In this episode, we interview Maria Jones, a Sport Clips coach in the Pennsylvania and West Virginia area and a member of the Sport Clips Artistic Team. Maria explains how she landed her dream job at Sport Clips right out of beauty school, and also details her rise to the top, what it's like to perform on big stages and what's next for her career. Make sure to follow her on IG at @maria.jones3
| EpisodeAir Date |
Guest Name |
Guest Title |
Topic(s) |
| May 10, 2019 |
Maria Jones |
Coach & Artistic Team Member |
The endless possibilities found at Sport Clips |
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Transcription:
Chad Jordan: Hey everybody, this is Chad Jordan from Sport Clips. This is another edition of the hall of fame podcast and I am here with one of my favorite people at Sport Clips, you'll find out why in a minute. But she is a definite hall of famer, a member of the artistic team, a star coach in the Pennsylvania and West Virginia area. So without further ado, I'm going to have her introduce herself.
Maria Jones: Well, thank you for the awesome intro before that. Hi guys, I am Maria Jones, like Chad had said. Area coach for Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia and a part of our national artistic team, which has been awesome.
Chad Jordan: And sometimes I'll, it's funny, sometimes I'll interview people and we might have just met or hung out for a little bit. So, poor Maria is recovering from two straight days of taking me all over Pittsburgh and then to West Virginia today. We've had a lot of time in the car. We visited 11 stores, or something like that.
Maria Jones: Yeah.
Chad Jordan: A furniture store together, so we've had some good times. Primanti...
Maria Jones: We've been through lots of Mountain Dew.
Chad Jordan: What is it ... Primanti brothers?
Maria Jones: Primanti brothers, lots of mountain dew.
Chad Jordan: So I'm an honorary Yinzer now, I think it is.
Maria Jones: Yes. Yes.
Chad Jordan: So from hanging out with this Pennsylvania native. Right?
Maria Jones: Yes. Born and raised in Pittsburgh.
Chad Jordan: So what I'm hoping to accomplish today ... by the way, hopefully if you're on YouTube hi. We're waving at you right now. You can watch this on YouTube. You can listen obviously, and most of you are probably listening, on iTunes or Google Play. But what I want to accomplish today is I want to find out ... there's a journey that everybody takes to get to Sport Clips and have a successful career here and no two journeys are the same, and I want to continue to paint that big picture that no matter where you are right now, if you're a team member or you just started, or you've been here a while, there is a path for a very successful career at Sport Clips and Maria is certainly an example of that. It's not a one size, or cookie cutter, model. We will take ... no matter your personality or maybe even your skill level when you come here. We will make you a star if you try your best and try hard enough and Maria is walking proof of that.
Maria Jones: Thank you.
Chad Jordan: First and foremost. Artistic team, big deal at Sport Clips. Are there nine people ... how many?
Maria Jones: Yes, nine of us.
Chad Jordan: Okay. There's nine of you on there.
Maria Jones: Yes.
Chad Jordan: And, was this your first year?
Maria Jones: This is my first year, yes. So I am one of the five new members.
Chad Jordan: So this was ... we're recording this in May, our national convention just happened. Was this your first Huddle performing on the big stage?
Maria Jones: It was. And this was actually my first performance on the stage with the artistic team at the Huddle.
Chad Jordan: Whoa, so you didn't get any ... because there was no caper or anything like that you guys did this year.
Maria Jones: Right. So we have had trainings where we have met in Georgetown, at headquarters ...
Chad Jordan: But trainings are not the same as a live show in front of thousands of screaming people.
Maria Jones: There's not three thousand people in the trainings.
Chad Jordan: How did it go? What were your impressions?
Maria Jones: It was amazing. I thought going into it I would be a lot more nervous and scared than when it came down to it. It was just pure adrenaline and fun. It was so awesome to be out there and I could hear my team screaming for me and that just meant so much.
Chad Jordan: Your team was sitting kind of close so that ...
Maria Jones: It helps.
Chad Jordan: Poor Frankie, her California team was all the way in the back.
Maria Jones: Right. And we still heard them.
Chad Jordan: Yeah, that is true.
