Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kendra Timmons. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kendra , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

I opened my first hair salon in 2018 and started a bridal hair and makeup company. In my second year of business, I was served with a cease and desist followed by a lawsuit for hiring a contract hair stylist for the bridal hair and makeup company who had signed a non-compete agreement at her former salon. My first reaction was confusion. I sat down with the hair stylist and she told me she had signed a non-compete but didn’t think what she was doing (freelance) violated it, so when she received a cease and desist she didn’t know what to do and ignored it. At the time, the stylist was in her early 20s, a hard-working daughter of immigrants and I just didn’t see how another salon owner could prevent from working in a field that she went to school to work in. I was referred to an attorney by an acquaintance and pretty much everyone around me was in agreement that I should let the contractor go and end the lawsuit. I opened my business to create a space where I could be the mentor for other young professionals that I wish I’d had, and to me a big part of being a good mentor is having my teams back. Being young and inexperienced and signing something they think is a requirement of their employment shouldn’t put someone in the position to not be able to work in their field for three years. So I fought it. I fought it for her, I fought it for all the people like her who’ve been held hostage by unfair non-compete contracts, I fought it for the younger me that no one fought for, I fought it so my team would know who I was and what I stood for, and I fought it so that my kids could see that we stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. I learned so much through the fight. About how money and access directly impact your ability to find justice in our justice system. About how to protect my business in the future. And mostly, about what I’m capable of as a business owner. I can do really hard things. I can figure out just about anything. I believe it’s through these struggles that we find alignment with why we’re in business to begin with. Because it can’t just be a money or a great idea. There has to be passion and a purpose involved. I’m extremely passionate about empowering women to build the businesses of their dreams. Leading them with love and courage. And being the mentor to them that I wish I’d had when I was younger. That artist was able to continue doing what she loved and is still thriving as a bridal hair stylist today because someone took a stand for her and that means the world to me.

Kendra , 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 own Mosaic Beauty and Boutique. We are a salon, bridal hair and makeup company, and capsule wardrobe boutique.

Our salon offers a friendly and personalized experience, combining expert beauty services with our team of highly trained stylists in a beautiful and inviting atmosphere. Making sure our clients feel heard, respected and valued is our number one priority. Our bridal hair and makeup company provides beauty services from the most experienced artists in the Panhandle to over 150 brides each year and has received 12 couples choice awards in our 6 years of business. The newest addition to our business, our Capsule wardrobe boutique, offers a carefully curated selection of versatile, high-quality clothing pieces designed to be mixed and matched, creating a sustainable and timeless wardrobe.

We are proud to provide income for 25 local female artists and entrepreneurs and are working hard to develop the next generation of leaders in the beauty community. 45% of our annual revenue goes straight into the hands of our team members. We believe that hard work and kindness are the cornerstones of success and caring for our customers and team members is at the heart of everything we do.

We also partner with local non-profits including the Women’s Circle and Colorful Closets to support women and children in our community. One of our core values as a company is that we care deeply for the community in which we operate, and being able to support programs that have a positive impact on the women and children of Amarillo is paramount to our mission. We’re also a Green Circle certified salon which means we recycle 600lbs of salon waste each year.

My husband and I are both graduates of West Texas A&M University and have four wonderful children.

I recently received a Top 20 Under 40 award for business excellence.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn to not become emotionally attached to outcomes. I pour my heart and soul into my business and the people I work with and I used to get really hurt when they didn’t have the same vision for themselves that I had or if they decided to leave and pursue something else. It felt like a failure on my part and it was extremely painful. But what I realized is that I can be who I am and do what I do and the outcome of that doesn’t have to be the end game. Not everything you do will be a success. Not every employee you pour into will stay. Not everyone has the same vision of success that you have and that has to be okay. I’ve learned to live and let live and wish people well on their journey and it’s been really freeing.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Covid was a really difficult time for small businesses. I own a service based business and we were closed for over 6 weeks in our third year of business. So it seems like every week was a pivot. We allowed clients to purchase products online and delivered them to their doorstep as a way to continue to pay our hourly employees. We sold removable hair extensions for our clients who had to take out their extensions at home. We created online education for our clients and other stylists. It was so important during that time that my team (which was much smaller then) felt like I was still there for them and keeping them in the loop. There were days that I really struggled with my mental health and my sense of self during that time and I’m so proud that we weathered the storm in ways that were true to our core values.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beautyisamosaic.com
• Instagram: @Kendra.mosaicbeauty
• Linkedin: Kendra Timmons
• Other: TikTok: @mosaicbeautyandboutique

Image Credits

Stephanie Thompson and Teala Ward