Today, we’d like to introduce you to Summer Diamond.
Hi Summer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a cosmetologist. I actually have a journal from school in 1st grade that says, “I want to be a beautician when I grow up.” I spelled it wrong and everything. As the years went on, I never changed my mind. When I was about to start 11th grade, I switched from Lake Center Christian School to Portage Lakes Career Center to focus on my career, and that would allow me to have my cosmetology license when I graduated high school. I started the cosmetology program and put all I had into it. I was elected cosmetology president, and in my senior year, I took my state board test and started working as soon as I was out of school. I loved making people feel beautiful in their own skin and getting to know my clients. For a few years, I tried different types of salons to see what type was the best fit for me. I tried corporate salons that paid hourly, I tried private salons that paid commission and both were ok, but not what I was looking for. I ended up being an assistant manager of a salon and then, a year later, the store manager of a different location. Being a manager is difficult, I will admit. It’s not the job itself. It’s the inconsistency of the employees and never showing up for work. At the time, I was planning my wedding. I had so many call-offs that year and a half of planning my wedding that I never got to plan any of it. My mom did. When my wedding was over, I felt enough was enough. I was not going to miss out on any more important life events. I left my management job and started my own business. That was the best decision I could have ever made! But In the middle of this, I was diagnosed with a lot of health problems and had to take some time off, and I thought it was going to prevent me from doing what I love. Which tore me to pieces. But I fought hard and did everything in my power to help myself get better. In 2019, my health started to improve. A few problems were incurable, but I was able to continue working and get back to my loyal clients who waited for me. In 2020, I decided to apply to be a cosmetology instructor at National Beauty College. I went for my interview, and a few days later, I got an email saying I had got the job! That was a dream come true for me! I want to teach what I love and still own my own business in the process! I was so happy that they would work with my schedule to allow me to do both.
Working as a cosmetology instructor for a couple of years was the most rewarding experience, and I met a lot of amazing people and friends along the way! But my son was getting older, and I didn’t want to miss out on these special times I had with him. So I went back to just working in the salon. I have now had my own business for six years, been in the field for 12 years, make my own schedule, have over 100 clients, and offer a variety of services. Being a cosmetologist isn’t just doing hair. Your clients become your very best friends. Sometimes, you know them, and they know you better than their own family. I’ve been there with them through births, deaths, new jobs, divorces, breakups, and anything in between. In fact, they have been here for me through everything I have gone through. One client even came to the hospital the day my son was born and crocheted him a Thor baby outfit. The bond couldn’t be stronger. I wouldn’t be where I am today without any of them, my husband and family. As for the future, stay on the lookout for my book, which is coming soon. It is in the works! It’s going to be called Confessions of a Cosmetologist: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly. You will learn the ins and outs of what a cosmetologist does and what they deal with on a daily basis. Thank you.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a fun eventful road. But it’s not always a smooth one. You hit problems and bumps in the road along the way, but you figure out a way to deal with them. There has been struggles and heartache, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a blonding and color specialist, but I offer color and blonding services, haircuts, waxing, treatments, extensions, lash lifts, & perms. What sets me apart from others is that I’m going to do what the client wants done, not what I want to do. That is some of the biggest complaints. I hear from new clients that another stylist won’t do what they want them to do, they don’t listen, and they make you feel uncomfortable. When you are in my chair, I want you to feel like you’re on vacation; you don’t have to have a worry in the world; you’re there to relax and feel beautiful. I only take new clients at certain times of the year because my schedule is so full, but I do make exceptions often. I just want to be that person who gives people what they want, makes them happy, and sees smiles on their faces when I turn them around to look in the mirror. That’s why I do this job. It is to see that first initial reaction on their face when they are all done. That makes everything else worth it.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I want to thank my dad for paying for me to take cosmetology in high school. He has always supported me and wanted to be a cosmetologist, and he has pushed me in my career to do more and be better. I also want to thank my mom for always supporting me and what I wanted to do. I wouldn’t have probably wanted to do hair if it wasn’t for my mom because she did hair, too. So, I was brought up around it, and I think I just wanted to be like my mom. I also want to thank all my loyal clients for making my business what it is and my husband, being by my side, helping me along the way over the past 12 years.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summer.diamond.507?mibextid=opq0tG
- Contact Number: (330)701-5126
