Meet Mirage Perry | Hair stylist, Entrepreneur and mother

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

Hi Mirage, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Balance is everything. I have been an entrepreneur since 2009 and my balance is ever evolving. As I learn to balance the things on my plate, I am periodically checking in to make sure that my schedule still makes sense. One of the things that leads me to balance is being efficient. Im a firm believer that efficiency creates time and time allows for more things to get done. Being self employed has allowed me to level the worlds of self, family and work. Becoming a single mother at the age of 19, I had very little time to balance my daughter, school and work. All of life’s responsibilities often needed be done between her school hours of 8a-6p. Learning to be intentional with my time fortunately allowed me to be present with my daughter and show up for important moments of her life. I am extremely grateful of the balance and freedom entrepreneurship has allowed me to achieve. Being able to create my own schedule has given me flexibility and choice in what I want my life to look like.
The balance of nourishment is extremely necessary to keep all things afloat. The unwillingness to sacrifice myself or my family in the name of work is essential to success. Happiness leads to success and the abandonment of anything that truly matters to me in the name of a dollar would never allow me to show up my best to any aspect of life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am most proud of how I show up for my clients and how they show up for me in return. Although I am a hairstylist, my favorite part of my career is the conversation. Getting to know people and their lives journey is so fun and inspirational and I always hope to provide the same to energy and encouragement to them. How I show up to the world and how I make people feel is important to me. I take pride in giving people a safe space to share and express themselves through not only their appearance , but also through words. My goal is to make sure my clients leave feeling better than when they arrived.
One of the challenges I experienced through my earlier years of business was learning to humanize the experience. I learned It is not only about providing a service, it is about connection. When I was younger , my emphasis was boundaries and professionalism but as I have grown, I have learned to balance those qualities incorporating the concept of tribe. This allows for a network to extend and grow. We are more than clients, bosses and business, we are inter-webbed humans.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I happen to be a homebody and someone who enjoys the simplest of things. However, My rule of thumb is it is less about what we do and more about who we are with. I love to explore , see new things and try new food. Although we have a few top favorites , my friends and I often spend time checking out places that are new to us. Some of my favorite things to do are go to farmers markets , relax at the beach, wander around nature, go to the park and an occasional thrifting day.
Some places I loveeee include but are not limited to:
M Street Coffee
Coleys Caribbean Food
Melrose trade market
POT -pottery classes
NOHO Yoga
El Cocinero Vegan Mexican food
The Walk Good Yard

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely, there are so many people that have taught me along the way. My mom and dad are both entrepreneurs, friends, family & clients. There is truly motivation all around me. One person that really stands out is a woman named queen or known as the LA Braid Queen. In my early years of being a hairstylist, I rented a booth from a woman who took me under her wing and taught the salon how to network. We would host salon BBQs, we would go to the mall and pass out cards, create flyers along with so many other tactics of getting our names out there. This was of course the humble era of pre-social media where it was all about footwork. I Still use these simple tactics of networking in my every day life.

Website: https://MirageCamille.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miragecamillehairstudio/ or https://www.instagram.com/miragecamille

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirage-perry-b61a401a5

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mirage-camille-northridge