Bianca Agrusa

I would say being instilled at a very young age with what hard work looks like. I had my first job at a young age, so from there I've just always been super ambitious to do something that I would be successful at and also enjoy. I'd probably just dedicate that to my parents. I watched my dad - he was an immigrant from Italy, so he had to work really hard. He started his own business and was successful, and just watching him grow up made me kind of motivated to do the same.

I would just say, listen to the voice in your head, and just go for it. Don't let anything hold you back. I've had goals for myself, and I just managed to achieve all of them, and I just kept going until I got to it. If I can influence a junior stylist or anyone who wants to get in the industry, that's more what I care about. If anyone wants to do it but is too nervous or scared, I love to talk people into it. It's a scary career, but it's so fun and rewarding at the same time.

The biggest challenge right now is that there was an actor and writer's strike right when we came out of the pandemic, and it took out the whole industry. I didn't think it was going to affect me, and it definitely did - it affected everybody. If there's no work, there's just no work. I think we're still trying to navigate that in Los Angeles. I've heard that we're coming back, but it's been a slow process, so just trying to find the momentum has been a little bit challenging, but I do see hope in the future. As for opportunities, I think with social media being here and it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere, there's opportunity to reach a bigger audience with that. That's been a challenge for me because I'm kind of a private person and I don't really like putting my life out there for people to see. Finding the transition between what I was doing pre-COVID to now has been a little bit challenging, but there is opportunity there, and I think it is beneficial for others, especially if people are wanting to learn about certain styles or trying to figure out ways to style themselves. There's definitely opportunity to show that, but I'm still working to get there.

I'm very honest, so I'm honest with my clients and in my personal life as well. I think sometimes too much at a fault, but I do value that, and I think it's important because it builds trust, and you want to have that, especially if you're in a vulnerable and intimate position with your clients. Being a communications major, I learned that the best way to get someone motivated is to have them kind of be in control of their thoughts, and you kind of just help them make the right decision. So not telling them what to do, but asking them the questions so they answer in the way that you think is best to guide them in the right direction. You ask the questions to guide them, and then it kind of sticks in their brain better than if I were to say, like, you do this for this reason.