Maria Jones: So she gets the love. She does too.
Chad Jordan: So did everything go like clockwork up there? Were there any hiccups that we didn't see because you guys pulled it off so well?
Maria Jones: Not that I really even noticed myself that there were any hiccups. I think it all went according to what we had planned. We do a lot of training during the week of the Huddle. Early mornings down there, finding out the routine with our amazing dancer guys that we had with us. But it went great, everybody did their part and it was successful.
Chad Jordan: So what does it mean to be on the artistic team? How do you get selected? Can you just give me a recap of what your experience has been like getting there and how you got there.
Maria Jones: Sure. So it means that you get to represent Sport Clips nationally. We get to go around to the big beauty shows, hair shows around the country representing Sport Clips and recruiting formats and then also education, where we may be again on a stage or having smaller educational events for different shows. So it is something that you have to be a coach to be able to join and kind of like any other thing you apply. It is a two year term, and then you can do up to four years. The Artistic team has actually been around now for five years. I had a sister coach who is ... we're under the same area developer who I got to see on at the first four years and ...
Chad Jordan: Want to give her a shout out?
Maria Jones: It's Andrea. My sister coach. And I loved watching her and cheering her on and she said "hey, you gotta go try for this too. You're going to be awesome up there so you really need to apply" and as nervous as I was ...
Chad Jordan: What's the application process like? What do you do?
Maria Jones: So you send in a video of yourself teaching all star haircutting. To talk and do haircutting at the same time. Then, the more intimidating part was at the coaches Huddle you sit down in an interview in front of Julie Vargas and ...
Chad Jordan: VP of Career Opportunities.
Maria Jones: Right. And Julian ... I don't even know how to pronounce his last name.
Chad Jordan: Yeah, okay.
Maria Jones: Julian, the world renowned Julian. So he's a big ...
Chad Jordan: The one and only Julian.
Maria Jones: Right, he is the guy from Paul Mitchell that helps us create all of it and get us in order and knows what to do. In the existing artistic team before everybody was done, so ...
Chad Jordan: And you're doing what?
Maria Jones: That was an interview. So it's like seven to ten people just watching you talk.
Chad Jordan: But you're not cutting hair or teaching or anything?
Maria Jones: No, this was just the interview of asking questions.
Chad Jordan: In Georgetown?
Maria Jones: This was at the Coaches Huddle.
Chad Jordan: Okay. So in Texas.
Maria Jones: It was in Texas, yes.
Chad Jordan: And that's when they're making their final decisions, right? Because isn't the announcement at the coaches Huddle?
Maria Jones: This past year they announced it on Facebook after the coaches Huddle.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Maria Jones: So, they met with us there, those who had applied, to go through that interview process face to face, which I get but that was probably the most intimidating.
Chad Jordan: So did you really find out on Facebook or had somebody kind of said, “By the way?”
Maria Jones: No, I really found out on Facebook.
Chad Jordan: All right.
Maria Jones: So they told us they would announce it on a Friday. And you know I'm just refreshing my feed all day.
Chad Jordan: Your network goes down right at the wrong time.
Maria Jones: “Am I on there?” And then you look one time, and you have all these notifications, and it was pure adrenaline and excitement. It was awesome to be known. And actually at first I was really ... everybody's scared of rejection ... so back and forth like “Can I really be on stage? Can I really do this?” And my husband was the one, “I can tell you want to do it. You need to at least try. You need to at least apply. Don't let yourself talk you out of it by just thinking that you might not make it." And I'm so happy that I did.
Chad Jordan: Well you're certainly deserving of being on there. I've said this a number of times during my trip to Pittsburgh, this is one of my favorite markets. I think it's one of the best markets in all of Sport Clips. There's 30 some stores in the market, and we've been to about a third of them and they are just incredible stores, the team members, the attitudes, all of that, their capability. I know what you're going to say is we have amazing teams.
Maria Jones: We do.
Chad Jordan: We do, but you're a big part of that.
Maria Jones: Oh, thank you.
Chad Jordan: Your role in training them and checking in on them and helping them and guiding them. You're doing something right. You're doing a lot of things right.
