Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsea Escamilla. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chelsea, appreciate you joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

In 2022, I built and opened my own salon storefront in San Diego. It was a huge leap a vision I carried for years finally standing in front of me, real and alive. But I didn’t stop there. By 2023, I decided to stretch myself even further. I chose to manage the salon while living bi-coastal, splitting my time between San Diego and Miami.
Miami was completely foreign to me. I didn’t know a single person there besides my life coach, but I had an idea: to open a salon suite and plant new roots in a city that had no safety net for me. No family, no friends, no clients waiting. Just me, my faith, and the willingness to figure it out alone.
For seven months, I juggled both coasts, learning to adapt quickly and lean into my resourcefulness. I managed a team in San Diego, while in Miami I was walking into buildings, making connections, and trying to build something from scratch. It wasn’t easy. There were moments that felt overwhelming, moments I wondered if I was doing too much, but I kept showing up because I believed in myself and what I was building.
Doing it all alone taught me more than I ever could have imagined. It sharpened my self-confidence, deepened my trust in faith, and reminded me that nothing great is ever created inside a comfort zone.

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.

I never set out to make hair my lifelong career. At first, it was just a side gig while I planned to go back to college to study fashion and business. But life has a way of redirecting you. Thirteen years later, I’m still behind the chair and I can’t imagine it any other way.

What hooked me wasn’t just the art of hair, it was the transformations. I specialize in hair extensions, but I also focus deeply on the health of the hair and scalp. I love blonding, I love Brazilian blowouts, and I love seeing a client’s confidence light up when they look in the mirror. For me, it has never been just about hair it’s about changing the way someone feels both inside and out.

That passion for transformation naturally grew into education. After three years of teaching hairstylists, I realized I wanted to expand my impact. In 2023, I launched my online coaching business not just for stylists, but for anyone ready to change their mindset, strengthen their spirituality, and transform their body. Because I’ve learned that how we do one thing is how we do everything.

Hair was my doorway into transformation, but coaching became my way of taking it further. Today, I get to help people not only look different, but become different inside and out.

MILLA THE SALON was born from a vision of bold elegance. When I first built it, the design leaned into strong YSL-inspired vibes: striking black, white, cream, and black marble. It was bold, chic, and powerful.
As my brand evolved, the aesthetic softened into creams and chrome still refined, but with a gentler touch. Because MILLA has never been just about the color palette. It’s about how the experience makes you feel: always soft, always calm and clear, and always invigorated.

At MILLA, we stand for lived-in luxury the kind of beauty that feels effortless but speaks volumes. To us, showing up as your best self is a whole lifestyle, and hair is a part of that expression.

The name itself comes from my last name, Escamilla. With German roots, it means “industrious” or “hard working” and that’s exactly what we bring to our clients. We treat them like gold, because that’s what they are to us.
MILLA isn’t just where hair is done it’s where confidence is elevated, luxury feels lived-in, and transformation happens inside and out.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I decided to build my salon storefront, I made a commitment to do it on my own terms. No loans, no parents’ money, no investors, no sugar daddy. Just me, my vision, and my discipline.
I saved up about $90,000 in cash and used that to fund and build my salon. Every dollar represented years of sacrifice, focus, and choosing long-term growth over short-term comfort. It wasn’t easy, but it gave me the freedom to create exactly what I wanted without anyone else’s strings attached.
That same discipline is what I began teaching my students in 2021. I show them that financial independence and business ownership aren’t reserved for the privileged it’s about habits, strategy, and mindset. The way you manage your money, your energy, and your choices matters.

I built MILLA THE SALON from the ground up with nothing but hard work and consistency, and now I get to pass that blueprint on. Because when you build something with your own two hands and your own discipline, you don’t just create a business you create power, confidence, and freedom.

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

My reputation really began in 2018, when I went off on my own in San Diego. It was a bold step, but it was also the moment I decided to show the world exactly what I was about. I started showcasing my before-and-afters, because transformations are what I live for.

From the very beginning, I built my business on principles that mattered to me: answering clients quickly, working with pure intentions, and focusing on the craft rather than the noise. I never felt the need to talk badly about other stylists or chase after being in the “circle of everyone’s eyes.” I’ve always had the confidence to enjoy my own company and stick to my lane.

That’s what people noticed. That’s how my reputation grew clients could feel the energy. I became known not just as a great stylist, but as someone with a magnetic presence. Someone they trusted, someone they wanted to come back to again and again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://millathesalon.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamchelseaescamilla/profilecard/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MILLATHESALON/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/milla-the-space-san-diego
• Other: we love social media!