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

Kelly, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

So I purchased my business in July of 2019 and was thrilled to take on this new adventure. Not only was I a stylist, now I was a owner and I was excited for what was to come. 2 months into my ownership, I had a very tragic, unexpected death in my family that was very devastating. I am thankful I had a great team and manager who all willingly helped out and supported me, but it was a very difficult time. I believe owning the business gave me purpose and a reason I had to continue working hard at salon ownership.

Kelly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have always loved the beauty industry and started at a very young age. I guess in the beginning it was just a hobby but after going to school and then working in my first salon, I knew this is where I should be. I really enjoyed not only making people look and feel beautiful, but the connections with the guests I was creating. I have always enjoyed all things hair, but as I took more education and honed in on my skills, I truly enjoy custom coloring, lived in blonding, grey blending, and balayage looks! I also specialize in layered cuts that have most recently been called the butterfly cut. When I meet a guest for the first time I like to have a thorough consult and go over all expectations together. I always believe in keeping the hair healthy and not compromising the hair, and sometimes that means we need multiple sessions.
I also love working with an assistant that I get to teach and share all my tricks and tips that I have learned over the years. Helping shape them to become a successful stylist is very rewarding.
When people walk in to my salon and comment on how warm, inviting, and beautiful it is, it makes me very happy. I have worked hard to create a salon where our guests can feel relaxed and at ease while they trust us to create their dream look!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

During my career as a hairstylist, I have relocated to three different states. Each state has different licensing requirements and after moving to Florida, they were requiring me to go back to school for 200 hours or to retake the state board exam. I hadn’t been to school in almost 16 years but I knew I would just take the exam and pass! And that is exactly what happened. It is always challenging when you relocate, because you are starting all over again. Finding the right salon home and building a clientele. I was happy to find a salon in Weston, where I lived at the time and was able to meet so many great people in the community who became my clients!

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

I would have to say Covid was a near death moment. I had only been in business just over 6 months and this major pandemic happened and we had to shut down! I was scared out of my mind, but I had to think out of the box. I came up with an idea to help bring in some money and also help the clients who were at home but dying for our services. We created a custom color take home package. We set up clients and would book pick up times every 15 min to keep social distancing in place. I created a video tutorial that I emailed the clients, and everyone said how helpful that was. We also promoted retail sales for our product lines so that clients could also shop for their favorite shampoo, conditioner, or styling product. We were closed for 8 weeks, and we were happy to open back up even if we had some restrictions. It was quite a set back for a while but I knew in time we would make it through.

Contact Info:

• Website: strandbeautylounge.com
• Instagram: thestrand_beautylounge
• Facebook: The Strand Beauty Lounge

Image Credits
Kelly Riccelli