We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danielle LeDuc a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle , thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Going into business for myself!! Opening my very own Salon Suite and launching my traveling Bridal Beauty team has been the most risky thing I’ve done in my career lately! It’s hard to say just one thing that has been life changing in the business I’m in, because there are so many things that have touched my heart and shaped me.

Being an entrepreneur/hairstylist, every opportunity you take to reach new heights in your career is a always a risk! Each day, each new client, each new city you live in, all the new techniques we learn and technology to study, it’s always unpredictable and no guaranteed results. Ironically, I find joy in that! Perhaps I even feed off the adrenaline and excitement of growth! I wouldn’t have it any other way! I like to surround myself when working with creatives! Erbb and Ers has allowed me that!

I opened my salon suite just shy of the pandemic and although it’s not always easy, we’re here prospering the best way we know how and recently are looking forward to expanding! Although I love coloring hair, before moving to Georgia, I had a decade + of experience with the Bridal industry. It was only a matter of time to Finally launch my very own Bridal Beauty team!!

Elle Rose Bridal Beauty was officially launched this year 2022 and is still growing. With my background of the Bridal industry , from selling couture gowns, to of course styling the brides hair, even serving as a caterer and creating decor and designing hair jewels, it brings me nothing but happiness and peace! I just adore the wedding industry! I’m happy to finally put my stamp on it here in Ga with my very own traveling Bridal hair and makeup team!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Danielle (also known as “Elle”) LeDuc! I’ve been in the hair industry for 20 years! I really love what I do! From day one, I knew this was IT for me!!
I started my career as a state accredited apprentice (which means you don’t go to Beauty school, you learn directly under a lisenced cosmetologist for 2 full years) in Michgian, where I am from originally.

Like most of us artists, we knew at a young age we may see things a bit “different” or “unique” and I found my love for art through hair! I had found my place in the hair wold after going to college for theater and psychology. I also am into fitness and looking for ways to connect more to my community to give back. Needless to say, I love helping people!

One of THE best opportunities I ever had was working at a Bridal shop while doing my apprenticeship! I had already known my love for styling Updos and special occasion hair, but this just took my love for the wedding industry up a notch! I really started to learn even more about it and throughout my 20’s (even though I was a hairstylist at salons doing cuts and color), I knew I HAD to be part of the wedding world. It called to me! And I answered. I did everything and anything I could that had to do with the wedding Industry.

I moved to Destin FL, and that is where I really flourished in the Bridal industry!
I worked in 5 star resorts, to private Wedding companies and all that’s inbetween. Up and down the Gulf Coast I had the BEST time styling my brides!! For me, love is love, it’s beautiful!! And who seriously doesn’t wanna be around someone for THE happiest and most important day of thier life at that time!?

What sets me apart is probably the fact that I’m OG but not old haha. I just started my career young. So I’ve learned so much! The wisdom and extra advice about planning a wedding/event, proper haircare maintenance (since I do color as well and provide products) I can give really helps my brides. I also design custom hair pieces, which is kinda a bonus!

I had to take care of myself and learn life the hard way fresh out of high-school. So I think I have an old school heart. I truly care about what I do, it’s not just about numbers or getting to the final result quicker. I give an “experience”. The Elle Rose experience! I’m involved. I care. I really do. And it shows in who I am. Technology is great, but when it comes down to it, the relationship and work will always speak for itself. I’m blessed to of had that instilled in me. I do keep up with everything, tech and media business wise because its pretty neat what we can do now, but there is nothing like a pure genuine heart. Perhaps that is what makes me unique. I’m not sure, I just know my brides and I have a great time!! And I always strive to give them the hair of thier dreams!!

ERBB is a Bridal makeup and hair traveling team based out of Atl suburbs. We specialize in boho, romantic ,yet classic looks! We want every bride to feel comfortable, yet classic, elegant, and feel incredibly beautiful from the inside and out. It’s important to be thier truest self!

We service brides mostly in the suburbs of Atl and countryside/historic parts of the state. We love nature!!

*Erbb is still growing and always looking for more team members :)

You can find out more about Elle Rose Bridal Beauty on IG @ellerosebridalbeauty and on Elle Rose Salon’s website on the wedding tab www.ellerosesalonsuite.com.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As I’m sure most would agree, but the pandemic!! It changed our industry! It flipped it and reversed it for sure. I was JUST a year into owning my very OWN Salon Suite and had to get shut down for lil bit, that was scary! Even though I have been in this Industry for quite some time, that experience was like no other. I started doing hair in the dinosaur ages, we literally scheduled people on paper books! Crazy to think. I was just starting out as an offically licensed cosmetologist and the BOOM the recession of 2008 hit, HARD in Detroit especially, where I was from and doing hair at the time. That was the beginning. It seemed as if everything I learned, we needed to Scratch a relearn. But that wasn’t the case at all.

Getting through and persevering over that time taught me so much about the strength of our community as artists and when we have that drive and heart, nothing will stop us. We relearned but it was almost like because of where eve been, it made us that stronger with what we had to learn from that point going forward. We created organic lines. We started to think outside the box and balayage and ombre became a thing! Making it possible for people to space out thier appointments and you know what, that was totally fine! The hair was healthier and as an Industry we grew, we just pivoted! We started caring about ingredients more, about hair integrity and even the tools we used on our clients.

I was blessed to go through that right at the beginning of my career because 12 years later, we kinda had another one. Throw in a pandemic with a slight recession and that made it a bit more difficult. 2020 certainly was a crazy time. But we made it to here. And that’s all we can do. Take it one step at a time. I think people were able to slow down and really get a splash of reality. Of what’s really important and why.

Now we’re just in a mix of all of that, and It’s funny cus, it’s just called evolving and growing. If you stop learning, you stop growing.

So one foot in front of the other with strategic planning is always a good thing. Be prepared, but be open-minded too. Cus nothing is permanent, for the most part. And have fun while you can!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Business and marketing management classes! A MUST!! Sadly, the hairstyling community doesn’t have the option to get a Masters degree at a college university in salon business. But ya know what, That’s OK! Because we are so unique, our industry created our OWN educators. And they are absolutely brilliant. Having been to state college, community collge, a beauty school (I did go for a little bit when I moved to FL), and hands on state accredited apprenticeship program, in my experience, the hands-on experience was the best. Its not for everyone, but as a creative, I wish everyone had a mentor and hands on training. It will change you.
But as you become a professional, on your own and in this incredible world we’re living in today, ANYONE can own a business. That is actually quite scary For our comsumers. Sometimes running your own business sounds great, but there is alot of work to be done. Im definitely more of a hands on artist, so learning the business side has proven its challenges, but I know in the end will make me a better more well rounded owner and stylist. Its great to know bts for your clients too! Once you invest in a program, youd be so suprised to see how much more is even available to us creatives than we ever knew! So, I highly suggest looking for a business coach or program to help guide you.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.ellerosesalonsuite.com
• Instagram: @ellerosebridalbeauty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellerosesalonsuite/
• Youtube: Elle Rose Salon
• Other: Tik tok ; @ellerosebridalbeauty

Image Credits
Credit Daria k. Photography