We were lucky to catch up with Lael AnnMarie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lael thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Opening any busy is a huge risk. I opened my first hair dressing business 16 years ago. After 9 years I took a big risk and left the security of a solid business to move to San Diego to start all over, knowing no one. Two years later I had 3x my income and opened a private hairdressing studio. The risk payed off tenfold. I have experienced business success and also business losses. I lost a business due to the recent pandemic, opened a new one, pivoted another one. Being an entrepreneur is definitely not a linear road. It all takes risk, but the reward always finds you in a better position then where you were. Fail forward – learn from your failures. Take risks and grow! These are words I live by.

Lael, 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?

I started in the beauty industry as an independent hairdresser in my tiny hometown, near Yosemite. After a few years I found myself uninspired and ended up diving into advanced education. I became obsessed with mastering my craft. I went to as many classes and seminars as I could find, it took me all over the world. I moved to San Diego as a hair cutting specialist and master colorist. I have found my niche here in SD as a short hair expert. I have a private salon suite in Del Mar, where I offer my clients an intimate and customized experience. I use Davines eco friendly products and colour. I love that B Corp and cares about the environment.

When I’m not in the salon I am moonlighting as an entrepreneur – consulting and mentoring other business owners, and working on launching my next venture. I am active in the San Diego start up community, a Toastmasters member, as well as a board member of the Young Executive Society at the University Club.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I have built my entire business in San Diego using social media. I spent over two years actively building an audience and using Instagram as a free marketing tool. I followed my page analytics and posted everyday, at the right time of day, and used relevant hashtags. It can be a full time job and can be completely overwhelming. My advice to anyone starting out with building a social media presence is: post content relative to your brand, your audience, and whatever it is that you are selling. It is more important to post quality content over quantity. Don’t get wrapped up in the amount of followers you have (or don’t have) – it’s about quality leads and real clients not quantity of likes and followers. Having a social media presence in todays world is a must – but don’t let it consume you or intimidate you. Just share what you do and the right people will find you!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth is always the best way to grow any business. A referral from a friend, co-worker, or happy client/customer is always the most effective way to reach new customers. Focus on nurturing and providing the best quality product or service to the clients/customers that you have and they will naturally tell their warm network because they are true fans.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.bbcoiffure.com
• Instagram: @laelannmarie
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lael-barry-66222713b