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

Raechel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

When we opened in Jan 2022, we started with a team of 5 stylists and a salon manager. I did want to wait on the hiring process, so that the salon could build the current girls’ clientele. One stylist left suddenly in April, and that’s when we decided to kick it into full gear. We posted on our social media, listed with Indeed, and also launched a referral program. I anticipated the whole process to be a nightmare, as I constantly hear about hiring frustrations from clients in every industry. I also had some nerves around interviewing because I had only been a ‘boss’ for 4 months. I had a couple candidates I was excited about, but knew I had kind blown it with my inexperience and inability to answer certain questions (the business was still in beginning stages of setting structure and policies/procedures). I didn’t beat myself up for too long, realizing those “failures” are part of my journey, and focused my energy on becoming more confident and solidifying my business practices to be more prepared for future applicants.

The kind of stylist we are looking for is self-motivated, eager to grow, team focused, fun to be around, and of course, artistically talented. We have had one hire since opening, she was a referral (her friend worked at business next door and sent her in to us). The friend will receive $500 in April, when the stylist hits her 6 month mark! Our first hire is working out better than we could imagine and is a perfect fit. It just goes to show…. It’s worth the wait for the right fit!

Ideally, once we’re more established, we will hire stylists right out of school. We’ve been finalizing our training program for newly licensed stylists (had to have the right team to educate our assistants) which includes everything from consultation, to advanced haircutting and coloring techniques, to social media marketing. The stylist out of school will go through our 9 month program, making sure their services are at an exceptional level, and be a level 1 stylist. After a year, they will advance to level 2 (provided they meet requirements) and ideally our next assistant will be finishing their training around same time. This will mean we will have stylists at different skill and price levels at any given time.

After 30 or so interviews since we opened, I am 100% more comfortable and confident conducting interviews, can spot red flags, am more intuitive, and even more clear on the type of team The Local Parlor will have. I’m happy to report that we are getting more and more applicants the organic way, They are coming to us! Our name and brand are starting to get out there, as we continue to establish our space in the industry. I’m excited for a new year of growth!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been a stylist for almost 15 years, but had a natural gift for styling and cutting since I was school-aged. I was the person cutting barbie’s hair and styling all my friends for dances. A little over a year ago decided to make the scary leap from stylist to salon owner, and never looked back!

The Local Parlor is a salon located in the heart of Washington Park in Denver offering luxury services and products in a laid back environment. We pride ourselves on the vibe we’ve created (think barber shop) and love having fun with our clients and each other. We have a strong sense of community, collaborating with and supporting other local business as well as connecting people within our network of clients. Education is very important to us, not only to stay inspired but also to provide our guests with superior skilled services. You’re likely to catch us hosting a class or a fun event, or helping out a charity we are passionate about. So if you’re in the neighborhood, stop in and see what we’re up to, say hi, grab a beer and hang out!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

For our industry, the best advertising is the good old fashioned word of mouth. Referrals (aka happy clients) are, hands-down, the most effective strategy for growing our clientele. This is exactly why it is so important for us to make sure our guests understand how to style their new ‘do. Even if they can’t do what we do, we want to make sure they come close! We frequently get new guests who see one of our clients out and about and ask where they get their hair done. We have also implemented a referral program for current clients, where they can earn cash to spend in the salon and the new guests also receive a first time discount.
The salon frequently holds events (often collaborating with other small businesses), inviting people who have not been to the salon. We generally retain a small amount from these events, but the idea is to just get our brand in front of new people so that hopefully they remember us when they are ready for a change.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Being a new business owner with no previous management experience, I am still navigating and fine tuning my style. But, since day one, my main mission has been to have happy, inspired employees. Period. As we are artists, I believe it is so important to stay inspired. So many stylists fall into a rut, doing the same old foil patterns and the same old cutting techniques for years and years. It just sounds so awful. Not to mention, it does the stylist, and more importantly, the client, a huge disservice. We provide our stylists with quarterly classes and offer incentives to earn education trips.
The salon has an overall fun, happy vibe. We always start our monthly meetings celebrating everyone’s ‘wins’. At the start of every week, we post a new review for each stylist in the backroom. It feels good to know you’re making your guests happy, that is why we are in the business. But we do also focus on team building sessions, wether its taking personality tests so we know how to effectively communicate with each other, or have a fun day in the park together, or smash large objects together in a ‘rage room’. These things make us stronger as a team.
I am definitely still fine tuning my management style, learning constantly. But my goal is to really find that constant balance of being empathetic, understanding, positive, yet firm with our policies and procedures. I’m constantly learning and just doing my best!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thelocalparlor.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @TheLocal_Parlor (https://www.instagram.com/thelocal_parlor/)
• Facebook:  The Local Parlor  (https://www.facebook.com/thelocalparlor)
  

Image Credits
Eric Einstein Chris Mendoza