We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Ghassemi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?
yes we started with 6 employees. it was definitely a process to get/attract employees that were a good fit for us longterm in some areas. In hindsight that stems from an unclear vision for our hiring and recruitment processes. we didn’t know we could have ways to attract and get our culture mission out there and get better candidates from the start. I didn’t realize how important it was to actually have strategy for recruitment and consistency and to be hiring all the time. if I was starting today, I would hire a marketing person for social and ask someone for help in knowing what I dont know, what I should know.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Michelle graduated from Northern Michigan University in 2005 for Cosmetology & attended Finlandia University in 2009 for Business and Communications courses. Throughout her career, she has played a variety of roles (stylist/manager/mentor/master colorist) in both local boutique salons & spa businesses across 3 states & corporations as well as a self-employed renter as a successful independent stylist, for 10 years behind the chair. Although she is no longer behind the chair, making the transition to managing her own employee-based salons as CEO/CFO 8 years ago, Michelle remains a growth centered strategist who strives to remain innovative in her approach to the industry & the needs of her team.
She works to fill a need to improve, expand & elevate the commission employee based business model in our industry, providing career minded stylists opportunities to grow far past the “max” of this model without the “toxic” salon culture. Meraki’s culture, that unspoken but felt “air” is equally if not more important to her than the amazing hair walking out the door, & she creates & cultivates this support on the daily. She values a holistic, low toxic environment for her salons, striving to ensure sustainability for stylists & the best haircare for guests, showing you can achieve luxury hair without the toxins!
Meraki Salons are a top organic salon in the country, standing apart in their products and chemicals they use to achieve luxury results as well as known in her community for the culture she’s created inside the walls of her salons where employees and clients alike are treated with respect, heard and appreciated on all levels.
Michelle is most proud to achieve a 7 figure company in year 4 of being open with a strong team who works together to achieve our core values of education, growth and non toxicity. She has changed the narrative in her own life, breaking generational poverty in her family.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I started developing severe skin sores and issues with inflammation to a severe degree while performing hair services. This was extremely painful, oozing skin and uncontrollable itching, swelling. This forced me to pivot in my career as I wasn’t able to use the products and chemicals anymore without severe discomfort. I took a year off to heal my skin and histamine inflammatory response from the inside out and to figure what I could do as a career. I entertained switching careers but I simply did not want to waste my decade of experience in the hair industry where I had also gained experience managing high end salons and coaching and leading teams to perform at their best. So I funneled my management, leadership and years of experience as a stylist to curate a unique business where I was able to make an impact in a different role and a different impact using all the facets of my industry experience. This was a decision that I have never regretted and is the most rewarding thing I’ve done.
Any advice for managing a team?
Make sure to manage yourself first~discover, teach and develop your skills, your mindset and your expectations first. establish boundaries so your team and those around know what you expect and don’t get confused or resentful and you as well. This means you need to know what and why you are doing business, discover those core values that you operate in and what would be a non-negotiable for you and your business. I always say clear is kind. I believe strongly in being authentic, maintaining integrity by doing what you say you will do and be consistent in speech and actions. Create a set standard of behavior and hold everyone to it including yourself. This establishes a safe place to work, people can trust and rely on how things will be handled for good and for bad so they can focus on what they do best and know what everyone needs to do as individuals and as a team. If you are having a hard day be transparent, allow the emotions and say you need help or feel a certain way which shows you can be human and makes it ok for others to be as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://merakisalonnc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merakisalonnc/
- Facebook: @merakisalonnc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX5hIIb0V0sJus_QuYdE7gg/featured
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/meraki-salon-raleigh