We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melanie Fritz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melanie below.
Melanie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?
Well let’s see, the best and worst investment I’ve made as a business owner is actually the same one: building my app, BeautyHive.
After more than 20 years in the beauty industry, I saw a gap. Beauty professionals had social media, but there wasn’t really a dedicated space for education, networking, collaboration, and sharing opportunities within our industry. I became passionate about creating a platform that could solve that problem for licensed pros only.
The challenge was that I’m a hairstylist and salon owner, not a software developer. To bring the vision to life, I had to trust other people with something that meant a lot to me. I invested a significant amount of time, money, and energy hiring developers and builders to help create the app.
Unfortunately, not every investment paid off. One developer failed to deliver taking a large chunk of my money with him, and another disappeared during the project due to personal issues. At different points I questioned whether I should walk away from the entire idea. It was frustrating, expensive, and honestly embarrassing at times because people were asking about the app while I was trying to figure out what had happened behind the scenes.
But looking back, I don’t consider it a failure. The experience forced me to learn skills I never expected to learn. I decided, if I couldn’t trust others to bring my vision to life I’d have to go forward and try building it on my own. And that is exactly what I did.
I learned how important it is to maintain ownership of your assets, document agreements, create backups, and understand enough about the process that you’re not completely dependent on someone else. So I started building it myself without anyone else’s help and thankfully fought to get my first chunk of money back from builder #1.
Most importantly, I learned that entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line. The biggest lesson wasn’t about technology—it was about giving it a shot. When things didn’t go as planned, I kept moving forward, found new solutions, and continued building the vision on my own.
So while it was definitely one of the most challenging investments I’ve ever made, it has also become one of the most valuable because of everything it taught me as a business owner and leader, and now as an app builder, myself.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Melanie Fritz, and I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for over 23 years. I’ve worked in and out of different salon environments as well as educated in a cosmetology school setting. I’m the owner of Bloom Studio, an independent salon studio in Michigan, where I specialize in hair color, bridal styling, hair extensions and helping women feel confident in their own skin.
I didn’t get into this industry because I loved hair—I got into it because I loved fashion and helping people. Over the years, I realized that what clients are really looking for isn’t just a haircut or color service. They’re looking to feel seen, heard, and more confident when they leave than when they arrived.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked behind the chair, built my own business, educated other professionals, and learned firsthand what it takes to survive and grow in the beauty industry. While social media has created incredible opportunities for beauty professionals, I’ve also watched it create challenges. Valuable education gets buried. Genuine networking is difficult. Many artists feel isolated despite being constantly connected online.
Those experiences inspired me to create BeautyHive, a platform designed specifically for beauty professionals. My vision is to build a community where hairstylists, barbers, estheticians, nail artists, makeup artists, educators, and beauty business owners can connect, collaborate, learn, and grow together in one dedicated space.
What I’m most proud of isn’t any specific accomplishment—it’s the fact that I’ve continued to evolve. I’ve gone from being a stylist behind the chair to becoming a business owner, educator, content creator, and now a technology founder. None of those paths were planned. Each one came from identifying a need and being willing to learn something new to solve it.
For instance I love vintage fashion so I made a little room of my salon a vintage boutique. I saw that people don’t always have the money to buy pricey salon product so I started a “give and take” box where people can donate gently used product and take what they want to try. People wanted more hair accessories and boutique items so I added them to the mix. My salon truly is a reflection of me, and a reflection of need being addressed.
I think what sets me apart is that I’m building solutions from lived experience. I don’t approach the beauty industry as an outsider looking in. I’ve spent decades working directly with clients, managing a business, navigating industry challenges, and building relationships with other professionals. The problems I’m trying to solve are problems I’ve personally experienced.
If there’s one thing I’d want people to know about me and my brand, it’s that community matters. The beauty industry is filled with incredibly talented people, but success doesn’t have to come from competition alone. I believe we can learn from one another, support one another, and create opportunities together. That’s the vision behind everything I do, whether it’s serving clients in my salon or building BeautyHive for the future of our industry. I believe in collaboration over competition and I want to share that with the world.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best (and most old school) answer I have for you here is word of mouth. Social media is somewhat of an easy tool to utilize when you work in a creative business because you have a constant source of beauty to share with the world. People then see your photos and say “yes, I want that.” Whether it be for bridal, hair color, or extensions, when people see your work and seek you out because of that, it’s a real win. For those who don’t find me that way, they found me because of my amazing, wonderful, clientele who bring me the great people in their lives based on them wearing the product and people seeing it. What a great feeling when people you already love send you more people like themselves. Your product and your people will always be your best advertisement. The benefit is that in this particular industry you have a constant flow of “new material” that is your work. The connections speak for themselves in growing a clientele you truly look forward to serving and I thank my wonderful clients for that life I get to experience everyday.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
The question is, can I tell you a story from my journey that doesn’t illustrate resilience? 😅
In all seriousness, my road has not always been paved with gold. The COVID pandemic forced me to make some difficult decisions, including leaving a salon, owner, and friend that I truly cared about in order to prioritize my peace and safety.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that the next chapter would become one of the most stressful periods of my life. I spent a year and a half navigating difficult situations, sharing my workspace with people who were not always well-intentioned, and carrying the weight of constant uncertainty.
At the same time, I was raising my family while my husband worked nights, working through my own growth in therapy, being diagnosed with ADHD, helping my youngest child navigate the same diagnosis, and managing all the moving parts of family life, sports schedules, and everyday responsibilities.
Instead of letting those challenges define me, I used them as motivation to create something better. That journey led me to solo salon ownership, and ultimately to a level of peace and fulfillment I never knew was possible.
My salon is approaching its fifth anniversary, and I couldn’t be happier with the decision. I get to do things on my own terms—from designing the space and creating the atmosphere to maintaining every detail exactly the way I envision it. It has become more than a workplace; it’s my sanctuary.
The biggest lesson I learned is that resilience isn’t just about surviving difficult seasons—it’s about having the courage to build a life that feels aligned with who you are. Finding that freedom and peace has been priceless.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: HTTPS://www.instagram.com/melfritzhair
- Other: Https://www.instagram.com/beautyhiveapp
Image Credits
Melanie Fritz
Silecchia Photography
Olivia Marie Photography