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In the Salon: Flexibility Equals Opportunity!

Regency grad Ali Foster on her NYC apartment rooftop

Graduate Profile

Looking for inspiration? We found her! This recent Regency grad really took charge of her own educational experience and took in as much knowledge and experience as she could. And it paid off, big time. Her sheer determination, ambition, and mad skills put her on the fast track from graduation in Fort Collins, CO to working for MTV* in New York City just one month later! How did she do it? Meet Ali Foster.

Regency: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career.
Ali: I have lived in Ft Collins, CO my whole life. I attended CSU for Public Relations and decided that it wasn't for me. My true passion was hair and makeup, so I enrolled at Regency in March of 2009. After graduating, I was offered an amazing opportunity to come and work at MTV in New York City, so here I am!  

Regency: You just graduated in February! How did you end up landing such a great job so quickly?
Ali: Throughout my time at school, I shadowed a stylist at an upscale salon to expand my opportunities and make the most of my education. I wanted to take in everything I could, because I knew that the more experience and hands-on learning that I got, the more it would help me in my career. While I was in school, I also worked really hard to be able to attend the INsalon hair show in Minneapolis. It was amazing and inspiring, and it just motivated me to push harder.  

During this time, my fiancé Justin kept in contact with a client of his, Elisa, in NYC who has worked at MTV for 16 years. When Elisa heard about my progress and hard work, she invited me to do a three month internship with her after I graduated. So we packed up our things in March 2010 (one month after I graduated) and did a "temporary move" to NYC for what was supposed to be three months.  

Regency: How was your first day at MTV? Were you nervous? Scared? Confident?
Ali: The first day was very exciting! I watched how the talent's hair was done and at the end of the day I said, "I feel completely confident that I can do her hair." The very next day, they let me!  

Regency: What was the internship like?
Ali: It was amazing. I was able to jump in very quickly and start working directly with the talent. After watching Elisa do hair and makeup for a photo shoot, she allowed me to try hands on the next time for the show. From that point on, I was styling the talent's hair every week completely on my own, and working on a few other shows.  

Regency: How did your internship become a job offer?
Ali: After two months as an intern, I was told that I was creative and talented - and MTV offered me a full-time position working there on a new series!    

Regency: Do you work mostly alone or on a team of stylists? 
Ali: I work with the lady that I originally did the internship with, Elisa. She specializes in makeup so we work on the hosts of the show as a team, doing hair and makeup at the same time. You definitely have to work together! You have to pay attention to things like making sure not to move the talent's head while styling if your partner is putting eyeliner on them, to make sure not to stab them in the eye! 

Regency: What are some challenges you face on the job?
Ali: One really big challenge is never knowing what condition the talent's hair will be in on any given day. Sometimes, they come in with soaking wet hair; other days it's dirty and ratted. And no matter what, you have the same limited amount of time to style it - even if they require extensions. You just never know what to plan for!  

Regency: What's a typical week like for you?
Ali: As of now, we are waiting for our new series to launch so my weeks are pretty scattered. We've shot four pilots for the new series, and another pilot for a show to be launched in the fall. Some nights, I'll get an email at 9:00 pm asking me to be at work at 5:15 am the next morning! I am also doing hair and makeup for a few weddings and some promotional photo shoots on the side.  

Regency: What have been your most fun and interesting experiences so far?
Ali: The most interesting experience for me, is being on set. You get to see how a show is filmed behind the scenes, and touch up the talent in between takes. It's also really crazy and exciting to see celebrities walking in and out of the studio daily and getting to meet some of them.  

Regency: What are your future plans?
Ali: Justin and I (and our dog) need to decide if we want to go back to Colorado or stay here in New York permanently. In the meantime, I plan to work at MTV.  

Regency: Any Regency student experiences that really stand out?
Ali: In my second month on the Performance Floor, I earned Student Master Designer status.  I had to work my butt off but it was worth it. I gained many new clients that month and they continued to see me throughout the year.  

Regency: Now that you have some experience in the industry, is it everything you wanted it to be?
Ali: It's even better than I thought. This industry is not just limited to working in a salon; the opportunities are endless.  

Regency: What advice would you give our students and future students?
Ali: Don't let anyone hold you back! There will be bad days and days where you want to quit, but stay strong and positive and finish with your head held high.  

