Christina Kirkey – Salon Owner, Stylist Extraordinaire, Badas$ Entrepreneur

Christina was born and raised in Raleigh NC and graduated high school early to attend Paul Mitchell the School of Raleigh to pursue her dreams in the beauty industry. She has always been a girly girl and knew this was the type of career she wanted to be in from day one! But like most business owners she had to overcome some adversity and deal with some setbacks. Christina shares her raw and unfiltered story of opening her business “PInup Studio” in Raleigh.

A perfect mix of shabby chic and modern, that makes her space truly unique.

Christina shares about her experiences from just getting started to creating her dream space at Pinup Studio. Including how they came into their current location and the relationships they have created that are incredibly meaningful to this day.

She also shares a crazy story from the early day of accidentally gluing a woman’s lashes together.

“I had learned a lot about customer service and how to treat your employees through my dad. He had his own painting company. He moved to Raleigh with $40 to his name. It was all about how he treated his customers and he gave them the best experience. So, with my girls, it’s my job is to take care of them and their job is to take care of the staff or of the clients. So if I’m not taking care of my girls properly, how can I expect them to take care of the clients?”

We discussed what motivates employees, how to learn how they want to be appreciated and strive to meet their needs, and the importance of vulnerability and humility as a leader.

Christina shares her vision for Pinup Studio in the future.