Maria Jones: Thank you.
Chad Jordan: So there's a reason why we named this podcast Hall of Fame Podcast and then decided who we wanted to be on and you're on that list for sure. So, first of all, welcome to the Hall of Fame. Thank you for all you're doing.
Maria Jones: Thank you.
Chad Jordan: Thank you for chauffeuring me around. Safely, might I add.
Maria Jones: Of course.
Chad Jordan: With all this Pittsburgh construction and tunnels ...
Maria Jones: Bridges, tunnels ...
Chad Jordan: Yeah, very intimidating around here.
Maria Jones: Yes. At least no snow.
Chad Jordan: So what I've tried not to do is to pick your brain too much on your whole story because I want to just find out about it as we're talking here. So take me back a little bit, if you will ... I believe if I've got the story straight this far though that you've always wanted to be a stylist, went to beauty school, and I think I heard it right, in high school?
Maria Jones: Yes.
Chad Jordan: So give me kind of your path.
Maria Jones: So I started beauty school at a technical school, during High School. Parkway Tech. The way that program is set up is you start off in tenth grade and you go tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade. I would go there in the morning for three hours and then I would go to high school for the afternoon and do my core academic classes there. So I knew, yes I always wanted to ...
Chad Jordan: How many people are in this kind of program? It doesn't feel like there would be millions of them.
Maria Jones: You would think there would be a lot more. I'd say we probably had about 25-30 in our group there. So, I mean, it's still a good amount but it was awesome. At that time, the stylist dream was kind of like a right now thing. For the parents it was more of, "okay you do this, but then you're going to go to college. So make sure you still go to college." I stuck to my word. I went to a community college for about three years and then I became a coach and said I was going to take a small break and kind of ...
Chad Jordan: Years later here you are.
Maria Jones: Yeah, here I am. And that's okay. I'm grateful for the years I did put into that. So I actually had my cosmetology license before graduating high school.
Chad Jordan: So, were you in a salon? I mean what were you doing?
Maria Jones: So, Sport Clips was my first job. Not just my first salon job, but my first job ever.
Chad Jordan: What year is this that we're talking?
Maria Jones: So the first Sport Clips opened in Pittsburgh, in our area, around 2005.
Chad Jordan: And this is you?
Maria Jones: That was me. I opened with the very first store here.
Chad Jordan: I wonder if Sport Clips is waiting and waiting and waiting in Pittsburgh until Maria ...what's your maiden name again?
Maria Jones: Cousins.
Chad Jordan: ... Cousins was ready, and they're like, "all right now we got the perfect person picked out, handpicked, so Gordon said all right now it's time."
Maria Jones: He knew. He knew.
Chad Jordan: So, 2005. PA 101.
Maria Jones: Pa 101. Funny story there is, I turned 16 in March, store opened in April. So this is end of March, I turned 16, mom's like, “time for a job” Okay.
Chad Jordan: Man, she's like kicking you out of the nest already.
Maria Jones: Yeah, yeah, but she was like "time for a job. Start to get some responsibility."
Chad Jordan: "Earn your keep around here you sixteen year old."
Maria Jones: Right. Responsibility. So I was ready and I was fine with that. And she said "I saw a place saying they're going to be opening. Let's go check it out."
Chad Jordan: Sport Clips.
Maria Jones: Yeah. So, we go and she stays in the car. She said "go in and get an application." And I go in and I come out and I said “I'm hired.” And she's like, "it doesn't work like that."
Chad Jordan: "Clearly you're mistaken."
Maria Jones: "You got an application, you'll come back." No, I was hired on as a coordinator from the moment I filled out my application. Looking back now, you hire a lot of people during the grand opening process.
Chad Jordan: Yeah. So the store literally hadn't opened yet?
Maria Jones: They did not open yet. I was there for the grand opening process. So it was construction being built, the coming soon big banner was in front, and I walked in for an application.
Chad Jordan: And you started as a coordinator. How long before you could cut hair there?
Maria Jones: So I was a coordinator for about a year and a half to about two years. Then, right as I was turning about 18, was when I was finishing up my hours and became a stylist.
