We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lupe Voss. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lupe below.

Lupe, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

Looking back, each of the businesses i started and co-started, were synchronized at the right moment. They actually happened because of the previous business.

When I reflect, I see how the opportunities for the next happened because of where I was at in that moment. When you are open to it, opportunities will happen when you are in the right place at the right time.

my journey had many sliding doors. One decision could have changed where I am today.

Starting out of highschool, I wanted to be a fighter pilot… Had to do something before i turned 18, so i did cosmo school. Fell in love with our industry.

From there a salon owner.
without resources to educate my team in our culture, products, and techniques. I did it. I realized I loved educating. I became an educator for a brand. This is where i met my partner in Color Space™ Ray Civello.
I was fascinated on how learners learned. So i studied 4mat training and learned how to write curriculum.

From there, Hair Color Magic – an education company that focused on formulation and technique. Found 12 amazing haircolorists and traveled North America sharing information. I was brand focused, and when my contract was dissolved, I knew there was something else i should be doing…

From there, Color Space™ with Ray Civello.
This is the right place, the right time. Without the last experience, i would not be ready for this opportunity. I would not change anything about my journey.

I believe if I started sooner, i would not have the experience that I need to fall back on to address challenges in my company or create innovations in product and in classrooms.

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?

I had to wait until I was 18 to join the Airforce. I wanted to be a pilot in the Airforce and had to wait a year before I turned 18. Coming from a family of cosmetologists, I signed up for school until I could join. Never did I think I would fall in love with this industry as much as I have.

While I attended school in the day, I would work in the lab at night. I would set up trays for services, take service appointments and do the miscellaneous chores around the school. I believe this started my dream of one day opening a salon.
I graduated in 1981 and work in a salon while taking business classes in the evening.
My husband and I opened Julian August Salon in 1987, and everything took off from there.
I had a team that needed education, so I started to learn how to teach. I studied how learners learn with 4-Mat training.
I was invited to education with a manufacture, aveda, in 1998, and then developed an education program called Hair Color Magic. There were 15 educators at one time traveling North American training the program. This program taught haircolorists the variable of formulation and current techniques to keep the colorists on trend.
During this time I had a great mentor, David Adams, who taught me how to present on stage and soon I was invited to present in various industry shows, create haircolor collections, and photo shoots. It is still one of my joys in my career.
My contract ended with the manufacture, and when covid happened, we decided to shut the salon down after 33 years.
Soon after, I was asked to cofound a haircolor company, Color Space™, with Ray Civello. We are celebrating our 3rd year in business, and it is amazing to have this opportunity.

Color Space™ is a company built by two salon owners, stylists, and educators. We have the understanding when any decisions are made, we think about the salon owner, stylist, and the client. We have created brands that give back to salons not only in savings in usage, bottom line, education to help support the team to be the best they can be.

It is hard to say what I am the proudest of.
I believe I am the happiest when:
I connect with participants, see them grow, watch how proud they are of their work. Giving them tools to make a difference in their craft and the confidence to be able to create.

A few things I would like to share with followers about my beliefs.
There is nothing more beautiful than seeing salons and stylists grow in their craft and in their businesses. Care and connection are a priority. Knowing how much work is involved in running a salon, and working behind the chair, owners need help educating and inspiring their team. Education is filling the cup for a Stylist who is giving of themselves daily. We get it.

www.colorspacehair.com
www.backofbottle.com
Instagram –@Colorspacehair and @backofbottle
@lupevos and @raycivello
Linked In – –@Colorspacehair and @backofbottle
@lupevos and @raycivello

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There was a time in my career where a decision was made for me and I thought my career was over. I soon realized and recognized, some of the hardest times end up being a blessing. this is a message that has been a constant in my life.

In my education career with a brand, I was educating both cutting and haircolor. there was a change in management and they decided the education team would either teach cutting or coloring, not both.
We had to do auditions for both cutting and color. More like REaudition.
During our hands-on auditions, I felt confident and just knew i made the haircutting team!
It was cool to be a haircutter and i thought i wanted to be cool.
To my surprise, I was moved to the color team. They knew I was a solid colorist and my technical was great. It was great because I understood cutting and used my philosophies of haircutting in my color placements! They also needed more colorists for the new color they were launching.

Here, I thought my career was over in teaching haircutting, instead I was given the opportunity to hone my color and formulation skills to move forward into starting a successful haircolor education company.
Definitely a pivot in my career. A celebrated pivot.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met my business partner/cofounder early on in my education career.

Advice someone gave me early on in my life was, “be nice to everyone, you may work with them or for them one day”.

Ray Civello was the VP of education for the manufacturer I educated for and we worked together on projects. I learned how to create haircolor collections, photo shoots and create curriculum.
He mentored me in my career as an educator, business decision in education and also with my salon business I owned for 33 years.
He is the Ethos Keeper and a visionary. He is amazing at laying out a story and believes in our industry.

