We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Babb recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

At Honey, like most salons, our clients are the lifeblood of the business. From the moment someone walks in, we want them to feel like the center of our world, because for that appointment – they are.



We practice our Honey Rituals with every client, every time. These are all the little extras that come together to create something special: being greeted at the door, offered a drink +snack, a full consultation, head scrubs + massages, warm towels, and a Honey Signature Blowout that includes rollers to add volume and bounce – all part of our standard, not an upgrade.

We prioritize speaking to clients in language they understand. Where some salons might push back when someone calls a haircut a trim, we don’t feel the need to correct – we listen and adapt. We meet clients where they’re at and mirror their language to make sure they feel comfortable, not confused. 

Client-shaming is non-existent within our walls. You’ll never see us post passive-aggressive memes, joke about “cheating,” or make someone feel guilty for stretching out time between appointments.


Honey is big on consistency. We keep records of every formula and detailed notes after each appointment. This lets us continue improving on past work, offer consistency over time, and makes it easy for another stylist to step in if needed. We work as a team, and that brings a cohesive energy to the whole salon. Even if a client sees a different stylist for a service, they’re still getting the full Honey experience.



Honey was built with a very specific kind of client in mind – although everyone is welcome. We tend to attract nurses, teachers, and moms – people who spend most of their lives taking care of others. Our goal is to give them a space where they don’t have to! Here, they can be and should be first. Because we believe deeply that you can’t pour from an empty cup.

The salon space itself was created with intention, too. It’s open, clean, and bright with neutral tones that promote a calm, grounded energy. The goal was to create an elevated space where you can come exactly as you are, and leave feeling like the best version of yourself. 


Our website reflects that same approach. Updated and curated to make the booking process for new clients simple and easy. It gives the client an idea of what to expect and builds trust before they ever walk through our doors. It gives clear, transparent pricing, an overview of who we are + what we do best, a video of our space and location -you are shown exactly what to expect so there’s no need for the anxiety that comes with finding a new place.


Our team goes above and beyond, often in ways that aren’t expected. For example, I’ve been sending custom holiday cards to clients for the past six years. It’s totally optional, and it doesn’t come from the salon budget, but so far every hairstylist has joined me. We love sending happy mail, and hearing that our cards stay on fridges all year long reminds us how meaningful those little gestures can be.


At the end of the day, we’re in the relationship business. We know our clients’ stories – their jobs, their pets, their families. That puts us in a really unique position to show up for them as more than just hairstylists. We get to support, encourage, celebrate, and be a steady part of their lives.

Rachel , 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?

When I started beauty school in 2014, I enrolled thinking it would be a temporary detour until I figured out what to study in college… Five years in, I found myself still looking for an exit. I was ready to walk away. It wasn’t the work I didn’t love – it was the lack of a workplace that truly supported me. So, like many hairstylists, I took a blind leap of faith and went independent (sole proprietorship).

I had never even used a curling iron before beauty school. I wasn’t a “girly girl” and, honestly, I recently went several years without owning a hairdryer or curling iron at home. But in many ways, my lack of industry knowledge worked to my advantage. I came in with no bad habits, no preconceived notions of how things should be done.

What I didn’t anticipate were the constant, small frustrations that built up over time while working as an employee. Things like ever-changing schedules that made it nearly impossible to build a real life outside of work. Owners exerting unnecessary control, often without clarity or consistency. Or the opposite: workspaces that lacked structure – no real systems, no enforced procedures, and often, no real support. I believed that if I went out on my own, I could eliminate all of that for myself.

Independence brought a whole new set of challenges. Without a team, leadership, or business knowledge : everyone just made up their own version of how things were supposed to work. There was no cohesion between the hairstylists and that made all things messy. Miscommunication and misalignment quickly turned into an incredibly toxic work environment, and a place where no one could really thrive.

Despite the bad, going independent pushed me to grow not just as a hairstylist, but to start recognizing myself as a business owner. To my surprise, I fell in love with the business side of things – books, podcasts, masterminds, coaching. I wasn’t just building a clientele anymore, I was creating a brand and an intentional story. That shift gave me a deeper purpose: I didn’t just want to do great hair – I wanted to elevate the perception of the industry I had grown to love, and help others see its value.



By 2021, I had what I considered to be a stable, thriving business – even taking quarterly vacations, while only working 3 days per week. I cut back with my behind-the-chair clients, but still increased revenue. I had quit working weekends so that I could continue to build an on-site wedding hair business. Everything was coming together in a way I never imagined and it felt GOOD. 



However, life can throw unexpected curve balls.. I soon discovered all my work would prove to be unsustainable due to developing some chronic health issues. I had to completely re-evaluate how I was working and what my future would look like. My five year plan seemed to change over night – not just to protect my health, but to create a career that felt authentic. 



