You may know her as a Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, but Jessi Draper is serious about business. She built JZ Styles out of a YouTube channel into an estimated $14.6 million hair empire—now a salon, an extensions and product line and JZ Academy, where she certifies the next wave of stylists. This year, the mom of three added executive producer to her title, formal recognition for a role she and her castmates have played behind the scenes for years.
We caught up with Draper to talk about the moment JZ Styles stopped feeling like content and started feeling like an empire, the gap in stylist education she built her academy to fill and how she unwinds after running a business, raising three kids and filming seven months out of the year.
JZ Styles is pulling in multiple millions of dollars a year. What was the moment you realized this was a real business empire and not just content?
“Probably when we were able to purchase the building we’re in now. Up until that point, we had rented, and we’d expanded a couple of times, but actually buying the building we’re in—warehouse, retail store and salon all in one—was a huge moment for me. Knowing we own the building that runs everything we do meant a lot. Another milestone was when we started shipping worldwide. Now our extensions and products are available not just in this country, but internationally, which was a huge accomplishment too.”
Walk me through JZ Academy. What gap were you trying to fill with stylist education when you started?
“I started out doing continued education for stylists who were already licensed—that’s how I got into teaching. I kept noticing a pattern: People would come to my classes and tell me, ‘I learned everything from you on YouTube while I was in beauty school.’ That’s when I realized most schools don’t focus on the trends or techniques stylists actually want to know. They teach you the bare minimum—enough to pass state boards and roll a perm—and that’s about it.
So I set out to open a school that actually makes a difference. We certify students in extensions, which most schools charge extra for, and we teach trends that are relevant to what clients are asking for now, so graduates feel confident doing the work clients actually want. We still prep students for state boards and cover everything required, but we also teach what they need to succeed. Our school is hair-only—you get a hair designer license, not a full cosmetology license, so you’re not learning pedicures alongside haircutting. That was the whole point: focusing on the art of hair. We also offer continued education alongside the licensing program, so stylists can come back and keep learning after they graduate.”
You have two million-plus followers across Instagram and TikTok, and you’ve seen every hair trend come and go. Is there one you’re especially excited about this summer?
“I’ve been loving layers. I’ve been such a proponent of them for so long, but I’ve noticed over the last 10 or 11 years that clients get scared of them—especially with extensions. They’re afraid of cutting too much off or losing hair. Now the butterfly cut and ‘90s blowout are back, and I love that because it brings movement, bounce and texture back into the hair. I’m loving curtain bangs and the whole layers movement—it adds so much character and personality, and it holds a style better too. Big hair and layers are having a moment, and I hope it sticks around!”
You’re also executive producing the show now. What made this the right time to step behind the scenes?
“Our show is unique in that we’re constantly filming—most reality shows film once a year, but we film about seven months out of the year. Production is so involved in our lives; we even do our confessionals at my warehouse. My real life and my business are intertwined with the show because of that. All of us girls already have a hand in everything going on, so giving us the producer credit just made sense—we have that close a relationship with production, where we feel comfortable pitching ideas and being vulnerable. We were really honored to get that title.”
Between the company, the kids and the show, how do you get through the day-to-day?
“No two days look the same for me. I love taking a bath at the end of the night to decompress—glass of wine, iPad, a show. I’ve been trying to read more lately, too; it helps me slow down. Honestly, I think every hairdresser needs a massage. Our bodies take a beating from being on our feet all day servicing clients, so that’s something I try to prioritize. A chiropractor and a massage—I’d recommend both to anyone in this industry.”
Ten years from now, where do you want JZ Styles to be?
“I want it to be a business that helps empower women and entrepreneurs. I love when people come to my classes or hear my story and feel inspired that they can do it too. I didn’t graduate high school in the traditional sense—I got my GED, and now I own a multimillion-dollar business. If you can dream it, you can do it. If you’re passionate about what you do, it can set your whole world on fire.
Beyond that, it’s about helping people feel beautiful. Everything we create—our extensions, our products—comes from wanting to help people feel more confident. We’re building a new building this year, even bigger than this one, and I hope the empire keeps growing while everything we put out there helps people feel beautiful and confident.”
