Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherrie Hudgins.
Hi Sherrie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
If I had to narrow it down, I’d say three things have been my biggest life motivators. It started being raised by a single mom. She was ahead of her time and fiercely independent. She always told me I could do, or be, anything I wanted if I put in the work. Oh, and I didn’t need a man to take care of me lol! Mom had many sayings, but my favorite, and the first of my motivators, was ‘Nothing to fear but fear itself!’ A couple years out of high school, got married, had kids, got divorced. I had no idea what it really meant to be a single mom and career woman in the ’70s, but being taught that I had no limitations and the only thing to be afraid of was being afraid has helped me live a full life confident in just going for it. I have stumbled and learned lessons the hard way, but I wouldn’t change the drive to always love what I do, where I’m at, and who I’m with.
Second motivator…fast forward to my early twenties, I’m looking for a change. I read a book called, ‘What Color is Your Parachute’? Simplified, it teaches you how to turn your personality, things that interest you, and things you enjoy into a fulfilling career. This book is so good, it’s been around since 1970, and is revised annually. I highly recommend. One of the assignments was to make 3 life goals. Mine were…
1. Own my own business
2. Learn to play drums
3. Learn to speak French
I have taken lessons in 2 & 3, only fluent in #1. I have managed businesses from fast food to diamonds. I enjoy and became good at identifying problems, developing and implementing a plan to streamline the business, and make it profitable. In 1997, I decided it was time to fly my own parachute, so to speak.
By this time, I was a single mom to 3 teenagers, my 3rd and most important life motivator. I realized that my current career kept me away holidays and nights when they needed me most. It was time I made my own schedule. I went to cosmetology school full-time. In 2000, I opened my first salon. I didn’t have much in the way of clientele. The kids and I made flyers and put them on every door of our apartment complex. Around this time, I received a postcard at my new salon that said I could build my own website for free, so I built my own website. Here’s the turning point. I got one client from all the flyers, and it was a massive color correction. It took around 10-12 hours, but it was then I found my calling in the hair industry… color correction and transformations. I was hooked! I took a before and after with my Sony camera and downloaded them to my desktop. I don’t remember why I took the pics; it certainly wasn’t a thing back then, maybe I wanted to show off the pictures on my website, who knows, but I’m glad I did! There was no Instagram or TikTok, and only a handful of salons listed on searches. I put my pictures on my website, and that was the beginning of a successful business that I was happy to do every day for the next 15 years. In 2015, my family needed me elsewhere, so I moved out of state, went into debt for a good cause, started a new career, transferred and moved back to Texas, paid off my debt, saved some money, and opened Sugar Land Color Salon in March of 2023! It’s small but mighty. My website has lots of info, pictures, and an online store where you can buy hair care that I personally recommend. This business was started and built from passion for the art of hair color and being my own boss. And 23 years later, I’m once again waiting for that transformation that will change your life and mine.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been many challenges opening this new salon, but this is where I thrive. I told myself, it’s like riding a bike, right? After seven years of being out of the business, from trying to get on the first page of Google to figuring out how to work the new credit card machine, has been a learning experience. I was also unaware that even though I had honed my craft for 17 years, getting back on that bike was going to be wobbly to start! The list goes on…the products I had successfully used for over a decade were still around, but formulations had changed. There are new formulations, more brands, better brands that do more stuff! The internet has about a million more salons, and the first pages are filled with the big websites like Yelp and findthebestsalonsnearyoudotcoms. It’s not enough to be a seasoned colorist. I now must be proficient at photography, videography, getting noticed in a huge competitive market, TikToking, and beach waves! Building a website and online store is more complicated but so much better, and I’ve loved every frustrating minute…now that it’s done. I solve the issues as I go. You have to believe there’s a solution to every problem (99.5% of the time) I bought mannequins to practice and try new products on, enrolled in classes for current styling, color trends and techniques, and haircuts. I bought a new iPhone for better pictures, and I’m putting my website anywhere they’ll let me. My past experience has been instrumental in building my new salon much quicker than the first time, and I’m ready!
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a salon owner and hair designer/colorist. Hair color is my passion. I specialize in hair transformations and color corrections. I’m proud of designing a salon that focuses on the relaxation and comfort of my clients, with an environment tailored to hair coloring. I believe the hair cut is part of the total design that should complement the color, hence I do not charge separately for it, as it is part of the overall design. I am determined to be my best colorist self. In my industry, it is ever-changing. I love what I do… I also enjoy learning, studying, and researching. I will never know everything, and I’m always looking for a way to do it better. My focus is also on educating clients on hair care and how hair color works, so they can work with me to maintain the health of the canvas. My goal is to create a color and style that looks good until the next appointment. My opinion is that what I do is an art, and so personal, every canvas is different, and I respect that. I believe all of these things are what sets me apart from most. Trust me, it’s not a bad thing for your colorist to be a little obsessed with your hair lol!
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Do the research, have a plan with an end goal, know your craft, stay current, do what it takes to deliver, want it more than anything, visualize and truly believe in the outcome to make it happen, and most important… don’t let fear of failure make you miss out on something that could be great, thanks, Mom!
And for you ladies out there chasing a color dream and never finding it…find someone that you trust, ask questions, be honest with them about your concerns, and give them at least 2-3 appointments to get through years and layers of color, cause it usually can not be perfect in just a few hours of your first appointment. Thanks, and hope to see you soon!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sugarlandcolorsalon.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sugarlandcolorsalon
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/sugarlandcolorsalon