Chad Jordan: Stayed at 101? Did you go to another ...?
Maria Jones: Yes, I have stayed at 101 my entire time. You can still find me there sometimes now.
Chad Jordan: Yeah. So that's the one ...
Maria Jones: They can't kick me out if they want to.
Chad Jordan: So, on a Saturday ...
Maria Jones: On a Saturday, some Saturdays, you can still find me. Some clients wait for those Saturdays which has been awesome.
Chad Jordan: I can vouch ... we went to 101 and while there, one of her clients came and his eyes lit up thinking she was there on an off day to cut hair. And of course she wasn't. We were just stopping in.
Maria Jones: Right. I had to let him down.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Maria Jones: Daniel. I had to let him down.
Chad Jordan: But he was in good hands, you know?
Maria Jones: He was. He knows that he can still go in and be in very good hands with that team.
Chad Jordan: So, how long are you there before the whole rise to assistant manager and then eventually coach? How long did that take?
Maria Jones: So, I was with the store for ... I was a stylist for about a year before I became an assistant manager for the store. Then, after working for the company for five years, our market grew enough that we had an opportunity for a coach. Before that, we were the only store and then we started to grow little by little. And at first we were actually more of a corporate store until an area developer took over the territory as it grew. So as that happened, we had room for a coach and kind of like the artistic team process, they put out there does anybody want to have this position? It was very part-time at first. Very part-time.
Chad Jordan: What drew you to wanting to see about being a coach? I mean, I don't know enough about coaches, I wish I knew everything, but you're not in a store every day, and you love cutting hair and you love doing your clients so what was the appeal about being a coach as well that kind of made you want to go for it?
Maria Jones: I love helping people. I love what I do, and I did love what I did then. And I wanted to help other people love what they do. Because ...
Chad Jordan: So the training them and guiding them ...
Maria Jones: Yes, I feel like the more I could help them become successful, the happier they could be at their job and I believe it's a revolving cycle. If you're happy at work you're more successful. And then the more successful you are at work, usually the happier you are. And the more clients want to be in your chair, the happier you are there. So I felt that if I could build other peoples' confidence ... that was something that personally ... myself ... I went into beauty school a little bit too. You know, I need more self-confidence, this will help. So, finding the stylist that, if I could help them build up that confidence and become very successful, I was like "This is my calling. This is really what I need."
Chad Jordan: So when you transitioned, at first, I mean now you're a pro at it, the transition from, you know “I'm cutting hair every day.” I was going to say six days a week but it's probably eight days a week. You're cutting hair a ton, “now I'm cutting hair some days and coaching other days” and now it's basically you're coaching most of the time and on Saturdays you might be cutting hair. How tough was that transition to being a coach?
Maria Jones: It actually was not that tough for me, considering it was a kind of long process until we grew big enough that I was a full time coach.
Chad Jordan: So you weren't doing training. Right now you're probably doing a training ... how many times a week?
Maria Jones: Right now I at least have about three training classes a week, depending on the week.
Chad Jordan: Back in the day it was probably every three weeks you're doing a training or something, right?
Maria Jones: Right. Yeah, when I first started it was maybe two classes a month. So, I was able to still be full-time in the store, and I was able to still be an assistant manger. Then it came to once a week, then twice a week I would do classes or be a coach and at first I stepped down as assistant as I felt I wasn't able to be there to open and close and do the duties that I needed. And I say it was easy, but I'm still there. So it really hasn't been to the point where I can completely leave and it's because I just love it. I love my clients, I love being behind the chair, I love my team that I work with there, I love my team everywhere, but it's hard to stop doing what you love.
Chad Jordan: I find, now having spoken to a number of coaches, who were either a manager, assistant manager, or had been in the store a lot, that's what they miss the most is being a part of a team. So now they feel like, “now I'm a coach, I'm not necessarily in a store” so you kind of have almost the best of both worlds it feels like.
Maria Jones: Yeah, it does.
Chad Jordan: So, can you describe ... are you still considered a newlywed? How long has it been?
Maria Jones: It's almost two years. This October will be two years so we could still ...