The day Ray and I spoke about the idea of a haircolor company, is the day I knew everything I have done until then was preparing me for this.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.colorspacehair.com
• Instagram: @colorspacehair, @lupevoss, @backofbottle, @raycivello
• Facebook: @colorspacehair, @lupevoss, @backofbottle, @raycivello
• Linkedin: @colorspacehair, @lupevoss, @backofbottle, @raycivello
• Twitter: @colorspacehair, @lupevoss, @backofbottle, @raycivello
• Youtube: Coming soon! Color Space Hair

Image Credits
Color: Lupe Voss – @lupevoss Luis Gonzalez – @luisgonzalezhaircolor Creative Director: Ray Civello – @raycivello Hair Styling / Creative Director / Production: Peter Gray – @petergrayhair Creative Director/ Production: Kristjan Hayden – @hairbykristjan Make up: Lani Fischer – @lanifischer.hmua Leslie Munsell – @lesliemunsell Stylist: Armand – @d.g.doyo Designer: Mic. Carter – @luomostrano Matilda – @matildamarginal Support: Stephanie Garcia – @Steph_does_hair Jenna Warriner- @jennauinestyle Flo Tosca Kerekes- @flosha_ker Emily Barboa- @haircolorbyem Summer Erverrett – @summerverrett Photographer Caroline Miller – @carolinemillerphotography Videographer Dean Holcombe – @deanholcombe Models: Matilda – @matildamarginal McKinley – @mckinley_honeycutt Tyler – @lytershit Grace – @grace00chang Jessie Kalambayi – @le_afrocan Xsuela – @howxswa Monique Dodson – @modeezy_3 Color: Lupe Voss – @lupevoss Luis Gonzalez – @luisgonzalezhaircolor Creative Director: Ray Civello – @raycivello Hair Styling / Creative Director / Production: Peter Gray – @petergrayhair Creative Director/ Production: Kristjan Hayden – @hairbykristjan Make up: Lani Fischer – @lanifischer.hmua Leslie Munsell – @lesliemunsell Stylist: Armand – @d.g.doyo Designer: Mic. Carter – @luomostrano Matilda – @matildamarginal Support: Stephanie Garcia – @Steph_does_hair Jenna Warriner- @jennauinestyle Flo Tosca Kerekes- @flosha_ker Emily Barboa- @haircolorbyem Summer Erverrett – @summerverrett Photographer Caroline Miller – @carolinemillerphotography Videographer Dean Holcombe – @deanholcombe Models: Matilda – @matildamarginal McKinley – @mckinley_honeycutt Tyler – @lytershit Grace – @grace00chang Jessie Kalambayi – @le_afrocan Xsuela – @howxswa Monique Dodson – @modeezy_3 Color: Lupe Voss – @lupevoss Luis Gonzalez – @luisgonzalezhaircolor Creative Director: Ray Civello – @raycivello Hair Styling / Creative Director / Production: Peter Gray – @petergrayhair Creative Director/ Production: Kristjan Hayden – @hairbykristjan Make up: Lani Fischer – @lanifischer.hmua Leslie Munsell – @lesliemunsell Stylist: Armand – @d.g.doyo Designer: Mic. Carter – @luomostrano Matilda – @matildamarginal Support: Stephanie Garcia – @Steph_does_hair Jenna Warriner- @jennauinestyle Flo Tosca Kerekes- @flosha_ker Emily Barboa- @haircolorbyem Summer Erverrett – @summerverrett Photographer Caroline Miller – @carolinemillerphotography Videographer Dean Holcombe – @deanholcombe Models: Matilda – @matildamarginal McKinley – @mckinley_honeycutt Tyler – @lytershit Grace – @grace00chang Jessie Kalambayi – @le_afrocan Xsuela – @howxswa Monique Dodson – @modeezy_3 Color: Lupe Voss – @lupevoss Luis Gonzalez – @luisgonzalezhaircolor Creative Director: Ray Civello – @raycivello Hair Styling / Creative Director / Production: Peter Gray – @petergrayhair Creative Director/ Production: Kristjan Hayden – @hairbykristjan Make up: Lani Fischer – @lanifischer.hmua Leslie Munsell – @lesliemunsell Stylist: Armand – @d.g.doyo Designer: Mic. Carter – @luomostrano Matilda – @matildamarginal Support: Stephanie Garcia – @Steph_does_hair Jenna Warriner- @jennauinestyle Flo Tosca Kerekes- @flosha_ker Emily Barboa- @haircolorbyem Summer Erverrett – @summerverrett Photographer Caroline Miller – @carolinemillerphotography Videographer Dean Holcombe – @deanholcombe Models: Matilda – @matildamarginal McKinley – @mckinley_honeycutt Tyler – @lytershit Grace – @grace00chang Jessie Kalambayi – @le_afrocan Xsuela – @howxswa Monique Dodson – @modeezy_3 Creative Director: Ray Civello – @raycivello Hair Styling / Creative Director / Production: Peter Gray – @petergrayhair Creative Director/ Production: Kristjan Hayden – @hairbykristjan Make up: Lani Fischer – @lanifischer.hmua Leslie Munsell – @lesliemunsell Stylist: Armand – @d.g.doyo Designer: Mic. Carter – @luomostrano Matilda – @matildamarginal Support: Stephanie Garcia – @Steph_does_hair Jenna Warriner- @jennauinestyle Flo Tosca Kerekes- @flosha_ker Emily Barboa- @haircolorbyem Summer Erverrett – @summerverrett Photographer Caroline Miller – @carolinemillerphotography Videographer Dean Holcombe – @deanholcombe Models: Matilda – @matildamarginal McKinley – @mckinley_honeycutt Tyler – @lytershit Grace – @grace00chang Jessie Kalambayi – @le_afrocan Xsuela – @howxswa Monique Dodson – @modeezy_3