Here at Beyond The Technique we love to highlight the incredible success stories of some of the most influential people within our industry. Of course, our strongest guests, those true industry giants, are the ones that aren’t afraid to get vulnerable with us.

While there’s nothing quite like a powerful success story to get the blood pumping, we understand the value of looking at the entire picture. Every story has to start somewhere—right? 

So today, in honor of the Beyond The Technique podcast reaching 100,000 downloads this week, our beloved host, Kati Whitledge, is sharing the top five characteristics that our guests—the industry’s strongest leaders—all have in common. 

In addition to hosting the Beyond The Technique podcast, Kati is the owner of the award-winning Be Inspired Salon located in Madison, Wisconsin, and the creative brain behind Meet Your Stylist, an innovative salon software system that matches potential clients with salon professionals based on services, lifestyle preferences, and personality metrics.

Powered by Passion

One of the most incredible things about the beauty industry is the amount of passion circulating throughout. Their passion is what drives ideas, it opens people up to a new way of thinking, of viewing the world and bettering our industry. 

Every influential figure within the beauty industry is driven by their passion for the future of beauty and there’s simply nothing more inspiring to watch unfold. 

Lead with Courage

In order to be a leader, you must lead with courage. Every reward you seek is met with some level of risk, but if you’re able to see beyond the unknown, you’ve already won that battle. 

Kati believes that courage is the willingness to take risks, and so many of these brave beauty business owners have taken risks when only they could see the potential—that’s as courageous as it gets.

Demonstrate Perseverance

Then there’s perseverance. Kati would argue that perseverance is the ultimate key to success. You have to have the endurance to push through those tough times and always keep one eye on the big picture.

Your passion and your courage will get you going, but it’s your perseverance that will see you through to the end of whatever goal you’re working towards. Each of our guests have been able to find the strength to keep going and even pivot when necessary—because they know that there’s always another way.

All About the People

Perhaps the best part about being in the beauty industry is the people. We have such a strong network of people that we can rely on, and that’s invaluable when it comes to doing business.

It’s so important to remember that in the beauty industry we’re a part of something so much bigger than any one of us individually. And while that thought can seem daunting at times, it’s comforting to know that you’re never alone, that there’s always someone that you can turn to for support. 

Kati is no stranger to the value of tapping into the minds of the many thought leaders within our industry—in fact, it was her passion for sharing knowledge that prompted her to start her own podcast in the first place. Kati is so grateful for the information and insights she has gained from the others in our industry, especially her guests on Beyond The Technique, and she is so proud to share that knowledge with all of you.

Keep It Positive

Finally, the people paving the way in our industry today always maintain a positive attitude. Kati describes our guests as true opportunists, not only are they able to keep things positive but each of these innovators demonstrates an elevated way of thinking.

Of course, all of our guests are incredibly humble, but they each have such a unique and innate desire to learn, understand and empathize with others in order to better themselves and our industry—there’s nothing quite like it.  

Our Beyond The Technique podcast guests represent the individuals that are truly committed to excellence both in their careers and in their lives. We couldn’t be more honored to work with and learn from each and every one of them.

To listen to the podcast that inspired this loving tribute, check out episode 172, and if you’d like to learn a little bit more about our host, Kati, check out her website and don’t forget to subscribe to the Beyond The Technique podcast for more incredible industry insight.

Here at Beyond The Technique we love to highlight the success stories of the many influencers in our industry because they’re all so unique, and Adam Broderick’s is no exception. Although many of us stumbled our way into the beauty industry after admittedly struggling in school, how many of us can say that we started our haircutting careers by practicing on poodles?

From working as an animal groomer to opening up an award-winning salon, Adam has done it all. Adam shares his steps to success starting from the very beginning—you’re not going to want to miss this! 

Adam is the owner of the renown Adam Broderick Salon and Spa with two locations in Connecticut. Amongst other things, Adam is also a motivational speaker and business consultant to other salon owners. He is quite the entrepreneur and he’s one of the industry’s most respected figures.  

Adam walks us through how he started his own pet grooming business before the age of twenty, how this incredibly unique career choice ultimately led him to the beauty industry, and how he eventually opened his own salon and built up his business in order to become one of the great successes of our time.                                                                                                               

Taking the Not-So-Traditional Route

Adam is the self-proclaimed poster-child for extreme attention deficit disorder, but despite being labeled as lazy or having a lack of focus, Adam decided to find his own way by following his passion for animals. While at the time he wanted to be a veterinarian, he knew that the level of schooling required wasn’t really in the cards for him.

He got his first job working at a pet store, and he enjoyed it so much that he decided to enroll in dog-grooming school at the age of sixteen. After he graduated he started his own grooming business which he ran until he turned twenty and decided to look for something a little less tedious.  

At the same time, the hair industry began to grow. Adam remembers Sassoon coming to town and thinking how cool it was to be a hairdresser. Shortly afterwards, Adam decided to sell his business and enroll in beauty school.

You’ll Never Get What You Don’t Ask For

There’s something to be said for putting yourself out there, and Adam was never afraid to ask for what he felt he deserved. Adam fondly reflects on his first job at Sassoon, which he earned after shamelessly offering his services up for free.  

Nailing a job at a big-name salon was a bit of a leap for a kid fresh out of beauty school, and of course they couldn’t legally allow Adam to work at Sassoon for free, but ultimately it was his energy and enthusiasm that won Adam the job.

How to Know When It’s Time to Open Your Own Studio

Although Adam had been in business before, opening his own salon wasn’t really on his radar. Yet after spending some time working in the city, he decided he was looking for something different.

With plans to move to California, Adam packed his bags and headed to Connecticut to visit his sister before his travels out west. Of course, as the tale goes, this is where Adam met his partner Pete and as Adam likes to joke, it seems California is carrying on just fine without him.

Although there were a handful of salons in Warrern, Connecticut, where the pair decided to settle down, none of them were operating at quite the same caliber as those in the city and Adam was craving that familiar and exciting environment. So, he decided to open his own small color studio, and because he specialized in color, so began his hunt for cutting specialists to collaborate with.

Creating a Solid Culture Through Collaboration

Because Adam built his business around his need for a cutting specialist who could compliment his skills as a colorist, the business itself was less owner-centric, fueled on mutual respect for each other’s craft. To this day, Adam truly believes that it was that initial collaboration that set the tone for his incredibly successful business model.

After thirty-two years, Adam’s business model has certainly evolved but his carefully crafted salon culture has remained strong. Adam believes that the secret to success starts with humility. He always says that, as a leader, it’s less about being the star of the show and more about how you can shine a light on the success of your stylists.  

If you’d like to learn more about Adam and his incredible journey in the beauty industry including how he has managed to grow his salon, listen to the podcast that inspired this blog, episode 169. And don’t forget to check out his salon website to follow his movement on his own industry blog, Insights from Adam.