Join us as Rachel Hall and Wynter DePriest, co-owners of Jovi Salon, share their inspiring journey from working in a salon, then suite renters to salon owners. In this episode, they discuss building a supportive team culture, navigating the financial realities of ownership, and the resilience it takes to create a thriving salon community.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

🔅Navigating Different Salon Models: Rachel and Wynter’s journey from salon stylists to suite renters and eventually salon owners highlights the diverse paths available in the beauty industry.

🔅Building a Supportive Environment: Creating a salon culture that celebrates individuality, fosters collaboration, and supports staff is key to their success.

🔅The Financial Reality of Ownership: Running a salon comes with unexpected costs like payroll taxes, maintenance fees, and amenities, which require careful planning and adaptability.

🔅Resilience Through Challenges: Their story underscores the importance of adaptability, especially when facing sudden changes like relocation or business restructuring.

🔅Community and Diversity Matter: A diverse team and inclusive environment elevate the experience for both clients and stylists, making the salon a welcoming space for all.

🔅Learn and Grow from Mistakes: They stress the value of owning mistakes, learning from them, and maintaining humility and integrity in all aspects of business.

👉Connect with Wynter on Instagram

👉Connect with Rachel on Instagram

👉Follow Jovi Salon on Instagram

The Hairdresser Strong Show is all about Salon Owners, Rising Stylists, and Seasoned Stylists sharing their experiences, successes, failures, and advice to inform, educate, and empower their Fellow Hairdresser. We won’t stop until we are all: Hairdresser Strong.

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The views and opinions of our guests are theirs and important to hear. Each guest's views and opinions are their own and we aim to bring you diverse perspectives, career paths and thoughts about the craft and industry so you can become Hairdresser Strong! They do not necessarily reflect the positions of HairdresserStrong.com.

Winter to Priest at Monarch Hair Co and Rachel hall at Rachel hall Does Hair are 14 year industry veterans, co owners, stylists, and moms with seven kids between the two of them.

They run Jovi Hair Salon.

And we have an amazing, incredible story for how they got to where they are.

Welcome back to the Hairdresser Strong show.

My name is Robert Hughes and I am your host.

And today I'm with Winter DePriest and Rachel Hall.

How are you all doing today?

Excited.

Okay.

So good to be here.

Yeah.

Well, thank you both for coming.

I.

So for all the people watching and listening, I got to the chance to meet Winter and Rachel at the Euphoria Courtship where they brought us out to check out the line and kind of play with it, and it was pretty awesome experience.

So thank you to Euphora for that and, and then thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to meet the two of you.

So I'm excited.

We had a conversation over drinks about your story and I just thought it was so cool and I thought it was so cool that you're.

You're so close also.

So I'm just super excited that I have you both on the show today.

So thank you again.

We're excited to be here.

Right away, we knew you guys were kindred spirits and we got along so well, and it's just really exciting to see what you're doing.

Awesome.

Well, thank you for that.

Well, today we're going to get to hear about what you all are doing, but first is for some backstory.

So maybe we'll start with Winter and tell us like, so you both, you two had, you had two different stories, uh, in journeys, in.

In the industry that crossed paths and, and to give everybody just a little peek, the two of you had these different paths.

You cross.

You that crossed and you went from salon stylist to suite renter to salon.

Now salon owners and your partners and salon owners.

But you met in.

When you were in salon suites, correct?

Yes.

Yes.

All right, awesome.

So now that you all have heard that, you know that this is going to be a really interesting and dynamic story.

So, uh, let's start with how, how like you're.

You're working in a salon.

Like, did you do an apprenticeship?

How long did you work in the salon?

And why did you leave the salon in the first place?

To go into a suite or.

Yeah, I'm so thankful for the first salon I worked at.

I was there nine years in total.

I started when I was 16 as a shampoo girl and worked the front Desk started doing back a house and then I did eventually apprentice there.

It was special because they had a local hair school and still decided to apprentice me instead of making me pay.

So that was nice.

And so yeah, I worked there after my two year apprenticeship.

I worked there two years taking clients.

Due to the nature of my apprenticeship, I was taking a lot of practice clients even in my apprenticeship, so was fully booked by the time I was licensed.

So that was one of the reasons it led me to opening a suite pretty early on in my career.

I did work in New York City for a little bit, which was really great education.

But then I came back and opened Monarch Hair Co and I had my suite for eight years and like six different locations.

And I really just wanted to be able to run my business my way.

I felt like it was working obviously because I was fully booked and connecting with people and I wanted to be able to curate that experience.

I wanted to be able to pick who was next to me and the conversations that we were having and curate it to make the guests feel super comfortable and like the center of attention.

So that's why I got into sweet ownership.

It was a lot, but I feel like I was like so many of us.

I hear stories in the salon, doing the work, doing the marketing, doing the booking, pre booking my own clients to my schedule, scheduling needs.

So for me it was a great transition into suite ownership because my personality and just how I am hard working in general lent itself to be an easy transition.

So that was great for me.