Chad Jordan: You're an old married at this point.
Maria Jones: Right. Yeah.
Chad Jordan: So how are you finding that balance of now being married, you've got a Pit Bull?
Maria Jones: I do.
Chad Jordan: What's the doggy's name?
Maria Jones: Kashi is my baby. My fur baby.
Chad Jordan: Your fur baby.
Maria Jones: Yes.
Chad Jordan: So you have a little family.
Maria Jones: Yes.
Chad Jordan: How is that balance working for you? Are you able to kind of set time boundaries and all of that kind of stuff with your role?
Maria Jones: My husband is awesome. He's very supportive. Like I had mentioned, he was someone that had encouraged me to take on more and join the artistic team, or at least apply for that. He sees how happy I am in what do and he loves that. So he is very supportive of me. Even though we're newlyweds, we have been together ten years so we've learned over the years how to balance our ... we've had a lot of different schedules over the years ... being a full time stylist we work different times. His schedules have changed over the years so you just make it work. You find time for each other when you can and you always find time for each other. I don't want to say when you can because he's first and foremost and he does the same for me. So as long as we always put each other first, we know that when we are doing other things for work or anything else ...
Chad Jordan: It's not that you're mad at that person, or not thinking about them. You're taking care of your business.
Maria Jones: And when people come in and bring him Primanti's home.
Chad Jordan: Oh yeah, no, he's eating well.
Maria Jones: Yeah.
Chad Jordan: We might have to get a second round of that today. Something I'm interested in finding out from you is, so you're this coach on this ... I was going to say path to stardom, but you're already there, you're on the artistic team, and you're a big deal. What do you wish team members in the store knew about or coaches or are there any perceptions that maybe ... well, it's a little weird for you because you were the first coach in the market right, or one of the first coaches?
Maria Jones: Right.
Chad Jordan: If I remember the story right, from what you just said. But what do you wish they knew? So when you walk in the store, "I wish every stylist team member knew this about me or about coaches in general."
Maria Jones: We all start off the same page. We all start off in beauty school. Even though we may have taken different paths to get to sport clips or to find the career, the salon, or store that we love. We all start off the same and if you're passionate about what you do that's how you make it and you get so far. So, I'm on of them. I still see myself ... if I'm in the store doing a success check I'm honestly more of a coordinator, because I don't want the stylists to feel like I'm just there to be anyone above them but I'm one of them.
Chad Jordan: So you're literally ... when you come in for a success check are you vacuuming? Checking in clients?
Maria Jones: Vacuuming, making steamed towels if I need to. I'll even run to Starbucks for them if I need to.
Chad Jordan: Cool. You have that on record everybody. In Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania, the West Virginia Area. I have it on good authority also you'll do Krispy Kreme runs ...
Maria Jones: I ... well ...
Chad Jordan: ... or Peace, Love, and Little Donuts.
Maria Jones: There we go. Yes, Krispy Kreme is a little hard to find in the Pittsburgh area. We only have one. So I can't always guarantee that, but I do love to bring treats. I show up with cookies or donuts at times. Not every visit, but you know, it's nice for the surprises.
Chad Jordan: What are some of the challenges that you find yourself having to navigate around being a coach? Is it the distance and the travel that you got to do kind of getting from store to store? The trainings? What are some of the things that, if you had a magic wand, you'd wave them away, but you find yourself ... overcoming?
Maria Jones: Yeah, I'd say the distance of some of the stores. If I could just have more time in a day sometimes. To not just show up at a store for a success check but to show up just to say “hey, I just want to say hi. I just want to come see how you guys are doing” and not let them think “oh every time she's here it's to look and see what's going on.”
Chad Jordan: They could hang.
Maria Jones: Right. So if anything just a little more time. To get maybe a little more personal with the teams.
Chad Jordan: I mean, got to tell you, from now going to eleven stores I will ... your recall and your ability to know who's going to be in the store, not just the managers but assistant managers, some team members, I don't even know how long they've been there. But you're making me look good, because I'll go in there acting like I know everybody by first name and all this stuff. And really it's you. So it seems like you have pretty good relationships with the stores.
