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“The Wannabe Stylist”….

Sep 11, 2018

Hi there Sport Clipsters! Welcome to my blog! My name is Whitney and I am “The Wannabe Stylist”.

I started with Sport Clips back in 2014 as the receptionist of this great company… That’s right, I am not a stylist (hence the silly nickname) but in my 4 years here I have had MANY experiences, built a number of wonderful relationships and learned enough about the industry that I can do everything EXCEPT cut hair. Okay… maybe everything is an overstatement, but you get what I mean.

I love this industry… who are we kidding, we all love this industry otherwise, why would we be here? I can’t speak for you as TL’s or AD’s or even from a stylists’ perspective, but I can tell you the reason behind my passion. Opportunity… opportunity lies in ever little corner and facet of the beauty world. From hair, to make-up, to entrepanuership or whatever you call it, to blogging, to building relationships and managing people… there is something for EVERYBODY.

For the past 2 years I have served as the Industry Event Specialist. Meaning, I travel with the Artistic Team to beauty shows across the Nation and help spread brand awareness for Sport Clips. I happen to think it’s the best job ever. Let me give you a little background to help explain my love for what I do.

In high school, I was a musical theatre kid with dreams of making it big in Hollywood. But as life does, it took an unexpected turn and I found myself on quite a different path. For the better part of my adult life, I have been a stay at home mom. I did not develop any real skills after high school except taking care of other’s needs. I had been job hunting on and off for a couple of years before I received a call from a staffing agency for an interview. Not really knowing what I was getting in to, I went in just to see what they had to offer. As you can imagine after applying for numerous jobs over a two-year span, and getting turned down, I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself. But I decided to go for it anyway.

I’ll never forget what the staffing agent said to me when we met… “I have a position in Georgetown and the people there are very happy, it’s at Sport Clips World Headquarters” Of course, that sounded appealing because of the “very happy” part and because of the close proximity to my home, so I scheduled an interview. I remember pulling up and parking, probably 20 minutes earlier than scheduled and sitting in my car pep-talking myself… “Whit, you can do this… don’t be scared… this is your big break.” I was literally shaking when I walked through the front door of Building 1 for my interview. While details of the interview are blurry, I have a vague recollection of saying “Logan Gordon” and I cringe thinking about the fact that I probably said “SportS Clips” more than once. Thankfully, in spite of these mishaps, I was hired!

I loved my job as the receptionist. I felt completely content in doing that forever. It was probably my second week working when Mark Kartarik, our former President, came and sat at the front desk and asked me this question, “Where do you see yourself with Sport Clips in 5 years?” I did not know how to answer… all I had ever pictured myself doing was answering phones and greeting people. That was all I believed I was capable of, but his question really got me thinking… where could I go?

In my 4 years with Sport Clips I have grown and learned so much. I have been given OPPORTUNITIES like you wouldn’t believe. From singing “O’ Canada” for 3000 attendees at the National Huddle, to being on set in L.A. for the filming of a reality show, to having my haircut by famous industry professionals, to traveling with a team that inspires and educates, the list goes on and on. Who would’ve thought that by accepting a position as a receptionist I would be able to experience so many things.

In addition to the opportunity this company and industry has to offer, I love the people.  I have been surrounded by so many inspiring, genuine, and passionate folks. From the World Headquarters to the stylists and Coaches in stores all over the U.S. and Canada, to those in the field; we all have one thing in common… a GREAT PASSION and ENTHUSIASM for the brand. I love our values and I love working alongside people who truly live by these values on a daily basis.

In this industry, amongst these people, my inner theatre kid rejoices at being able to exercise my creativity and though I lament at not being a stylist myself, I have found my crowd, I have found my confidence, and I have found my passion. And THAT is why I love this industry and this brand! Thank you Sport Clips… I’m living the dream.

“By doing what you love you inspire and awaken the hearts of other.” ~Satsuki Shibuya

 

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