Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amber Bromer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Amber thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?
When I opened my first salon in 2010 it was just me! I think I had maybe 4 other stations set up at that time. I worked alone for 2 months before I started getting people wanting interviews. At that time I had very simple paperwork and didn’t really know what I was looking for in staff members. That’s definitely something I learned along the way. In some cases I was way too nice and ignored red flags because I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. After a while I learned to put my business first. But that it something I still learn on a daily basis.
Amber, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started doing hair in 2002. Cosmetology school was terrifying to me. I’m naturally a very shy, introverted person and this new environment was difficult for me. I didn’t enjoy it at all and almost quit multiple times. I eventually learned to pull myself out of my shell and to put my guard down, little by little. I’m so glad I stuck with school because this industry has enriched my life so much! I’ve met some amazing people from having them as clients or as staff members over the year… of course I’ve met a lot of undesirables as well. That just makes the great ones even more awesome, though!
One of the things I am most proud of at this point in my career is providing a safe space for people to work and for people to come get their hair done. It’s extremely important to me that everyone gets a long and that the drama is kept at bay. There are ups and downs of course, but as a whole both of my salon teams; Centerville & Lebanon work great together! That wasn’t always the case. I have a manager at each salon now and am so grateful for them and how they help keep me sane!
We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.
I am currently in the process of selling one of my businesses. I started Salon Noir Mobile right after the COVID shut down. It is an Airstream renovated into a salon! We had two very fun and busy years doing on-location weddings, events, festivals, photo shoots, etc but I decided it’s time to put my focus on my brick and mortars and another secret project I am currently investing in. The mobile salon business is still in a lot of demand. If anyone is interested let me know! I also put a Start A Mobile Salon business kit together that I am selling of someone is interested in starting something like this but doesn’t know where to start.
Any advice for managing a team?
Something that I would tell my younger self is to not take things so personally when it comes to business. I’ve always been a rather sensitive person and when you put your heart and soul into something, it can be very hard to not feel disrespected or hurt in instances where that shouldn’t be an issue. Also, managing a team is a tightrope walk between being fair to your self and your business and being fair to your staff. When in doubt, let your policies guide you. Otherwise you can become a human door mat!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.salonnoirohio.com
- Instagram: @salonnoirdayton @salonnoirlebanon @salonnoirbridal @noirhairandskincare @noirstudiospace
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/100063796980781/ https://m.facebook.com/100044358886105/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2vD-X9V3cAn0bhB0Hk7lEg
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/XH9J8r4pzwb https://yelp.to/gZMhan7pzwb
Image Credits
All photos by Ashley Lynn Photography