From Booked and Busy to Balanced and Thriving: Chari’s Free Agent Journey
Does this sound familiar? You’ve built a loyal clientele, your calendar is full, and everyone keeps telling you how “lucky” you are to be booked and busy. But behind the scenes, you’re stretched thin, exhausted, and starting to dread the very work you once loved. You say yes when you mean no, you squeeze people in when you don’t have the time, and you carry the pressure of trying to please everyone. If you’re tired of running on empty and ready to build a business that supports your work, your boundaries, and your joy, you’re in the right place. Let’s talk about what happens when you stop chasing busy and start choosing yourself.
My special guest is Chari Jones
Chari Jones is an independent stylist specializing in wigs and extensions, working inside a private studio where she runs her business on her own terms. After years in a traditional salon environment, she realized her clients wanted privacy, calm energy, and one-on-one connection just as much as she did. Moving into her own suite gave her the freedom to create that environment—clean, organized, peaceful, and entirely her own.
With a focus on personal growth, service refinement, and deeper expertise, Chari has intentionally reshaped her business to align with the values she lives by: joy, fun, and a full-bodied yes. If a service drains her, if a habit holds her back, or if a client repeatedly crosses her boundaries, she’s learned the power of letting it go. Her approach is a blueprint for stylists who want success without sacrificing themselves.
You have to clear the room—emotionally and physically—to make space for the version of your business that actually lights you up.
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Discover how shifting from a traditional salon to a private suite can transform both your client experience and your own well-being.
- Learn how refining your service menu and setting boundaries can help you avoid burnout and rediscover joy in your work.
- Understand why slow seasons aren’t failures—they’re opportunities to learn new skills, reach new clients, and strengthen your business.
- Explore the emotional and strategic benefits of saying no to misaligned clients or services.
- Gain insight into building a supportive community, even when you operate independently.
Personal Relationships Shape Success
For Chari, hairstyling is deeply relational. Her clients open up, decompress, and trust her in a way that requires privacy and focused attention—something that was harder to maintain in a busy salon. Moving into her own studio gives her control over that environment, helping her protect both her energy and the client experience.
She’s also learned that not every service or client is meant to stay. Letting go of work that drains her creates space for better-fit opportunities and stronger alignment. Slow seasons have become moments to refine her skills, reassess her services, and prepare for what’s next. By staying intentional and avoiding stagnation, she continues to grow in ways that support both her business and her well-being.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
- Follow Chari’s journey for inspiration, education, and behind-the-scenes insights into life as an independent stylist.
- Learn more about suite-based independence for beauty professionals and how private studios support creative and financial freedom.
- Connect with a community of independent entrepreneurs who understand the challenges and successes of running a business on your own.
- Explore opportunities to grow your skills, refine your service menu, and build a business aligned with your values.
- Tune in to the Free Agent Podcast with Meg Schmitz for real stories of self-employment and business ownership. Contact Meg Schmitz to schedule a free, no-obligation call and get insider insights on franchise opportunities. Use the form at the FREE Agent Podcast if you’d like to be considered as a guest on the Show!
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Click to Take the Leap into the full interview transcript of the Free Agent Podcast, Episode 7.28, with Meg Schmitz and her guest, Chari Jones
Free Agent Podcast with Meg Schmitz – Guest: Chari Jones, Entrepreneur & Stylist at IMAGE Studios Tosa
Meg: All right, Chari, how are you today?
Chari: I’m fine today. How you doing today?
Meg: I am well. Thank you for doing the podcast. So this is the name of my podcast. Is the free agent like an NFL player? Like a free agent is a free agent. Okay. You were on a team somewhere, maybe working in a salon. Now you are independent, and it’s hard work every day, but it’s yours. It’s your future to create. And so that’s what I wanted to talk about today, is your journey into free agency. You took the leap, and you’re here. You are running your own business. Yes. So what inspired you to do that, to be on?
Chari: I would say what inspired me to do that first for my clients? I feel like a lot of them, like, want, like A one on one type of like privacy setting with me being their stylist. Because, you know, client and stylist is like a therapy session. I kind of look at it. So a lot of them like that aspect of it. And also for me, I just want to be in my own space. For me to probably like to create what I like versus being inside of a salon space setting, which is like a lot of other stylists, which is fun, don’t get me wrong. Cause you learn from other stylists and things like that. But I feel like now where I’m going and on my journey, I feel like I’m okay to be a free agent, a free butterfly by myself and to like build from there to see what else Chari has to have in store for herself. So that’s where I’m at with this.
