We recently connected with Janet Whetston and have shared our conversation below.

Janet , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Our Mission is to Create a Fun Environment, Value Integrity and Embrace Teamwork.

Many salons in our industry lack the teamwork and integrity that seems to be the missing link between experienced stylists and longevity. We also value fun because no one wants to work in a boring environment. When all three of these come together, the magic happens.

Integrity is important in all we do from the service, to product recommendations to checkout. We will not sell you a product or a service that we feel won’t benefit you. This means if a guest wants a specific service and we don’t feel the integrity of the hair will be kept, we will not do it.

Team work is so important to the culture of our salon. When we embrace teamwork, beautiful things happen but mostly, our guests take notice and instantly feel even more at home. This also means that any stylist will be more than willing to accommodate another stylists guests in case of illness etc and those guests are more apt to be comfortable seeing a coworker. It makes a cohesive workplace and helps everyone even if they’re going through a tough day, we got you.

Janet , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up a tom-boy so when I joined the beauty industry even I was shocked. I had the desire to work in an industry that allowed me to work with my hands and be able to have a human connection. I had the opportunity to work with the best stylists in our area but felt there was a level of customer service I hadn’t been able to find yet. When we opened our doors, our mission was to serve our guests in an elevated environment. This includes what we do for education, products used, and all of our business practices. Our mission has developed further over the years and while our main mission still stands, we now include our core values of Honesty, Integrity and Communication. This applies to all aspects of our business. We believe if we utilize our core values it creates a great culture for our stylists and when the stylists are taken care of, so are our guests.

We specialize in up to date hair colors like balayage and blended lived in looks as well as hair extensions. We love creating a whole look for our guests but we don’t just create the look and send them out the door. We believe in ensuring they have the knowledge of how to duplicate the look at home. We take the time to educate how to create that style they’ve been trying to get for months and what is needed to support them at home.

What’s truly unique about us though is our location. We are located 3 miles outside of a small town out in the country. While here, our guests sometimes have the pleasure of viewing wildlife such as wild turkeys, deer, birds, squirrels, rabbits, cranes, bald eagles and the occasional cat. We have lots of windows that allow for a lot of natural light and a new updated space as well.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I opened the doors to our salon in 2017, I wanted to work solo. I needed time to myself to be able to just concentrate on what I wanted to provide for my guests. Within 6 months I was turning business away so I had to pivot and change my mindset of having a solo salon. I hired my first employee and was so fortunate that she is still with me today. This salon would not be what it is today without her. I made so many mistakes while learning how to navigate having an employee and she still stuck with me because she believes in our vision of providing a calm, easygoing and inclusive environment for employees and guests alike.

business was never my strength, customer service is. So I had to take time away from working in the salon with our guests to be able to learn how to properly run a business. I thought we were profitable because the bills were paid and there was a little left over, Was I ever wrong! Once I learned that we were in fact not profitable, I got to work. My manager/stylist Trish ran the salon when I was taking classes and learning all about how to run a salon. I hired a coach who I work with to this day who keeps me on task and up to date. One thing Ive learned is you cannot do this alone for long. A mentor at minimum is what is needed in any business and our industry is no different

Because of that revelation of not being a profitable business, we were able to grow the salon to 6 chairs and have room for 8 full time stylists. This is a big change from a solo salon in 2017. We know what we need to spend on expenses and what our budget is for payroll, expenses and education. We know what we’re supposed to do and we stick to the plan.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

Shortly after I opened the business, I had learned I needed some business courses so I flew to a 3 day conference and when I checked into the hotel, my card declined. I could not afford to even learn how to save my business. I was able to set talk the front desk into letting me check in and I prayed the salon’s depost from that day would be enough to pay the card to be able to run it at the hotel. Oddly enough, the conference was about cash flow and profit and loss. This was a pivotal point in my business and I payed attention to every word of those classes. That course is still what I use to this day. I was able to identify what the issues in my cash flow were and was able to become debt free in the business within one year.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theabodesalon.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/abodesalon
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abodesalon

Image Credits
Aury G Photography Colorful Edge Photography by Susan Brown