Meet Cyd Simmons

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

Hi Cyd, how do you think about risk?
I have worked in the veterinarian field for 20 years before I began my working in the hair care industry. I began working part time as a stylist on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and noticed the potential of my creativity and desire for quality work and healthy hair, I started going to barber school. While working a full-time job, part-time job, and going to school, I took a leap of faith and quit my full-time job to fulfill my newfound passion with hair care. Taking a risk has taught me leadership skills and increased my business knowledge. There are always going to be risks in whatever field of work you are in, but taking this risk has taught me that I am more than capable of just working a regular 9 to 5 job. I can still have a comfortable life with my clientele that I’ve built over the years.

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 most proud, that I am able to show off my creativity side with hair. It’s like a picture or canvas so to speak, my client’s hair is a blank canvas. I am able to bring their hair to life, bring them out of their comfort zone, and allow them to embrace changes with their hair that may have occurred with health issues.
No, my road was not as easy as it appeared to be. I’ve known how to style hair most of my life, but I was not aware of making myself marketable to complete strangers, who were unfamiliar with my work, building a social media presence, making sure I had adequate amount of business cards on hand to pass out while I’m traveling about, and providing professional customer service with time management/scheduling appointments. I had to become disciplined about my work ethic. In order to build my clientele, I had to become more engaging about the type of work I provided, I had to post content of my clients with their finished hairstyles to display my creativity, and make sure I kept an open line of communication with clients when scheduling challenges happened.
I want the world to know it’s okay to start over and find a passion that works for you. Being a business owner is not for everyone, so that’s why it’s important to do something in a field that you bring you complete joy. Being a Master Barber/Loctician, I am able to boast self-confidence within some clients, and I am able to put smiles on clients faces with completed styles. My clients are not just clients; I consider them as family. In today’s economy, I am not here to break the bank with my clients (family), so I do not charge outlandish prices that will increase the probability of losing them. I am here to provide confidence, beauty, self-awareness of having a kept-up look, and education on skincare and hair growth if there’s a concern. A person’s hair is the first thing you see, so it’s important to me that I provide the best service I can provide, to make sure those encounters are pleasant upon seeing them, I make sure that all of my styles and cuts are done with care and precision. The main goal is to make sure everyone is satisfied when they get out of my chair.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would have to say that I would typically try spots that I’ve seen on social media to try out. I don’t necessarily have a favorite spot. I love to have fun and trying new things. I’ve grown fond into inviting friends to The Fowling Warehouse where they combine football and bowling which is always fun, also a nice lounge with good food, music, drinks and entertainment like at the Battery which has PLENTY of options for every topic of fun I have and want people to experience. The Battery is filled with so many different choices whether it may be casual vs a date night. I don’t travel into town too often, but I do like Beat the Bomb, The Works (Chattahoochee Cafeteria), and fun little night spots such as Putt Shack and various Escape Rooms.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would first like to thank my own loctician, who encouraged me for years to get in the business. There are numerous of friends that told me to step out on faith. Most importantly, the barbershop, Heads R Us, that gave me my first opportunity to fulfill my dream on a professional level. Of course, I cannot leave out my supportive, loyal, clients that have entrusted their hair care with me over the years, without them, this interview would not even be possible.

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