We recently connected with Mackenzie Spence and have shared our conversation below.

Mackenzie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Traditionally, the absence of medical benefits was the main reason people decided to leave or not enter a small business work environment. Offering medical benefits was not super common, especially in the cosmetology industry. Treating people better than others have been treated, (previously), is a passion within our company, and with that, I developed my love for providing medical benefits for our team. I can understand why it is daunting to small businesses – it is an extra expense. Still, I needed to do something I felt was not common in the cosmetology industry. As an employee, this decision also heavily benefited me. I felt overwhelmed and exhausted by the marketplace insurance options and fed up with the idea that I would have to pay hundreds of dollars to get subpar coverage. I also felt that if I was exhausted, I knew my employees would be as well. They are customer-facing, and when they go home at night, I am sure the last thing they want to do is research marketplace insurance. So once I figured out how to take this on fiscally, the company’s owners were immediately on board. I have also noticed how UNCOMMON it is within the salon industry since we have taken this over. People I speak to in this industry are always so shocked that a small salon does this for their team. Health insurance should be available to all, but until that day comes, I hate that people feel like they have to choose between a small business work environment and health insurance. I hope we are a part of the change I see taking place across our industry.

Mackenzie, 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?

Salons are a magical place, where you can see someone’s confidence and mood instantly transform when they look at themselves in the mirror after they have had their hair done. My first salon job was as a receptionist at a high-end salon, and although I was not doing the physical transformation, I always loved having a small part of that overall experience. I spent quite a few years in retail management before immersing myself in the salon world again. While working in retail, Kenna Kunijo Owners Lauren Kunijo and Kenna asked if I would come to help them out while they looked for people to join their admin team. What was initially a very part-time, as-needed job quickly transformed into a role overhauling operations. One of the stories they like to tell about how I fell into this role was when they first opened the salon, they were post-mating lunch for everyone every day, on their dime… and after I began working more often, I turned to the owners and said: “as much as I love this, if you continue to do this you guys are going to go broke”. I do not think the owners anticipated the salon to grow as quickly as it did, but I am so happy it did, and I am glad I was there. Had it not grown the way it did, we might not have needed someone to run the day-to-day operations in the salon right away, and my position might not have existed when it did. The thing that I am the most proud of regarding my position and the salon is that about 90% of the systems, rules, and guidelines we implement in the salon are my creations. I am not an owner, but I feel that being a part of this from the very beginning and constructing so many of these things has allowed me to feel quite important within the company. I am able to keep things running smoothly so that people can have the “oh-la-la” transformation that feels so special.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the things that I have had to unlearn was an unhealthy work/life balance. That no one will respect you if you aren’t giving your everything to your job; you are not working hard enough, (which is so untrue). I think so many of us feel like we have to do the most, be the best, and almost become run-down before we can give ourselves the rest we felt we “deserve”. There is nothing wrong with hustling, but I had to unlearn the idea that I can’t rest until everything is done. That was the hardest thing for me to learn but the most rewarding. I always felt that my employees wouldn’t respect me unless I were the first one there and the last one to leave, but that is simply not the truth. Hard work is usually respected, and when I am there, I give the best version of myself, and that’s all I can ask of myself. This growth came from a year of getting sick constantly. I spent almost all of last year sick, and as soon as I got better, something else would happen. I was told that I was pushing myself too hard and would never get better if I continued to push myself like I was.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Managing a team can be overwhelming, especially when you are an empath. I think there are many things that people can do to make the best of it. Having a work/life balance and pushing your team to do the same will ultimately give your team the confidence that you care about them. This balance allows for better performance within their working hours, in my opinion. I also think giving respect will get respect. You cannot manage a team without respect. The moment respect is lost by you or your employee loses respect for you is the moment the relationship has met its professional end. Lastly, not making yourself too available is beneficial for managing your team. Being a resource for your team is essential, but you do not want to be a crutch. You want them to be able to figure things out on their own and be able to be self-sufficient. To maintain a high morale, I try to keep things light and fun in the areas they can be. We keep fun snacks available and a prize box for the team. I also initiate fun contests with the team to keep morale up. Outside of the fun stuff, we keep an open and honest work environment with the team to repair morale when it gets low.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: mackenroll
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-spence-045520b4/

Image Credits

Drew Furr
Jennifer Austin