Meet Sydney Steer and Mari Castro

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sydney Steer and Mari Castro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sydney Steer and Mari Castro, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After working as hairstylists at a high demand and high volume salon, we realized we lost what was most important to us, the quality of work and client connection. We had strayed from what inspired us to enter the beauty industry in the first place.

Although we’ve always loved working behind the chair, we started to feel complacent. Our daily work life was predictable and consistent. However, working at that high volume was no longer sustainable for us. Our passion started to diminish and we were no longer able to provide our clients with the quality and experience they deserve. We wanted to create something that always prioritized our clients hair and their experience. So, we took the biggest risk of our careers, and Stranded Studios was born.

Being in the beauty industry for 6 years, we’ve learned that in order to be successful, we need to surround ourselves with support and community. Surrounding ourselves with high performers that provide us with encouragement and guidance has shown us that success isn’t defined by being better than or overshadowing your competitors, but by providing a space that fosters a new generation of talent.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We recognized a gap in the hair extension niche, where the focus often lies solely on aesthetics. Our idea emerged from the understanding that there is a significant need to prioritize both hair and scalp health alongside creating beautiful hair. Our mission is to prove that wearing hair extensions can, in fact, benefit your hair. In the last four months, we departed from our previous salon, established our brand, and launched Stranded Studios. We are so proud of our transition from hairstylists to business owners. We are so excited for the endless opportunity that comes with running a business. The world is truly our oyster and we can’t wait to share it with you all.

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.
We love our city and would certainly take them where we spend most of our time, eating out in Downtown Phoenix. We love trying new restaurants and cocktail bars.

Day one we would do weekend brunch at Chico Mahlo. They have the most delicious chicharron ribeye and you can’t beat their bottomless margaritas. We would spend the rest of the day at the pool followed by smash burgers for dinner at Bad Jimmy’s.

Day two, we start our morning with some movement at Reformed Pilates. We head over to Lux Central for coffee and breakfast before heading to the Uptown Farmer’s Market. We then head home to make vodka pasta for dinner. Yum!

Day three and four, we pick up coffee at Xanadu before we head up north near Sedona to hike The Crack at Wet Beaver. We set up camp for a couple nights and enjoy the nature and the fresh air.

Day five, we get breakfast at Ollie Vaughn’s and check out our favorite local thrift and vintage stores. We end the night at Glai Baan, our favorite restaurant!

Day six, we make breakfast at home and pack lunches for our day on lake pleasant. We end the night ordering in taco bell and watching a movie.

We spend day seven walking around downtown and making our way to grand ave to eat at Bacanora. We then head home to do some arts and crafts.

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?
We want to give a shout out to our partners, Michael Connelly and Nate Bolivar. We are so fortunate to have partners that believed in us long before we believed in ourselves. They bring unwavering love and support both personally and professionally. Michael is our biggest cheerleader and the extroverted king that every business needs. Nate is our go to for marketing and brings encouragement when it’s needed the most. We could not be here without them.

Website: https://Www.strandedstudioshair.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strandedstudioshair?igsh=MTNoYW43aHd3aTI4dA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strandedstudioshair?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Kellina Templeton