Maria Jones: Well, thank you. I try. I think it helps when they are recognized from all around. Our managers do a great job recognizing their team, but when you have someone that you only see sometimes every once in a while it's nice if they can remember you or something about you. I feel like it helps. I hope that it helps them realize that they are a huge part of every team.
Chad Jordan: I think that is one of the things that made this trip so fun is that you literally got to kind of let your hair down and we were just going to hang out with stores. You didn't have to do a success check.
Maria Jones: Yes, I loved it.
Chad Jordan: We were just coming over there and checking in. What are some of the things ... this is amazing that you ... 101 ... you were one of 101. You've been here since the first store in the state opened so you've got to see ... what is that 14 years ago?
Maria Jones: 14 years ago. Yes.
Chad Jordan: Yeah. 2005. So you've got to see sport clips catch fire and this is just a great market for us. What are some of the things that you've seen over the years? Describe to me what it has been like to look at it from this perspective instead of somebody like me who breezes in and now sees everything but you've kind of seen it take off so walk me through that process if you can.
Maria Jones: It's been awesome to watch the growth. Just even at first, I would tell people I work at Sport Clips and they're like “what's that? Can you sell me a baseball card?"
Chad Jordan: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Maria Jones: Or “Do you sell jerseys?” At the time we had some memorabilia on the wall, but not ... I'm like "No, come in for a haircut. It's a great experience. You have to come see us." So to go from that to seeing advertisements on TV or the Pirates are our baseball team and we advertise with them. To see the growth has been awesome. It's been so cool to see ... you walk around in uniform and clients are like ... "Which one do you work at? I go there. I should come see you." "Hey, do you have a coupon, I see that you're from sport clips? Which one?" It's just really amazing to watch that growth happen.
Chad Jordan: Its got to feel like ... There's got to be some pride ... you know pride comes before a fall ... but you can be proud as a parent too. Proud of your kids. So there's gotta be some proud moments for you of ownership, where you are a big part of the success in this market. It's no coincidence that you're still here and this market is doing so well. So, can you just ... is that what it feels like? When you're ... Kashi ... what's your dog's name?
Maria Jones: Kashi, yes.
Chad Jordan: Brings you the ball or whatever and you're like "yes I'm so proud of you. I love you so much." It that kind of what this attitude that you take towards the growth here?
Maria Jones: Definitely. Yes. It's been awesome. And I love that I can see, even stylists that have started off and thinking “oh I can't do this" and coming back and seeing, they come to another training class and they say “oh my gosh, from get your game on I had four dollars in take home per client the week after" And hearing those things just makes me feel so nice that people are growing and realizing how great of a company it its. Because it is. And when you can love what you're doing. Like I said. It just makes everybody so much happier. So I do take a lot of pride in that, that we have become such a great market. We have three stores that have been platinum. Four because one in west Virginia also. Four stores that have been platinum within last year.
Chad Jordan: One that is going to be a million dollar store this year.
Maria Jones: Oh, they will be. We're going to have a million dollar store next year. If anyone doesn't know this already we just won the Logan trophy in this area, so 108, shout out to pa 108 for winning that. You know I really try not to take a lot of the pride because those teams are the ones doing all of the hard work. I'm not behind the chair seven days a week anymore doing that. But, I feel proud of their successes, and it makes me smile watching all of that.
Chad Jordan: That's why I get to come along and grab the horns and toot all the horns for everybody because ... around sport clips, in fact, we've had other podcasts that we recorded during this trip, and they have all deflected to the team or whoever the team leader says is the manager, the manager says it's the team members. You are obviously saying it's the stylists and all of them. But from our perspective, and from my perspective, coaches are a huge reason why Sport Clips is so popular across the country and why ... don't tell other people ... but coaches are my favorite people at Sport Clips ...
Maria Jones: Oh, thanks.
Chad Jordan: Just don't let out. Tell you what? WE'll cut that part out of the podcast. What would you say ... what is the perfect personality trait or type to make up a great coach?
Maria Jones: You definitely hae to be encouraging.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Maria Jones: I think that focusing ...
