Meet Madison Dufour | Cosmetologist and Barber, Hair Blog Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison Dufour and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madison, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
My name is Madison. I grew up on a cattle ranch and was raised by entrepreneurs. Growing up I never wanted to be an entrepreneur, I saw how difficult and stressful it was on my parents. But the values that I grew up with have helped me and driven me to be the business owner that I am today.
On the ranch, there is no room for excuses. I was taught that when you do a job you do it well and you do it right the first time. It doesn’t matter if you are tired, or don’t feel like doing it, because, in the end, the job still needs to be done.

Becoming an entrepreneur kind of just happened to me. After Cosmetology and Barber school and several years of working behind the chair, I knew I needed to work for myself.

I found a beautiful booth rental salon and set up shop there. Two days after beginning there COVID hit and all of the shops were closed down. But that gave me enough time to start my second business. I sought advice and counsel from other successful business owners and with their guidance was able to carve a way to build the second business and be successful post-COVID as well.

Growing up, I wasn’t taught how to rest. Which is the only negative, I suppose. There is no rest when running a cattle ranch.
But the positive of not knowing how to allow myself to rest and slow down is that I continue to push forward and pursue greater goals without stopping. And because of that, I have met many goals and just aim higher now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Consistency and humility are what I have learned are two key aspects of a successful business.

Humility because even though as a business owner I can make all of the decisions, I understand that I am not what makes the business successful. The people are.

Humility is important because I am not the center of attention. This allows me to listen better to my guests. To what their needs are, and sometimes just be there to listen.

Because of what my guests share with me and their comfort level with me, they will give me suggestions about what makes me stand out, and what can do differently to make my small business top-notch.

It’s the little things that make a small business stand out from the rest. Whether it’s providing coffee in the lobby, or spending an extra few minutes massaging in the shampoo bowl. Tiny, personal, inexpensive things that make people feel valued by me and want to continue supporting my business.

The details are what I listen for. Hints from my guests. Not what I want, but what they want.

Consistency is important, especially in the hair industry, because if I can repeat the perfect haircut I will have a client for life.

Not only consistency with haircuts, but consistency in prices, customer service, and friendliness. And over time, clients trust us entirely. We know their secrets. We know their families. We are friends, and to some, even become family.

People make it possible for me. And by knowing people, being consistent, and being humble, I was able to become successful and start more businesses.

One instance of the happening was when I started my traveling barber business MadisonDBarbering.com

With MadisonDBarbering I travel to businesses and offer haircuts as a benefit for the staff.

A guest of mine for years is head of an engineering company and asked me to come cut his employee’s hair once a month. This was an excellent idea and I wondered why there weren’t other companies that did this. Why not start one? So I did.

After a year or so, his company grew so much that I couldn’t fit all of the guys’ haircuts in a single day, and so I have the privilege of cutting hair for this company for two days, which is more pay for me. His success became my success.

And now I have expanded my business ventures even more by starting a hair blog. The Exquisite Find, answering hair questions and facts about hair care that are lesser-known.

If it wasn’t for my clients I wouldn’t be successful. Humility is so much more attractive than arrogance and selfishness. And consistency is imperative for an ever growing business. To continue being excellent, but consistently listen and improve too.

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?
In Colorado Springs there are so many places to take a visitor!

I personally, am an outdoors-y person so I would take the visitor to Garden of the Gods, Palmer Lake, Palmer Park, Red Rock Open Space, and Manitou Springs.

To eat, I would take my visitor to the Denver Biscuit Company and Fat Sully’s downtown Colorado Springs. And the Mate factory in Manitou Springs, and 105 Social House for burgers. For drinks, we would visit Whistle Pig Brewery and Almagre.

While we are in Manitou we would probably walk the shops and support local.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband’s parents. Eric and Rachel Dufour.

Eric and Rachel have adopted me as their own daughter when I married their son. They encourage and speak truth over me in every aspect of my life, including the business aspect.

When I am discouraged and overwhelmed by the stresses of a business owner’s life they have always reached out to fill in the gaps, or give me perspective when I am too close to the situation.

Being owners of a company themselves, they understand what it is like to be juggling a hundred things at once.

And of course, my husband Dan. My greatest cheerleader. And the one that keeps my feet on the ground every time I have a new idea for a new business. Even though he has his own pursuits, he still gives me everything he’s got so that I can pursue mine.

I would like to thank them all for their unending support, encouragement, and unconditional love.

Website: https://madisondbbarbering.com and https://theexquisitefind.com

Instagram: Escargot Living

Facebook: The Exquisite Find

Youtube: Escargot Living

Other: barberingmadisond@gmail.com

Image Credits
Ariane Roberts