Life and Work with Jenna MacDonald

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna MacDonald.

Jenna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Honestly, 13 years ago, when I graduated from Beauty School, I would have never imagined myself and my career where it is today. I went to school knowing I needed to have some sort of trade under my belt for “just in case”. My heart’s job was always to be a mom, And I have been blessed times two with that. Between having children, needing to stay home off my feet with early pregnancy issues, moving between states, and moving again, I just put my hair business on the back burner for a while to be present for my family.

On our last move back to AZ my husband really pushed me to go back to the salon. Honestly, I didn’t feel that is where I was being led. But, I am so thankful for my husband who believes in me more than myself and saw a talent in me that I needed to share in my community and with the world. Since I have been back in the salon I have been blown away with how quickly my career has grown, I am blessed every day to be a part of my client’s lives, I love that part about my job. Not only do I believe it’s an artistic craft that I get to create beautiful hair every day, but I so enjoy getting to invest in and to love my clients.

Today, I work in an amazing salon full of like-minded women and I find so much joy working with them. Not only do we specialize in everyday “chair hair” we also have a super-fantastic bridal team. I can truly say that is a highlight of my career. The wedding business of my career is the part I am so proud of. It is such an honor to be a part of those couples special day. Honestly, that bride has thousands of choices as to who can do her hair and makeup for her wedding day and I get to be a part of that!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not, We all have struggled on our different paths.

I think the biggest struggles were at the beginning of my career when I had to keep stopping and starting again. It’s a lot of work to build a clientele. It takes a lot of trust, patience, and sometimes a lot of tears. LOL!
But I knew I was in God’s will and the right location when my clientele just exploded. I go to work and dedicate each day to God, ultimately this is His success, not mine. I’m honored to be along on the ride.

I think the advice I would give to someone starting their journey is to not give up. There will be hard days and sometimes really hard people to deal with. Not everyone can handle stress or life with grace and you will have someone unload all of that on you. There is something about a stylists chair. You hear it all the wonderful and the not so wonderful. A career in service is so gratifying and yet it can be painful. Do not stay in that discouragement. Believe in yourself and your craft! Because the good totally outweighs the bad in this job! The days you want to give up… don’t. The saying I always remind myself of on the hard days is, “This too shall pass, it’s only a season”.

Please tell us about Hair By Jenna MacD.
I’m a hairstylist in Prescott, AZ, I specialize in “lived-in” hair, haircuts, and bridal up styles. Lived-in hair is created with techniques like balayage, baby lights, rootmelt, etc. Its a way of coloring or bleaching hair to look as if you were raised on the beach and the sun has naturally lightened your hair. I love to do this because every head is different. I have to look at each clients head, how their hair falls, their natural texture, and so on. Once I have all those factors in play I then apply the dimensional color and watch the magic happen. It’s so fun to see my clients reactions and their confidence shoot through the roof.

I also specialize in bridal hair! Which means just that, I do hair (and sometimes makeup) for brides and their bridal party, and family. I usually end up traveling to the on-site location and help them get ready. This is a passion I was so thankful to grow in and to keep growing in. I’m super thankful for Fortune Brandel, owner of Strada Salon, who saw this talent in me and has trusted me and my work to represent our bridal team.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Honestly, I’m still super old school!!! Haha!

But I do take advantage of Instagram for sure! I love to keep my work documented on my page, @HairByJennaMacD. It’s an amazing tool for growth!

I also use Shedul for my online book for appointments and Expensify to help keep track of my expenses. I rent my booth so I’m a contractor with my salon. These apps and online tools are a huge help to keep track of everything spent and taken in throughout the year.

Pricing:

• Dimensional Hair Services with a Cut start at $170 , more details with an inquiry
• Bridal Services start at $85, more details with an inquiry

Contact Info:

• Phone: 928-671-0433
• Email: hairbyjennamacd@gmail.com
• Instagram: @HairByJennaMacD
• Facebook: HairByJennaMacD

Image Credit:
Jenna MacDonald

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