I really struggled finding a place I could stay as far as like either rent or consistency with the landlord or the people I was working with.

I just had a hard time.

So I definitely bebopped around to a few different salon suites somewhere like in the Phoenix arena.

Some were in independent.

I went booth rent for in a small space for a little bit, just trying to find what felt right and what fit.

And I was in a penthouse, sixth floor of a building and I had three salon suites in there that I shared with some coworkers and they had their own businesses as well.

We were there for three and a half years and it was a really beautiful space and special.

But it was post Covid and the elevator broke and we were on the sixth floor and the supply like in demand for equipment was not there.

So the landlord came to me and was like, so we're just not, we don't have a date like maybe nine months, maybe longer to get the elevator fixed.

So it was like an immediate.

I was like, okay, like this isn't going to work.

It's not accessible for so many people to climb six flights of stairs.

So we quickly had to move out into something.

And, you know, I did feel responsible, not only for me, but the other stylists in there who had trusted me and moved to this building.

So it was a crazy transition.

But that is then where I met Rachel was at the salon suite that I ended up going to, and she can tell her side of the story.

So up to then, that's kind of where I was.

So I was in suites for eight years, kind of at a bunch of different locations, but previously nine years at the same salon.

And I'm really thankful for the opportunity they gave, even though I did end up leaving.

Awesome.

So I have a couple questions.

So when you're at the salon, you.

You got your license through apprenticeship, and you got you.

Sounds like you worked a number of different areas in the salon before you went off on your own.

And do you think that.

That, like, if someone's listening to this and they're like, this is exactly what I want to do, would they.

Would I.

I want to make sure that we don't skip over that piece.

If you think that that's an important piece.

Like, do you think having, like, if you had not worked in all the positions and you had only done hair, what difference do you think it would have made going into a suite versus having worked the front desk and having worked all these different space, all these different positions?

I think that's such a great point.

I don't think it would have been possible personally for me to have had such a seamless transition.

I think a lot of people can do a lot of things, but whether or not that's very difficult or you have to make 100 mistakes and sometimes costly mistakes to get to the same place.

So, not that people can't do it any different way, but I had a very seamless transition where I doubled or even almost tripled my income doing the same exact thing.

But that is directly connected to how much work I put in at the salon that I was at before my apprenticeship.

So I remember seeing one of my pay stubs, probably a year into suite ownership.

I found one of my salon pay stubs for my apprenticeship, and it was $400 for two weeks of work after taxes.

And I.

I was getting the base rate of 7, 25 an hour, you know, for my 40 hours a week while going to school and going to hair school or, you know, my apprenticeship school at VO Tech.

So I know, I see people Even in our salon, who are apprentices, are in hair school grinding, and it just feels so impossible.

And all the work they're putting in, like, the paycheck doesn't feel like it's there.

Especially when you see people working with you doing the same similar things and making so much more, but they've just put in the work.

So I think every day in a salon, regardless of if you know it's where you want to end up right at that moment, if you put in the work and you're consistent, you will be able to utilize that later to increase your paycheck, to increase the positivity of your guest experience, and just be a better hairstylist.

So I'm very thankful I did all the back of house ordering at one point at that salon.

So I did inventory.

I understood the concept of, like, okay, if we're out of these colors, what would I need to compensate?

So I would say it definitely set me up for success, if that makes sense.

Ordering the odds instead of the evens so that you can make colors.

Yes, absolutely.

In my salon at the time, they were like, you need to learn on this one color line.

Even though we have four, we want you to stick to this one line.

That was super impactful for me.

I was so annoyed at the time because I was like, I know these tricks that these older stylists know with these other color lines.

But it kind of forced me to really understand the color theory or make from that one line what another line could achieve with maybe one tube of color.

So that really helped my color knowledge and theory.

So, yep, all of it just working towards a good work ethic that could help me lead others by example.

Okay, and then one more question.

When did you know you wanted to go into a suite or be your own boss when you were at, like, at what point in time?

I guess maybe it's a two part question.

@ what point in time did you realize you wanted to go out on your own?

And.

Well, I guess one question first.

First question is what?

At what point in time?

Like, was it.

Was there a catalyst or was it a dream or was it like an inspo?

You know, like, a lot of people want to want to go out on their own, either because they've always known they want to go on their own, or they had like an issue at work where they felt like it was time to go move on.

Yeah, I'm gonna maybe make someone mad saying this, but I did not work in a supportive environment.

I do want to clarify.

I had a couple Rockstar hairstylists who believed in me, who taught me so much, who encouraged me to present myself as something valuable and my services as something valuable to help, you know, present the value.

So that was super helpful.

So I'm not saying there was, like, zero help.

I had a lot of hostility in the place that I worked.

I had two different locations that I went back and forth from.

I think it was really hard for people because I was so young and I just naturally, I guess, had a personality that lent itself towards being exciting or just having a connection with people.

So I was more booked out.

I definitely wasn't more talented, especially starting out.

Obviously, I look back at pictures, I'm like, all right.

