Conversations with Kylie Crinnian

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie Crinnian. 

Hi Kylie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have wanted to be a hairstylist for as long as I can remember, but I’m originally from a very small town and wanted to wait till I had the chance to move. Fast forward, I graduated from Paul Mitchell The School in Overland Park, KS, became an assistant at a boutique salon, and then found myself working my way up in the corporate salon setting. While in the corporate salon, I was chosen to be part of the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders Glam Squad, which gave me the opportunity to do performance-ready work on game days, as well as editorial work in the form of the annual Chiefs Cheerleader calendar. 

One of my main passions is education in the industry and, while I was working in my corporate setting, I was lucky enough to travel the country teaching hairstylists the newest trends as well as providing business mentoring. This led me to open up my own business about 5 years ago and I began to really tailor my craft, which allowed me to develop a reputation as a specialty stylist, even when everyone thought I was crazy for doing so. Doing that really allowed me to fall in love with my career and become the best stylist I could be. I quickly became a sought-after “curly guru” and built my entire brand on teaching women how to love and cherish their hair with the goal of bringing out the confidence in many women that have been hidden for so long. I’m blessed to have clients travel across the country to sit in my chair and experience the level of service my assistant and I provide. By creating a new way of cutting and developing a strong public following, I was able to create my independent education program not only offering curly education, but also business education to salons and salon owners everywhere. 

Fast-forward to 2020, I made the leap and opened my first salon: a beautiful, 2,000 square foot salon called Moxie By KC in a suburb of Kansas City, and what a ride that has been! My salon has 8 gorgeous stations, custom furniture, and fixtures, eight team members (six stylists and two support staff), and we’ve recently made the finals for The Pitch KC’s Best Stylist and Best Salon in Kansas City! When I opened Moxie, I had a dream of creating a beautiful, creative space allowing artists to come and not only be respected in their craft but a place that never inhibits growth. We have such a great culture within our salon and the amount of growth we’ve seen in the short time we’ve been open is truly amazing. 

When I’m not running a business and doing hair, I’m a proud wife, new mom, and dog mom! I’m lucky enough to have found such a supportive partner who not only loves cheering Moxie on but is my biggest rock and motivator. We’re a normal family who loves cuddling up with our new daughter, and our pack of pups after a busy week. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh goodness no. HA! I signed my five-year lease in December 2019, started demo January 1st, 2020, and just my luck, Covid-19 just started to make headway in the US. in February. We were set to open for business in April, but as you guys can guess the world basically shut down and I had to finish the buildout of Moxie By KC while being unemployed, newly pregnant, and very sick. 

We were not legally allowed to open until late May 2020 and were not allowed to be at full capacity for over a year after opening. On top of that we’ve had nothing, but product shortages, delays, and unexpected closures due to potential Covid exposures. It’s been a whirlwind! 

As a younger female business owner, I wanted to build Moxie on my own with little debt, so the biggest challenge for me was being unemployed, not having any income coming while trying not to stall the building process. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in natural hair texture so basically, that means I do all the curls! I have loved doing curls for over a decade and truly helping women embrace their natural texture instead of conforming to the stigma of fighting it. I have built a name for myself as “CurlsbyKC” on Instagram or if you ask my clients, they call me the “mother of curls”. I’m not going to lie though, it hasn’t always been easy being a curly stylist, simply because I do not have curly hair, so building trust within the curly community was difficult. 

I think what sets me apart from other stylists is my drive. I have an incredible work ethic and will problem solve as long as it takes to accomplish something. It’s something that I’m so proud of, honestly. I’ve had to work incredibly hard to get to where I am today with very little given to me. 

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I’ve learned you have to be flexible over anything else. You need to be able to pivot your business to survive and keeping your business online and available through tech is crucial. As much as people hate tech sometimes, it definitely can save you! My personal favorite lesson, TAKE THE VACATION! Before Covid-19, I never would take more than a week off a year, now I’ve realized I survived over 3 months unemployed, so I deserve some R&R time without feeling guilty. 

Pricing:

• 150/hour

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.babegotmoxie.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/curlsbykc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moxiebykc/
• Other: www.instagram.com/moxiebykc

Image Credits
Makala Towner Photography