Rising Stars: Meet Fia Zentmeyer of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fia Zentmeyer.

Hi Fia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been drawn to the arts and creative fields, and after a semester of college, I quickly realized that a traditional 9-5 career was not for me. After some research, I quickly realized that doing hair would tick all my boxes: I wouldn’t be at a desk, I would be working with people, and I would have the opportunity to be creative on a daily basis.

I started cosmetology school in January of 2020, which was not the easiest time to learn such a hands-on industry. Even so, it confirmed that hair was what I wanted to do.

Right out of school, I started at a franchise haircut salon and unexpectedly stepped into a management role only a few months later. That experience taught me a lot about leadership, client retention, and working under pressure early in my career. From there, I explored a few different salon environments trying to find the right fit. Some were valuable learning experiences, and some showed me exactly what I didn’t want for myself long-term. I also went through an apprenticeship that, while difficult, ultimately pushed me to grow thicker skin and become more confident in my abilities.

Eventually, I returned to the chain salon environment before landing at a salon where I truly rebuilt my foundation as a stylist. That’s where I really learned how to do the kind of hair I’m passionate about and started building a loyal clientele of my own.

Since then, I took the leap into booth rental back in my area, continued growing my business independently, and now I’m in my own private loft space. Having my own studio has been incredibly rewarding because it allows me to create an experience that feels personal, welcoming, and fully reflective of who I am as both a stylist and as a person.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. I think one of the biggest challenges early on was trying to find the right environment to grow in as a new stylist. I entered the industry during COVID, which already made beauty school and hands-on learning more difficult, and after graduating, I bounced between a few salon environments that ultimately weren’t the best fit for me.

A major struggle for me was confidence. I went through an apprenticeship experience that really impacted how I viewed myself professionally, and for a while I genuinely questioned whether I was capable of succeeding in this industry. As someone with ADHD, I’ve also had to learn how I work and learn best. Looking back, I think some environments simply weren’t equipped to support different learning styles. At the time, I internalized that as personal failure, and it took a lot of rebuilding mentally and emotionally to trust myself again.

Another challenge was rebuilding my clientele more than once. Early in your career, your client base is everything, so having to essentially start over taught me a lot about consistency, resilience, and relationship-building. There were definitely moments where I wondered if continuing in the industry made sense financially or emotionally.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a hairstylist who specializes in blondes, lived-in color, and vivid hair! My main goal when people come to see me is to create a space that’s judgement-free (and to create some bomb hair, of course)!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I would define success as living a balanced life. As long as all of my bills are paid, I have enough to save and invest, and I get to spend time with the people I love doing the things I enjoy, I’m succeeding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://salonlofts.com/fia_zentmeyer
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiazdoeshair/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094746451965
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fia-zentmeyer-80b6b3261/