But, you know, people felt cared about and they felt heard and I would work with them.

So people came back.

So I think it was just really hard to imagine myself growing when the environment was so hostile.

For example, I would do a color correction or vivid back in the day when we were, like, all trying to figure out vivids and it would be so awesome and there would be crickets.

It wasn't like a, oh, good job.

Like, moving on with the day.

It was a pointed effort to not be excited.

And I remember when I did a working interview in New York City, before I left that salon, I did a nine hour working interview.

And they were just like, so, like, wow, what?

And it was so nice.

And they didn't have to do that.

And they weren't even, like, crazy all about me, but they were just willing to say, okay, that was great.

And how shocking that felt to me that they would even be willing to say something encouraging or complimentary.

Kind of woke me up to the environment I was in.

And I knew that wasn't like, fostering excitement.

And clients pick up on that stuff.

You know, clients pick up if.

If their stylist is someone who isn't really welcome in a salon space.

So, yeah, I think there are super talented stylists, but I think the environment not being supportive of my growth was really hard.

And that's something at Joby that we so try hard to work on.

Is everyone being so community oriented and excited for other people's growth around them?

I love it.

I love that.

Awesome.

Well, thank you for telling us.

So.

Okay, so, Rachel, what.

How about for you tell us a little bit about, you know, did you go to school?

Apprentice?

How long did you work in a salon?

Why did you move into a suite?

So my.

My path was a little bit different, so I got my first exposure in a salon at all.

Because I was actually.

Not to delve too much into it, but I was in like, a group home at the time.

And the.

The woman who owned the group home that I was in, so I was a teenager, was just the kindest person ever, and she owned a hair salon.

And she gave me my first job as an assistant and a receptionist, like, one day a week.

I was very young.

I was 14.

So I got my worker's permit and I could literally work, like, I don't know, six hours a week or something.

And so that was my first experience exposure to that environment.

I always really was drawn to the industry and to, I mean, just beauty in general, you know, Like, I was.

I was that kid that, you know, had really terrible makeup on, like blue eyeshadow up to my eyebrows, and thought it was just the best thing ever.

But I was always, I feel like when I was younger, made to believe that, like, I was too smart to do hair.

So that was like a.

Like you can do that until you figure out what you, like, really want to do.

So I was actually going to go to college to be a pharmacist, which is so funny to think about now.

But I was a single mom and I wanted to go to hair school so I could do something until I figured out what I was like going to do when I grew up, right?

And then that was the thing.

So I had a really similar experience to Winter and that.

So I went to school.

I went to one of the Paul Mitchell schools.

I had a great experience at school.

It was.

I met a lot of my, like, lifelong best friends back then.

I was 20, 20, 21, something like that.

And after that I went to a salon.

I.

When I was at a salon, it was like a commission based salon.

And like I said, similar to Winter.

I worked the front desk, I worked as an assistant.

I did ordering.

Basically anything that could give me extra hours, I did.

And I was really bad at hair.

Like, I always emphasize that to young stylists because I feel like there's this idea that, like, some people are just naturally gifted.

And while that is true, it's kind of like Michael Jordan, right?

Like, you know, he didn't make his high school basketball team, but he practiced over and over and over and over again.

And then he's Michael Jordan.

So I was really bad at hair.

I really jacked up some stuff, but I was really kind and I was really friendly.

And so for whatever reason, those people that I messed up would still come back and see me.

I think really true what they say.

It's like, you know, 10% skill and like 90% personality.

Because, God, if I hadn't been nice, I would have not had any clients at the time.

So I was at the first commission salon that I was at.

I was at for a long time, gosh, about five or six years on and off.

We moved locations.

But, you know, I went from being like part time front desk, part time assistant, to eventually full time as a stylist, like, really slowly.

And I learned a lot from the stylist that I worked with.

I learned some things that probably didn't want to do in my career, which I think are equally as important as the good things that I learned.

And I got to a point in my career where I realized that I was the only person in the salon that I was at that still wanted to grow, like, in the capacity that I wanted to like.

Everybody was very happy with their career, and I think that that's fine.

I think it seems really frowned upon sometimes in this industry, but, like, it is okay to.

To be happy with what you're doing and to like, going to work and to like, coming home and being with your kids and being with your spouse and, like, it doesn't have to be this crazy, new, exciting thing.

There's like a space in this industry for everybody, but that is the room of people I was in.

And I was not that person.

I'm like, but what's new?

Like, what's exciting?

What's going on?

I was starting to, like, really delve into extensions, and nobody else around me was doing that.

So I went to a different salon in our area that the people that I was with were also really delving into the exact same things as me.

Right.

And so I would say that salon experience for me really allowed me to grow in a lot of areas where I wouldn't be where I am right now in my career without being there.

But I realized that culturally, it maybe wasn't the best fit for me.

And so that's when I decided to go to Sweets.

So I didn't Winter had multiple sweet experiences.

I kind of had a not so great breakup with a salon, which I feel like is more common than not in this industry.

