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

Hi Ashley, how do you think about risk?
To me, Taking a risk means taking a leap of faith. The outcome may be a hit or miss but in the end it is worth the shot. Sometimes you have to step out your comfort zone to get to the next level. In most cases that means overcoming your internal fears and overthinking. Before I became the successful stylist I am today, I was working a 9-5. I always did makeup on the side and worked so hard to balance both. One day I had a client right before I had to go to work. I was given a ultimatum to either take my client and make $80 in one hour or go to work for 8 hours and make the same. That day I took a risk and didn’t go and literally quit my job of 3 years the very next day. I was so afraid that I had made the wrong choice. Me questioning myself if I would even have enough clientele to make ends meet with me being a beginner. Here we are 4 years later with a growing clientele making 10x more. Still a growing success and am so grateful I took that leap. Sometimes you have to just go for it. Take the risk because you never know what’s in store that can change your life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a 23 year old self-taught stylist. What sets me apart from others is that I am gifted with two talents. I do hair and makeup in which I call a One Stop Shop. I am known as the TrueSlayer. I came up with this name because I believe I am truly gifted. I was blessed to be able to cater to the beauty industry in multiple ways. I have always been into hair and makeup since I was a little girl.Being a cheerleader at the age of 3, yes 3 years old, I got into makeup. Starting at the age of 7 I practiced on my bratz doll head. Throughout grade school, with being a cheerleader, makeup became second nature.This is something I’ve always been passionate about. I am proud to say I am living my younger self’s dream! In high school, I was asked to write an essay on what I wanted to be when I grew up. Of course, I wrote about being a cosmetologist an opening my own salon. When I graduated high school, I went to cosmetology school. I juggled working at Ulta, going to school and taking startup clients. After I received my license I took my business more serious. When I took the risk and quit my job of 3 years I barely had any clientele. Starting out, building clientele was a little challenging for me. I was a very shy person so it took trial and error to know how to bring in business. I started doing makeup at my parents in my bedroom. I practiced on friends and family and by word of mouth I started bringing in clients. With social media being a big influence in this industry, I had to learn how to promote myself even further. I practiced and perfected my skills and before I knew it I had a consistent amount of clientele. It was times when I wanted to give up and felt like I wasn’t good enough. There were times when a client didn’t like the service and I felt like I wasn’t cut out for it. I constantly had to reassure myself that God gave me this gift for a reason. About a year later I was contacted to work in a salon in which I still work in today! Since then I have gained so much clientele and my business is doing better than I ever expected. There are still days when I feel like I’m not good enough but I refuse to give up. I know this is just the beginning. I will continue to work hard and I hope to encourage others to not give up on their dreams.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my Best friend was visiting for a week the first place I would take them is YardBird. They have the best chicken & waffles! We would also go to True kitchen & cocktails and Viddora for drinks. I love to get pampered so we would definitely go to spa castle. Everything from the multiple pools to the massages are great!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout my mom for being my #1 supporter. She stayed by my side and has supported me through my journey. I also want to shoutout my best-friend for always being there for me through my highs and lows. In times when I want to give up she reminds me why I need to keep pushing.

Website: https://trueslayer.as.me/

Instagram: @itstrueslayer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trueslayerxv

Image Credits
Snapsbymel Emhraimsphotography

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