We recently connected with Kelsey Geenen and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsey, appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

The biggest risk I ever took was believing in myself – Ill explain!

I was 25 and newly married when I decided working for a corporation salon wasn’t for me anymore. I went chair rental and started my own book of business. Getting off the ground wasn’t easy. I discounted myself just to have people in my chair. Most days I was hardly making my chair rent and i defiantly was not attracting the kind of people that were valuing me and my work. I became pregnant and was still very stuck – so i kept advertising and taking random people. It felt like I was getting nowhere. Until i realized that some of these people were returning. again and again and again. August of 2018 I bought out the owner and opened up the salon as KG Designs. That brought on a whole new set of responsibilities. i now had chair renters i was in charge of. I had added bills to pay – not just my chair rent. Keeping chair renters is a tricky thing these days. My first year open KG Designs won Fox Valley’s Best of the Valley – that was such a proud accomplishment. 2019 was my best year yet – between that award and my business being successful, i was building beautiful and meaningful relationships with my clients. I had a family. Then 2020 happened. My business shut down, My girls didn’t know what to do. I was home with a brand-new baby and my marriage was ending. The last thing i could even think about was running a business or my clients – but in the same respect, thats all I could think about. My buisness was not able to recover after the pandemic. July 2022 I no longer was the owner of KG Designs. I have since gone back to chair rental and have focused on growing my business again. So many times I wanted to give this career up and just have a normal job but believing in myself had been my foundation. Ive started from absolutely nothing and it grew itnot something so beautiful at one point. Here we are again, growing something beautiful!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been behind the chair for going on 12 years. I started out at a corporate salon for the first 5 and have since been on my own! I grew up and did business in a small town for the majority of my career but have moved into a somewhat bigger city this last year. I am into intuitive detailed haircutting, lived-in dimensional coloring, scalp health and i just started offer Lunar Scalp therapy sessions – those sessions are done with the moon cycles and incorporate sounds healing and guided meditation. Scalp therapy has become a passion of mine over the last year or so. Addressing issues at the scalp, teaching the importance of having a brushing ritual and taking a moment out of this crazy life to just take care of yourself if such a delightful thing.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Showing up and not taking things personally. I have such an open attitude with each and every person that spends time with me in my space. I will troubleshoot anything and everything and be very honest with them. “No as a professionally, I wouldn’t do this because XYZ. And here is exactly why” I have gained so much respect as a hair artist these last few years because I wasn’t afraid to say no and find a compromise. Not everyone is going to like you and what you do, but the people that do, are like family. They make each and everyday so worth it. they have been the ones cheering me on through each and every transition I have made. They are also the ones saying “OOh hey, I know a girl!!” or “You should go see my girl! ”

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

My business was on the market but never sold. I was very young when I bought from the previous owner and didnt ask enough questions. I never owned the building – so essentially I paid alot of money of the stuff in the building, which all needed to be updated. When it came time for me to sell, I was hoping to make back some of what i had spent and I was pretty much laughed at. The way assets depreciate was something i didnt understand and do now. My business never sold as was, so I ended up just selling all my assets.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: iknowagirl_kelseyg
• Facebook: KG Studio – Kelsey Geenen

Image Credits
Elliefayephotography