We recently connected with Jyll Kauffman and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jyll, thanks for joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
When I first opened Revolution Colour Studio in 2015, my main focus was on hair, of course, but I felt it was important to offer something apart from hair to make us stand out from the other salons. Makeup was my choice since I had experience with models and brides. Then the pandemic hit. Since everyone was required to wear a mask and everything was shut down, the makeup services did not survive. I needed a replacement to set us apart. Researching led me to an Invisible Bead Extensions (IBE) course that was offered virtually. Learning the IBE technique turned out to be the best decision of my career.
We reopened in June offering our new specialty and it quickly took off. Everyone, no matter the shape of their face, looked amazing with these extensions. At first I offered it to my existing clients to get some experience. Posting on instagram came next and more and more clients were reaching out to the salon. It was so successful the other stylists completed their certifications, and we rebranded as a color and extension only salon.
Another result of the pandemic was losing our receptionist and assistant which actually worked out for us. Since each stylist was now in charge of their own book, timing of services became more accurate resulting in less down time and running over. The stylists also had to check out their clients, so we switched to an hourly fee and eliminated tipping. The clients liked this as well. No more math required.
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?
Hi, I am Jyll Kauffman, owner of Revolution Colour Studio in McLean, VA which I opened in 2015. I started in the beauty industry in 2004 as a freelance makeup artist and went to cosmetology school in 2006 to learn how to do hair, my first love (when I was a little girl, all my Barbie dolls had haircuts). My specialization is helping women suffering from hair loss and thinning mainly because my grandmother wore a wig. When I saw the positive impact the wig had on her, I knew I wanted to be a part of that industry. Fast forward to 2016 when I was introduced to Sherri Renee Enhancements. I was blown away by the quality and lifelike feel of her pieces and also loved that she called them enhancements instead of wigs. That started my journey into Alternative Hair and helping women. Sherri Renee provided a collection of everything from ponytails to full wigs. This allowed me to customize hair pieces for any problem that caused hair loss, from Alopecia to thyroid problems. In 2020, offering the Invisible Bead Extensions allowed me to help even more women with their hair loss issues. Between the two, I am able to help anyone from just wanting to add length to needing a full wig.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Managing people has always been a struggle for me. When I stopped managing and started mentoring, it made a huge difference. The best advice I can give is to really understand your staff and know what makes them happy. It is extremely important that they feel you really care about them and their work-life balance. It’s not easy leading people, but it is extremely rewarding!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When the salon closed because of the Pandemic and we were all stuck at home, I knew I needed to make use of this time to learn something new. Enrollment in Invisible Bead Extensions was my choice. I became certified in June, around the time we reopened. I set aside my days off to accommodate new extension clients without compromising my existing clients. Within 8 months I was booked 6 days a week. Within a year I transitioned to an extension only stylist and within 2 years all of my stylists were certified, and the salon became exclusively an extension and color salon. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would be more successful with a higher price point then before the pandemic. Taking that extension course saved my business and helped me and my staff elevate our personal business behind the chair.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.revolutioncolourstudio.com/
- Instagram: @revolutioncolourstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revolutioncolourstudio/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/revolution-colour-studio-mclean