And I felt like I needed to go somewhere very quickly because culturally, culturally, it felt so like my clients were noticing, right.

That like, I wasn't happy or I wasn't celebrated.

And I feel like probably those stylists that I was around as well, like, their clients felt like maybe I wasn't a great fit for their team too.

So I think it was like a mutual thing at the time, but I just felt like I couldn't breathe and I needed to get out very quickly.

So it was myself as well as a few other people who are with us now at Joby.

We all kind of left at a similar time and went to suites just because we felt like we just needed to get somewhere we could breathe.

And that's when Winter and I met in suites.

So how.

How long were you in Suite Rachel before you met Winter?

So we had met really, really briefly prior to being in the suites.

I had actually reached out to her when I decided that I was going to leave the salon that I was at and I was looking for sweets.

I reached out to multiple people, like in our area, just asking if they knew of anywhere that had anybody renting anything.

And so, like, not at all, really.

I mean, we.

We kind of met on the fly.

And she was at the same time that I felt like I was really just like, culturally in a really bad place and like, I just needed to leave.

That was the exact same time that, like, Winter was having her issues with the elevator and all of those things.

So she was actually also actively search for a suite when I needed to find a suite.

So she just happened to know at that time, like, oh, there's a lot of.

There's a lot of spaces here.

Because she had simultaneously been calling around.

So it was just very organic, the timing, if you will.

But so we're, you know, it like.

The elevator broke for the whole building and there were so many beauty suites in that building.

And so everybody was looking at this.

It was this minute of like, do or die.

Like, we are all about to be dispatched, placed, and we are all about to need salon suites.

And there are only a few in the area that had room.

So it was kind of this mass, like how many.

We were all kind of talking to each other.

The whole industry was in our community at that time because it all.

And it just so happened to be that this was my defining moment where I decided I was going to go out on my own, which was, you know, terrible timing.

I could have definitely done it before the elevator broke, but.

And it wasn't just me, so there was other people with me as well.

So it wasn't just one suite that we needed.

We needed like two or three.

Three.

So I reached out to her.

We did not have like a close relationship or anything at that time.

She was just one of many people that I reached out to, like, hey, do you know of anywhere?

And she had just kind of made that phone call and was like, hey, just so you know, I'm going to these suites, but I do know that they're probably going to go pretty quickly.

Thank you.

Yeah, yeah.

So we did not know each other really at all.

Like, that was really.

When we moved into the suites at the same time, like, within a week of each other.

That was really the first time that we ever really spent any time together.

Together at all.

All right, so just to get some clarity here when you all.

Okay, so this.

So I feel like everybody, the listeners and viewers and myself included are caught up to the point where, Rachel, you're going out on your own, you're reaching out to people.

Winter's one of these people and says, hey, you got to check this out.

Okay, from there you go and you both move into these suites.

Are these suites individual?

Single suites?

So do you.

So, Rachel, you have your own suite for how long?

Well, it was very complicated.

So my office.

Yeah.

So we had eight suites between the two of us.

So essentially what happened was I had, like a little mini team, and then Winter had a little mini team, and we all needed a little mini place to go all at the same time.

So it didn't make sense.

And when I say it didn't make sense, like, we had suite that we rented out that was a waiting room.

Like, that's not normal.

Like, what are we doing?

Like, we had a couch and, like a fridge and sort.

And then we, like, split it.

So, like, me and the people I was with and like Winter and the people she was with, we, like, split it so that our clients all had somewhere to hang out.

And our suites weren't even by each other.

We.

They were, like, separated by a hallway.

So it was like sweets here.

There's sweets here.

But then we had this, like, waiting room that was kind of in the middle.

But none of our clients knew each other, so it was weird.

They were sitting there together.

They were.

I guess you must be here for that other girl, you know?

Yeah, yeah.

Everyone was so nice in the suites, but we definitely came in as a force.

And I think immediately there's just like this presence that comes with us and our teams and the people that we are usually separately and now collectively surround ourselves with.

So it's kind of fun.

It was always a party and we were all so, so busy.

I had a full time assistant, Rachel had a full time assistant and worked with other stylists who were fully booked.

So it was not a normal, like, suite situation.

It was like two micro Salons working at full capacity at the same time, separated by a hallway.

So it was.

It was pretty cool.

And then there was a hostel takeover.

This doesn't sound real, but I swear to God it was real.

The Christmas party.

Yep.

So we had a Christmas party collectively.

So this had been a few weeks, 10 weeks in the suites.

So we'd all gotten to know each other a little bit.

I was like, okay, let's just do like something at my house for all the sweets.

We've never hung out.

First time we hung out, so we were like flannels and chili.

Like, let's make it casual.

And so everyone comes to my house, which is close to the suites we were at at the time.

And then we get a call that the building was locked.

And fast forward after police were called.

It was dramatic.

Not on our end.

We were just a bunch of girls and flannels trying to get into our suites.

The landlord saw the cops and we were excited.

I was like.

We were like, they're like, we're here for you.

I was like, ah.

