Meet Annique Pierre-Louis | Salon Owner & Hair Extension Specialist at Sand + Sol

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annique Pierre-Louis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annique, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work life balance is SO important! When I first opened my salon, I was working A LOT and didn’t understand or know what my boundaries were. I thought working a lot of hours will bring in the most clients and the most money and that’s the point of the business, right? I was so wrong. I went about the first maybe year or so working and working, not realizing I was sacrificing my mental health and the opportunity to better myself outside of the salon. When they say you can’t pour from an empty cup it’s so true- my cup soon became empty, I got overwhelmed and wanted to close my whole business. Dramatic I know, but I had no boundaries.

From there, I looked at my schedule and made some adjustments. Days off are days off, there will be no working on those days. There will be a lot of self care and things that bring me joy outside of the salon. Since I work for myself, I have to have time to work ON my business (accounting, marketing, social media, etc.) so I created an admin time block. All the other days I work IN my business, behind the chair, making people feel beautiful!

The balance has been a game changer, every so often, I bend a boundary to help out a client, especially during the holiday season. However, I won’t bend the boundary so much to where it is impacting me in a negative way.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets me apart from others is my attention to detail and not just the details of your hair. When I am doing your hair, I am envisioning how the color/ highlights/ extensions are going to lay on YOUR head shape with YOUR face shape. When you learn the technique, it’s a standard foundation, but it doesn’t apply to everyone. Customizing your hair for you and your lifestyle is something I take pride in.

Over the years, I became an extension specialist and that is where I get the most excited! It is so rewarding to transform someones confidence in such a huge way just by giving them the length and fullness they’ve always wanted. I light up behind the chair and I am not embarrassed to say some of my clients have absolutely witnessed my joy when installing their dream hair.

I got to where I am today professionally with a whole lot of education courses after beauty school, taking risks in my business and betting on myself. Growing a salon business in a new state with no connections is certainly not easy- it’s really really hard! You have to believe in yourself. Believe that you are qualified to be doing what you’re doing, believe the world needs your magic and believe that all the effort you are putting in is going to pay off in the end and you’ll be living your dream life.

The biggest lessons I’ve learned is you don’t need the fancy tool to create amazing content and there comes a time where you need to take the leap and be the person you’ve imagined. You can take a million courses under the sun, but if you take the information you’ve learned and keep it to yourself or never take that next step, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

I would love for the world to know that I am so committed and determined to helping my clients achieve their hair goals, but more than that, I am so very excited to begin the journey of helping other stylists reach the next level in their careers as well. As I have looked up to leaders in my industry, it is my time to become the leader I’ve looked up to and share my knowledge with the world. Be the light.

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?
If my bestie was visiting for a week, we’d go to 5th and broadway (definitely not regular broadway- no Honky Tonks for me) to begin the festivities. There my bestie and I would have yummy food at Sixty Vines and go shopping after. I am sure she will need boots and a hat because this is Nashville. Potentially we would go to the African American music museum as well which is a lot of fun.

The days to come we would spend time in Downtown Franklin, shopping, snacking and seeing old historic buildings. We would head Downtown Nashville to the cool rooftop bars and themed pop ups, just for a fun evening.

I’d also love to show her the magic of the Gulch and 12S- can’t forget about Kittenish & Uncommon James in the gulch or Bartaco in 12s . We would end on a great note, spending time in Germantown at my favorite store The Golden Slipper and having a cheeseburger for dinner at Jack Browns.

Sounds like a fun and eventful week to me.

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’d like to dedicate my shoutout to all the industry leaders who have influenced my journey knowingly or unknowingly. All of the classes I’ve taken, podcasts I’ve listened to and ebooks I’ve purchased have been the biggest influence on my success.

Website: www.sandsolco.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/beautybyannique

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/annique-pierre-louis-a9a53782

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandSolCollective/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sand-sol-collective-franklin?osq=sand+sol+collective