Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Chaney.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sarah. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I got my start doing hair in Professional Theatre. I was just about to finish my BFA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management at the University of Mississippi, and I realized that Stage Management was not the path I wanted to take after all. I confided that in one of my professors who had taught me Hair & Makeup as an elective, and she was like “You’re actually really good at Hair & Makeup… Why don’t we try and get you some work in the Wig Department somewhere instead?” It hadn’t even occurred to me that could be a possibility. She helped me get my first job at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and I just never stopped working after that. It’s amazing what a really good teacher can see in you that you never saw in yourself. I worked in theatre and film/TV for years, but eventually, the stability of salon life became really appealing. Really it’s not that different. I’m still telling stories and creating characters. Except now the characters and stories are the guys who own the coffee shop down the street rather than Hamlet or something. It’s all really fun and creative!
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?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but I have been very, very lucky. For a while when I was working in Regional Theatre, I was moving all the time. On average it was a new contract every nine months or so, and it was often to cities where I didn’t know anyone. It got really lonely sometimes especially being so far away from my family back home in Mississippi. However, I got to live in a lot of amazing places and make a lot of friends that I would never have gotten to meet if I had just stayed back home. I also really got to know myself and learned how to be my own best friend. Now I get to run my own business in one of the coolest, most diverse cities in the world! It’s the best! So, my advice is to really get to know yourself and if an opportunity for adventure presents itself: take it. It sounds cliche, but you really never know what you’re capable of until you try.
Please tell us about your business.
It’s really important to me help people feel like the best version of themselves. It has a lot to do with my background in entertainment creating characters for shows. I’m always kind of thinking “How can I help this person say what they want to say to the world?” I figured out pretty early on that people with naturally curly hair are often overlooked in that sense. I hear every day from my curly clients that stylists haven’t ever told them how to work with instead of against their hair’s natural texture. I think that’s a shame because naturally, curly hair is so incredibly beautiful. So, I specialize in cutting, coloring, and styling naturally curly hair. I love it so much because really all I’m doing is helping the hair do what it already wants to do anyway. It’s so fun! Sometimes new curly clients are confused because I don’t have curly hair myself, but I just tell them that I’m disappointed every morning when I wake up and my hair’s not curly. Getting to work with it all day is the next best thing.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Start With Why by Simon Sinek was a game changer for me. It reads a little bit like a textbook, but if you can get past that (or listen to the audio version), it’s super helpful with finding purpose and focus in your business. My Mama gave me a copy of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum for High School graduation, and it’s full of good reminders about the basics. You know, like be nice to people and don’t chew with your mouth open. It’s easy to lose sight of those basic manners and kindness these days, so the reminders are nice.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5229 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood,CA 91601 - Website: www.fancychaneyhair.com
- Phone: 818-763-2977
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/fancychaneyhair
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/fancychaneyhair
Image Credit:
Sarah Chaney
Kayleigh Fiedler
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