So the building was sold out from under the salon suites that were currently renting that space.

So they difference on suite company.

Okay.

So the previous salon suite company, we will not name names, had four suites in a Virginia beach location and four suites in a Chesapeake location.

So at that time, we just were trying to figure it out was two weeks before Christmas and we had full books the next day.

So it took about two day turnaround.

After we had just turned all of those eight suites into a space together, we actually ended up separating and her team went to Virginia beach and my team went to Chesapeake and had to redo new suites and start operation within two to three days.

Two weeks before Christmas.

Wow.

Oh, my God.

When I tell you.

I don't.

I don't know if you can tell from this little wall behind me, but we're not like light decorators.

So when I say that, like, we redid suites when we got there and we're only there for two months, I mean, like, like, we had muralists come in and paint.

Like, I don't.

It was over the top and ridiculous.

But we did that for all of our suites.

And then we were like, okay, cool, so it's time to go, like, again.

Wow.

So that was September when we moved into the original suites.

And then it was like beginning mid December when we had to move to the second set of suites.

And to clarify, we did have the opportunity to stay in the suites that we were at.

However, it was very hostile and it was like, if you are going to stay, you have to sign this lease that's a year right now.

And we were like, we don't know anything about these terms.

We don't feel comfortable.

You just locked us out of our own like this.

We don't feel safe signing something of this magnitude.

Nor do we feel comfortable with the way that you have chosen to, you know, execute this whole thing with the stylists that work here that are depending on their job.

So we, I guess I would say it's not that we had to, but we felt like morally like it was.

It did not feel like the right thing to do to stay in that place.

Yeah, totally.

I mean, first of all, it's kind of crazy to think that someone can sell a property with tenants in it.

And we used to call an attorney.

Because we thought it was.

We were like, they're lying to us.

Yeah.

So it was a loophole, like post Covid with as far as like things going, rent, being able to go, you know, unpaid for a certain amount of time.

And then you, you were allowed to stay in your, your building.

And so it a loophole with that.

They had proof that they had paid their rent, but they were able to utilize that loophole to effectively push them out and have someone else come in.

So it's wild.

But I do want to say, like, as horrific as that experience wasn't stressful and exhausting, like we were both able to see how the other person handled that situation.

The character, the willingness to put others before ourselves.

And I just think we were so insane sync with the way we decided to handle things.

That is not a normal hairdresser response to being wronged.

I think it's very common with hairdresser world.

It's like, you wrong me, I wrong you.

Like because everyone's in this circle of just trying to.

To keep them low.

Right.

So it's not from a bad place all the time, but we both just did not operate that way.

They were like, okay, if it puts well.

And I think I'm going to help my people.

And I think to give like a really tangible example of that.

So the suite that we were in were located in Virginia Beach.

This, the salon that I was at and the suite that Winter is at.

Prior to us moving to the same space, they were all in Virginia Beach.

But when we found out that we had to move to new suites.

So the company that owned the suite that we were at had other locations.

They were going to allow us to move in on a month to month basis, so we didn't have to sign anything, but they did not have a space that was big enough for all of us.

So we were going to have to split.

And so part of us were going to have to go to Virginia Beach Suites, but then part of us were going to have to go off to the Chesapeake Suites, which were a little bit more inconvenient for all of our clients, essentially.

And there was a couple of people on my team who were pretty stressed out about it, because while Winter had been in the situation where she had, you know, swapped suites multiple times, obviously it's inconvenient, but her clientele was not new to the idea of, hey, this is not one consistent location.

Whereas my team of people that I was with had.

This was the first time they had gone out on their own, and they had been at the same space for three, four, five years.

And so it felt like it was going to be like this, like, who gets the Virginia Beach Suites?

And Winter was very much in the moment, like, listen, I.

This was my contact.

I'm the one who told you that there was going to be suites available at this location.

I feel personally responsible.

She was not.

She was like, I feel personally responsible.

And she's like, so me and my girls, we are going to the chest week suite, the ones that were more inconvenient.

And she just cut off any kind of, like, animosity from the beginning, was like, this is what we're doing, because ethically, it feels like the right thing to do.

And so I have told Winter, in hindsight, like, it was in that moment where it was like, okay, it was just a defining character moment for me where I was like, but this is who you are.

And it's exactly the way that I feel like I would have responded.

I don't know, because I didn't even have an opportunity to, because she just.

Just took the ball for all of us.

But I just felt like I was so in tune with the way that she represented not only herself, but the people she was with and made them feel encouraged and made them feel like it was going to be okay in the midst of just complete chaos.

Wow.

Wow.

This is this, like, forged in fire, I think, is what they say, you know?

So, yeah, I mean, it builds.

Build something super strong and powerful.

This is exciting.

So how did you.

How long did this situation happen?

And tell us about the process of deciding to open up the salon and about that.

Yeah, like, kind of getting kind of rolling the ball down the line a little bit here.

And because I Also, I want to hear that, but I also want to hear about, like, what's it like being a salon owner too?

