June 29, 2016

Meet Studio City Hairstylist: Linet Keshishian

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Linet Keshishian.

She knew hairstyling was for her at a young age, stuck with it and has built a very successful career for herself in one of the hottest markets in the nation. Linet is very professional, hardworking and most importantly – talented. Check out our interview with Linet below.

Linet, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

I started doing hair very young, about 13 years ago. I had no intention of being a hairstylist and had unwillingly ended up in cosmetology school my senior year in high school. I had the option to graduate early from high school during my junior year but wanted to walk on stage with my friends the next school year. The counselor told me I had to either walk my junior year or stay in school another year. This bummed me out because I had worked so hard to graduate early with honors. The counselor said I could take some vocation or trade class to help pass the school year with some “fun.” Cosmetology seemed okay since I could just apply how to do hair and makeup for my own personal use. I wanted to go to college. And I did. I have a graduate degree in counseling with an option in school psychologist. I have worked as a school psychologist for various school districts in the LA area but have always done hair on the side.

A few years ago, I started getting tired of the bureaucracy that comes with working for a school district and decided to focus full time on hair. Slowly but surely, myself made business grew and flourished. I never worked for a salon. Always for myself. Always continued educating myself on the latest hair trends. My Instagram and yelp are the main ways new clients find me. I specialize in color. So happy I made the move toward concentrating on my creative side. Love my clients. Love making them feel beautiful. Most of all, I love connecting with them. I wait for that “I love my hair” moment and/or hug at the end of every hair appointment. So satisfying. Keeps my drive going? I also love to travel. Been to over 40 countries and counting. I’m lucky enough to have a career that allows me to take off when I want to.

What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future include expanding my services in LA. Currently I’m mainly in Studio City and Burbank but hope to expand my clientele to West LA and possibly other areas. I’m looking at salons all over LA to find the right spot and take over. At that point I would split my days between locations.

Let’s dig a little deeper into your story. What was the hardest time you’ve had?
The hardest time in my career (or life) was when I decided to take the risk of going full time with doing hair. I set aside my graduate degree, despite the criticism of friends and family, in order to pursue a creative outlet and dream. It was a rough patch BC some people were very negative about and did not believe I could do it on my own. They all thought I needed to go work at some snobby super high salon in order to make a name for myself in the industry. It was rough and I had days where I thought I should just go back to my 9-5. But I silently kept at it. The nay sayers were wrong. I’m growing more and more each day and my returning clientele has expanded to the point where I am independently running a successful business.

Do you ever just stop and think WOW – I’ve made it?

I realized I had made it when my phone started going off and every new client said they either found me on Yelp or Instagram. My work speaks for itself but a referral or shout out/mention means the world to me. More and more people are sending me referrals and I feel so blessed. Everything is going the way I want it and I just hope to keep growing.

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