How I Went from a Walmart Stylist to Building My Dream Beauty Business

In this episode, I'm sharing my complete transformation story, from working at a SmartStyle in Walmart, struggling to make ends meet as a young mom, to building a thriving beauty business and community that has helped hundreds of stylists transform their careers.

I take you through the exact turning points in my journey:

• The reality of working in a chain salon with no control
• The scary leap to independence (and why freedom without structure was still overwhelming)
• The pivotal mindset shifts that changed everything
• How I restructured my pricing, boundaries, and schedule
• The personal development work that transformed my business and life

If you're a beauty professional feeling stuck in the cycle of overworking and under-earning, this video is for you. I believe you deserve a business that gives you freedom, financial success, and clients that light you up, and I'm living proof it's possible.

This industry doesn't have to burn you out. There's a better way, and I (and hundreds of stylists in Stylist Soul Tribe) are living proof.

It’s time to create a beauty business on YOUR terms. DM me "FREEDOM" on Instagram (@lisahuffhair https://www.instagram.com/lisahuffhair ) and let's talk about making this your reality too.

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Transcript

0:00

Hey, friend, if you made it to this video, I just wanted to take a moment to say, I'm so glad you're here, because today I am going to sit down and share something really special with you. I'm taking you through my entire journey how I went from working at a smart style inside of Walmart, feeling overwhelmed and stuck to building an incredibly successful studio suite business, to now leading an online community of over a hundred beauty professionals that have decided to build a dream business on their terms. And let me tell you, this did not happen overnight. It was a journey built on bold decisions, uncomfortable growth, and a whole lot of figuring things out the hard way. It all came down to deliberate planning, serious strategy, and stepping into a version of myself who refused to settle for loss. I'm making this video today because I know there are a whole lot of beauty professionals out there, independent stylists, salon owners, nail technicians, estheticians, who felt like I once did. You've always dreamt of a business that gives you freedom, financial security, and fulfillment, but the path to get there isn't always clear. And let's be real. The beauty industry has come a long way, but it still carries a lot of the old school standards that keep us trapped in a cycle of overworking and underearning. Maybe you're at a point where you're working crazy hours, but still not making the income that you want. You feel like you have no control over your schedule or the clients you want to take on. You're saying yes to everyone because you're scared to set boundaries even when it's burning you out. I know exactly how that feels because I lived it. But the truth is you deserve a business that gives you freedom, financial success in clients that light you up. So today I'm sharing everything, my entire journey in the exact shifts that I made to change my business forever, my journey from smart style to taking control. Let's jump into it. I graduated cosmetology. School, fresh out of high school thanks to a program offered at my school. And at first I didn't take this career very seriously. Maybe like some of you watching, I bounced around a lot from commission salon to chain salon as my husband and I were moving a lot at the time. But in 2016, I made a decision that changed my business forever. I was working in a smart style inside of Walmart in a small town, and I realized that I needed to get serious. I'll be honest, I was barely making ends meet, living in borderline poverty with two small children to support missing important moments like birthdays and family gatherings. Because I was busy working weekends and evenings. The pay was terrible. I had zero control over my schedule, the clients I worked with or my own growth. I knew that there had to be something more. This was probably one of the hardest periods of my life, but looking back, it was also a turning point, the leap becoming independent. So I did the scariest thing I've ever done. I left. I went independent and started renting a studio. I still remember what it felt like back then. I had no idea if I was going to make it, but here's what nobody tells you about being independent. Freedom without structure, it can feel just as overwhelming as being stuck. I was still overworking myself maybe more because at this point my clientele was growing very fast. I was still saying yes to everyone, afraid to set boundaries, and my income was inconsistent. I was running my business purely on hustle. No strategies, no systems, just working harder and hoping that things would fall into place. Does that sound familiar to you? The moment everything changed, the biggest shift happened when I realized that I was the one in control. I started making decisions differently. I got super serious about my pricing. Instead of working harder, I raised my prices strategically and my income skyrocketed. I stopped taking clients who drained me. I started focusing on my dream clients who were. Expected my time, my energy, and my expertise. I structured my schedule intentionally. I stopped saying yes out of fear, and I designed a business that worked for me. But the real transformation came from the personal work that I did during this time. I read countless books, listened to podcasts, and started investing heavily into mentorship and coaching, and that investment in myself changed everything. I discovered that self-worth and mindset were the missing pieces. That shift didn't just change my business. It seriously changed my entire life because while strategies and systems are crucial, it was the intention and mindset shift that made all the difference where I am today. My dream reality. Fast forward to today, my world looks so different. I work with clients that I love, who trust my expertise and value my time. I'm now behind the chair by choice just a couple of days a week because I still love to get my hands in hair. I've perfected my schedule. I have time for my family, my creativity and life outside of the salon. Guys, I have a garden now. 2016, Lisa couldn't even keep up with her everyday life. And now I tend to a garden regularly. And I've built Stylist Soul Tribe, a community where stylists learn how to achieve their own big magic ideas without the struggle of having to figure it out all alone. Most importantly. I still love doing hair, but now I get to do it on my own terms, which is really fricking cool. As I went through this journey, I started to notice something. There was a pattern, a cycle that many stylists get stuck in. I saw it in my own business. I saw it in stylists around me, and now that I've coached hundreds of beauty professionals, I see it everywhere. There's a specific process that most stylists move through, and most people don't even realize that they're in it. Some get stuck in the first step. Others will get partway through, hit a wall and don't know how to move forward. But once I understood this cycle, once I learned exactly where I was getting stuck and how to break through. It changed everything. That's when I was finally able to build a business that felt good, paid me well, and finally gave me back control of my life. So if you're watching this and thinking, Lisa, that's exactly where I'm at, then I want you to know that you don't have to stay stuck. This industry doesn't have to burn you out. You don't have to follow the old school hustle till you drop model. There's a better way and I'm living proof of it, and so are hundreds of hairstylists inside of Stylist Soul Tribe. So if this resonated with you and you feel like I just spoke to your exact reality, please DM me the word freedom on Instagram and let's talk because I believe in what's possible for you, and it's time that you believe in it too. You can create a business that supports your dream life. You can work with clients that you adore, you can take control of your schedule, your income, and your future, and I want to help you get there. So DM me the word Freedom on Instagram at Lisa hha, and let's talk about how to make this your reality. I genuinely hope that my journey inspires you to take this next step, and I will see you in my next video. Bye.