And so, yeah, so like, tell us a little bit of, like, how long were you in this situation and where was.

Where was the light bulb or the moment where you were like, we should just open up a salon.

Yeah.

So I'll.

I'll do a fast forward version.

So I was working when I was in suites, that was always supposed to be temporary for me and my team.

I had a different business plan of opening a salon suite building and doing some extra things that made it a little different.

So I had a Kickstarter for that.

I was going balls to the wall with that.

So we had talked about and dreamed about potential, Rachel and her team coming to that eventually and renting suites there.

We had just tossed around ideas, nothing like, concrete, and that I had a investor and then the investor fell through and that entire thing fell through.

So immediately I was like, okay, I need to figure something out because this was very temporary for me.

It's not what I wanted to do.

I never wanted to be a salon owner necessarily, because I had worked in a salon for so long, close to management, and, like, knew that it would be.

And I would want to do it, you know, right.

If I did that.

So quickly, though, me and Rachel both realizing the salon that I worked at for nine years, the location, the last standing location they had, that they were going to retire, I heard from some old coworkers.

And that location I knew was already set up as a salon and that they had just renovated a few years prior.

So for me, immediately was like, okay, I wonder if they're going to sell it, you know, sell what they have, because I don't have the capital to build out a salon right now.

But also what we're paying in rent, I think that was the big thing.

When me and Rachel were talking between eight suites, we were paying what we pay now for our 3,700 square foot salon.

Although I would like to be clear that we were incredibly naive and thinking that, like, it's fine, the rent's the same here as it is at all of these suites.

So, like, we'll just pay it there and it'll just be like, easy peasy.

That was, like, very dense of us to think at the time.

Like, I think back to that moment often, like that exact conversation, we're like, well, we'll just pay it over there and it'll be okay.

Because absolutely, it was nothing like that.

But I do think that part of the big key to some of the success that we've had within our space outside of our team, because really, at the end of the day, it's all about the people is the fact that neither Winter or I wanted to be salon owners.

So I feel like we both have been in situations where we've been in salons prior.

I actually really liked the salon that I was at that I came from before the suites for a really long time and had approached the owner at the time about booth renting because I was a commission stylist.

And with the amount of extension clientele that I was bringing in and the amount of referrals that I was giving out, it just financially didn't make sense for me to continue down the path that I was going, because, like Winter said, I was doing, like, a lot of the backend work.

I was talking to people, I was promoting.

I was doing all of these things.

So while that doesn't make sense for a lot of stylists, like, we've actually had stylists in our own salon go from booth rent to commission to booth rent back to commission, because that is not the way that they operate.

So it didn't work for them, but for me, it didn't make sense.

And so it was really disheartening to me and sad that I couldn't stay with a group of people that I wanted to be with at that time because there was no booth rent option.

And so kind of in the same.

The same place as that.

Like, with Winter, it's like we wanted so badly to have a space where people felt supported with wherever they were at in life.

Whether that was booth rent, whether that was the suite, whether that was commission, it always feels like a bad breakup.

And we just didn't want to have a bad breakup.

Right.

And so I feel like that's what led to the conversation of us opening Joby when Winter got contacted about the space being available, is we really wanted to have that flexibility and offer to people.

So we have a business model where Winter and I are essentially booth renters of our own business, but it's allowed us to really, like, separate for us.

Jovi and then Monarch Hair Co and Rachel hall does hair, but also have all the benefits and perks and amazing community that comes with having a salon.

Because you miss that in suites.

I missed that when I was in suites.

There's pros and cons, but my clients like having people next to them and like having people to talk to and like feeling that.

Right.

So, you know, kind of Gone unhinged here and off on a path.

But that's, that's kind of the conversation of us, us starting.

It was rent wise.

It didn't make sense for us to pay.

We were paying at sweets.

We said we would just pay it at a salon together and that maybe we could make an environment like if culturally we weren't happy, eventually we realized we were going to have to create the culture ourselves.

Like, we just kept complaining about what we didn't like, but we were doing nothing about it.

So question, do you think that.

Well, first of all, what is.

I'm sure other.

Some other people were who are like really interested in pursuing this path might have picked up on something.

You said that.

And I, and I wanted you to clarify.

You said that spending the same money at the suite and sending.

Spending the same money in the salon, you realize that that was not how it worked or something like that.

Can you explain what you mean by that?

Yeah.

So there was a, there's a lot of like micro things that you have to pay that you just don't think about.

And I'm not talking about things like water or electricity, right?

Like, we knew that if we were in the suites that was covered, but if we came to a building, we would have to pay those things.

I'm talking about things like cam fees, right?

Like paying to maintain the parking lot, which was thousands of dollars additionally per month.

We're talking about the fact that the shopping center decided to paint and because of that, all the tenants were required to pay for it.

You know what I mean?

And that was in our lease.

Like we signed that, we agreed to that, but at least is, I mean, you know, 75 pages.

And we didn't see that in the fine print.

We're talking about things like, you know, even coffee and snacks.

And at the magnitude and at the size that we're buying them for so many people, like, the cost is giant.

