Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Nolan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It started when I was just a kid, my best friend’s brother was a hair stylist, so I grew up watching him do amazing hair and watching his passion for hair, which inspired me and gave me a passion of my own for it. As a freshman at Plymouth South High School, I was accepted into the cosmetology program with my AMAZING teachers, Mrs. Faria, Mrs. Audette and Mrs “O’B”. Then, worked my way from a chain salon called MasterCuts to a couple of very well known personal salons on the south shore and worked with a friend learning how to do bridal hair/updos. To now, a salon that has recently become Spoke & Weal – Boston on Newbury Street. I’ve been working in Boston going on 4 years now. It’s awesome going from a (not so) small town to a (not so) big city and experiencing the differences.
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?
There have definitely been struggles. The things you learn in school don’t really compare to being thrown on the salon floor. So, most of the things I learned and gained were from experience. My advice to newcomers would be to go through the apprentice/assistant programs and learn all that you can. Go to all the classes. Keep educating yourself, because in this field education is the key to success. Trends are ALWAYS changing. There’s always something new to learn. Whether you’ve been doing hair for a year or 50 years, there’s always something new you can learn.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Spoke & Weal – what should we know?
I’m a color specialist; I specialize in color. I no longer do the cutting. Highlighting and balayage are my favorite, and probably what I do most. At Spoke & Weal, we have education weekly, learning all about how to customize each guests color to fit them personally. And learning things from the texture and hair growth patterns to what type of effect and formulating. Because each person that sits in your hair has a different head of hair.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Networking is pretty easy these days with social media at hand, use that to show your work and get people in. But, I still believe nothing beats word of mouth. If you can get your guests to refer their friends, that’s always great! And just put yourself out there, while you’re out with friends and on your days off, always have business cards on hand.
Contact Info:
- Address: 75 Newbury Street, 2nd floor
Boston, MA - Website: Spokeandweal.com
- Phone: (857) 248-1624
- Email: HairByShnolan@gmail.com
- Instagram: Shnolan_hair
Image Credit:
Victorio Mastroianni
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