Chad Jordan: Not a nit picker. I mean you're doing success checks but
Maria Jones: Right. But you have to focus on ...
Chad Jordan: ... you're not coming in to lay the hammer down.
Maria Jones: Right. What they're doing great at. Really being encouraging, lifting them up and if there are things that they could improve just really explaining what's in it for them. What it will do for them if they change maybe what they're doing. I definitely have learned a lot within my Ads over the years. I love Rosemary Gozur. She has taught me a lot of that and really how to focus on the good, how to uplift, and I think that's a huge part about being a coach. You know, when you ... any coach a lot of people think about their sporting coach growing up as a big part of their life because they teach you certain lessons that's not just about that sport. That's what I hope that stylists take back is even if they're not with sport clips for life, even though I hope they all are, thinking back and wow ...
Chad Jordan: You better be. I'm just putting that out there. If you're listening to this you better be sport clips for life.
Maria Jones: But that they're taking things back and really still holding onto them. So I think that being encouraging is one of the biggest things. You have to be knowledgeable and stay up on the training yourself. Like I said, I've been with sport clips 14 years. I wouldn't be as great as I am now if I didn't have all of the other training throughout the years to stay up on the times and what's new and what's out and all of that.
Chad Jordan: Well, I feel like from the coaches I know, certainly from knowing this about you, it's not just a job.
Maria Jones: Oh, no.
Chad Jordan: A job you clock in, you clock out, you don't really care what happens after hours. You only show up to do the bare minimum in a lot of jobs. But it feels like this is life and family.
Maria Jones: It is. I definitely feel like its family. Sport clips has been my life. Actually
Chad Jordan: Yeah, half your life.
Maria Jones: Pretty much half of my life has been with sport clips and I couldn't be more blessed actually to have a better part of my big chunk of life dedicated to ...
Chad Jordan: Sixty years to go
Maria Jones: I'm ready. Yeah. I told DJ he can't let go of me as I get too old here. You have to ...
Chad Jordan: He can't put you out to pasture. He'll find some use for you.
Maria Jones: Right.
Chad Jordan: What ... I got a list of questions over here I'm getting ready to get to but what kind of advice would you give maybe a manager? Most of your stores are just like, you've rattled them off, are through the roof, but there're others that they have a leap to make still. What kind of advice now that you have such good stores in this market that have made that leap what kind of advice having seen that leap would you give the stores that need to still take that step up? What would you tell those managers they need to probably work on as just an overall group?
Maria Jones: A big part of the huddle this year was ... and I was blessed to be a part of it with Brittany Fitzgerald ... do it with passion. If you're doing something put your all into it. Because if you're going to just put half of yourself or just show up to clock in you're not doing the team, the store, you're not doing anything for even yourself. If you're just working somewhere to do the minimum you'll never really be happy. Everybody says if you're happy at what you do you never work a day in your life.
Chad Jordan: Right.
Maria Jones: And I truly believe that. I love what I do. I love that I can enjoy going to work and never have to dread that. So do what you do, do it with passion, and believe in yourself. You can always overcome anything that you think you cannot. Don't let any type of rejection hold you down whether it's recommending something to a client or attempting at becoming the new store manager or anything. Keep trying. Get back up and keep trying. Never stop.
Chad Jordan: I like that and hashtag dream job.
Maria Jones: Hashtag dream job, yes.
Chad Jordan: This could be a dream job if you want it to be.
Maria Jones: Oh, yes. It is a dream job so if you ... you have to work. You have to put your all into it but when you do that it gives right back to you.
Chad Jordan: Yeah. I love it. All right. I know the last couple days you've barely ... with your fingernails. ... been holding on because I've been wearing you out. We've been driving all over the place. So I'm going to wind down my trip right now with you, with these last 10 questions. If you can survive these 10, we're officially ...we've made it.
Maria Jones: Okay.
Chad Jordan: All right, so number one. Which superpower would you most like to have?
Maria Jones: I think it would be amazing to be able to heal others. Seeing them in pain or in sorrow and being able to uplift and heal them.
Chad Jordan: Well you kind of do that when you cut hair, right?