And so I think that like, obviously it's, you know, like, you know, small scale, like, okay, yeah, it's going to be a little bit more.

But I don't think Winter or I had any idea the magnitude of how much it was going to be.

I mean, like double or triple what we were paying.

And obviously we didn't, we didn't have this business plan to like open a salon.

So we went from the suites we were in to the salon that we now own in like a month.

And we redid that salon space because it was very like monochromatic kind of like if you think of like a fancy JCPenney's.

Right?

Like, it was very dark, it was black.

So we redid that space while we were both also working full time behind the chair with no actual budget or time to get a loan.

So when these giant financial expenses came up, we didn't have anything to pull from.

It was our income we were pulling from.

And so it's.

It's different when you have like this bank to pull from.

Like, okay, well, I've got extra savings.

We had nothing in savings.

We were paying for all of it.

So I don't think that either of us really had any idea.

And I know that for me personally at least, even there are situations that I don't feel like were handled correctly in commission salons that I was in.

But it does give you real perspective for the way that you acted in certain situations and saying, okay, I understand from an owner's perspective now why those things were said.

And even if I don't agree with the way that they were communicated, like to understand the financial weight that they were under, it does offer some perspective.

I think one of the biggest things too, when having employees is understanding that you are matching your employees taxes and how astronomical it is when you are paying people well so they can live, actually pay their bills that the match on what they have to pay in taxes you are paying, but for every.

Every employee.

And so I think after our first full year of business as a full salon, it was something like $160,000 that we had paid in payroll tax.

That's not what we paid.

We weren't even profitable.

We were not profitable.

And we.

We pulled a mill, almost a million dollars our first full year of business and revenue.

And all of that went back out.

And $165,000 of that, not rent, not anything else, but the tax taxes to match people's taxes to.

To be that overhead for them.

So I think that's a big thing.

When people are like, the salon's getting so much money, people don't realize.

So we allow our stylists to get tipped on credit cards.

Like in my experience, when people aren't allowed to be tipped on credit cards, they get tip less.

And it just feels really crappy.

So that is getting reported on their Texas income.

So the salon gets zero percent of that, but it's income.

So we are still matching their income tax on that portion of things that people don't realize.

And so, because they don't want to pay those payroll taxes.

And so we had decided from day one that if we were going to go into a partnership together, that we were going to do things right.

We were going to fair.

We're going to do it legally.

And we have done some things that in retrospect, we're like, okay, so that's not the way that was supposed to be done.

And, you know, better, and you do better.

So that's not claiming that we're perfect.

It's just that when we learn better, we make better choices.

And so that was part of it, right?

We're like, everybody's a W2 employee.

We match everybody's taxes.

We let everybody get tipped on this.

We make sure that everybody is fairly getting paid for what.

And we wanted to have support staff.

That was a big thing, too.

Like, we wanted to have people greeted at the front desk.

We wanted people to feel seen and to feel heard.

And we wanted people here in the evening answering, you know, appointment requests and phone calls that people weren't waiting 24 hours get back to us.

So a lot of these were decisions that we made about what we wanted the experience to feel like.

But I don't think that we were a little naive and understanding how much that was going to cost us to curate that experience.

Nice.

Well, this is.

This all is like, one, it's very informative and educational, so thank you so much for the details.

And.

And two, it sounds like a very exciting process.

And how.

How long ago did you all open?

Years in April.

So exciting.

So tell us.

Tell us about what has it been like being an owner like you?

We've talked a little bit about the cost, the financial weight of things, and.

And I feel like you've done an incredible job helping people understand some of the burdens that come with salon ownership.

What.

What are.

Like, what are you.

What are some of the vibes?

What are some of the.

The things you love about.

About salon ownership?

And, uh, tell us a little bit about your shop and, uh, why.

Why you love it so much.

Yeah.

Jovi is so special.

I think something we say, we're very clear.

Like, in interviews, when we have people and we try to.

It can come across as very, like, intense and direct, but we try to give, like, an open and honest overview of what the experience is.

And we have high expectations, but we hold ourselves to those high expectations.

So no one is more important or less important than anyone else in the salon ecosystem, whether that be staff or clientele.

So Rachel will always Say, if you're spending $20 or $2,000, you're still so valuable as a client, and we will treat you with respect and give you our all.

So I think the Joby experience, when people talk about Joby, they love it.

Not just the staff, but also the clients coming in.

That's so infectious.

So having people and celebrating people with different styles.

Our team is so different dynamically.

We have everyone from Wednesday Adams to Glenda from Wicked.

You know, it's just like the whole spectrum, but everyone is fully themselves and fully celebrated in their individuality.

So you think of Jovi and you think of this rainbow paradise pastel, like how me and Rachel are, which we even have our esthetic differences, but they work so well together.

But, you know, there's just such a dynamic difference, and you'll see that reflected in our clientele as well.

So I think both of us really love seeing staff come in a certain way, having an aesthetic, but maybe not a confidence in that aesthetic and seeing them feel more confident to be themselves as they move out in their journey.

