We were lucky to catch up with Elsa Kery-Grant recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elsa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I had been an entrepreneur at hart ever since I was a litter girl in the Dominican Republic my home country. First at all I love God! My family is my passion then I love business and people. I had always dream of having my own business, I opened my first business back in 2014 a beauty salon and 3 years later I opened my second salon. I had no experiences at all running a beauty salon but I made happened.

Today my salons have the best reviews on the area, the staff’s retention of the salon are very high compare to others salons. Working in this industry made me realized that a salon and any business to be successful needs happy employees and clients who feel special. My business are employees and customer friendly, I always tell them both clients and employees, this is not my salon this is OURS salons, that way the feel ownership of the business.

Two years after I opened my first salon, I got all the skills I need to run a successful, I stared doing consultation to other salons owners. I first I stared just as a favor but then I realized that lots of salon owner don’t really have the skills to run a salon because they are focus on just doing hair. I am not a hairstylist, I just run the salon. That has been one of the key factors on my salon successes.

During Covid 19 pandemic the salons were closed for over 5 months and as of today business at beauty salon are very slow. so, I needed an extra income to support my business and family so I started doing business consulting full time during the pandemic. All my clients are reference from other clients, they like me because not only I help thm with their business but I help them getting their business structure the top to the bottom.

Last years I opened 2 more business that I am still working on and this year I will be opening a restaurant with others investors. I

Before becoming a business owner, I used to work for the University of Maryland. I have 18+ years combined experience in business administration, payroll, contract & grant accounting, account payable, human resource, training, and employee relations at the University of Maryland College Park.
When I was offered the opportunity, I took it on. 8 years running my first business
from customer services to marketing, and the accounting part of the business prepared me to respond positively to extreme pressures of time and workload. This experience gave me a strong initiative and a self-starter attitude. Maximize time by accomplishing and tracking multiple projects while working on everyday duties simultaneously while working on everyday aspects of my business.
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I graduated with a BS in Management Studies with a Minor in Business Administration from UMUC, I’m very committed to my business, but I am also committed to my family. I have been married for over 25 years and the proud mother of 3 young men, we also have 4 dogs that are like my sons too.

Elsa, 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 opened my first salon because I was looking to open a business to make the different for customer and employees. I love to do my hair and my nails so I would have to run to the nail’s salon then to the hair salon. As a busy mom that was working full time that was brutal and most of the time almost impossible. I came with the Idea to open a hair and nails salon, so while you are doing your hair you can do your nail too. Our customer love, busy mom can come in and leave ready from hair to toe. But not only busy mom but young professional too. We also have a private room to make up but to also serve those clients that don’t want to do their hair in public and those for religion reason as well. We serve all public, from all ethnic back ground. We have many customers from the LGBT, in one occasion I have a customer that came to me and told me how good they feel coming to the salon. According to them, they come from WV to the salon because they feel we treat them with respect and dignity had never judged them. They do their hair and nails and all the staffs make them feel at home. They really made my day, it’s a shame that they have to drive that far to be serve with respect and dignity. That is so important to me, that is how I want customers to feel at my business.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As I mentioned before when I opened my first salon I had no experiences running a salon. Two years doing I became an expect doing, so I started helping others salon owner in the area for free. However during Covid 19 pandemic the salons were closed for over 5 months and as of today business at beauty salon are very slow. so, I needed an extra income to support my business and family so I started doing business consulting full time during the pandemic. All my clients are reference from other clients, they like me because not only I help them with their business but I help them getting their business structure the top to the bottom.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

While doing business consulting I met 2 other salons owner that used to be my clients. When I met them their salons were struggling, from sells to finding good staffs. They hired me to help them with their salon. One of them was even getting sue by a business partner. Today their business is doing very well, we stared a friendship first but now we are business portent. Last year we opened a construction company together, this year we are working to open our first restaurant. Hopefully it will be the first one of many, in the group I am the leader. is an honor for me that they trust me to be their leader.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beautysalonlaurel.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cristinao1/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elsa-kery-grant-39398a141/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cristina-o-dominican-salon-and-nails-spa-laurel