With 2025 winding down and fresh aspirations being pondered for 2026, Anna Peters, Sam Villa ArTeam Member and owner of re:TREAT Color + Hair Design and Studio, offers guidance on some ways to develop professionally in the new year.
“Being a hairdresser is more than just a job … at least it is if you want to be great at it," Peters says. "Those that seek more meaning, connection and purpose in their everyday activities will become better at their craft and feel more fulfilled in general."
Stylists can start doing five things right now that will put them on the path to career greatness, Peters says:
- Choose to be in rooms where they’re the least experienced (not the most). "This industry gives back what you put in. Stay curious, push your craft, step out of your comfort zone, and collaborate with the people around you."
- Build a career in an environment that values their time, well being, and growth. "Your circle shapes your path. The people around you can lift you up or drain you."
- Understand their energy shapes the space (not the other way around). "Show up with intention and energy that fills the room."
- No gatekeeping! Share what they've learned with other stylists. "“Elevating your craft is imperative, but so is lifting others up. Share everything you can with others. Experience and knowledge should be a gift, not hidden in a vault."
- Focus on their craft, not on marketing themselves on social media. "They know the work they create behind the chair matters more."
In Peters' commission salon, "showing up with intention is crucial to aligning every stylist working behind a chair to create a unified team and be the best version of themself," she says. "Education and empowerment is part of our everyday culture and it has elevated each and every person on our team."