Being a hairstylist, having good boundaries, learning how to effectively consult, but also in their personal style and the way that they're like, unapologetic, unapologetically themselves, when people.

Love to live vicariously through whether it's another client or another stylist at Joby.

So, like Winter was saying, it's like this common misconception that you have to come in and be this like, ultra extravagant version of yourself.

And we always tell people, like, we just want you to be the most authentic version of whoever you are.

So even Winter and I, separately, in suites, like, my clientele was almost all blondes and I only work on extension clients.

And Winter, you know, she did massive color corrections and massive transformations, and she does extensions now, but she didn't at that time.

And I didn't do, like, any vivids.

Like, that was not my thing.

And now I have an extension line where I literally have pre colored vivids.

And Winter had like 10 extension clients last week, right?

But it's because our clients are like, vibing off of each other in the very best way, right?

People that I never would have expected that were like, hey, what if I throw a pastel?

And they're doing that now.

People that Winter never would have expected, like, hey, like, I'm going to make this investment in myself and I'm going to get extensions because it's for my mental health and it makes me feel good.

And so that kind of energy is very contagious.

It's very infectious.

And even the people that are not like this crazy rainbow Persona, they have appreciation, and they love the people around them for being able to authentically be themselves, which has been really, really cool.

I would say more than half our clientele is significantly more conservative in their appearance than Winter and I, and they are just as celebrated and loved here as, you know, the person who walks in with rainbow uniform here.

This is.

I, I, I feel like I need to go to Virginia beach to meet, to come and check out your salon.

And this sounds so awesome.

I love your story.

Yes.

I'm, I, I'm serious.

I wanna.

I had to talk to my wife, and we didn't plan a little chat.

Well, your wife has curly hair, right?

Yeah, she does.

So, you know, our salon is, like, we have, like, three pillars that we're, like, known for, and it's like, all aspects of hair color, from blonding to gray to vivid everything.

And then it's extensions.

We have a full line of extensions in house, and then it's curly hair.

We really, really have worked really hard, and it's.

That is our staff completely.

That is not Winter and I.

And we have grown in that area because our staff has been willing to pour and invest in us, but we, so we felt so strongly about having a space where when you walk in, no matter what your hair looks like, no matter how short it is, how long it is, what texture it is, there is somebody here that is your person.

And so, yes, she has curly hair, so she should come because our curly girls will make her whole life.

That's right.

Yeah.

Awesome.

Awesome.

Yes, awesome.

I love this.

So I feel like we're so.

We're at our time, and I want to say thank you so much for sharing.

I feel like I could keep asking you more and more questions about the specifics of your story and your shop, but I feel like this has been a really awesome conversation and experience for me, and I'm sure the viewer and the listeners will appreciate it as well.

So as we just to sign off, do you have any words of wisdom, last pieces of advice, or con?

Fortune cookie winner?

Yeah, yeah, let's do.

Let's see what you got.

Romanticizes everything.

She has a way with words.

It makes me feel.

I don't know what it makes me feel.

Something sparkly inside.

Yeah, well, let's, let's consider the rising stylist who is excited for the type of work that you all do.

Like, vivids and extensions are huge curls.

All it.

That's like, that's like, the really, like, what peop.

What students are.

Want are looking at, as well as salon ownership suite, being a suite renter.

And then maybe, yeah, maybe for that person and then maybe for the person who is, like, in a space where they're not happy because you both have had the opportunity.

Opportunity to, like, move from an unhappy space to a happy space.

So maybe some words to wrap up for those two people or a salon owner who may want some of your magic, because it definitely sounds like you have some magic with your team.

Really freaking hard.

People see.

People see the really, really exciting parts of it.

It's really, really hard.

They have really supportive husbands.

They're really supportive families.

And so I would say that it is worth it through and through.

But do not get discouraged by social media, because you are seeing people's wins, and there's almost always more losses than wins.

And even those of us that try to be transparent about those, you know, are.

You can't.

You just can't.

It's unfathomable the amount of times that we've lost to win at all.

So that's.

That's exactly what I would say, is that.

Learn how to make a mistake.

Well, so do you have make a mistake?

I make so many mistakes all the time.

I apologize every day in my life to my kids, to my husband, to our staff, to Rachel.

You know, I'm making mistakes left and right.

Can you fail and take ownership of your part?

Release what you're not responsible for, Be okay being seen as a villain if you can sleep at night with the way you've.

You've acted?

And can you learn from that experience and try again and stay soft?

And I think if you can apologize and if you can own up and you can release and then you can come back and learn, there's no limit to what you can achieve, whether you're a student, whether you're a salon owner or suite owner.

I think that applies across the board, and that's something I see in Rachel all the time and something that I try to.

Try to exemplify as well.

Awesome.

Well, thank you both so much for your time.

It's been a pleasure, and I look forward to talking to you all again soon.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for having us.

We'll plan your visit down.

All right, well, you all take care, and I'll talk to you all later.

Bye.