We were lucky to catch up with Daryl Lienhart recently and have shared our conversation below.
Daryl, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
Since I joined the industry 16 years ago, there has been a pretty dramatic change in the culture of the salon world in general. We’ve seen commission salons become nearly extinct and mostly all work independently as blossoming entrepreneurs. While I think that can be a beautiful option for people, I also thing we’ve lost the value in working as a team and the creative environment a commission salon can be if you nurture the culture of your brand. One of my favorite things to hear our existing clients explain to a new client that they are sharing an appointment time with is how we all work together as if we were one super stylist! You might see me jump over to help control a haircut that has a stylist frustrated to no end, as she jumps over to complete a blowout for me without even having to verbally communicate our needs. It really does feel like magic. As a leader, my mission is to educate and empower my stylists, that represent my brand, in every way. I lead them as if they are entrepreneurs by encouraging them, modeling them to be independently creative but still leaving them the space and freedom to lean on me for support without consequience. It holds all of us accountable as one, my team is 100% bought in to the success of our salon as if it were their own because of the culture we have created within our walls. It definitely helps that they make as much money as a commissioned stylist as they would an independent contractor without the overhead or taking home any work! We are fortunate to have such a loyal and amazing clientele.
Daryl, 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 grew up in a very small town in northern Arizona where I knew from a very early age that a four-year college degree was just not for me but I never really had a plan. I started picking up Makeup around five years old and taught myself how to French braid on a Barbie, which was not an easy task. The funny thing about all of that is that I was probably the biggest “tomboy” for most of my life. I know we all went through that phase, but mine was pretty extensive and I did not care about looking pretty but man did I enjoy making other people look and feel pretty! I glammed every attendee of CVHS homecoming and prom for the better part of 3 years and as much as I enjoyed it, I don’t think I actually realized that I was pretty good at it until I started Beauty school. I just assumed it was something I was willing to do for free and girls weren’t too picky about their hair and make up artist with limited options!
After high school, I left my tiny little town and went to the big city, that was a culture shock to say the least. I moved in next-door to a family who owned a small bar where I started bartending and became fast friends with the owner’s daughter who just happened to be a hairstylist. I spent a considerable amount of time over at their house while she had clients and I would just watch her work all day, I would analyze every single haircut seeing the beauty of the angles, how the hair would fall just right and I would watch her foil like it was my therapy. Like a light switch turned on, I knew that I would go to beauty school.
16 years shows you a lot of highs and lows, a lot of hard lessons are learned. Life humbles you, children humble you, clients humble you. Sometimes I truly believe that my only goal is to figure out what it is people need from me and be that person for them. Some people need simply to look in the mirror and feel alive again, some need guidance, some people need a listening ear, some people need to be picked up when they’re down and being in the space God has put me in allows me to be that for them whether it be my clients or our amazing staff. I wake up every day feeling very fortunate and blessed, and I just let God lead me in whatever direction he needs me to go at that time. That can look so different from day to day, sometimes I get to do His work behind the chair, and sometimes people find themselves in my chair to hear what He has to say through me, regardless, I am grateful and proud.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
We met Covid-19 in 2020 and that about wrecked us all. At a time where days before I believed I was at a peak in my career, I truly thought the Salon industry might come to a full temporary halt. There was so much unknown, and it was terrifying. Not only do you have to figure out how to pay your personal bills, but now I have to figure out how to pay rent and whatever other business expenses I was obligated to. All while not not knowing if I would ever be allowed to step foot into my salon again. Tensions were high with coworkers and business partners, relationships were burnt to the ground both personally and professionally, my kids were feeling so out of control and I had to figure out how to navigate their school, my business, the mental health of my children, and keep myself together. That was a time that all stylists and owners had to get creative industry wide. I ran a lot of retail specials to keep our clients engaged and sent out daily personal messages when I knew clients had been affected in one way or another.
By the time things had settled down, I felt like my whole entire life had been flipped upside down, I had to completely uproot my business and figure out what was next. It was at that time that two of my greatest friends and now business partners called me up with what I consider to be a life-saving proposal. At a time when I felt completely on my own professionally, I was presented an opportunity to build what I humbly believe to be one of the most amazing beauty establishments in the country. Beauty Secrets Collective, YouthfulYou Aesthetics and Elevate Salon Studio all live under the same roof in one beautiful 4000 square-foot building. Combined we provide a unique one stop opportunity for all cosmetic needs. From carrying top of the line hair and skin products, medical injectables, laser hair removal, state of the art medical devices, a full service hair salon and medusa, we are also home to some of the most highly educated beauty professionals in Arizona. As a unit, we have created a one of a kind culture where everyone in there wants you to WIN.
Additionally, with education is the center of our success, BSC has a dedicated classroom where we provide top quality education to our staff, as well as our industry community. You’ll often find the Academy booked not only with world renowned industry educators but our own educators teaching our custom curriculums as well.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
This is actually one of my very favorite subjects. This is an area where I have had to do a LOT of work on myself and there is still so much more to do because I am far from perfect! The first Salon I managed was an absolute disaster and that is putting it lightly. When I look back on that time, there are so many things I wish I would have done differently, things I wish I would have known and I truly believe that I could have impacted people on a very different level. I’m not one to dwell on the past, but that is an area that I often reflect because it does make me a stronger leader today.
The biggest piece of advice I would give on managing a team is to spend far more time listening than talking. Sometimes it’s a simple as your people just want to be heard and supported. They want to know you are as invested in them as you are asking them to be in you, put the time and money into yourself as a leader and people will want to follow you! I highly recommend joining a networking group, or multiple, of like minded entrepreneurs and maybe even one specific to your industry, read books on leadership, attend conferences, and listen to podcasts, but never stop working on yourself as a leader and your staff will never stop looking to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elevatesalonstudio.com
- Instagram: @elevatesalonstudio_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/9P4qRwsSUsKz74Nh/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/daryl- lienhart-723855124