Maria Jones: In a sense.
Chad Jordan: I got this really bad haircut and I come into your location and you make me feel better and better about myself. I have this great experience.
Maria Jones: Yeah.
Chad Jordan: Maybe that's part of your heart. What is your personal motto?
Maria Jones: Living the dream. I'm living the dream.
Chad Jordan: Yeah you are. Other than where you live now, where else in the world would you most like to live?
Maria Jones: I'm coming, I'm coming to California. I repped my California shirt today.
Chad Jordan: That's why you're wearing ... okay ... Frankie Delgado ...
Maria Jones: And shout out to Frankie Delgado for helping ... I'm coming to California.
Chad Jordan: San Diego ... I highly recommend ... or santa Barbara. We'll take you. Who is the celebrity you'd most like to meet one day?
Maria Jones: Oh, that's a hard one. I don't really kind of get hyped up over certain celebrity type things, but one person I love is Chelsea Handler. She's a comedian and a lot of people see her as very harsh or a comedian, but I've read a lot of her books and she does a lot of good behind her humor. She doesn't just use it as some people see it as odd ways, but she does a lot of good behind it. So I think it would be awesome to meet her.
Chad Jordan: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Maria Jones: I think, “um”. I think that's a natural just ... also, “Watch your tongue! Don't speak too fast!” are just kind of the ... pause. I don't know what else.
Chad Jordan: All right. Not yinz?
Maria Jones: Yinz, yeah I definitely use yinz.
Chad Jordan: I think if you use it once you use it too much. That's just my personal opinion being originally from North Carolina. Y'all is the proper way to say yinz.
Maria Jones: By the time he goes home, guys, he'll be saying yinz.
Chad Jordan: Okay. All right. We'll see. What sound or noise do you love?
Maria Jones: Laughter. Hearing people happy.
Chad Jordan: What sound or noise do you hate?
Maria Jones: Whiners or excuses.
Chad Jordan: Oh boy you've hated the last two days in the car with me. I can just tell. That's all ... it's been nothing but whining from how cold it is here to how how it is here to the construction and the tunnels. Anyway, number eight. What profession other than your own would you have been good at or at least have wanted to try?
Maria Jones: I think psychology. A lot of my friends tell me I'm a good listener and I think that plays into being a stylist as is.
Chad Jordan: Yeah, you're doing it a lot already.
Maria Jones: We listen to a lot. But the little bit I did go to college I did take a few psychology classes and it really interested me the way that a lot of that works.
Chad Jordan: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Maria Jones: Seeing some of my teams successful.
Chad Jordan: Many of your teams.
Maria Jones: All of my teams as successful as they are. I have people come up to me quite often and say "I want to do what you do. How do I get there?" And that just makes me feel great that I can be an example to people so that they can see that I can make it there. Sometimes you see the big stage or the big things as something that you'll never make it to as a stylist. Only certain people get there and they see that they're in a great spot with a great company that they can.
Chad Jordan: Last but not least. You ready?
Maria Jones: Okay.
Chad Jordan: And then you're done. You can drop me off at the airport and just kick me out. If heaven indeed exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
Maria Jones: Welcome home. Welcome home. We're waiting for you.
Chad Jordan: Nice. Well, hey. You're a hall of famer, artistic team member, one of my favorite coaches in one of my favorite markets and now one of my favorite podcast guests. So we will definitely have to do this again. How about this? When you win coach of the year at some point at a huddle we'll have a follow-up.
Maria Jones: That sounds great. So next year.
Chad Jordan: Okay. let's see.
Maria Jones: So Next year we'll have the follow-up.
Chad Jordan: Yeah and we will talk about more stuff. "Hey how did you win coach of the year? What did you do?" And all that kind of stuff so I can't wait for that podcast. This one's been fun its been a great week.
Maria Jones: Thank you, it has been. Its been a great week having you in town. Everyone has been super excited with all the shout outs. So thank you.
Chad Jordan: It's been awesome. You did a great job prepping everybody so we've had fun. Thank you Maria, thank you everybody for listening. We'll have another edition for you next week. Thanks again.
Maria Jones: Thank you.