what's going on YouTube Stephen a salon
guy here and this is beauty school
basics episode 3 the topic is assisting
you've graduated school or you are still
in school and you're looking to land a
job and I can guarantee you one thing
probably 99.9% of the times you're not
going to be able to just walk into any
salon and go right on the floor I can
assure you that and if that's the case
then most likely that the salon is
probably a a little unorganized to say
the least so let's talk about assisting
right or being an assistant or an intern
there's so many terms but the very
common one is called an assistant and
what is that okay this is a really
important topic and this is probably one
of the most you know interesting topics
and most passionate topics of mine to
share with you guys and really really
pay attention to this whole video I'm
going to share with you some stories of
mine I'm gonna set some of you guys
straight because there's a lot to talk
about and you know I'm excited to really
share this information with you and I'm
taking all of my experiences that I
myself have been through in my career
okay and that's what really makes us
important and authentic is this is stuff
that I've seen I've learned and I've
experienced so an assistant basically
has the role of assisting hairstylist or
assisting the functionality of the salon
from a variety of different roles and
responsibilities which can include
sweeping the floor we're taking doing
laundry cleaning color bowls greeting
guests cleaning retail shelves a lot of
hard grunt work and slave labor to be
honest with you but at the same time a
lot of cool stuff too where you are
working side by side with either a
stylist or a colorist or you know you're
you're learning and you're watching but
if you're in a salon that's very
unorganized and doesn't have a proper
training program most of the time you're
gonna end up feeling like you're a
cleaning person or an janitor so it's
not the most glamorous job sometimes if
you're not in the right salon now a few
stories and experiences as I've been
through in my career as an assistant
I've been yelled at by salon owners
saying why is there still crap in a
toilet
whether still stains in the coffee pot
why they're ashes in the ashtray why
this why that go clean the toilets go do
this go dust the shelves go wipe this
down that down why are you doing this
this is your job and I'm telling you
there's times where I went home and
literally wanted to just cry I want to
give up
I said this is not the career that you
know I want to be in I'm treated like
crap really really not cool and that
made me become a stronger person and say
to myself that I will never treat anyone
else like that ever again and I'm just
warning you guys be prepared but you
also have to be strong okay it's all
part of the learning experience and you
can't take anything for granted you
can't have an ego you can't have any
high expectations that you're gonna be a
superstar hair stylist the first day
you're at a school and the first lawn
you're working on don't have that
attitude be very humble and if you see
that there's something down the road for
you that could be of great benefit that
you can make that investment in and
again it's like we go back in my last
video or so talking about the right
salon to work in if this salon makes you
do those things but the payoff is you'll
be rewarded then it's worth it don't
complain if somebody says hey go clean
the toilets
okay sure right or go do this go do that
you may have to pay your dues that's
what it is paying your dues and there's
a lot of people who are graduating
school right now who are very entitled
and they think that they're the best
thing in the world and that they can
just walk right into a salon and be a
primadonna and not show any respect or
not painting dues and just have
everything handed to them and be you
know a princess or be you know the best
thing in the world it's not gonna happen
and you have to get that attitude out of
your minds and stop thinking like that
be open be humble be ready to pay your
dues if you want to grow okay I'm
telling you right now it's the most
important thing so yes there will be
times we're gonna feel like I hate the
owner
I'm tired of folding Tao
I'm tired of vacuuming I'm tired of
wiping down dust off the shelves and
blah blah blah blah well you may have to
do that to be honest with you now
there's some scenarios where the salon
may have a cleaning person dedicated to
doing that and that's incredible if you
work at a salon and they're paying
people to clean the full towels to clean
up the toilets to clean up coffee pots
do all the housekeeping types up and
your primary role is just to focus on
doing hair stuff and assisting and all
that stuff
then that's amazing and there are salons
like that and again it goes back to my
last video you can find those salons if
you're willing to travel if you're
willing to make that investment whatever
you know sweat equity you want to put in
it's worth it but the majority of the
salons aren't like that and it's the
assistants responsibility to do that so
be prepared and don't be shocked if
somebody says do this and do that all
right it's part of paying your dues
we've all have done it and I've done it
for years I assisted for like probably
three to four years before I even was a
full-time stylist or even one on the
floor to do haircuts so I paid my dues
and then some trust me
so now let's talk about how to be a good
assistant this is probably going to be
those Dagwood part of this video because
this is priceless this information okay
the first thing is to do is to make
yourself known okay you need to stand
out from the rest how do you stand out
from the rest
always be around always being visible
the last thing you want to do and the
most common thing a lot of assistants do
is go hide in the back room and I'm
telling you right now it's the worst
thing you could possibly do I don't know
why it is but everyone likes to
congregate in the back room and sit
there and talk about other people look
on their phones all day sit there like
there's nothing to do
there's a whole damn salon that's fully
operational with people and clients and
stylists all over the place but it's
okay for them to sit in the back like
this gossiping with other people I mean
so and I've seen it I can't even tell
you how many times I've seen that and if
you're actually a salon owner or stylist
and yours and you're watching this you
we can all feel the pain
and you would know what I'm come where
I'm coming from do not hide all right do
not hide the back rooms they're not hide
in the kitchens if there's downtime be
visible because guess what if you're
visible that means people will know who
you are they'll become familiar with you
they'll want to gravitate themselves
towards you and maybe give you that
extra tip or that Christmas bonus or
whatever it is you need to make yourself
known and also at the same time do as
much as you can for the stylist that are
working there whether it's always
sweeping the hair on the floor making
sure that's not gonna slip on the hair
