Meet Trailblazer Kimberly Ibbotson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Ibbotson.

Kimberly, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I graduated high school a year early and at the age of 17 directly enrolled in my local beauty school Sutter Beauty College in my small home town, Yuba City in Northern California.

I struggled with getting my license in the beginning and at age 19 passed state board and started my first job at great clips and stayed there for two years until I decided to rent a booth and focus on color full time. I was told by my previous employer how difficult it would be to be self-employed and while they were right, I was insistent on making it work.

I quickly built a clientele and within the first six months, my books were booked 2-3 months out. I started the first year with all blonde and natural-colored clients and the day I had my first creative colored client a flip switched inside and I grew immensely more passionate about my career. Two years after renting a chair, I decided to rent my own suite and had a more private studio for my clients and myself so I could put more effort into my creativity, photography and creating content/building a brand.

As soon as I opened my studio, I practiced producing more quality content and really put the effort on my Instagram. That landed me the first big thing that changed the course of my career. I was nominated for Behind The Chair One Shot awards 2017. I didn’t win but it leads to things I didn’t foresee.

I attended that show in Austin, TX that August alone and not knowing a single person. I made friends and built connections which lead me to move to San Diego, CA in June 2018.

July 2018, the month after I moved to San Diego, I was asked to showcase at an event known as Kraft Lookbook in Hollywood CA. That event I met the people of Downtown Leche in Los Angeles and for months following, I would drive to LA two to three times a month to spend time with them, create with them and attend classes and shows together. That lead to more opportunities for me to showcase my work and network with new people. I ultimately decided as much as I loved San Diego, I wanted to make decisions that would lead me to build the future I envisioned for myself. I made one of the biggest and most nerve-racking decisions and made the move to LA in April 2019.

In June 2019, I was nominated for the third consecutive year for Behind The Chair One-Shot in 2019 and this year, at the show in D.C. I took home the award for vibrant shot of the year.

I’ve only lived in Los Angeles since April 2019 and it has hands down been the most fulfilling decision I’ve ever made for myself. The amount that has happened in the few short months living here has shown me all that I am capable of achieving if I put in the work and truly believe in the beauty of my dreams.

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 been a smooth road at all, but it’s all been well worth the challenges I’ve faced. It’s taught me to appreciate every bit of the journey I’ve been on and pushed me to work hard to overcome future challenges as well. The best advice I could give is to keep going, push yourself and don’t ever settle when things get tough. You’re completely capable of giving yourself everything you’ve ever wanted, and you will!

What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I specialize in creative color, buzz cut color + designs and custom color wigs. I am most proud of staying true to who I am as an artist and expressing my creativity through my very colorful creations. It has brought an abundance of people who want what I have to offer and that means the world to me. I think what sets me apart is the experience. It’s always been more than just hair for me, it’s the entire package. I give a thousand percent of my effort in every aspect to my clients in order to make them feel as special and unique as they are.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I love the hair game podcast. I listen to it often and used to listen to it every time I made that long drive from San Diego to Los Angeles every weekend. I became hooked and even had the opportunity to be on it at one point. I also read a ton of self-help, motivational and manifestation books. They have been a big part of my life in recent years and have helped create a lot of positive improvements in my work and personal life.

Contact Info:

• Address: 810 S Flower Street Los Angeles, CA 90015
• Website: www.downtownleche.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kimberlytayhair
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kimberlytayhair

Image Credit:
Kimberly Ibbotson

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