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

Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I left the very toxic environment I was working in, during the pandemic of 2020. Salons were shutting down and I knew this was my chance to go out on my own even if it was during the riskiest time ever. I opened my first business, a suite salon, in a new city. My old boss told me I’d never make it. I quickly outgrew that suite and opened a bigger suite in a nicer part of the city. I grew that business and decided to open an actual space with stylists working under me. I met a girl along the way with the same vision and we opened a 4 chair salon in 2022. The salon grew fast and I knew we’d need a bigger space shortly. My business partner was having her first baby and knew she couldn’t go bigger. She stepped down and I took over solo looking for a bigger space. As I was doing this, a stylist that came to work with us immediately, wanted to buy in as my partner and go bigger. We opened an 8 chair salon, plus two esthetic suites in the busiest part of the city in 2024. Taking the risk to leave my old salon in the height of the pandemic with odds stacked against me was the best risk I’ve ever taken.

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 grew up in Michigan where I had the chance to go to cosmetology school in high school. I put in as many hours as I could and graduated early, so I’ve been in my industry since I was 17 years old. I have worked in 4 different states and settled in NC in 2012. I own two different companies, DASH Beauty, a bridal hair and makeup company that I opened in 2018, and a hair and esthetic salon, I opened in 2022. DASH Beauty travels all around providing bridal parties with hair and makeup for their big day, and O&O is a luxury hair salon providing precision cuts, color of all kinds, and hair extensions, as well as spray tans, and skin care services.

What sets my salon a part, is that we strive to give our clients a relaxing, enjoyable appt, while providing the best service we can. My salon has a zero tolerance for “mean girl” energy and toxic environment, so my employees can 100% love their job and what they do, and who they work with.

I am very proud of our space and the services we can provide for clients. Our clients can enjoy processing out on our covered, back patio, or lounge in our massage chairs with a jelly mask on. If they want to book hair services and skin services on the same day, we have you covered!

I wanted to create a one stop shop, where clients want to come in and hate to leave!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My business partner, Clara Troxell, was definitely God sent. She immediately applied to work at the first space O&O opened and was hired. Our friendship grew quickly and her desire to grow and work shined brightly. When I realized we outgrew our space quickly and needed to expand, my original partner was pregnant with her first child and knew she wasn’t in the space to put more into it. She stepped down and Clara bought in. We went full steam ahead opening our current space and are just amazed at where are now. She’s one of my very best friends and we can be honest and open with ideas and what we aren’t liking. She has definitely been one of the biggest reasons of where O&O is today.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

My side hustle is my bridal business. A lot of bridal stylists only do bridal hair but I have a love for everything in the industry so I couldn’t give up the other stuff. DASH Beauty was just me for years doing hair and makeup. I would do 30+ weddings a year, while still working in the salon during the week. Bridal parties have gotten bigger and bigger, and weddings more excessive, so I pivoted and grew a team. I now have several team members, known as the “glam squad” to take on as many weddings as we can book. It’s a great industry to be in!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.opalandonyxhairco.com
• Instagram: @manesbyrach @opalandonyxhairco
• Facebook: Opal and Onyx Hair Co

Image Credits

Pink Daisies LLC