From express hairstyles to a personal brand: the story of Anastasia Zolotoy’s career path

Anastasia Zolotaya is a top hair stylist with 6 years of experience, the creator of many courses, a beauty blogger with an audience of 126 thousand subscribers, and also a judge of our fight without rules - PRO Beauty Battle Hair.

Today we are talking with Anastasia about her student period, her passion for hairstyles, her work at Express Hairstyles and G.bar, as well as her difficulties and turning point.

Anastasia, tell us who you studied at the university and what was that period like?

Initially, I studied to be an economist. I don’t know why I decided to go there; probably at that time everyone went to this specialty, just like law. My mother dissuaded me and said that this was not my thing, because I am a creative person. And this was indeed the case. I embroidered, drew, easily learned languages and wrote texts well. Therefore, my mother advised me to become a journalist or translator. But I was firmly convinced that this was a good profession and I would be successful in it. There was no clear plan how exactly.

But already in my first year at university I realized that higher mathematics was clearly not my thing, and it turns out that in economics you need to do math! (Laughs) So I started going to classes without any enthusiasm or interest.

When did you start getting interested in hairstyles and what was it like?

My passion for hairstyles began around my fourth year. At that time, I lived in a hostel, and one summer there wasn’t much to do. I found a group on VKontakte on hairstyles, where weaves were published. This group was very large, with a huge number of different hairstyles, and of all the braids at that time, I knew how to weave a regular braid.

The first video that caught my eye was the five-strand braid technology. I decided to repeat this hairstyle on my dorm roommate, but it didn’t work out. I thought, okay, maybe next time. The next day I came to the university, tried it again on my girlfriend and it really worked. I liked the result and decided to learn a few more hairstyles. So I started braiding everyone: for free, in my free time, using improvised means - ribbons, bobby pins. I also photographed all the hairstyles and posted them in the “Hobby” album on VKontakte. My classmates said: “Nastya, you are doing so well. Let’s open a VKontakte group and start getting paid for your work.”

As a matter of fact, they forced me to do this, I opened a group, and that’s how the first clients and little money appeared. After some time, I was called to work at Express Hairstyles in a shopping center.

What challenges did you face in this job?

Apart from braids and other weavings, I didn’t know how to do anything. I had no experience. While working on this island, I encountered various difficulties: I didn’t know how to communicate with people, I couldn’t do my hair correctly, no one taught me how to do this and, accordingly, nothing worked out. But I didn't give up. I watched how others worked and learned from my own mistakes. It was hard work, 12 hours a day, but I still started getting clients. While no one knew me as “Nastya Zolotaya”, they only knew me as “Nastya, who is great at braiding hair.” (Smiles)

What was your future career path? At what point did you start to actively develop your Instagram page?

I began to develop a client base at Express Hairstyles and at the same time graduated from university. Later she moved to work in another shopping center - Ocean Plaza. At that time, I began to actively maintain my page on Instagram, publish photos, inspired by foreign bloggers, photograph hairstyles, put hashtags - then they quickly spread across Instagram. Then I even had notifications about likes and comments, because there were very few of them. And then one morning I wake up, and my phone is bursting with messages: likes, comments, subscribers.

I was shocked by such activity. It turned out that a millionaire public reposted me and my pictures were scattered all over the Internet. This inspired me a lot, and I started doing even more and better: looking for new ideas, continuing to do my hair, and taking additional trips. She worked a lot.

Over time, bloggers with a large audience began to come to this island. I treated every client as the best client, I tried to create wow hairstyles. She also talked about her Instagram and asked to follow me. So I talked about myself, and word of mouth worked. But over time, I wanted something different, to work in an enclosed space. I was afraid to work for myself, so the next stage in my career was G.bar.

The G.bar stage lasted only six months. I grew up in this new stage. A large number of clients come to G.bar, then they started inviting me to master classes, which I was very afraid of. Six months later, one of the makeup artists who worked in the salon offered to open their own studio together. It was a very serious decision, I was very afraid, I thought that I wouldn’t make it. But she still made up her mind and was the first to leave the very first team composition for her own free swimming. We had a grand opening of the studio, but after a month this partner said she was leaving, and I was left alone in the rental. I thought I couldn’t afford the rent.

But how wrong I was, because the hardest thing awaited me ahead - it was this stage that became the turning point. My first master classes have begun.

They talked me into taking the first master class for a whole year. It was the Dnieper, as I remember now: 14 people in the hall, my shaking hands, my trembling voice. But I did it, and then rapid growth began, because they began to recognize me, I developed a style. I was just doing something new. I started getting more and more invited to master classes, also thanks to Instagram.

After that I went to Moscow. It was a tour Minsk - Moscow - Vladimir. Then a girl from Baku wrote to me and invited me to hold a master class in her salon. And it was a shock: how is it - they pay for your flight, accommodation, you teach a salon?.. I conducted seminars for salons and group trainings, later I was invited to a master class in Vladivostok, and then there was Warsaw. I also conducted many master classes in Ukraine. Everything happened very quickly.

Through hard work and 24/7 Instagram, I realized my dreams and strived for a better life. I realized that dating is very important in this life, and networking, of course. It began to develop, Instagram grew, and I became a brand – Anastasia Zolotoy, who is definitely known throughout Ukraine.

Then I collaborated with G.bar, although I no longer worked there, but I still had a good relationship with the owners - Sabina and Lera. I remember this very significant message from Lera for me. She wrote: “Nastya, we are opening a G.bar in Miami, do you have an American visa?” I write: “Yes, there is.” And she says: “You are flying with us, departure is in two weeks.” It was just a delight!

I first flew to Miami for a week to train employees for G.bar. This seemed unreal to me. Literally two weeks later I flew there for a month to train the G.bar team. After that, I returned and flew to Cyprus to train the team for G.bar there. Instagram gave all these opportunities, as well as self-development.

Have you ever had a turning point in your life when it seemed like nothing would work out with your hair and you would have to work in your profession?

The turning point was when I worked at Express Hairstyles. The parents were worried, my mother was worried, maybe she needed to look for something in her specialty. I was like some stupid interviews, I realized that this was not for me.

Naturally, they didn’t take me anywhere, except for one dubious place. But both the owners of that island and my mother persuaded me to stay and work with hairstyles. In fact, this was the moment when I was ready to leave without realizing it.

Looking back, was your time at university useful?

To be honest, I didn’t take anything away from studying at the university. It was just a theory. It seems to me that it would be more important to teach practice. How to build a business, how to live in reality, and not spend 5 years teaching what globalization is. I have nothing against it, but the system itself does not provide any opportunity to survive in real life.

Have you ever had any fears along your career path?

Of course, there were fears that it wouldn’t work out. I was open and just constantly doing something. I didn’t expect such a rise to be possible. If you don't step into that fear, you won't get anything.

What advice and valuable suggestions would you give to students who want to become hair stylists, but are afraid to go against their parents, work in the profession, or simply start their professional path?

Do what you want. Figuratively speaking, to become “blind and deaf” at the initial stage. Don't hear this opinion. Because only later do you understand that by suppressing your desires, you forget why you live and what you do in this world.

I would advise not to waste time, especially now there are so many opportunities, so many social networks. And develop your talent. You don’t know how one video posted on Instagram or TikTok will turn out in a month. Nowadays there is not even such a thing as a profession. You need to try yourself everywhere. The world is developing very quickly. And most importantly, feel happy. See the result of your work, understand that you are bringing benefit and understand why you are doing it. You get high and are filled with this energy. Believe in yourself and do it!