Today we’d like to introduce you to Kacie Morales.
Hi Kacie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Hair has always been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. I grew up with the mentality that I needed to go to college first before going to hair school. Trades were not really recommended or encouraged. That definitely needs to change. After completing 2 years of college, I decided to finally attempt to become educated on my passion. Unfortunately, after completing 1000 of the 1200 required Florida cosmetology hours, my school closed down. I felt discouraged and considered taking a different path. I then went back to college but my passion for hair never went away. My husband made me a hair appointment with a stylist in Lake Mary that he personally knew. As she did my hair, I poured my heart out sharing my story and my love for doing hair. She looked at me and said, “that’s it… you are doing hair and I’m going to help you figure this out!” From that point, I became her hair assistant and she and I explored other schools that would except my finished hours and let me complete my final couple hundred. About a year later, I was finally living my dream of doing hair! I have never looked back since and have no regrets! After 9 years of working at a beautiful salon, the owners decided to close the doors. This led me to take the plunge and open my own. I asked some of the other talented stylists that worked with me if they wanted to be part of my new salon and they all said yes. So, 9 years ago, June 4th, 2013, I opened the doors to Luxe Salon. Almost my entire staff has been here since day 1, and we are like a little family. Besides being a mother to my 2 beautiful children, opening the salon has been the most challenging yet rewarding thing I have ever done.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. You can be great at doing something, but that doesn’t mean that you can be great at running a business. I had to learn a lot. I cried a lot. I had to allow myself to become a different person but in a good way. It was like an internal growth that I can’t really explain. I’m a people pleaser and I had to learn that I couldn’t please everyone and that it’s okay to not be able to. I had to find balance in my life. I was now a wife, mother, hairstylist, and business owner. I lost myself a bit, but I eventually found “me” again. It’s not easy and not for everyone. But as I stated before, no regrets at all.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in many highlighting and color techniques. I enjoy cutting and styling as well. I really love everything about doing hair, along with the amazing relationships I have built with so many of my clients. They are like friends to me. I’m most proud of my growth. In this industry, you have to always be educating yourself on new techniques and trends. As a stylist of 20 years, it can be challenging to change your ways of doing things… I try to be open-minded and learn from my coworkers constantly.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Don’t expect things to be perfect at the beginning. Be patient with the process but work hard. Clients can feel your passion, and even if your work is not perfect, if they see the spark in you then they will come back. You will make mistakes, that is learning and growth. Don’t give up!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.luxelakemary.com
- Instagram: @luxesalonlakemary
- Facebook: facebook/luxesalonlakemary
