Meet Ashley McDaniel | Hairstylist Specializing in Custom Color & Blonding #HairByAshleyMcDaniel

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley McDaniel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what do you attribute your success to?
For me personally, the most important factor for success that I lead with not only in my career, but life in general is put God first, always. Even on my hardest day, Gratitude and thanking God is what drives me to keep going. My career has been extremely blessed over the past four years, and I truly believe having the right mindset to always focus on blessings vs obstacles is key. There will always be obstacles, it’s how we handle the hardships that matter. And, I can never mention enough that without my absolutely amazing clientele, who have become family to me is why I’m even here. Being able to connect with people on a personal level is important in my industry. I strive to be an artist that truly listens to my guests requests. I do what they ask me to do, within reason of course, that I know will not compromise their hair. And if they request something that I know could damage their hair, I communicate all options and find a solution and common ground. Presenting choices that are safe and achievable is important. But, it’s all about communicating effectively and educating my guests. When you sit in my chair, you’re receiving a custom curated experience. I want you to be in love with your hair and not only look amazing, but feel fabulous! My clients are some of the most respectful, genuine and supportive women I’ve ever met. And I’m extremely grateful for their loyalty and the fact they choose to give me their business. Also, social media is extremely important in my industry. If you are not using the free platforms to your advantage, You’re missing out on a ton of opportunity to promote yourself and your business. While social media can be overwhelming at times, I’m thankful for the free advertising for my business. And my amazing family, always supporting me and my visions are something I also thank God for daily. Having a good support system with any business is a blessing in itself.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Since my last shout-out feature over 2 years ago, my business, HairByAshleyMcDaniel is doing better than ever, and flourishing! I’ve grown so much personally and professionally since sharing my journey in my last feature, and will dive into that more in a moment! But first, I’m super excited to announce that the Salon I’m the manager of (Envy Salon and Aesthetics) won our first award at the end of last year! We were able to announce we had won, Best Hair Salon for the Texoma “Best Of” Contest earlier in 2023! And, we recently learned we were runners up for another contest through Local Star Media for the Best Salon/Hairdresser category! To say I am proud of the salon is an understatement. The owner Ashley Mendiola-Smith and myself both feel we have the best group of independent artists at Envy, and it feels amazing to know we are surrounded by such talent and well rounded, trustworthy ladies. I’m so proud of all of us for working hard and representing my best friends Salon like we have! When Ashley decided to open Envy, and me becoming Salon Manager, we both decided we wanted to lead by example and offer an environment different from other salons. And with each year that passes, it just gets better than the last. I’m so grateful to call Envy Salon and Aesthetics my salon home and forever thankful for Ashley being the amazing Salon owner she is! And as for me and my business within Envy, HairByAshleyMcDaniel has become the best reality of what was just a dream 4 short years ago. I’ve grown so much in my career and broken barriers I was once so scared of. Confidence is key, and when you truly believe in something, it shows. And now that I believe in myself, it shows so much more through my art! While I’ve always been a blonding & color specialist, the majority of my work was considered high maintenance looks. With the hit on the economy, I wanted to be able to offer my clients more options than ever. With low maintenance, lived in looks being the trends, I’ve transitioned many of my once high maintenance color clients to low/lived in looks! Not only does this option help them financially and reduces frequent retouches, but it’s also allowed me to expand my business and accept new clients again! For the longest, I wasn’t accepting new clients. Which is a blessing to be booked solid for months, but I wanted to be able to help my current loyal clients during hard times, and continue to stay booked and busy! No matter the service, big or small, I want you to have an experience while in my chair. Not just an appointment! I’m here to listen to YOUR hair goals, and bring them to life for you! From the moment of first interaction with me when booking an appointment, my first goal is to have a consultation via messages. Communication is key and not only do I want to educate my clients, but also allow them to feel totally comfortable prior to their appointment. After discussing your goals, I explain in detail how I will execute the service, and provide a detailed quote. I don’t ever want a guest to receive a service and not be aware of the price post appointment. I prefer to communicate all details of the experience, and provide pricing before booking their appointment to give them options to work around their budget. If someone is asking for a service and it ends up being out of their price range, that’s okay, I have other similar options for you! I always want to be respectful of a guests budget, in this economy. And as I’ve shared before, I don’t have set pricing. It really is a custom curated experience, as every guests hair is different! And, I want to respect my guests time and mine as well before you sit in my chair. Hence, my booking process I pride myself In. It all comes back to communication! And knowing I am a perfectionist and give my all with every client is something I’m very proud of. I try my very best to make you feel you received the service you asked for! And being able to say my career is something I truly love, and it never feels like a burden, or dread going to work, really is a gift. This industry has its challenges, just like any other. But, when I see a guest cry of happiness because she feels and looks like herself again, is why I do what I do. Challenges and all! My hope for the future is that I’m able to have this career as long as I’m physically able to! It’s more rewarding than the income in so many ways! And my business will have some exciting new announcements in early 2024 that I can’t wait to share with all my amazing supporters! And, I can’t wait to see all the amazing things Envy Salon and Aesthetics does in the next few years! If you’ve thought about reaching out to the salon, we would love to have you! We offer so many amazing services from a full service hair salon, to Luxury facial treatments, as well as Ashley Mendiola-Smith is also Envy’s owner and esthetician as well as our cosmetic injector! With a variety of options for everyone! We also have the best lash extension specialist who does absolutely beautiful custom work, as well as a nail artist who can make your nail dreams come true with her custom detailed designs! As for me, I didn’t come this far just to come this far! Im really just getting started!!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Again, first and foremost making the choice to let God lead me in every aspect, has proven time and time again to be the leading force of all my life’s successes and blessings! I struggled for so many years, and the answer was there all along. Best choice I’ve ever made! My amazing Husband of 15 years has always been my biggest supporter and encouraged me to shine and always knew I had it in me to do great things! With his patience through the ups and downs of owning a small business, (HairByAshleyMcDaniel) and managing a salon full time (Envy Salon and Aesthetics) he knew the sacrifice of time away from home would pay off and make it all worth it. Him, and my three children have been so supportive throughout my career! And my Mother, has been one of my biggest mentors. Leading the path to self discovery and the way to true freedom, is a gift I will always be grateful for. She instilled in me that through God, anything is possible. I cherish our relationship so much!
And of course, my best friend of 25 years, Ashley Mendiola-Smith, the owner of Envy, is a huge factor in my life and has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders. I love that I get to do what I love everyday, in her beautiful salon! And the fact she entrusted me to manage the salon, shows how solid our friendship is and love for one another. We make an awesome team! And work with the BEST, and most talented women I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with!

Instagram: ASHLEYMCDANIELHAIRSTYLIST

Facebook: acmcdaniel

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleycollinsmcd

Image Credits
Photography by Cody McDaniel