You could call Jen Atkin a hair stylist, an influencer, an entrepreneur and a talent agent and all of them would be correct.

Atkin, who created hair brands Ouai and Mane, founded talent agency Highlight Artists and spent years as a professional hair stylist, outlined her professional path on WWD’s Beauty of Tomorrow podcast.

Of working with celebrities, she said that keeping her composure was key. “You have to come in with a nurturing, confident tone to survive the day,” said Atkin. “You can never forget how many people would love to be in your position right now. I think about it all the time.”

On the brand-building front, Atkin leveraged her experience backstage from fashion shows and on red carpets with a visual-first approach with Ouai. “I wanted something that smelled really good, looked really good, and that talked with the customers and not just to them,” she said, nodding to model street style in the early 2010s that captured both luxury fashion and more effortless approaches to hair.

The goal with her second brand was different. “With Mane, that was during COVID. I wanted to bring joy to the shelves, I wanted something nostalgic, the feeling of girlhood,” said Atkin. “I wanted it to feel like a Taylor Swift album mixed with Hello Kitty and a dash of ‘Clueless’. The performance of the product is always important, too.”

Atkin acknowledged that maintaining her stamina and staying inspired aren’t always easy, but she’s figured out what works for her.

“My biggest inspiration is travel. I love people-watching. I get really inspired by being around people in different cities. There’s a ton of artists and creators,” Atkin said. “I reference a lot of pre-Instagram marketing because branding had to be so creative in a way I don’t see today. I appreciated old Moschino, Tom Ford at Gucci, Madonna for Versace. You had such a footprint of what your brand stood for and what it looked like and it was all so different.”

To listen to the full conversation, CLICK HERE.