Jeff Chastain, a Stylist who has done it all

Journey into Hairdressing and Independence

   So, I started doing hair at the same time that I was in college studying biology, and said hair was my elective art course that I was taking. I moved to New York as a hairdresser in a salon. But since I’ve been here since 2003, I’ve done hair in every possible way that there is to do it. I’ve been a freelance editorial stylist; I’ve done it with an agency, without an agency; I’ve rented a chair in salons. I’ve worked in commission-based salons; I’ve owned salons; I’ve created hair product lines for other companies. I’ve created hair product lines for myself. And one thing I like is change. It’s definitely not for everyone, but there’s so much power that you get from being an independent stylist.

Embracing Change as an Independent Stylist

   Since I went independent, I found that a lot of the fears I had about being independent were sort of blown out of proportion. I was expecting to lose some clients because maybe they would prefer the salon over me, or maybe they were there for the culture of the salon and not necessarily the experience with me. And I was wrong. I mean, they were there to see me, and they also were excited about me taking a next step and doing something that seemed like it was less go with the flow and a little more risky and exciting. So I just found that my clients now are much more engaged with me. I stay in contact with them to follow up. It’s been great financially and personally.

Steps to Independence: Legal Matters and Branding

      To become independent, the first thing that I did was I went to LegalZoom. I incorporated as an S Corp, got a new e-mail address, put together a quick little site. I used Square at the time to set up all of my payment transactions. The scary thing about going independent is you’re worried that you’re not going to be able to build a new clientele through your own sort of word of mouth marketing, but you as a stylist are a lot more powerful for putting a client in your chair.

Navigating the Independent Stylist Landscape

     So going independent as a hair stylist, there’s a lot of resources out there for people to use now. I mean, in New York City, I know quite a few salons have shut down, and there’s a ton of stylists out there that need a chair or need a new home to do their clients. So there’s a lot of salon owners out there that also need them to help replenish revenue that was lost during COVID. There’s also companies, well, only one company, ArtistOnGo, which I started using when I had to shut down my salon just to find a new home whether it be temporary or permanent.

Seamless Transition with ArtistOnGo

      Renting a chair can be really daunting, with ArtistOnGo, I was able to sign up immediately and literally booked a chair the next day, was able to walk in with everything I had on me, just in one little bag, and do my client. I mean, the owners are great. They’ll give you a quick tour, show you where everything you need is, and that’s it.

Safety and Comfort in Independence

      Being an independent stylist, renting a chair is a very safe and risk-free way for me to work right now because I can go into an environment that I know being controlled and observed so that it’s safe and healthy. And I know that my clients will feel comfortable because with ArtistOnGo, the salons have been pre-screened, so I know even if I haven’t stepped foot in there yet, that my clients are going to enjoy the space.

Positive Experience with ArtistOnGo

      My experience with ArtistOnGo so far has been really positive and much safer than I expected, both financially and health-wise. I love using Salon Pass because I can buy a chunk of hours, and being the hairdresser that I am, where I often can’t book a full day’s worth of clients at once, I can book just an hour or a few hours here and there to make sure that I’m making money while I’m there.

Revolutionizing the Chair Rental Experience

    ArtistOnGo has sort of revolutionized the chair rental experience for the hair stylist and for the customer. ArtistOnGo is different from the other options out there because there are no other options out there. Nobody gives you the ability to rent a chair as quickly, easily contract-free, no deposits, and have a concierge that can help you anytime you need it.