Today we’d like to introduce you to Jocelyn Emerson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi! I’m Jocelyn Emerson, owner of Updos By Jocelyn. I am a traveling Bridal Stylist and Updo Educator based out of my hometown, Chardon, Ohio. Here is my story of how I got started in the hair industry, and how I got to a place in my career that I truly love what I do and look forward to each day’s work.
In high school, I had absolutely no direction of where I wanted my life to go. My mom suggested I apply to Cosmetology School at a local trade school so that I always would have something to fall back on. I did think it would be fun to know how to style my own hair, so I did that. I got my Cosmetology license at the same time I graduated from high school. Shortly after, I got my first salon job where I worked for about 4 years.
I never looked forward to the next day’s work, and I often questioned if this was the right career for me. The only days that really brought me joy in the salon were the days the prom and homecoming girls would come in and I could get creative with styling.
At age 21, my husband Dan and I had our first daughter, Shaelyn, and we decided it would be best if I quit working so that I could be home with her. Looking back, this was the best decision for our family, and I am so thankful that I had the privilege to do that. A few short years later, I had my second daughter, Delaney. I kept very busy raising my two girls. I continued to do a few family and friends’ hair, kept my license up to date, and periodically tagged along if a stylist friend needed help on a bridal party. I always enjoyed special event styling, but I wasn’t doing it often enough to feel very confident in my work.
As my girls grew, and both went off to school, I decided I wanted to pursue Bridal Hair Styling more. I ordered myself a nice mannequin to work on at home and I watched a ton of free educational videos online to learn new styling techniques. I took a virtual class with a few bridal stylists that I looked up to, and I learned so many new concepts that changed the way that I viewed styling. I practiced all of the things I was learning often, and I took photos of all of my creations and really examined them to see what I liked and disliked about each one. This really helped me to learn more about developing my own style, and to work harder on the areas that I struggled in. This also helped me to build a portfolio on Instagram in the way that I wanted to, with the looks that I enjoyed doing.
I worked hard to connect with and to market myself to other local wedding vendors and business owners who helped me tremendously by referring my business to others. I was able to book some wedding parties for 2020, but many of them ended up canceling or postponing due to covid. As frustrating of a time as that was, I didn’t let it stop me from continuing to learn and practice at home.
Around this time, I learned about a hair competition called One Shot Hair Awards that had a styling category, and I decided to use some of my spare time during the Covid lockdown to push myself out of the box and create as many entries as I could for this. I’ll never forget a couple of my entries that I felt so proud of, and that helped me to realize that I am capable of more than I had thought. This feeling pushed me to continue to want to learn as much as I possibly could.
I decided to try to start filming and learning how to edit videos so that I could create hairstyling tutorials and share the things I was learning with others. My Instagram started to gain traction and I was able to fill my books with wedding parties for 2021, which was the first big year for my business. This has also helped me to have opportunities to partner with different brands on social media and have some opportunities to work from home creating content.
I had such a busy wedding season in 2021 and this helped me to grow a lot as a stylist and learn a lot more about how a business functions, and all of the additional work that goes into running a business. As a mom whose family is home on the weekends, I realized I didn’t want every weekend to be overtaken by working, so I reduced the number of weddings I would accept as I booked for 2022. I feel such a calmness heading into my bridal season this year due to this choice!
A great passion of mine within this business has been sharing things I have learned with other stylists that share my same passion for learning, so the first time a local salon owner reached out to me to see if I would be interested in teaching an in-salon bridal styling class I jumped at the opportunity. I was so nervous walking into that first class, but it felt so natural and so right to be there sharing my passion with others. After that class, I decided I wanted to pursue educating more, so I started to advertise this new branch of my business. Since then, I have had the opportunity to teach many classes all over Ohio. Recently I taught my first out-of-state class in Scottsdale, Arizona which was such a blast! I also recently had the great honor to teach alongside one of the first stylists that I looked up to, who I had taken a career-changing class with just 2 years ago. These opportunities have really made me so excited to see what the future has in store for this side of my business!
10 years ago, I could have never pictured having a career that I really enjoyed. Today I am so thankful that I was able to find my niche, and that I had the courage to take a chance with this business and put myself out there! That can be such a scary thing to do, but you never know what could be just around the corner by doing so. I am so thankful for the support from my husband and family who have believed in me and helped make all of this possible, and for so many of you around the world who have shown me kindness and support on my journey! I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Thanks for reading my story and if you would like to follow along on my journey you can find me on Instagram @updos.by.jocelyn!
Alright, 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?
One of the biggest obstacles so far in my business, that I am sure many can relate to, is the lack of business throughout Covid. I had a lot of cancellations, and as a new business I did not have firm policies in place. Due to this, I ended up having to refund the deposits of brides cancelling their weddings, and this was a big burden financially.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
It has been very helpful to me to narrow in on a particular niche in my industry- boho bridal styling. I love the clientele that this style attracts, and the effortless beauty of these styles.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I have learned that it’s OK not to be the best choice for everyone. I try to have a conversation with each bride prior to booking with me, to determine what they are looking for, and if we are the right fit to work together. If a bride is looking for a style that I am not as confident in doing I have found that it is better for both parties involved for me to recommend a stylist better suited for her.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.updosbyjocelyn.com
- Instagram: @updos.by.jocelyn
Image Credits
@cedarandsagephotography
