We were lucky to catch up with Rhysa Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rhysa, thanks for joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

It’s hard to believe that only 6 years ago, Baddhare Salon opened it’s doors with just three hairstylists and myself. Fast forward to 2022 and Baddhare became a seven figure business with over twenty employees. Yes, we scaled quickly and yes, there was a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and maybe a little swearing along the way. I like to use the silly analogy that managing hairdressers is like trying to heard a group of wild cats…lol. Generally the beauty industry is full of creative and independent individuals with big personalities. I learned very quickly that if I wanted to grow Baddhare, I would need to organize my business with systems, policies, budgets, and a growth path for all employees to see their career potential.
Two years into being a salon owner, I dove deep into business courses specifically for salons. This is where I did the extra hard work to understand financials, leadership skills, marketing strategies, inventory budgets, and so much more all while still working full time as a stylist and maintaining the business as an owner.
Once I slowly started to implement what I was learning, I was able to grow my team and eventually bring on my first manager to start taking over some of the responsibilities that I no longer needed to personally need to do myself. One of the best pieces of information I can pass along when it comes to scaling a business is, “Only do the things that only you can do”. Delegation needs to be your befriend as an owner, unless you like working eighty hours a week.
Everything I was learning was eventually personalized for Baddhare Salon and documented into a tangible system or policy for my team to follow. When breakdowns happen or things just don’t go right, it is more effective to respond through managing theses system or policy instead of reacting through managing personalities.
As we continued to grow, I eventually added a management position for each management umbrella of the salon; Operation, Financial, Sales, Marketing, and Salon Manager. With these clear roles and responsibilities in place, we brought on a whole new meaning to “divide and conquer”.
After years of salon business education and developing a salon business model that worked for Baddhare Salon, I was able to achieve my goal of expanding the Baddhare brand. Along with now co-owner Abigail Brown, Baddhare Alliance was establish to support new and existing salon owners expedite their success in the beauty industry by becoming a Baddhare Affiliate Salon. Baddhare Alliance members gain access to our proven business model and are supported by Abbie and I as they transition their business and start to implement our systems.
I could not be more excited to see what the future brings for Baddhare Salon and Baddhare Alliance!

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?

In 2003, Rhysa decided to venture from her path as an Education Major at West Virginia University and follow her passion into the beauty industry. She feels that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.

Rhysa is very proud of the growth of Baddhare Salon since opeing in 2017. She attributes her success to her commitment to education and training in salon business courses. Rhysa will always love being behind the chair but has a new passion for training and coaching.

The fulfillment of coaching Baddhare team members has lead Rhysa into launching Baddhare Alliance alongside co-owner, Abbie Brown. Baddhare Alliance is a prestige affiliate program for salon owners to expedite their success in the beauty industry. Through this hybrid franchise, Rhysa will be fulfilling her vision to grow the Baddhare brand across the Grand Strand and beyond.

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

I met my business partner, Abigail Brown when she applied to be my assistant 10 years ago. I instantly connected with her and knew she would be great for the position. When I offered her the job a few days later, she kindly declined and communicated that it was “not the right time” to take on this role. Well, obviously I was annoyed, offended, and paranoid that it was something I did or said in the interview. But, I moved on and hired another assistant. Two years later I now had my daughter, Sicily and found out that Abbie had a one year old son, Camden. She found out she was pregnant the day after I interviewed her and did not want to start a new job knowing that she was expecting her first child. We reconnected and she happily accepted my second offer to become my assistant.
Abbie quickly thrived in her role and had amazing customer service, mutli-tasking, and organizational skills. She was my right hand man when I opened Baddhare Salon in 2017. As she was building her book at a stylist she also became my first manager and the rest is history…
When Baddhare expanded into a 3000 square foot space in 2021, I knew the time was right to lock in Abbie and her management skills by offering her the opportunity to invest in the salon and become a co-owner.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

The start up of Baddhare Salon was a combination of luck and taking a risk. I knew I always wanted to become a salon owner but never new when or how. When I found myself in a toxic situation for the millionth time at a salon I had been with for 10 years, I finally just cut the cord and took a leap of faith to start my own business. I was lucky enough to find a space for rent that was already outfitted as a salon. My deposit and a few hundred dollars to give the space a facelift was all I needed to get started.

Contact Info:

• Website: baddhare.com
• Instagram: @rhysaanderson @baddharealliance @baddhare
• Facebook: Rhysa Anderson

Image Credits
@myrtleturtlephotographyllc