We recently connected with Ally Bowen and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ally thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

What was once a dream and just an idea in my head became reality as I moved forward in faith! Each new step was a bit scary, first thing I had to do was believe it was possible.

Opening my own business has been a beautiful journey of learning how to let go and pivot when things don’t go the way I wanted them to and to recognize that what unfolded in the end is more beautiful than what I ever pictured in the beginning.

I started with saving photos on Pinterest, colors, salon layout ideas, furniture, lighting, you name it, I had a photo of it! I had written multiple checklist of things that I knew I needed to get done from calling my lawyer, to getting my managers license, to getting business insurance, finding a contractor to do the build out and figuring out a name and then getting all my bank accounts set up and of course I need a business loan. That was a bit scary!

Each of these steps took courage and time! There was so much learning that was happening as I moved through my checklist of things to do. Each time I would meet with someone new I would end up with more items on my checklist that needed to get done. It was a bit overwhelming at times but truly I enjoyed the process.!
The excitement of what was to come in the future was where more energizing, then staying where I was..

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have loved people and doing hair since I was a very young girl. I remember telling my mom when I was in seventh grade that I wanted to go to Aveda and become a hairstylist. And that is exactly what I did right out of high school I went to Aveda got my cosmetology license and started my journey at Spalon Montage and worked there for over 24 Years. My time at Spalon, I grew tremendously I went from being an apprentice the first year, and learning so much to becoming a Director, and teaching and learning even more than I could’ve ever imagined! I love to learn, and I love to teach, and I absolutely love people!
I was always really good at art in school, everything from pottery to sculptures to jewelry, painting and drawing. The only problem was, I am an extrovert and I really enjoy being with people! So once I discovered I could be artist on hair, I was over the top excited!
My main goal is to make people feel and look beautiful and remind them of who they are on the inside! I genuinely love my clients! And they become so much more to me than just a Client. They are family! I feel tremendously blessed by all the relationships I have built over the years! And this has definitely helped me become more successful in owning my own business.

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

During the process of opening our business, we had to get a permit for our build out. We have rejected that this would take a few weeks. I thought it would not be a problem. Unfortunately after three weeks we were still waiting for our permit and our contractor was running out of time to do our filled out. I was also working my current job at the salon and knew that that time was coming to an end verse soon as well, and each day that went by with no permit put us further and further behind for opening, which meant there would be more time lapse in between when I left my current job, and when I open my business, and as a hairstylist, that is a challenge to have your clients wait too long in between services!
As we approached the four week mark of waiting for a permit, I all of a sudden had the idea to call the man in charge of distributing permits in the city that we were building in. He actually answered the phone and I had a conversation with him and told him who I was and what I was trying to do and wondered if there was anything he needed for me to get our permit process faster. This personal connection helped him move things along as I believe the permit was probably just sitting there on his desk.
Within a week we had the permit, and we finally were able to do our build out but it took five weeks of waiting and when you’re sitting there with a Contractor waiting to go, five weeks is a long time!
But it was well worth the wait and I learned that things don’t always go my way, but sometimes if I make a personal connection, it can go the distance!

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

My business partner is my sister-in-law her name is Kelly and we have known each other for 20 years now! I met her when she first started working with me and became one of my apprentices. She and I both connected instantly, and we started forming a relationship. Within a few years. I had introduced her to my brother-in-law, and they started dating and our relationship group even stronger! They have now been married for 14 years, and we have grown to become sisters and peers as well as best friends! This journey to open up our own space together has been so fun to do with someone who shares the same passion and love for people!

Contact Info:

• Website: Bethelighthairstudio.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ally_b_hair?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063650706823&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Other: My link tree http://linktr.ee/allybhair

Image Credits
@laurabankenphotography