Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Ward
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
All of my childhood I knew I wanted to be a Hairstylist and Makeup artist. Growing up I often didnt feel beautiful and really lacked alot of self confidence, working on my own hair and makeup really made a difference in boosting that self worth and confidence I needed. I took Cosmetology all throughout High school and competed in many Skills USA competitions during that time. Once I graduated high school, I went on to attend Beauty school where I then graduated and obtained my TN Cosmetology License in 2009. I went on to work a couple of corperate salon jobs, then went to a small commision based salon and finally in 2017 I opened my very own salon called Bombshell Salon in a little tiny commerical building big enought for me and possibly one other person later on. I had worked with other stylists my entire life and was ready to branch out and work by myself. I grew tremendously in that time and learnt everything I could on my own and my tiny shop flouirished. In 2020 my best friend since beauty school decided to take a leap of faith to be my plus one in my tiny shop after the current salon closed after covid. We worked in this little yellow building together for about a year and decided we were going to partner up in owning Bombshell Salon and we were then ready to look for a bigger location because we were ready to add more stylists to our team and make Bombshell a bigger salon. We finally found a place in Downtown Kingport that was PERFECT! We spent months with all the blood, sweat, tears and all of our own money to build our brand new Bombshell Salon that could now fit 8 stylists!!! We now have every single salon booth filled with an amazing, talented, passionate and diverse team!! We call it the dream team or we call ourselves the Bombshell Squad. We had a mission to help other stylists new or seasoned, provide not only exceptional services and client care but also a atmosphere where our stylists can thrive as well. I t has truly become a dream come true and our mission is to always be loving and kind to not only flourish in our business oursleves but help our other stylists as well. We strive to make sure that every single person who comes into our doors feels more beautiful, loved and educated before they leave. We have built a safe space for all types of individuals and want to make sure you always feel beautiful and confident!
Alright, 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?
I dont think the road is ever smooth with building an empire but we are definitly always striving for the best and encourage and empower each other in those times for need, good or bad! Alot of people seem to thing owning your own business is easy and you are rich!! I usually laugh when I hear that because if you havent owned your own business then you dont understand all of the time, money and planning it takes to keep it going. Keeping business going through all the financial struggles everyone not only us have faced has been challenging at times but we always work hard and do everything we can to keep Bombshell Salon up, going and strong!!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Alot of stylists now specialize in a certain area in the hair industry but I like to think of myself as the jack of all trades!! I think specialites are amazing but I personally want to be able to service any client that walks into our doors. I am always educating myself on new trends, color lines, brands of products and tools so I can best service all my clients. I love doing big transformations and anything I can to make the client look and feel their best when leaving the salon. I do everything from blonding, balayage, vibrant colors, reds, brunettes, deminsional colors, extentions, formal styles, makeup, cuts and styles, so basically any and everything you can throw at me!! I always make sure to educate my clients as well before and after receiving services to ensure they know the steps we will take before their service and the after care necessities as well. I am most proud of my drive and will to help others not only clients but new stylists as well. I want to see all of my clients feel beautiful and see all my stylists succeed! I think what sets me apart from others is my heart for this industry!! Making others feel beautiful while giving them a safe space to completely be themselves is my main goals! Also, as for my stylists that work along side me, I want to always be a positive and encouraging influence in their lives and careers, i love to help and helping them grow in their career is so rewarding to me! Being a girl growing up feeling like i wasnt ever enough, worthy or able of great things, My happiness and success comes from knowing I can help others succeed, know thier worth, and know they can do anything they set their mind too!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The Covid-19 crisis was so extremely hard on everyone. During the crisis I think I really learnt how to plan, manage money an d learn how to think of intivative ways to keep my business going even tho we were none contact for months. I kept my clients engaged through social media and made sure to use that time to educate them on many different things within the beauty world. Plus I was also rebuilding my new expansion during this time. To say I was stressed was an understatement. Even though salon services are a luxury, Covid-19 did show me how much us as stylists really mean to the world around us, and how much we aid in others mental health and confidence levels. Having these services make others better overall!
Pricing:
- Pricing varies on services provided
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bombshell.salon.tn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BombShellSalonKpt
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/amanda_ward08