Meg: Were you in a suite before you came here or when you were in a salon?
Chari: No, I was at a salon space. I was not in a suite. And at first I was so scared about sweet spaces because I am a social person. Like, I like talking to people or I like being around other stylists and looking at what everybody does. So I didn’t think that I would be okay in a sweet, excuse me, in a sweet space like I am now. But I actually love it. Like, people ask me all the time, like, how you like it, how’s it coming along? And I love it. Personally, for me, I love it because it helps me with my time management too. Like, I feel like where I worked at before the salon space, my clients sometimes like to bombard me if they can’t get a slot on my booking site or if they can’t reach me if I’m booked, they want to come and see because I could sometimes be like, okay, I’ll get you in and do it for you. But now I feel like they’re not able to do that because I’m in my own personal space and setting. Nobody don’t want anyone else during their time. Everybody’s time is valuable. Yeah. So, yeah, I like it.
Meg: Have you. Because you’re an entrepreneur now and every decision is your decision. Have you run into anything where you went, oh, holy shit, I never saw that coming. Or. Or on the other end of the spectrum, like, oh my gosh, this is so much better than what I thought it was going to be.
Chari: I will say entrepreneurship, honestly is always like a. For me, it’s like an effect. Because I feel like in my career right now, right now I’m in my slow season right which is allowing me to kind of like push myself to keep getting those bookings and stuff like that. So I do. I have ran into like, oh, shit, it’s slow. Like what I’m going to do because I still have to take care of myself and all these other things. So. But I will still say it’s not nothing for the worst. It’s not nothing bad. That makes sense. Like, it’s not nothing bad. I feel like entrepreneurship is every day a learning process. You run into something and you. You learn something and you figure out, okay, now you’re gonna prepare yourself for what’s gonna happen next or next time, what slow season. I’m not gonna have a slow season next time because I already prepared myself. I went through it already. Now I’m preparing myself for what’s going to be next. So right now that’s what I’m doing.
Chari: Preparing for what’s next for me in my slow. My next slow season, if I ever even will have one again.
Meg: And good for you. Because that’s the ebb and flow. Yeah, sometimes there’s the unpredictable and other times it’s seasonal or whatever those influences might be. But while it’s slow, will you have you diversified into any additional services or things that you want to learn? Not even necessarily in the industry, but just self improvement.
Chari: Self improvement. What I learned, I did pick up another service skill that I wanted from one of our other pros inside this space. So that’s what I’m working on now to reach a different audience, a different type of clientele. Cause what I do now, which I do wigs and like, extensions, but I want to get more depth in the extension world. So I’m adding more trades on that to see what else can add value to me in my career and just to see what some things, like, some, some services I have taken away because I feel like they don’t benefit me. Like, I feel like that’s. That’s the thing two people don’t talk about. I feel like some people do things because they feel like, okay, I’m gonna do this. I feel like I don’t wanna be. People say booked and busy. I really don’t wanna be booked and busy. I wanna be like, busy booked, but, like, not overworking myself. And that required me to take away certain services that I didn’t want because some clients, I love them, but I just don’t want to do what they want me to do anymore. So I have learned some new services and learned what should I take away on my journey too by Being here in this space and as a real entrepreneur. So, yeah. You know the three words when you first walk in the door? Joy, fun, and yes. Yes. Those are the three words that govern my life. Okay. And just exactly what you’re talking about doing. If those services don’t bring you joy, fun, and yes, well, then the answer is no. The answer is no.
Chari: And I. I feel like as a entrepreneur, being a stylist, I do have my days where sometimes, I mean, I have my moments where I’m like, you know what? I don’t. I’m not gonna do this anymore. Because you can fire some clients. Some clients you have to fire. Like, you have to fire because you’ll have you second guessing yourself. Like, okay, I can’t do this no more. I’m drained and drained. But like I just told you, take away certain services and adding new services to. You lose one, you gain five. That’s how I look at it. You lose one, you gain 5. And that’s where I’m at with it right now in my journey. Like, I’m. Yeah, I’m just switching some things around. Hawaii. It’s my slow season. So. Yeah, that is an excellent lesson. I’m so glad you brought it up.
Meg: As I’m interviewing each one of you, there are these little nuggets like, ah, genius. Yeah. And that’s so true. With the universal energy, when you get rid of the stuff that isn’t benefiting you, you’re making room for, like you said, joy, fun. And yes, doing hair is just not a hobby for. That’s not a hobby for me. This is my career. This is my job. This is what I love to do. So I feel like if it’s not making me happy or a client not making me feel like me coming to my job is feeling like work for me. And if it’s not fun for me, I don’t want to do it. So that’s why it’s like sometimes you got to fire some things out of your life, whether it’s the client, whether It’s a habit that you’re doing anything. So that’s where I’m at with this right now.
