basically impossible. Tragic stuff happens to those who end up in your chair and sometimes you’re the only listening ear they have and the weight of that is just a lot at times.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love custom blonding. I take pride in getting people to their goals without damaging their hair a long the way: Extensions is another great way to completely transform someone’s entire appearance which is so fun to deliver to my clients

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
It takes grit. You have to want it so bad in the beginning. You can’t want it for the convenience of the job, the way so many people think of the industry.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: color_it_carlie

Image Credits
Alyssa Bain took my headshot