INTERVIEW: SARAH EMILIA ON GROWING YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

From her humble beginnings cutting hair in her garage to achieving TikTok’s prestigious 2023 Business of the Year award, Sarah Emilia has captivated the digital world with her innovative approach to hairstyling and entrepreneurship. In just a few short months since her win, Sarah has booked her salon solid for 4-5 months ahead, amassed a dedicated following of 1.3 million on TikTok, and secured collaborations with 20 major brands.  With her upcoming documentary, One in Emilia, set for release in July 2024, Sarah Emilia is eager to share her journey and insights with the world, offering a glimpse into the future of digital entrepreneurship and hairstyling innovation. Be sure to catch our full chat with the social media superstar, here!
TJ: Can you chat us through the evolution of your career, and how you went from a garage startup to social media superstar/owner of a leading salon?
SE: I started my hairdressing career in high school, working out of my friend’s garage. With just a leg razor and chicken scissors, I started experimenting by shaving and cutting layers into my hair, inspired by the mullet trend at the time. My friends then wanted me to do the same for them, having built trust in my ability after seeing the success of my hairstyles. My mum, seeing my passion grow, suggested that I start an apprenticeship. As soon as I started my apprenticeship, I knew this is what I wanted to do because I loved (and was willing to do) the jobs no one else wanted to do. I was happy to clean or be at the basin; I just wanted to be around hair and I kept doing it as much as possible. I then met my now business partner, Jade, and started as her Salon Manager with no leadership experience. She taught me how to lead a team, and three years later, I became her business partner. We have now worked together for five years. During this time, I was always posting on social media, including TikTok, every day to share my knowledge, and my growth was slow at first. However, last year I was able to grow my TikTok following from practically zero to 1 million followers in the short space of 6 months. This was due to my eagerness to consistently show up and understand my audience.

TJ: Describe your personal brand in three words:
SE: Captivating, inspiring, motivational.
TJ: What would your advice be to young hairdressers looking to build out their personal brand? What was your process?
SE: Be self-aware and spend time working on yourself. Experiment with styles so you can discover what you like and what you don’t, then show up as the best version of yourself. People will resonate with authenticity, so always be proud of what you put out there. For me, mentoring and educating the younger generations is a big part of my personal brand. For others, it might be showcasing their creative or playful side. Stick to what you’re good at, not just what might go viral, because you’ll become known for that. Never become what others want you to be or imitate what works for others, because it might not work for you. Your personal brand is you — how you dress, talk, walk — everything you put out there, make sure you’re always proud of it.
TJ: How do you utilise social media to grow and nurture your business?
SE: TikTok has done wonders for my business. TikTok really helps elevate businesses, especially mine, due to its potential to build exposure. It’s been crucial to focus on nurturing my current audience rather than just growing new ones. In saying that, I was able to grow my followers from 300,000 to 1.3 million in a matter of months. Nurturing the audience you have is important because those people have been with you from the beginning and will grow with you on your journey. Even at my follower size, I continue to educate them by answering their questions, and producing content that I know they will love and that I want to be known for, so I can attract dream clients into my business. Showing up consistently on TikTok is really important, and so far, it has 100% worked – I even won TikTok’s Business of the Year Award last year!
TJ: What would your tips and tricks be to young hairdressers looking to grow their own social media following, and what channels should they focus on?
SE: You need to stay authentic to you. Everybody is out there doing their own thing, and everyone is looking for a way to stand out, however, we often forget that the best way to stand out is by being ourselves. When we’re ourselves, we’re unique because no one can ever replicate us. If you’re trying to grow on any platform, stay true to who you are.
TJ: You have a documentary coming up. What can we expect from One in Emilia?
SE: What you can expect from One in Emilia is the journey from my childhood to now. You can expect highs and lows; you can expect to cry and laugh; you can expect to see the struggle then the triumph, to see losses and failures and how I navigated my way through some really tough times in the industry. One in Emilia shows how I found myself as a stylist, and how I became confident and empowered enough to motivate and teach the younger generations of hair.
TJ: What’s your next big career goal?
SE: My next big career goal is to become a motivational speaker in the industry. I want to be a leading authority that the younger generation can look up to and aspire to be, supporting the next generation of hairstylists. I aim to make this industry desirable again, making it a sought-after career. I want to offer unique opportunities and different pathways, distinct from what others are doing. I would love to see myself on TV representing the hair industry, creating new avenues for hairstylists beyond just owning salons or showing up on social media.