Meg: You are wise. Wise beyond your years.
Chari: I know, I hear that a lot. I hear that often. It’s just.
Meg: That is an excellent business strategy that some people never master. Oh, I have to have that client. Oh, I don’t want to offend anyone or stand your ground, create your space, just like you’re saying. One of the reasons why I love coming in here is all of you and the energy that you bring to it. Yeah. You can tell when somebody’s having an off day. You can tell when people are laughing and happy and the client is in the. And the vibrancy that we have here. And I can’t wait for the grand opening in a couple of weeks when we can celebrate our one year anniversary.
Chari: I love being here at Image. Like when we had talked before, I like. Cause the environment here is very inviting. And then you get to see all these other people, what they’re doing within their businesses and they’d be like, oh, okay, maybe I should add that, like I talked to a couple of beauty posts here and asked them what do they do and like, how do they go about this and what would they change? Just to see if something I can always learn from someone else. You never stop learning. So I think that’s a good thing too about being here at Image in your own sweet space. Even though we’re not all like in the same room, we all in the same space. And you’re able to go around and look at each of these individuals and see what they have to offer, how they run their business. And I think that’s really good to learn.
Meg: Yeah. Yeah. Because some of the people here are brand new and, and are just now learning while others of us have been around forever. But let’s face it, the challenges of running a business never go away. There’s always gonna be something that’s like a sneak attack and. Oh, that was a surprise. And to be able to have common ground and share those experiences. Have you ever been through this before?
Chari: Yeah, a lot of. I say, I say like shake the room or I feel like if you get too comfortable, I like to be uncomfortable. You gotta be uncomfortable. Sometimes you get too comfortable. You like, you just. You just stagnant. I don’t like being. That’s. That’s when I start to feel like something. If I become too stagnant, it’s like something’s wrong with me right now. Like, I need something different. I need to. It’s not. It’s at a standstill. That doesn’t work for me. So that’s why now I’m firing. I’m taking away, adding to and learning something new. So that way I could prepare myself and be excited. I don’t want to lose. I love doing here. I love doing,. I love being an entrepreneur. I don’t think I ever. I think I only had. I only ever had one job and that was Target. And ever since then, I just spit on entrepreneurship. So I don’t see nothing else with me right now.
Meg: But I am so glad you are here and I’m so glad that we’ve got this interview. This is. You have so much business skill and savvy. You said a word that I use with people a lot, and that’s uncomfortable. Being an entrepreneur, you’re going to be uncomfortable. Something is going to. It’s universal energy. It’s always changing. There’s going to be something that you didn’t expect. But then if you’re not. If you’re not pushing your boundaries and you become stagnant, then for an entrepreneur, there’s nothing worse than being bored.
Chari: It’s nothing worse than being bored. Nothing. That’s. I was at home today. I didn’t have to work today, but I was at home. And I’m like, let me go. I’m gonna go see Meg and do my interview for her podcast today and put on my cute Image T shirt. Now let me get out the house. Cause I was just too comfortable there. So I’m here with you. Woo.
Meg: Thank you.
Chari: I’m so welcome.
Meg: Well, I appreciate you spending some of your free time today. You’re just inspiring. Every time we see you.
Chari: You are inspiring. I appreciate you so much. And I love your pink jacket.
Meg: Thank you. You know, I had to represent for Image Studios Pink because we had the morning blender earlier today.
Chari: Love that. Love that for Image.
Meg: I know.
Chari: I love that for you.
Meg: Thank you.
Chari: You’re so welcome.
Meg: Have fun the rest of today.
Free Agent Podcast with Meg Schmitz – Guest: Chari Jones, Entrepreneur & Stylist at IMAGE Studios Tosa
Meg: All right, Chari, how are you today?
Chari: I’m fine today. How you doing today?
Meg: I am well. Thank you for doing the podcast. So this is the name of my podcast. Is the free agent like an NFL player? Like a free agent is a free agent. Okay. You were on a team somewhere, maybe working in a salon. Now you are independent, and it’s hard work every day, but it’s yours. It’s your future to create. And so that’s what I wanted to talk about today, is your journey into free agency. You took the leap, and you’re here. You are running your own business. Yes. So what inspired you to do that, to be on?
