Sustainable Haircare: Empowering Stylists with Authenticity | Marta Dziegielewski from Surface Hair

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Hey everybody, welcome to today’s episode of Pathmonk Presents. Today we are joined by Marta Dziegielewski. She’s the Brand Development Manager at Surface Hair. Marta, welcome to the show.

Marta Dziegielewski: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

Rick: We’re excited to have you, Marta, and we want to launch right into things if you don’t mind. If you could tell us a little bit about Surface Hair—what’s the big idea behind your company, and how would you describe it to a friend over coffee?

Marta Dziegielewski: Surface Hair is a haircare, skincare, and hair color company that respects stylists, clients’ personal health, as well as the health of the earth. Our biggest belief is that stylists and salon professionals deserve to earn above-average incomes and to do so with high-performance products that are also respectful of their health.

With that being said, we are organic, free of toxic chemicals, gluten-free, paraben-free, etc. But the most important thing to me is that they are also very high-performance products. That’s the gist of it.

Rick: That’s awesome. And I would imagine, obviously, in salons, hairstylists will always have their hands in something—maybe washing hair or always touching some kind of product, right? So you want that kind of attention when you give them a product: organic and as healthy as possible. Because all of that stuff goes into the skin, right? So it has to be good.

Marta Dziegielewski: Exactly. Yes. And I feel that in today’s world, even consumers are very aware of ingredients and what they’re putting on their skin and hair. Like you said, it goes into your skin. As stylists, we’re blow-drying, we’re using products all the time, and we have to be aware that everything we breathe in can be toxic.

We want people to stay in this industry as long as possible. I believe we work in the most beautiful industry there is, and we want professionals to thrive and continue to stay in it. That’s really our mission.

Rick: Look, I wish I could say I’d be a direct consumer, but obviously, that’s not the case. But at the same time, it speaks to the quality of your products. Can you tell me a little bit about what type of businesses benefit the most from your products? And also, we were just talking offline about the distinction between your recent e-commerce launch—selling direct to consumers—and your work with businesses. How’s that balance working for you?

Marta Dziegielewski: My main clients are salons and stylists. I also work very closely with our distributors. I represent the manufacturer, and then we work with several distributors across the U.S. and Canada.

Really, I’m there to support stylists and salons in learning about our brand, our products, and what we have to offer—not just from a product or performance standpoint, but also from a business development standpoint.

What makes us distinctive is that as a Brand Development Manager, we call ourselves Salon Growth Managers for a reason. I work very closely with salons that decide to partner with Surface. I help them with business development, marketing, setting goals, accountability, and really learning about their specific goals. I’m there to help them along the way to create a thriving business.

Rick: That’s awesome. So how do most people discover you then? Because again, there’s the business side where salon owners want to work with you, and then there’s direct consumers. What marketing channels have become your go-to for bringing in new customers?

Marta Dziegielewski: There are many. Right now, social media is probably the biggest one. I love social media. I’ve always been on it, learning to be authentic, so I use it as a channel.

I also partner with distributors and sales consultants within those companies—they’re a huge help in connecting me with the right salons. I do my own online research as well. Being in the hair industry for over 10 years, I have lots of friends and connections, so I put myself out there, introduce myself, and show the products.

I also do a lot of education. So simply put: the internet, social media, networking, and just putting yourself out there.

Rick: Makes sense. Especially with social media, we’re hyperconnected, but at the end of the day, networking and word of mouth are still so important. And in the salon and beauty industry, referrals must be huge, right?

Marta Dziegielewski: That’s 100% right. Word of mouth and referrals are the best way to grow your clientele and business.

Even though I’m on the other side of things now, I used to be behind the chair. It’s the same principle. If a stylist is using Surface and loving it, and also talking about the business support they get from Surface through people like me, they’re going to share that with their stylist friends.

The same goes for distributors. When they see the kind of business support I provide, they share that with colleagues, and the network continues to grow. That’s really what I’ve been focusing on to help grow my market.

Rick: That’s a good mentality and a good framework to operate from—it’s one of service: how can I help you? And then it all comes back.

Now, social media is huge, word of mouth is huge. How much of a role does your website play in bringing in new customers?

Marta Dziegielewski: Honestly, our website just got a makeover this year. It’s beautiful and full of resources. Now you can purchase products on it—mostly for consumers, not stylists or salon professionals.

But if you are a stylist, whether or not you’re a Surface partner, you can access tons of resources. We have virtual complimentary education, social media assets, product and treatment info, and even business-building tools.

So really, it’s not just about selling—it’s about serving. Our website has a lot to offer.

Rick: Very good. It sounds like it’s a one-stop shop for consumers but also businesses. Now, let’s jump into the rapid-fire segment. The rules are simple: concise question, concise answer. Marta, what are the main three things you focus on day-to-day?

Marta Dziegielewski: Building relationships through email, goal-setting meetings, and traveling to accounts—whether current or new—with my distributor partners. Social media and emails too.

Rick: Sounds active—always out and about speaking to customers. Sounds exciting. Now, do you prefer watching, reading, or listening to content?

Marta Dziegielewski: Listening, definitely.

Rick: What’s the latest piece of content—a book, podcast, anything—that you picked up? Any ideas or gems that stuck with you?

Marta Dziegielewski: I love true crime podcasts. I recently binged Voices for Justice.

If I picked anything up from that that I can relate to my own life, it’s to stay authentic to yourself. But also, composure and logic over emotion will always win.

Rick: That’s a good one. We’ll keep that in mind. Now, Marta, if you had a magic wand and could fix one frustrating thing in your marketing life with tech, what would it be?

Marta Dziegielewski: Definitely automating my emails and social media posts to be consistent.

Rick: Okay, I’m sure you’ll get a slew of vendors in your inbox after this—there’s software out there for both. But hopefully you’ll find the right fit.

Marta, I want to thank you again for being on the show. If someone forgets everything from today, what’s the one thing they should remember about the work you’re doing?

Marta Dziegielewski: Stay true to yourself and be authentic and genuine. Always be yourself because there’s no one else like you. People will gravitate toward you, and those are the people you’ll want to work with. It’s not about numbers or having the most sales or clients. It’s about attracting the people most like you—so you have to be yourself.

Rick: That’s a beautiful message to close with, Marta. And if someone wants to check out Surface Hair, where should they go?

Marta Dziegielewski: You can go to surfacehair.com. You can also follow me on social media at Marta DZ Surface to see what I do day-to-day. The website is beautiful, full of great information about everything we do and offer.

Rick: Amazing. Thank you again, Marta. Hopefully we get to do this again soon. In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful day.

Marta Dziegielewski: Thank you so much. And you as well, Rick.

Rick: Of course. Bye everyone.

Marta Dziegielewski: Bye-bye.