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

Lhonette, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Growing up as a child in France, I always had the passion of beauty and fashion. When I turned 16 years old after high school, I told my parents I didn’t want to go to college. Instead, I wanted to go to cosmetology school. After telling my parents I wanted to go to cosmetology school, they were disappointed because they thought this wasn’t a good fit for me. Their dreams was for me to become a doctor or a lawyer. However, instead I followed my passion which was going to school for cosmetology. After I graduated in France in cosmetology school, I began to work as a hair assistant at a salon name Flavio Capelli. While still in France, I found the love of my life for 12 years now who brought me to the United States to follow my dreams. When I moved to Miami in 2010, I started working at a well-known salon. I was a part of the team for 10 years. During the peak of Covid-19 in 2020, the salon I was working for closed due to Covid-19. Being home for three months during the shutdown, I began to brainstorm what would be next for my family. I started to realize this was my time to put my dreams in action. After having faith in God, I decided to take the next step and open my own salon, Studio Raupo in 2020 with my business partner Wendy Mongiardo.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As a businesswomen, I’ve came across many obstacles/challenges. Having to manage being a mother to my kids and wife to my husband, however that didn’t stop me from facing obstacles in my business place. Owning your own business, there will never be a smooth road. As a hair colorist, I am most proud of having the chance to make my clients happy. The things that set me apart from other is being a person of my own words, having integrity, and having self-confidence.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me is word of mouth, social media.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

In my opinion, when starting a business, it’s always best to have a mentor to coach you and help you lead the way. When finding a mentor, it’s essential to find someone willing to go through challenging moments with you. As for me, while I was working at my previous job for over ten years, I learned a lot.   

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lhonettehair