Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in hair care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Abigail Culleton, Co-Owner of The Boulevard Hair Co., located in Webster Groves, MO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are the Boulevard Hair Company; we are a full-service salon and spa with two locations. Our Webster Groves, MO, houses 78 stylists, and our Boulevard LUXE location in Oakville, MO, houses 26 stylists. Our customers are everyone! We take pride in offering services for each and every individual.
Tell us about yourself
I actually worked in six different salons before I opened my own 14 Station salon in Clayton, Missouri, at the age of 25. I always felt like there was something better out there, and I just wasn’t finding it, so I thought maybe I’ll try to open a place and see if I could find what I was looking for?! My motivation that’s different every day. Some days it’s the new young associates that are starting at The Boulevard and helping them navigate this crazy new life/career… On other days it’s my season stylist that is trying to navigate not only this crazy career but also their children, their husbands, and their lives….
Currently, I would have to say my main motivation this coming year is going to be making the BLVD the best place to be, either as a client or as a stylist. I want everyone that steps foot into either salon to feel like they are meant to be there. I want everyone to feel comfortable in our space and to find peace in the business of their everyday lives. I want the stylist to find their second home. I place that they live to be at! I just want our spaces to be a breath of fresh air!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I would say…. Having the ability and time to help others. By the Grace of God, Sierra (my co-owner) and I have been fortunate enough to be able to help out our stylists in a way that we never thought that we could! We are able to help do life with each individual in our spaces. If they need us, we are there!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Keeping up. Myself, Sierra, and our stylist mentors joke a lot about how we are getting older, but the new associates are staying the same age (17,18,19…). So finding a way to connect with the younger generation would be one of the hardest things that we have been facing lately. I remember when I opened my 1st salon in Clayton, MO. I was the youngest of 10 employees. The struggle then was trying to get the others to trust that I could run a salon at 25 years old!
Now the struggle is how do I look and act cool enough that these younger stylists want to have anything to do with me! Things change so fast; I mentioned MTV/total request lived with Carson Daily the other day, and one of the new staff members asked who MTV is. That’s when I knew I was no longer one of the young ones!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- GIVE IT YOUR ALL
Things don’t happen overnight. Most times, it takes years! Opening a business takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears, grit, and hustle. Enjoy the beginning of the journey- one day, you will wake up and think, “Wow, all those long days and nights, the countless fails, the never-ending no’s all worked out” That is the day that you will recognize the amount of strength you have- that’s a good day! - EVERYDAY BE BETTER
Be a better owner than you were the day before, be a better listener, be a better communicator, be a better teammate, be a better cheerleader, and just be better every day. And listen, if you find yourself in a season where being “better” that next day isn’t happening- THAT IS OKAY! We all have our days/weeks/months we’re we can’t do it alone- find that one person who, if you fall, will be there to stand in the gap for you. - TRUST GOD
God is the foundation of my belief that whatever happens with my business, I will be ok. Even though things are going well now, they can always be gone tomorrow. So I make sure that my faith outways everything else. This trust is what allows me to sleep at night, it allows me to make big moves, and it also allows me to find joy in every situation.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://salonblvd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salonblvd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theboulevardhairco/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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