Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Quilici.
Julia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in the northwest corner of Indiana and that’s where my career started. After graduating high school a semester early I started beauty school right away. After finishing beauty school, I was lucky enough to find a salon to begin working as a stylist. I worked there, refining my skills and building a clientele, for five years until the owner decided to close the salon. I continued working as an independent stylist at another salon nearby. I was fortunate enough to have a lot of my clientele follow me to my new location. During my time there is when I moved from Indiana to the Northside of Chicago and became all too familiar with the dreaded commute. After the owner of this salon decided to sell her business, I realized it was time for me to move on. This is when I took the opportunity to open up my own studio at a near by location from where I was working. I loved having my own space, but I didn’t love having the commute. I knew I would eventually need to move my business to city I was living in. The thought of going from working for myself to working for someone else again scared me, but when I found NicholeBeck, I knew it was where I wanted to be. When I met with the owners, Jana and Sarah, I felt an immediate connection and a respect for them and from them. I love the vibe of the salon and the fact that they give their stylists the freedom to create in their own way. It’s been a great fit.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have to say, I’ve been pretty lucky. But, the biggest bump in the road for me was having my first salon close their doors. We were given two weeks notice and were told we would not be given our client lists. I felt like five years of building a solid clientele was going down the drain. Every client’s phone number was on a computer I could no longer access. Luckily, the salon I moved to marketed and made it easy for my clients to find me. That experience really made me put my guard up.
Please tell us about NicholeBeck Hair Boutique.
I’m a hairstylist at NicholeBeck. I really love doing different blonding techniques. From sun-kissed highlights to enhance someone’s natural hair color to a light, bright blonde that stands out in the crowd. Pair that with an easy to wear, low maintenance cut… what could be better? Aside from my love of creating a new cut or color for my client I really love having that time to talk and build a connection with them. Often times these salon visits lead to a friendship beyond the salon. I think making someone feel as comfortable with me as they would with a close friend is important. Trust between a client and stylist is huge. I pride myself on building and maintaining close relationships with my clients.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I think I would have believed in myself more. I’ve always been someone who could talk myself out of anything when I’m scared. I’ve turned down opportunities in the past because I thought I might not be good enough or because I thought I wouldn’t be able to do something as well as the person next to me. I realized pretty quickly that way of thinking won’t get me very far. It’s important to not compare yourself to anyone except yourself. Just focus on being the best version of you and you’ll always be moving in the right direction.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1130 W Diversey Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60614
- Website: nicholebeck.com
- Phone: 773.248.2222
- Email: nicholebeck1130@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliaquilici.hair
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