Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Layne.
Hi Mackenzie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a super small town where choosing a career in the beauty industry wasn’t necessarily viewed as a “real” or financially stable career path. I remember feeling like I was being told that if I chose hair and makeup, I was basically setting myself up to struggle financially. But I’ve always been creative, and I knew pretty early on that a traditional career path wasn’t where I saw myself. When I was 19, I moved to Roanoke to attend hair school. Around the same time, I was working for M.A.C Cosmetics, and I think having those two experiences simultaneously really shaped the direction my career would eventually take. I fell in love with the artistry of beauty, but even more than that, I fell in love with the way it could make someone feel. Whether I was doing someone’s makeup or their hair, I loved being able to help women feel confident, beautiful, and like the best version of themselves. My career definitely wasn’t an overnight success, though. After my first year of doing hair, I actually quit. I had moved to a city where I wasn’t from, didn’t have a huge network of people, and was trying to build a clientele completely from scratch. It was incredibly discouraging watching other stylists stay busy while I was struggling to fill my books, and at the time, I started questioning whether I had made the right career choice. I ended up leaving the beauty industry altogether and working a completely unrelated job for about a year. After COVID, I decided to give hair another chance, but this time I went back with a completely different mindset. Instead of just hoping my clientele would grow, I treated it like I was building a business. I became intentional about continuing my education, utilizing social media, creating an experience that made clients want to come back, and figuring out exactly what kind of stylist I wanted to be. Slowly, my books started filling up, referrals started coming in, and everything began to build on itself. Today, I own my own studio in Roanoke, have an amazing clientele, and get to make a living doing something I was once told probably wouldn’t provide me with much of a future. Looking back, I’m actually grateful for the period when I walked away because it made me realize how much I truly wanted this career. It also taught me that being talented at what you do is only part of it, you have to be willing to bet on yourself, adapt, keep learning, and treat your passion like a business. I think that’s probably the part of my story I’m most proud of. I didn’t start with a built-in clientele or a huge network, and there were definitely moments when I thought it wasn’t going to work. But I kept coming back to why I loved the industry in the first place: making people feel good. Now I’ve been able to create a career and a space of my own centered around exactly that.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Building a clientele from scratch in a city where I didn’t know many people was one of my first major challenges, but as my career grew, I learned that navigating the beauty industry itself can be just as challenging. It’s an incredibly rewarding industry, but it can also be very competitive, and I’ve had to learn some difficult lessons about relationships within it. Not everyone you meet along the way will have your best interests at heart, even when they present themselves as a friend or mentor. I’ve experienced situations where my hard work, loyalty, or willingness to help was taken advantage of, and while those experiences were difficult at the time, they taught me the importance of knowing my worth, setting boundaries, and being intentional about who I surround myself with. Ultimately, some of the experiences that were the most discouraging pushed me toward becoming more independent. They helped give me the confidence to build something of my own, and today I’m incredibly proud to have created KLM Studio a space where I can build the kind of culture and environment that I always wanted to be a part of.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a hairstylist, certified makeup artist, and owner of KLM Studio in Roanoke. I’ve spent over a decade in the beauty industry, and throughout my career I’ve continued to evolve and specialize in the areas I’m most passionate about. Behind the chair, I’m known for dimensional, lived-in color, blonding, & extensions, while makeup, especially bridal, has remained a huge part of my career as well. What I’m most proud of, though, is the clientele and reputation I’ve built. I started in Roanoke knowing very few people, and today I have clients who have trusted me with their hair and makeup for years. I was also incredibly honored to recently receive Silver for Best Bridal Makeup in Best of Roanoke, which felt especially meaningful after so many years of growing that side of my business. I think what sets me apart is that I care just as much about how someone feels in my chair as I do about the finished result. Beauty can be intimidating, and I’ve always wanted my space to feel welcoming, inclusive, and judgment-free. Opening KLM Studio gave me the opportunity to create that environment completely on my own terms, a space that feels elevated and luxurious, but still comfortable and personal. At the end of the day, I don’t want someone to leave simply loving their hair or makeup. I want them to leave feeling more confident than when they walked in. That has always been the heart of what I do.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is having the freedom to build a life and career that genuinely feels like mine. Of course, financial stability and a thriving business are important, especially coming from a place where I was once told this industry wouldn’t provide that. But I’ve learned that success is so much more than how much money you make or how busy you are. For me, it’s having clients who trust me and have grown with me, being able to create a space that reflects my values, and having the freedom to make decisions based on what is best for myself, my clients, and my business. It’s also being able to look back at the version of myself who almost gave up on this career and realize that I built the life she wasn’t even sure was possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kenzielaynemua.com
- Instagram: @kenzielaynemua
