We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Johanne Brierre. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Johanne below.
Johanne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
The COVID-19 pandemic forced so many beauty and wellness professionals to shut down their livelihoods throughout the world, but especially here in New York City. I saw first-hand how the lockdown affected individuals on a personal level. As storefront rents and COVID-19 safety requirements increased, family members and friends struggled to maintain their beauty and wellness businesses they had worked so hard to build. Beauty professionals needed assistance and they needed it fast.
My niece, who works in the beauty industry, reached out to me and asked if I could help her and some of her associates find a place to work. She knew I was successful helping small businesses and startups get started through as the head of growth for BKLYN Commons, and asked if I could help her and others find a flexible comfortable place where they could set up shop and be their own boss. I went to the landlord of BKLYN Commons and I said, ‘Listen, I have this idea. I want to test and make a pilot of six beauty suites.” A month later the whole thing was at 100% capacity with a waitlist of 40 people. That was huge !!
NYBeautySuites became the solution. A flexible workspace and content creation zone open to “beautypreneurs” and their clients, NyBeautySuites’s mission is to provide up-and coming beautypreneurs with workspaces, tools, and resources they need to thrive in an ever-changing marketplace.
Johanne, 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?
Johanne Brierre is a business architect, redesigning the future of communities where we live and work. Haitian-born and Brooklyn-bred, Johanne always looked for a better way, especially for those building their own business. With an extensive background in hospitality and entrepreneurship, Johanne helped launch and grow BKLYN Commons in 2016, Brooklyn’s central hub for small businesses, and Creators, a community-driven coworking space home to more than 300 unique small businesses. Shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she soon identified an incredible opportunity for beauty and wellness professionals that were forced to shutdown their livelihoods. In March 2020, Johanne opened NYBeautySuites in Flatbush, a flexible workspace and content creation zone open to “beautypreneurs” and their clients. NYBeautySuites is now home to more than 52 micro businesses, from massage therapists and skin care specialists to wellness coaches and spiritual consultants, across two locations in Brooklyn. Johanne was born in Haiti, raised on Brooklyn’s Flatbush Avenue, and attended the New York Institute of Technology.
When mandatory business closures swept the nation at the height of the COVID-19 shutdown, the beauty industry was among the hardest hit. Beauty and wellness professionals were considered nonessential workers, causing an unexpected and devastating period of unemployment for thousands—especially in New York City.
New York-native Johanne Brierre saw first-hand how the lockdown affected these individuals on a personal level. As storefront rents skyrocketed and COVID-19 safety requirements strengthened, she witnessed family members and friends struggle to maintain the beauty and wellness businesses they had worked so hard to build.
beu∙ty∙pre∙neur (noun) a person following their dream of starting and owning their own beauty and wellness business; one who creates and builds their legacy every day
Beauty professionals needed assistance and they needed it fast. Johanne founded NYBeautySuites to become the solution.
As with many industries, the way beauty and wellness professionals conduct business on a day-to-day basis has shifted. But NYBeautySuites is proof that you and your clients are not out of options. Whether you’re an experienced beauty and wellness professional rebounding from the pandemic or a beautypreneur launching a new business, NYBeautysuites is proud to offer flexible and affordable workspace options made with your beauty brand in mind. Each suite is customizable and private, allowing you to keep your stress low and your business momentum high.
Join Johanne and became a beautypreneur today. [link to https://nybeautysuites.com/
Any advice for managing a team?
The key is finding the right partners, investors and community leaders who believe in the same vision as you with a similar purpose in their own lives. The right partners create a balance in a team and in the work that needs to be done. Each person embodies a strength someone else may lack. A team that’s aligned and balanced is a team of high morale because of their own unique, individual qualities .
Find your tribe..
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I have had a long history of supporting small businesses in acquiring brick and mortar spaces as the CEO of BKLYNCommons My network and the relationships I’ve been able to foster through that position has leveraged me as a supporter of small business and the go to person when looking for spaces.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nybeautysuites.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/nybeautysuites?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYBeautysuites/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nybeauty-suites
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0m-G6x930Ml8vkJJU1sTAQ/videos