Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Williams.
Ashley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My first memory of being interested in the beauty industry was when I was about 5 years old. My mom always let me play with her hair and makeup. I vividly remember crying hysterically because my mom wouldn’t go to work with the “beautiful” electric blue eyeshadow and her 90’s bangs bobby pinned down as flat as could be with a butt crack part. It was then that I knew this was the industry for me. I was lucky enough to do a program my senior year of high school that introduced me into the actual rules of hair dressing. One month after graduating I enrolled into Toni and Guy hairdressing academy. I traded my last summer ever. I couldn’t handle not being able to grow in the one thing I felt like I had a calling for. I worked in 2 other salons over a 4 year period. I’ve always had a vision of where I wanted to be, there wasn’t anyone or anything that could stop me. That was when I realized I needed to be my own boss, I chose to take the leap of fate and open Meraki Salon Studio. Meraki means the soul, creativity or love put into something; the essence of yourself that is put into your work. That’s where I am now, putting all I have into what I love.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is there a proper way to say HELL NO?! Nothing in life worth having is ever handed to you. Like I said before, I’ve always known where I wanted to be, a big struggle for me was understanding I couldn’t do it all over night. I worked for people who I learned a lot from, good and bad but I couldn’t stand not being the one to do things the way I thought they should be done.
As a new stylist I struggled a lot with social media and comparing myself to others. Instagram was a new tool and I compared myself A LOT to other stylist. Once I realized I was my only competition things did get a lot easier but that was just one speed bump I over came in my journey. Education! I don’t care how much natural talent you have, how long you’ve been behind the chair, how many clients you have. None of that matters if you chose to quit learning and stop pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Continuing education doesn’t always mean spending $500+ on a cool class, sometimes it’s putting your phone down and realizing you’re never too good to help assist and learn. Even from stylist who haven’t been in the industry as long as you.
What should we know about Meraki Salon? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in blondes, balayage and fantasy colors. I love it all.
What sets me apart from others, other than my style of doing hair? I’d say personality. Making everyone feel like a celebrity regardless of age, gender, financial status, etc. None of that matters to me. When you walk in my studio you’re free to be whoever you chose. I like to make what my clients show me about their personality shine through their physical appearance. Meraki is a safe spot to say what you want and be whoever you want, judgement free. My clients know as much about my personal life as I do theirs. It was always way more than being just a hairdresser for me, I’m very proud of that.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I feel like women are positioned for literally ANY thing they want to be. I grew up surrounded by some of the most bad ass women ever, they faced life challenges on their own. I wasn’t ever raised around the mentality of “women can’t do this”, “That’ll never work because…” That wasn’t allowed in our house hold. I was raised with the “If there’s a will there’s a way” and there’s always a way. If you know me personally you know I pride myself on the fact that I don’t ask for help much. Not because I’m above it by any means, but because I know for a fact I’m capable of anything I want, and I’ll be damned if I don’t get it. If you can’t tell my mom is pretty much wonder woman…
Contact Info:
- Address: 1600 Mall of Georgia Blvd #1030 studio # 107 Buford GA 30519
- Website: merakiatlanta.com
- Phone: 7063727044
- Email: merakisalon706@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ashleywilliams_atl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merakisalon706/
Image Credit:
Photographer Laura Lopez
MUA Alissa of Alissa Christine Artistry
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