Chari: I would say what inspired me to do that first for my clients? I feel like a lot of them, like, want, like A one on one type of like privacy setting with me being their stylist. Because, you know, client and stylist is like a therapy session. I kind of look at it. So a lot of them like that aspect of it. And also for me, I just want to be in my own space. For me to probably like to create what I like versus being inside of a salon space setting, which is like a lot of other stylists, which is fun, don’t get me wrong. Cause you learn from other stylists and things like that. But I feel like now where I’m going and on my journey, I feel like I’m okay to be a free agent, a free butterfly by myself and to like build from there to see what else Chari has to have in store for herself. So that’s where I’m at with this.
Meg: Were you in a suite before you came here or when you were in a salon?
Chari: No, I was at a salon space. I was not in a suite. And at first I was so scared about sweet spaces because I am a social person. Like, I like talking to people or I like being around other stylists and looking at what everybody does. So I didn’t think that I would be okay in a sweet, excuse me, in a sweet space like I am now. But I actually love it. Like, people ask me all the time, like, how you like it, how’s it coming along? And I love it. Personally, for me, I love it because it helps me with my time management too. Like, I feel like where I worked at before the salon space, my clients sometimes like to bombard me if they can’t get a slot on my booking site or if they can’t reach me if I’m booked, they want to come and see because I could sometimes be like, okay, I’ll get you in and do it for you. But now I feel like they’re not able to do that because I’m in my own personal space and setting. Nobody don’t want anyone else during their time. Everybody’s time is valuable. Yeah. So, yeah, I like it.
Meg: Have you. Because you’re an entrepreneur now and every decision is your decision. Have you run into anything where you went, oh, holy shit, I never saw that coming. Or. Or on the other end of the spectrum, like, oh my gosh, this is so much better than what I thought it was going to be.
Chari: I will say entrepreneurship, honestly is always like a. For me, it’s like an effect. Because I feel like in my career right now, right now I’m in my slow season right which is allowing me to kind of like push myself to keep getting those bookings and stuff like that. So I do. I have ran into like, oh, shit, it’s slow. Like what I’m going to do because I still have to take care of myself and all these other things. So. But I will still say it’s not nothing for the worst. It’s not nothing bad. That makes sense. Like, it’s not nothing bad. I feel like entrepreneurship is every day a learning process. You run into something and you. You learn something and you figure out, okay, now you’re gonna prepare yourself for what’s gonna happen next or next time, what slow season. I’m not gonna have a slow season next time because I already prepared myself. I went through it already. Now I’m preparing myself for what’s going to be next. So right now that’s what I’m doing.
Chari: Preparing for what’s next for me in my slow. My next slow season, if I ever even will have one again.
Meg: And good for you. Because that’s the ebb and flow. Yeah, sometimes there’s the unpredictable and other times it’s seasonal or whatever those influences might be. But while it’s slow, will you have you diversified into any additional services or things that you want to learn? Not even necessarily in the industry, but just self improvement.
Chari: Self improvement. What I learned, I did pick up another service skill that I wanted from one of our other pros inside this space. So that’s what I’m working on now to reach a different audience, a different type of clientele. Cause what I do now, which I do wigs and like, extensions, but I want to get more depth in the extension world. So I’m adding more trades on that to see what else can add value to me in my career and just to see what some things, like, some, some services I have taken away because I feel like they don’t benefit me. Like, I feel like that’s. That’s the thing two people don’t talk about. I feel like some people do things because they feel like, okay, I’m gonna do this. I feel like I don’t wanna be. People say booked and busy. I really don’t wanna be booked and busy. I wanna be like, busy booked, but, like, not overworking myself. And that required me to take away certain services that I didn’t want because some clients, I love them, but I just don’t want to do what they want me to do anymore. So I have learned some new services and learned what should I take away on my journey too by Being here in this space and as a real entrepreneur. So, yeah. You know the three words when you first walk in the door? Joy, fun, and yes. Yes. Those are the three words that govern my life. Okay. And just exactly what you’re talking about doing. If those services don’t bring you joy, fun, and yes, well, then the answer is no. The answer is no.
Chari: And I. I feel like as a entrepreneur, being a stylist, I do have my days where sometimes, I mean, I have my moments where I’m like, you know what? I don’t. I’m not gonna do this anymore. Because you can fire some clients. Some clients you have to fire. Like, you have to fire because you’ll have you second guessing yourself. Like, okay, I can’t do this no more. I’m drained and drained. But like I just told you, take away certain services and adding new services to. You lose one, you gain five. That’s how I look at it. You lose one, you gain 5. And that’s where I’m at with it right now in my journey. Like, I’m. Yeah, I’m just switching some things around. Hawaii. It’s my slow season. So. Yeah, that is an excellent lesson. I’m so glad you brought it up.