Regency: Any parting words?
Ali: Think outside the box. While you learn a lot in school, there is only so much they can teach you during the program. Branch out and learn everything you can! Take additional cutting/color classes, buy how-to DVD's from reputable hair companies, shadow a stylist at a local salon - get out there and fill your head with knowledge. You never know what you can learn from yourself or others, and you never know who you may meet along the way!

 *MTV is a copyright of MTV Networks ("MTVN"), a division of Viacom International Inc.

Regency Will Take You Places  

Regency keeps building new campuses nationwide. In this year alone, we've added 18 brand new campuses to our network! As we grow, so will the name (and the reputation) behind your beauty education. Here are some of the newest communities who are finding out just how fabulous we are! For a complete campus listing, check out our campus locator. 

• FL: 
  Orange Park
• IL:
  Crystal Lake
• IN:
  Castleton
  Merrillville
• OH:
  Toledo (Holland)
• TN
  North Nashville (Madison)
• TX:
  Round Rock
  Southwest Houston
• VA
  Manassas
  Roanoke 

And we'll be coming to even more new communities in 2011! As our name gets out there in more and more places, more salon owners and managers will know what it means to be a Regency graduate. Our grads end up working in all facets of the beauty industry from coast to coast and beyond -  you never know where you'll meet another Regency student or grad! 

In the Salon: Ways to Earn  

As if the fun, the creativity, and the reward of helping people look and feel great weren't enough to convince you that cosmetology is an amazing career, here's another perk: the beauty business offers incredible flexibility. Besides being able to branch off into any number of specialties, cosmetologists can choose how they want to work and when they want to work, and those choices can directly affect how much money they make. Very few other careers offer so many possibilities.  

You may have already noticed in researching cosmetology that there are different ranges for cosmetology income levels. There's a reason for this - every day and every client is a new opportunity for a cosmetologist to increase their income!  In fact, two cosmetologists working in the same salon can earn dramatically different amounts of money.   Here we break down some of the many ways to earn and how they work to unlock scheduling and earning potential.  

Wages
Some salons pay their stylists an hourly wage while others pay commission or charge rent. There are pluses and minuses to each; it all depends on what suits your style.  

Hourly 
Typically, salons that pay hourly wages are chain salons that specialize in haircutting. However, there are always exceptions; you could possibly find a full service salon that pays hourly. The upsides to being paid hourly are: 

• No matter how busy you are, you'll have a steady paycheck.
• Because these salons typically have a high customer volume, you could earn a strong tip income.
• Many salons provide benefits including paid vacation time.

The downside is that you may be strictly doing haircuts and light styles.  

Some salons set up their pay scales to pay their stylists hourly or commission, whichever is higher.  

Commission/ Booth Rental
Some stylists choose to work as contractors in a salon and earn commission or pay rent. Commissioned stylists earn a percentage of all their service dollars. Stylists who rent a chair pay a flat weekly or monthly rate, regardless of service and retail dollars. The upsides to working independently are:

• If you're extremely busy or if you perform high-dollar services, you could make more money.
• Because most commissioned stylists are considered self employed, you could have a lot of scheduling flexibility.

The downside? If business is slow, your paycheck will suffer. Also, in many cases no paid vacations, sick days or employer-provided benefits.  

Now that you've got the base income, here's the great part: unlike most professionals who get their paychecks and not a penny more, cosmetologists have countless opportunities to give themselves a bonus every single day. Welcome to the world of bonuses and tips!  

Bonuses and Incentives
In almost every work environment, cosmetologists can really increase income through incentives. Almost without exception, salons pay stylists incentives or commissions on product sales. Some set up benchmarks to reach before you earn incentives, others pay a flat percentage. Still others may have a sliding scale, so the more you sell the higher your incentive will be. No matter where a cosmetologist works, product sales can boost income.  

Other incentives or bonuses may be offered based on productivity, service dollars, client service, or other goals that have been set by the salon.  

Tips
Every cosmetologist earns tips. How much they earn is entirely up to them. Cosmetologists with excellent service, strong technical skills, and great people skills are always stronger tip earners.   It's easy to see why cosmetology is a career choice with lots of income potential and a wide range of income levels. Beyond a regular paycheck, cosmetologists really do have the ability to give themselves a raise with every client they serve!