Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Sampson.
Hi Jill, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story is definitely a story and journey that is difficult to summarize. Like many, or maybe even most in the industry, I grew up with a love for hair. Cutting my barbie’s hair and styling it was so an early passion. As I grew, it changed to combing through every hair magazine I could get my hands on to analyze the color and the cuts. I would also pick out hairstyles for people that I thought would work well with their hair texture and would also pair it with just the right color combo to compliment their skin tone. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows in the hair world. I have naturally curly hair. Neither hairdressers nor I knew how to manage my locks. I regret to inform you that we have many photos in the family albums that should be burned to ashes! Haircuts gone wrong, coloring jobs that were atrocious, and products that never did what they claimed on the bottle. Life was rough growing up looking like a crazed alpaca that had been left outside to the elements of the humidity while simultaneously sticking its finger in an electrical socket. Lol, I can openly laugh about it now because it’s so relatable to many of my new clients.
I wish I could say that my story began straight out of high school and that I’ve been growing a flourishing business since that time, but that’s not the case. I was fearful that becoming a hairstylist would never afford me the life I wanted for myself. And ultimately what I wanted was to have financial stability and peace. So, I went the medical route. I’ve always been super ambitious and never do anything halfway. Thus, I went as far as one could go and got my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. It was a long and grueling journey and I’m still not even sure how I made it through. Excited for my “bright future”, I entered the workforce and was completely knocked off my feet. The career I had just invested my whole existence into was NOTHING like what I thought it would be. I couldn’t believe how unhappy I was with my career choice. I became overly discouraged and disappointed in what I had worked so hard for. I tried for years to find different areas within the field to enjoy. Nothing. Nothing was working. I began to resent my career, I became bitter and ultimately decided that life was too short to be this miserable and I HAD to make a change.
I had to go back to my first love, hair. I had been doing it all along on the side for friends and family since high school but it was time to make it official! I quit my full time job, went to hair school full time and turned my world upside down. BEST DECISION EVER. I found myself again! It was incredible to see my soul come back to life, when it had been in hibernation for far too long.
As it turned out, this career offers everything I could possibly love and more. I have the distinct pleasure of being an entrepreneur and business owner. I still get to work with people daily and make them feel incredible. I am able to be creative and paint gorgeous canvases of hair all day. I work in every field I thought I could ever enjoy: marketing, public relations, management, HR, consulting, customer service, leadership and literally so much more! I graduated in 2020. Immediately after getting licensed, I opened my own business. The Kitchen Sink – a Jill Lyn Salon – was established in august 2020. It’s taking copious amounts of hard work but I wouldn’t change a thing! I’ve been blessed to meet so many incredible people through work. The name and business continue to grow and I am truly honored for the number of lives I’ve had the chance to even touch in the smallest of ways. I work more now as a business owner than I ever could have imagined before, but the feeling is completely different. I love all of it! I love seeing where I have been, where I came from, and I love seeing where I’m going. I have so many endless opportunities in this career that I never could have had access to when I worked as a physical therapist. It’s taking me some time to get here, but gosh and I’m glad I made it.
BUT! It doesn’t end here. This is just the beginning of another chapter. TKS has a lot of exciting things coming down the line and I’m so excited about what’s to come!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was definitely hard changing careers. I was already established with a career, a house, a life, financial obligation, etc. I could have sold everything and moved to Florida to live with family, but I wasn’t willing to leave home! I love Greenville too much to ever think about leaving. I wasn’t willing to give up my house or anything else, so I worked exceptionally hard to live on the very bare essentials. I downsized and/or sold everything I could. I worked as much as I could outside of the full time schedule of school and did whatever else I could to make ends meet so that I could finish the degree faster and get to my next life. So, financial struggles were a huge obvious one as a single individual without a spouse or significant other to be there to support me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in all techniques to achieve dimensional color, hand-tied extensions & women’s haircuts. I’m such a sucker for a COMPLETE transformative makeover! So my ideal clients are those who come seeking ALL the things (extensions, color and cut)! I love to flip someone’s world upside down and achieve the seemingly unachievable. I will also admit that I feel like my innate skills for how I see, analyze and execute color is what get my name out there the most. I think what sets me apart is something that’s actually unexplained. What I mean by that is, it’s literally something I can’t put into words. How I color is a feeling. It’s instinctual. I compare it to how I play piano. Yes, I can read music – however, when I sit down to play and have the most love for it, is when I play by ear. No music, no notes, just my fingers, the keys and a feeling; and then I create. I 100% recognize it’s a God-given gift and I don’t take it lightly nor do I take it for granted. It’s been my safe place to land and a source of joy for so much of my life. And now I have been able to make a career out of it. I’m beyond grateful.
How do you think about happiness?
I LOVE making others feel beautiful. I love making their dream hair come to life and just watching their confidence soar through the roof. It’s both addicting and intoxicating – in the best kind of way. It’s like instant gratification! Who doesn’t love cutting grace or pressure washing their driveway?! To take what was dirty and now make it clean, or to take what is overgrown and haggard and make it pristine and beautiful. Who wouldn’t love that type of satisfaction in their job!?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thekitchensinksalon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekitchensinksalon/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekitchensinkgvl
Image Credits
Jill Sampson
