Veronika Lasák Stará - A Happy Hairdresser Equals a Happy Client
www.posiv.cz ǀ 41
WOMAN
Veronica, the road toward your dream
hairdresser job was full of twists and
turns. Could you tell our readers about
some of the obstacles and challenges
you faced when choosing your
profession?
In the very beginning, at a young age,
I faced the disapproval of my parents,
as at the time, being a hairstylist was
definitely not a lucrative field and it only
left me with a high-school diploma and an
apprenticeship certificate. Twenty years
ago, this field was viewed in a completely
different light compared to what it is now.
I am very glad that this stigma disappeared
and I hope that hair styling will continue to
be as sought after as it is now.
After entering the workforce, I was mainly
worried about business and my ability to
make enough money and be successful.
Luckily, these worries soon left me.
I believe that complete failure is impossible
as long as you continue to educate yourself,
handle your money well, and are putting
in the work, doing something you love,
something that makes you feel whole.
Your childhood was not easy. You grew
up in a complicated family situation
that involved, for example, addiction.
How did this affect you and what gave
you the strength to nonetheless push
through and follow your dreams?
Like any child, I went through both
positive and negative experiences. It
is up to us whether we let the negative
events influence us more than the positive
ones. Quite unexpectedly, once I left
my childhood home, many things sorted
themselves out in my family, and they ended
up supporting me in what I was doing.
Once you see that life can be better and
that your situation can change drastically
once you switch up your lifestyle, it is
quite motivating. I have gotten to the point
where I would not change anything about
my childhood, it made me into the person
I am now, and I am very happy with my
current situation.
You participated in many different
contests and have received prestigious
awards. What effect did these successes
have on your work and how did they
help you further your career?
Contests, training and photography
sessions were the biggest milestones in
my professional life. Any sort of public
events were way out of my comfort zone
at first, however, once you feel the sense
of purpose you get from your work and
reaching your goals, you get used to it
pretty quickly as it motivates you to keep
going. At my first couple events I was very
nervous, however, I eventually realised
that I have an amazing team of people
with me, and that gave me new found
confidence. Coming across people that
are willing to help and share your goals is
a gift.
In your interview with Vindy Krejčí you
said that you enjoy further educating
yourself in your field. You participate in
many training programs and you invest
most of your money back into your work.
What trends and techniques do you
think are key to modern hair styling?
I am of the opinion that people should
keep learning new things throughout
their entire life, both in their personal
and professional lives. “Never go down
the stairs, keep ascending,” is my personal
motto. After having a child, I let off the gas
in terms of training a little bit, but soon
I will be back at full capacity. For the time
being I am closely following the industry
and its trends online. In terms of key
modern trends, I think we are swinging
back towards incorporating femininity and
natural looks. As a professional, however,
it is also critical for me to listen to my
client, even if they want something that
is not trendy. This is why it is important
for hair stylists to be versatile and able to
adapt to the person sitting in front of them
rather than strictly adhere to trends.
What is your view of motherhood
as a female entrepreneur?
How are you managing to strike
a balance between work and family?
For a long time, I was afraid to leave work
and I was searching for that balance
point. I must say that, as someone who
meticulously plans everything, even when
I was about to turn thirty, I was prepared
to become a mother and entrepreneur
at once. Of course my workload has
decreased compared to when I started
out, but I try to divide my time in a way
that allows me to maintain satisfaction
both at work and at home. It is not easy,
but when you have the support of your
husband, family and friends, it is definitely
more manageable. As a businesswoman it
was important for me to keep educating
myself while making time for the baby.
Searching for that balance was the best
choice I made.
If you look back on all those challenging
years filled with work, that demanded
lots of time and mental energy, that
led to fulfilling your dream of creating
something valuable and unique that is
your own. What do you consider to be
your biggest success, and what would
you like to achieve in the future? What
plans do you have for the future of your
salon and personal career?
In my opinion, the fact that I still also
consider my job to be my hobby is my
biggest success, as it makes getting up and
going to work easy.
Some of my clients have been with me for
over fifteen years and that is something
that I am incredibly grateful for. This
is another thing that I consider a great
success - maintaining long term clients
in an environment where they have
countless other options.
Last, but not least, I consider building
the team I work with to be a great success.
In the future, I would like to participate in
multiple international competitions, and
I would be overjoyed if our studio managed
to prosper and remain as popular as it is
now.
Veronika, thank you for the interview.
“
Never go down the stairs,
keep ascending.
”
“
In my opinion, the fact that
I sll also consider my job to be
my hobby is my biggest success,
as it makes geng up and
going to work easy.
”
Her closest circle didn’t
understand her passion for
hair; they didn’t see the
hairdressing eld as lucrave
or oering a promising
future. However, Veronika
wasn’t discouraged by
this. She aended school
during the day and worked
at a casino at night so she
could become independent
as soon as possible and
pursue what she loved and
what fullled her the most.