Nobody Warned Me That Being a Hairstylist Meant Learning Tech

When I went to beauty school, nobody warned me that I’d also need to learn Google.

I thought I was signing up to learn how to cut hair, blend fades, shape beards, and help people feel better when they looked in the mirror.

What I didn’t realize was that one day I’d be sitting on my couch at midnight Googling things like “why is my business not showing up online” while questioning all of my life choices.

If you’re a stylist or small business owner reading this — especially one who feels “bad at tech” — please know: you’re not alone. And you’re definitely not broken.

You’re just learning something nobody taught us.

I used to ask every new client the same question:

“Why did you pick me?”

Some of the women I worked with, had been cutting hair much longer than I had, so I was genuinely curious.

Almost every man gave me the same answer. They said they liked what I wrote in my bio.

At the time, I didn’t realize that mattered.

My bio said things like precision haircuts, grooming, and style guidance — because I noticed men were often embarrassed to ask how to style their hair or what products to use. I wanted them to feel taken care of, not judged. I didn’t know it then, but I was accidentally using keywords. I had no idea what an algorithm was. I just knew I liked helping people.

When I opened Cuts By Lulu in 2018, I built my website on GoDaddy. I didn’t know what SEO meant. I didn’t understand headlines. Half of them honestly didn’t even make sense. But GoDaddy automatically plugged some SEO in behind the scenes — something I didn’t realize until much later. And somehow… bookings kept coming.

Not exploding. Not viral. Just consistent.

At the time, I thought that was normal. I didn’t realize I was building digital visibility.

I also didn’t understand Google Business at all. I thought it was basically just reviews and a pin on a map.

But instinctively, I was obsessed with it. I posted photos. I updated it constantly. I clicked through links I didn’t understand. I fell into the wormhole.

A lot of my clients happened to be young professionals in tech. Without even realizing it, I was picking their brains while they sat in my chair.

They’d explain things in human language. That’s when I learned what an algorithm was. That’s when I learned reviews mattered — but the words inside the reviews mattered too.

Fast forward a couple of years, and clients started telling me something that didn’t fully hit me until later.

They said when they searched “best haircut in Austin,” I was showing up on the first page of Google.

It took less than three years.

And I wish I could tell you I celebrated that moment — but honestly, I was exhausted. The pandemic had drained me mentally, emotionally, and physically. I didn’t yet understand how powerful that visibility was.

I understand it now.

Of course, the journey wasn’t smooth. There were moments that still make me laugh — and cringe.

One time, I sent out a mass text to my clients, telling them about my new spot and forgot to say who it was from.

I remember my stomach dropping like someone kicked me in the gut.

Within minutes, people started opting out. A lot of them. It was one of those moments where your body reacts before your brain does.

Another time, when I switched my personal Yelp profile to a business profile, every single review I had worked so hard to earn disappeared.

I called. I begged.

They told me my reviews looked “too good to be true” and suggested I must have given away haircuts to get them — which wasn’t true at all.

I was devastated.

At that point, I had already spent close to several hundred dollars during my early months trying to “invest in my business” through promoted features that never brought me a single booked client.

Eventually, I screenshotted my reviews and uploaded them to my photo section just so I wouldn’t lose them entirely. I wasn’t trying to cheat the system. I just didn’t know the system. That’s the part I wish more people talked about.

In the early days, the odds often feel stacked against small business owners.

Especially in beauty.

Especially when no one teaches you the business side.

Back then, it felt like every app cost money, every platform wanted a subscription, and every sales call made you feel like if you didn’t say yes, you were failing your dream.

Now, things feel different.

There are tools that genuinely help. Platforms like GlossGenius that offer education, support, and realistic funding options. Tools like ChatGPT that help you think and organize when your brain is fried.

And honestly? Google still gives you the most powerful tools for free — if you’re willing to show up consistently. What finally made things work wasn’t perfection. It was consistency.

It was happy clients leaving real reviews. It was showing up even when I felt dumb.

It was writing blogs. Posting updates. Learning slowly.

Asking questions.

And recently, discovering communities like Reddit — where honesty matters and spam doesn’t fly — reminded me that authenticity still wins.

If there’s one thing I’d tell any stylist or barber who feels “bad at tech,” it’s this:

Ask questions. Share information. And if someone in this industry is gatekeeping knowledge — walk away. We’re all here for the same reason: to help people feel better in their own skin with what they were given.

Beauty school doesn’t teach business. It’s a hoop we jump through — and that’s okay — but everything after that, we learn together.

I didn’t get here because I knew what I was doing. I got here because I kept going.

I’m still learning. I’m still figuring things out. I’m still bumper-car-ing my way through parts of the internet.

But now I’m visible.

And if my mistakes help another small business owner feel less alone — then every awkward moment was worth it.