Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Bushman.
Jamie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
From what I can recall, my personal hair journey began when I was about 8 years old. It was the late 1980’s and at that time, I had developed a serious crush on the singer Billy Idol. I remember thinking he was absolutely gorgeous, but at the same time, I kind of wanted to look like him. Mainly in the hair, I’ll admit. So I began pestering my mom to let me “cut my hair short like a boy and spike it straight out” (I believe these were my exact words). I’m sure we all know how well young girls can pester…so it didn’t take me too long to get an appointment at the salon that my mom went to. Her stylist wasn’t really picking up what I was putting down when it came to the look I was going for. She kept trying to steer me towards longer, poofier, wispier haircuts (it was the 80s after all). Finally I got my hands on a men’s haircut magazine and found the perfect picture. With that, the stylist clearly understood what I wanted and in my current professional opinion, I believe she NAILED IT! I practically strutted out of the salon that night, there was no mirror I didn’t befriend, and I vividly remember feeling like a million bucks walking into school with my new do having to answering so many peoples’ questions about it. I loved that my hair didn’t look like anyone else’s and that it always attracted attention from people. Mostly I liked the boost of confidence I got from having a hairstyle that I felt reflected the way I wanted to be perceived. It was a defining moment for me and I have not stopped playing with my hair ever since. Amazingly, others actually pay me money to play with their hair now! My first clients were my brave friends and family who trusted me with their hair color and cuts long before I even went to beauty school. (Honestly, most of them dropped me as their stylist long ago. As they should considering the horrible things I did to their hair over the years) So I guess I was destined to be a hairdresser. Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, I always dreamed about what my future business ventures would be. And a hair salon made perfect sense to me!
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?
Oh jeez, roads are never smooth. There are so many struggles/challenges to list with new ones occurring every day that this could literally go on forever.
So I’ll just mention a few of my personal favorites:
People (whether you love em or you hate em, they complicate things)
Money
Local, State and Federal Government
Maintaining Balance (family, work, personal)
Struggles and challenges are a part of daily life for each and every one of us. It is impossible to ensure a smooth road or journey will be ahead, so the best you can do is choose how you’ll react when the time comes. Take whatever challenges come your way and look at them as an opportunity to learn from. Depending on the intensity of the struggle, you may need to grieve, work through anger, regret, etc. But once that’s over, you’ve got an opportunity for growth. Once you’ve gotten everything useful out of the situation, it’s time to let it go. You certainly don’t need the weight of all your past struggles hanging on and dragging you down.
Please tell us about The Circle Salon.
The Circle Salon is a salon that really likes to stand out from others. Our space is very welcoming and warm. Our team is made up of some of the most caring individuals you’ll meet. We are proud of the work that we do and spend countless hours practicing/refining our technical skills, and in addition, we are dedicated to providing our customers with a service experience that leaves them feeling perfectly cared for and taken care of. We are an eco-friendly business, which I assumed was the way all new businesses would operate. I’m still surprised by all the businesses I see that haven’t adopted at least a few simple green practices.
I have a team of stylists who share similar goals and visions for their future and who work so hard to grow/develop together. It’s really special to be a part of a team like this. So far, I am most proud of the recognition that has come from being named one of Salon Today’s Top 200 Salons. They run this competition yearly and we’ve made the list 4 times. I tend to appreciate it most when people inside the industry take a look at my business and give it a thumbs up. I have great respect for all the salon’s that make that list.
I became best known for cutting women’s short hair several years ago when The Chicago Magazine wrote a story about the subject and mentioned me. I do love cutting women’s short hair and happen to be fairly good at it. But I never put much stock in that article since the writer never took me up on my invitation to let me give her a haircut. I would have preferred the article be a testimony instead of… whatever it was.
Really, what we try to do for the people who visit our salon is to help them find the best version of themselves. We are not a salon that is driven by trends in hair. Those usually don’t matter much in the grand scheme. What always works is doing an honest and complete analysis of our guests’ hair, face, body, style, lifestyle, etc. and using that to design a haircut and color that will compliment as many of those areas possible. We want each person to walk out…No STRUT OUT… of The Circle Salon with a customized look that screams “This is me!”
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
Uh…men. No seriously, it’s men.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2135 W. Division St. Chicago, IL 60622
- Website: www.thecirclesalon.com
- Phone: 7737151026
- Email: contactus@thecirclesalon.com
- Instagram: @thecirclesalon
- Facebook: thecirclesalon
Image Credit:
Salon interiors by Dimitri
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
