We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shawna Enright a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shawna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

When the pandemic hit, I was forced to shut down my business. I was devastated. It was a scary time for everyone. Especially those who only make money while working behind the chair with a client.

This time gave me a chance to reevaluate my life and my career. I spent a lot of time on the free Girl Gang connection calls with Powerhouse women. The base of this network was in Scottsdale, AZ.

Something sparked new passion inside of me during the pandemic. I found myself being busier than when I was at work. I spent a lot of time and research during these weeks too.

During this time I was also experiencing a lot of change. I was reflecting on my past and working with a coach to release old beliefs and energy.

During this time I made the decision to relocate my business to Arizona. It only took me about 3 weeks and I had new client leads, interviews with different salons in the area, and calls with a life coach about my ideas.

When I had all of this figured out I approached my mom with my new business plan. Originally, I had a plan to fly back and fourth every few weeks/ month to build up my clientele. I also had a set move date that I was going to move across the country.

The day that WI lifted their no work rule was the day I flew out to Arizona to interview at salons.

Everything magically fell into place. I also was so lucky to be able to stay at a friends house for free.

I commuted across the country for 2 years. I took the risk and marketed my business as “bicoastal” and utalized social media. I also joined every single Facebook page out in Arizona. This opportunity lead me to meeting people in person that I never met before. They turned into clients. Who know still are friends!

I never ended up moving to Arizona. However, I learned a lot about myself. I gained a new confidence in myself that a past toxic relationship took from me. I said that I needed to do this all on my own so I can prove my worth to myself. IF I failed, it was all on me.

I never failed. I gave it my all. I flew back and fourth every 8-10 weeks and attracted my DREAM clients out in Arizona. The money that I grew in my business in this experience too was incredible. This is something that I would have never done before. I took a risk and bet on myself. I’ll never have that experience taken away from me.

Unfortunately the pandemic made traveling too expensive. It got exhausting. I was ready to settle down and my business back home in WI was already so successful. So I made the decision to close my LLC in Arizona.

To me, this experience was worth everything. I did something that a lot of people would have never tried!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a hairstylist, extension specialist, hair extension line creator, rental salon owner, and mom of a little girl.

I sell confidence and worth on a daily basis to the majority of my clients. A lot of people think that hair extensions are such a “superficial” item. It’s far from the truth. The confidence that women leave the salon with us something that has me coming into the salon daily.

I work extreme hours, in my opinion. It’s a true passion of mine. I honestly don’t know a lot of people that have put in the work to have the success that they do. I don’t say that lightly either. A lot of people may say “must be nice”… however, I disagree. I’ve fought so hard for my career. My clients have become family and I am so protective over them.

Balancing becoming a new mom and a business owner is tricky. I believe that you can have it all in life. Sometimes I think that there’s just seasons where one overplays the other. I’m trying to figure this all out as I go!

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

I purchased my first building 2 1/2 years ago! This was such an accomplishment for me. I was 27 years old. I saved a lot of Pennie’s to be able to put money into a business. For those who don’t know, business loans are a tad different than house loans. There are a lot more strict requirements than a house loan.

After I closed on the salon, we started flipping the entire building by ourselves. This building has 2 levels + a walk out basement. On the main floor, we have a shampoo bowl room with 3 chairs. We also have a room for another business to rent out on that level. We opened up the staircase and out in industrial cables. All of our stations are upstairs. There is 7 chairs available for rent at the upper level. It’s a great homey space for our clients to come to. We have high ceilings with a lot of natural light that overlooks a pond/ lake in the backyard.

Flipping a space is always interesting. This was the second space that my family and I have redone. It’s never easy. There were massive hiccups along the way. One being a problem with my building being vandalized by a painter. However, all works out in the end.

2 years later, we still are fixing up things in the salon. We are adding another room in the basement for a renter. We also will be expanding the parking lot in spring for more parking.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

There’s a lot of different factors that have helped me along the way with becoming an extension specialist.

1.) showing up on social media- I show all of the ins and outs constantly. I talk about things in my stories and I lost quite a bit. I think that showing up as always been the best way for people to hear about you. It takes about 7 times for people to hear something before it sticks- it might as well be your name.

2.) I flew around the country to attend highly reputable education- I spent A LOT of money on my education. I still invest in myself! I also put in the work that’s required because I do not want to be the minority. Skill and persistence shows it’s self almost always!

3.) I was offered the opportunity to become an educator for an extension company- I taught extensions in the industry for about 3 years. I had to market and promote my own classes. I also hosted these classes around the state and I flew to other states to host classes as well. At one of my classes in AZ, I had a social media follower fly down to attend from Washington. That was a huge ah-ha moment for me!

4.) I offer a lot of stylists advice and an ear- I’m always there to help stylists with what they need. I do not believe in competition. I can only stand up and offer what I would want from a mentor. If stylists need help color matching extension hair from my line, I take the time to do so. I’d rather be known for making people feel seen than the person that never responds and is “untouchable”.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.shawnaenright.com
• Instagram: @shawnaenrighthair | @kalon.hairextensions | @kalonextensions_
• Facebook: Hair by Shawna
• Linkedin: Shawna enright
• Other: Threads- @shawnaenrighthair

Image Credits
@nomadaffection @brynndrexler @indiefernphoto