Meg: As I’m interviewing each one of you, there are these little nuggets like, ah, genius. Yeah. And that’s so true. With the universal energy, when you get rid of the stuff that isn’t benefiting you, you’re making room for, like you said, joy, fun. And yes, doing hair is just not a hobby for. That’s not a hobby for me. This is my career. This is my job. This is what I love to do. So I feel like if it’s not making me happy or a client not making me feel like me coming to my job is feeling like work for me. And if it’s not fun for me, I don’t want to do it. So that’s why it’s like sometimes you got to fire some things out of your life, whether it’s the client, whether It’s a habit that you’re doing anything. So that’s where I’m at with this right now.
Meg: You are wise. Wise beyond your years.
Chari: I know, I hear that a lot. I hear that often. It’s just.
Meg: That is an excellent business strategy that some people never master. Oh, I have to have that client. Oh, I don’t want to offend anyone or stand your ground, create your space, just like you’re saying. One of the reasons why I love coming in here is all of you and the energy that you bring to it. Yeah. You can tell when somebody’s having an off day. You can tell when people are laughing and happy and the client is in the. And the vibrancy that we have here. And I can’t wait for the grand opening in a couple of weeks when we can celebrate our one year anniversary.
Chari: I love being here at Image. Like when we had talked before, I like. Cause the environment here is very inviting. And then you get to see all these other people, what they’re doing within their businesses and they’d be like, oh, okay, maybe I should add that, like I talked to a couple of beauty posts here and asked them what do they do and like, how do they go about this and what would they change? Just to see if something I can always learn from someone else. You never stop learning. So I think that’s a good thing too about being here at Image in your own sweet space. Even though we’re not all like in the same room, we all in the same space. And you’re able to go around and look at each of these individuals and see what they have to offer, how they run their business. And I think that’s really good to learn.
Meg: Yeah. Yeah. Because some of the people here are brand new and, and are just now learning while others of us have been around forever. But let’s face it, the challenges of running a business never go away. There’s always gonna be something that’s like a sneak attack and. Oh, that was a surprise. And to be able to have common ground and share those experiences. Have you ever been through this before?
Chari: Yeah, a lot of. I say, I say like shake the room or I feel like if you get too comfortable, I like to be uncomfortable. You gotta be uncomfortable. Sometimes you get too comfortable. You like, you just. You just stagnant. I don’t like being. That’s. That’s when I start to feel like something. If I become too stagnant, it’s like something’s wrong with me right now. Like, I need something different. I need to. It’s not. It’s at a standstill. That doesn’t work for me. So that’s why now I’m firing. I’m taking away, adding to and learning something new. So that way I could prepare myself and be excited. I don’t want to lose. I love doing here. I love doing,. I love being an entrepreneur. I don’t think I ever. I think I only had. I only ever had one job and that was Target. And ever since then, I just spit on entrepreneurship. So I don’t see nothing else with me right now.
Meg: But I am so glad you are here and I’m so glad that we’ve got this interview. This is. You have so much business skill and savvy. You said a word that I use with people a lot, and that’s uncomfortable. Being an entrepreneur, you’re going to be uncomfortable. Something is going to. It’s universal energy. It’s always changing. There’s going to be something that you didn’t expect. But then if you’re not. If you’re not pushing your boundaries and you become stagnant, then for an entrepreneur, there’s nothing worse than being bored.
Chari: It’s nothing worse than being bored. Nothing. That’s. I was at home today. I didn’t have to work today, but I was at home. And I’m like, let me go. I’m gonna go see Meg and do my interview for her podcast today and put on my cute Image T shirt. Now let me get out the house. Cause I was just too comfortable there. So I’m here with you. Woo.
Meg: Thank you.
Chari: I’m so welcome.
Meg: Well, I appreciate you spending some of your free time today. You’re just inspiring. Every time we see you.
Chari: You are inspiring. I appreciate you so much. And I love your pink jacket.
Meg: Thank you. You know, I had to represent for Image Studios Pink because we had the morning blender earlier today.
Chari: Love that. Love that for Image.
Meg: I know.
Chari: I love that for you.
Meg: Thank you.
Chari: You’re so welcome.
Meg: Have fun the rest of today.
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