Honey began to take shape in my mind : a team-based salon that challenges outdated industry norms, leads with their values, and builds systems that actually support growth for stylists. I didn’t want to just create a beautiful space and rent out chairs. I wanted to build a business that allowed hairstylists to have something I could never find for myself.



Now, 1.5 years in, Honey consists of myself plus a team of three incredibly talented hairstylists, and we’re preparing to bring on a new apprentice! 

My team is encouraged to prioritize a healthy work-life balance because I believe people do their best when they’re at their best. Every part of Honey was cultivated to reenforce that – from how we communicate, operate, and make decisions. We believe that being clear is being kind, and following salon standards is what creates real freedom.



My priorities are clear: the health of the salon first, the Honey team, then the clients. With that said, each hairstylist is empowered to look through a similar lens: leading with what’s best for the salon, then the client, then themselves. Honey’s standards, core values, and culture code guide how we show up for each other and our clients every day.

We offer a variety of services from treatments, blowouts, haircuts, and extensions, to natural hair colors ranging from bold blondes to rich, dimensional brunettes. We’re a bridal-based salon – proud winners of Best of WV Weddings 2024 – and we have plans to expand our Honey Bridal teams to include Make-up Artists in 2026. 

That’s how Honey came to life. Not from a lifelong dream, but from a deep need to create something for others that I could not find for myself – to prove that you can love what you do and where you do it.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

From the beginning, my upbringing played a major role in shaping my vision as a business owner. My dad was a Federal Mine Inspector in West Virginia, always in management or consulting roles, while my mom was a dreamer and visionary. From him, I inherited structure and safety; from her, creativity and inspiration. They prioritized my education, working hard to provide me with private schooling from K–12, which built a foundation of discipline and life skills.


About six months before going independent, I found beauty industry coach Britt Seva. Her values aligned with mine – especially her mission to elevate the perception of the beauty industry. I consumed her free content before joining Thriver’s Society, a paid monthly program that taught client experience, branding, and marketing while surrounding me with a network of driven stylists. Later, I completed her salon leadership program the year before opening Honey. I still listen to her podcast weekly to keep my mindset aligned.


In addition to Britt, I’ve explored several other industry coaching programs and am currently revisiting Scissors Make Cents by Kelly Cahen. Industry-specific education has been crucial as it fills in the gaps general business education often misses.

That said, I’ve also expanded beyond the industry. Books like Atomic Habits by James Clear, Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, and Believe It by Jamie Kern Lima have all shaped my entrepreneurial philosophy. Next up: Humble Influence by my friend Jim Matuga and What the Heck is EOS? by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer.


Joining BNI (Business Networking International) the month after Honey opened gave me a new level of community connection. Their motto, “Givers Gain,” has come to life through weekly networking, referrals, and continued business education. Through BNI, I’ve built a network of people who offer support and solutions.

Currently, I’m in the middle of a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training with Heidi Sherwin at Moonbow (BlissBlissBliss). I joined to deepen my personal wellness, but the impact has been far-reaching, enhancing my ability to lead with clarity, presence, and compassion. It’s not about monetizing yoga; it’s about becoming a better version of myself so I can support myself which in turn, supports my team and clients in a more meaningful way.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building a reputation takes time, consistency, and a lot of heart. For me, it didn’t come from one big moment. It came from showing up, over and over again, with intention and doing my best to put myself in rooms with the right people.

Social media + Google play a big role in visibility for my business and team. Each hairstylist at Honey is required to maintain our social media standard which helps contribute to the overall perception of the salon’s social presence. We also focus heavily on client experience. We nurture our client’s relationships inside and out of the salon – this leads to positive google reviews that help expand our credibility and reach in the area. 


Joining BNI (Business Networking International) the month after Honey opened was another game changer. It plugged me into a network of supportive local business owners who believe in the power of referrals, relationships, and community. It gave me knowledge and resources to overcome any challenges that were thrown my way in the begging phases of opening.

Being from Morgantown, WV (the city in which my salon lives) helps a lot as well. Those of us born and raised here hail by the self proclaimed name “townie”. Holding that title gives me a responsibility to elevate and serve my community well.

One of the values I’ve held from the beginning is collaboration over competition. I’ve worked hard to build relationships with other stylists and salons – cheering them on, referring out when something isn’t my specialty, and celebrating their wins. I truly believe that when one of us succeeds, we all do.

Lastly, but more importantly, my reputation has been built by the people who believed in me along the way – my team, their clients, my family + friends, and my loyal clients that have followed me from salon to salon and supported me in achieving my dreams. They’ve shared their experiences and helped build Honey into something that feels authentic.


Contact Info:

• Website: https://honeywv.com
• Instagram: @honeywvsalon, @honeybridal
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeywvsalon
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/honey-morgantown?osq=Honey

Image Credits

Nicole Henderson, NV Photography, @nvphotography_wv