We recently connected with Kurston Ghumm and have shared our conversation below.

Kurston , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

In 2022, I interviewed with CanvasRebel as a nail technician. At that point in my career, owning a business felt like something other people did. I had spent years building my skills behind the nail table, I wanted to take the leap, but I wasn’t sure if I could balance 4 kids and their busy schedules at the same time that I would be trying to build a business.
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was deciding to open my own salon.
At this time last year, I was a single mother raising four children with a steady income and knew exactly what to expect from my day-to-day work. I stepped away from the salon in 2023 after 14 years of working in the industry. I wanted to see what the steady income was about. I took a General Manager position, and it was the best thing I could have done to prepare for the leap I took at the end of 2024. I needed to learn about customers and how they think. Advertising, promoting, just staying relevant in the consumers mind. There is real science to it! There were no guarantees that clients would follow me, that the business would succeed, or that I would be able to handle everything that came with ownership, all while raising children, and not wanting to falter in any area.
What pushed me to take the risk was the realization that if I didn’t try, I would always wonder what could have been. I wanted to create a place where both clients and beauty professionals felt valued, safe, and welcome. I will say, seeing an idea unfold beautifully after all the sweat and tears, is something I hope everyone experiences one day.
Today, I own and operate a growing salon with multiple service providers. Looking back, taking that risk changed my life. It gave me confidence I didn’t know I had and showed my children what is possible when you’re willing to bet on yourself.
The most meaningful part of this story is that I’m now sitting here again, being interviewed by the same organization that interviewed me in 2022. The difference is that I’m no longer talking about what I hope to accomplish someday. I’m talking about what I’ve built. That full-circle moment is proof that sometimes the biggest rewards come from taking the risks that scare you the most.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kurston Ghumm, and I am the owner of Ruhe Salon in Hays, Kansas. I have been passionate about nails for as long as I can remember. In fact, I started polishing my own nails when I was around five years old. I would watch my mom come home from getting her nails done, and they always looked flawless. I remember thinking, “I bet I could do that.” That curiosity eventually turned into a career.
After high school, I pursued professional training in Overland Park, Kansas, where I learned the technical skills that helped transform a childhood interest into a profession. Over the last 15+ years, I’ve built a career in the nail industry while continuously learning and growing as both an artist and entrepreneur.
Today, I own a full-service salon that offers nail services, massage therapy, skincare, waxing, and hair services. The name “Ruhe” comes from the German word for “peace”, “safe” or “calm.” That meaning is at the heart of everything we do. Our goal is to provide more than beauty services—we want clients to experience a moment of rest, confidence, and self-care in the middle of their busy lives. Above all else, I want Ruhe Salon to be safe. I want everyone to feel welcome, no matter the circumstance.
One thing that sets us apart is our focus on both beauty and wellness. We incorporate high-quality essential oils and wellness-focused products that help create a relaxing and restorative environment. Over the years, I’ve heard my clients talk about 2 problem areas. Dry, chapped heels, and dry cuticles. So I created 2 serums that is tailored to both areas. Another one of those “I bet I can do that” moments.
What I’m most proud of is building a business that reflects my values, while creating opportunities for other beauty professionals. I had some girls from my last salon come over to work at Ruhe. I couldn’t understand why a hairstylist would want to work in a nail salon, but then my customers helped me realize that it’s not just about the salon. It’s the environment, and the staff, and the warm welcomes. They chose to come to the salon because it also makes them feel comfortable and supported. How cool is that?! As a single mother and business owner, opening my own salon required a tremendous leap of faith, but it has allowed me to create a space where stylist and client walks through the door and feels valued.
If there is one thing I want people to know about me and my business, it’s that Ruhe Salon was built from a lot of hard work, a lifelong passion, some tears, and a lot of prayers. I am too emotional to do social work, and too queasy to join the healthcare world, but if us giving a person an hour and a half to just be still or get something off their chest then we are doing our job! We want the client to leave feeling better than when they arrived.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe my reputation in the beauty industry was built through consistency, networking relationships, raw passion, and genuinely caring about the people who sit in my chair.

Over the years, I learned that building a reputation isn’t about having the fanciest salon, or the biggest social media following. It’s about showing up every day, doing quality work, continuing to improve your skills, and treating people well. Clients remember how you make them feel. They remember whether you listen to them, whether you’re dependable, and whether they can trust you.

Many of my clients have been with me for years, and some have referred their friends, family members, and even multiple generations of clients. Those relationships have been the foundation of my career. Word-of-mouth referrals have always been one of the most valuable ways I’ve grown my business because they come from trust.

Looking back, I think my reputation was built one appointment at a time. Every client interaction mattered. Every conversation mattered. Every service mattered. Over time, those small moments added up and created trust that allowed me to grow from a nail technician into a salon owner. I never set out to become known in the industry. I simply focused on doing right by the person sitting in front of me.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was the belief that if I wanted something done right, I had to do it myself.
For most of my career as a nail technician, my success depended entirely on my own work. If I wanted to provide an exceptional experience, I personally handled every detail. That mindset served me well as a technician, but it became a challenge when I became a salon owner.
When I opened Ruhe Salon, I quickly realized that I couldn’t continue to operate as if I were the only person responsible for the business. I had to learn how to trust others, delegate responsibilities, and allow people the opportunity to grow and contribute in their own way. That wasn’t easy for me. Like many business owners, I cared deeply about every aspect of the client experience and wanted everything to meet my standards.
What that looked like in reality was learning to step back. Instead of trying to solve every problem myself, I had to create systems, communicate expectations clearly, and trust my team to do their jobs. There were times when things weren’t done exactly how I would have done them, and I had to learn that different doesn’t necessarily mean wrong.
The transition from technician to business owner required a completely different mindset. I had to stop measuring my value by how much I could personally accomplish in a day and start measuring success by the environment I was creating for both clients and professionals.
That lesson is still one I’m working on. Growth isn’t a one-time event; it’s an ongoing process. But learning to let go of the idea that I have to carry everything myself has made me a stronger leader, a better business owner, and honestly, a healthier mom. It has allowed me to focus on building something bigger than myself and creating opportunities for others to succeed alongside me.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://ruhesalon.glossgenius.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruhe_salon_hays
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruhe.salon.hays