make sure the clients aren't gonna slip
on the hair make sure the color bowls
make sure everything's clean there's no
coffee clubs you need to be on top of
your game you have to bring it every
single day every time you work and if
there's other people and I'm telling you
this is the hardest thing 9 out of 10
assistants aren't like that they're oh
they always are the ones that are hidden
in the back rooms and they were always
the ones who are sitting around
gossiping they're always the ones who
want everything handed to them and don't
be that person okay now on the catch
side of the flip side of that you know
if the owner is a complete monster or a
complete whack job and they treat you
like garbage well guess what you're not
gonna want to be a part of it you're not
gonna be a team player that's when it
may be time to start finding at new
salon ok again this is all work this
stuff is not handed easy to you you know
I mean it's not it's not like you can
just walk it out and I must I just
graduate at school and I'm gonna work
for the best salon in the world no it's
not like that that's why I'm telling you
this stuff from Asia this is real life
stuff man so what you need to do is make
sure that you are visible and that
you're respected that the only thing
anyone can ever say to you is oh my gosh
steven is amazing he's like he's another
thing early come early if you taught if
you start at 12 o'clock 11:45 be there
my new motto is is on time is early to
late on time is already too late you
need to be early this way you can get
yourself settled in you can do what you
gotta do and 12 o'clock you start
working that's when you start not you
walk it at 12:00 and you start working
at 12:20 that's not how it works okay
have experienced that as well all right
I've experienced that as well with
people in salons I've worked at my
assistants role in you know late and
everybody is like where's this where's
who so-and-so and oh they're not here
yet and be early okay
it's the best thing I can suggest is be
early also when it comes to training
like I said before in the past
you want to train yourself as much as
you possibly can on your own on top of
whatever the salon is providing for you
and make sure that the salon is
providing something for you right make
sure that they have some sort of
training program program an internship
program so that in a year from now you
can actually be on the floor if you're
ever stuck in a situation where you're
working for the same salon for three
years for four years for five years and
you're not doing anything else except
the same damn thing you've been doing
since day one it's time to leave don't
get comfortable
don't become stagnant and what you're
doing get out I'm telling you right now
I've seen it way too often we've got
even you're working in the same place
doing the same darn things for years and
years and years and there's no growth
whatsoever I've seen it way too often
and it's because the salon doesn't have
a proper structure and education program
in place telling you right now so how do
you be good how do you be the best
assistant it can be be early be visible
be professional be polite what you need
to do is go out of your way if you see
someone coming in open the door for them
showed show manners be a normal human
being right be very well-spoken take
their coats hang them up in the closet
for them can I get you something to
drink
let the stylist know that hey you know
Stephen Melissa your 12 o'clock haircut
is here would you like me to you know
what would you like me to do sit there
talk to her for a little bit you know
make her feel comfortable bring her over
what can I do to help you your role is
to help the salon and the assistant and
then I'm sorry the stylist function as
good as they possibly can that's what
your primary role is and when it comes
down to supporting the stylist the last
thing that you want to have happen are
the stylist the salon owner or the
exception Asst traveling you know miles
and miles that they'll find you because
you're outside smoking or you're outside
you're in the backroom on your damn cell
phone you're just hanging around doing
nothing reading magazines
stop it I'm telling you right now don't
do that always be ready and available so
that you can do your job
at 100% that's real deal stuff man
you need to make sure because you can
ruin the whole flow of the operation
I've seen it you can actually ruin the
flow you can you can cause people to
lose money you can cause the owner to
have a you know a panic attack and and
have a nervous breakdown
you can cause the owner to lose money
you can be you can sink the whole ship
I'm telling you right now so I have
worked with some great assistants where
they're busting their butt non-stop or
they're shampooing clients or cleaning
color bowls or doing laundry you know
one assistant for like ten stylists
that's like a lot all right that's a lot
so if you need to you know go all in do
as best as you can and I know it's gonna
be tough but just you know work through
it and because the rewards will come to
you if you're in the right environment
all right surround yourself around good
people don't let any other assistants
bring you down don't let people you know
make you hang in the backroom you know I
know you want to be BFFs with them but
it's gonna happen but you need to be
career focus this is your life your
career and you have to do this stuff I
mean that's pretty much it man I mean
I've been through so much when it comes
to the clients when you're you know
shampooing learn how to shampoo properly
learn up learn all the ins and outs
about washing out color you know all
these little things that you need to
communicate with a stylist about and
it's all gonna be done through
experience because you will be
shampooing haircuts for colors you know
highlights all these different things
the more you get involved the more you
learn the better you're going to be and
the faster you're going to excel I'm
telling you right now be a sponge be
open be very polite to people be early
educate yourself be nice well mannered
well-spoken and sell yourself put on
your a-game right the salon is the is
the Broadway stage well perform so
that's all I can say about this and you
know I know that these videos are not
getting like a lot of views I'll be
honest with you but what makes me so
happy or the comments from you guys I
mean I haven't gotten views this low
when I can't even tell you how long
but what really the reward is for me is
that the people who are commenting all
of you guys who are watching the you
know assistants or people in viña school
or going to school the comments that I'm
helping you guys and that this is really
valuable to you that means the world to
me I really appreciate it and I mean I
really appreciate it so share this video
watch it eight million times listen to
it you know your headphones whatever you
got to do again let me know in the
comments below if you found this helpful
if you have any questions and that's
pretty much it so thank you guys so much
for watching and I'll see you next time
for more videos with a sly guy