We recently connected with Sallie Morris and have shared our conversation below.

Sallie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I found House of Colour when I was looking to get a color and style analysis as part of a personal style refresh. I have been interested in style for a long time and adding the color analysis part was intriguing to me and ended up being a game changer. I quickly realized that House of Colour is the gold standard in color and style analysis and was initially disappointed to see that there were no House of Colour consultants in Northern California.

I have a 30+ year background in marketing, with stints in sales and management consulting, primarily for Silicon Valley companies. I have an MBA and an undergraduate degree in marketing. The business person in me spotted an opportunity to be the first to bring House of Colour to Northern California, so I started to pursue the franchise opportunity.

My first step was to get my own color and style analysis. I had to fly to Seattle to do it! I loved the experience so I came home and got started on opening my own House of Colour.

House of Colour is a franchise, so I went through all of the steps to make the purchase (I talk about that below).

Along with the franchise purchase and all that entailed, I had to go through the steps to open a business locally. I had a bit of a set-back when I learned that I needed a zoning variance to operate a business out of my home. It cost me some money and took three months so I had to delay my opening until I had completed the process, which included going to a hearing at my city’s planning commission.

I used that time to set up my home studio, get professional photos taken, put together a website, come up with a social media strategy, figure what system to use for taking appointments, set pricing and make opening plans. I felt like I was spending money left and right. Fingers crossed everything would work out!

Everything came together and I opened House of Colour NE Santa Rosa in April, 2002. I have had good growth and am very happy with where the business is but am always looking to grow and add new services.

Sallie, 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?

House of Colour has been a leading global image consulting company, specializing in both Color and Style Analysis, for over 35 years. We believe in celebrating individuality and instilling confidence in our clients. Our aim is to assist our clients in building a sustainable wardrobe that not only looks great on them but also empowers them to embrace their authentic selves. To achieve this, we have two key offerings – Personal Color Analysis and Personal Style Analysis – along with several supporting offerings. Statistics have shown that we wear 15% of our clothes 85% of the time. House of Colour can help you change that!

As the first House of Colour franchisee in Northern California, I was excited to open House of Colour NE Santa Rosa 1.5 years ago and that excitement has only grown over time. My goal is to give my clients the tools to help them shop and get dressed with ease, love their closet and put panic shopping firmly in the rearview mirror. I tell people, if getting dressed and putting an outfit together is difficult for you, I can fix that!

Key Services of House of Colour NE Santa Rosa
The Personal Color Analysis consultation is a 2-3 hour service where I use a proprietary 35+ year-old science-based Color Analysis process to discover a client’s optimal color palette. The session is conducted in-person at my studio, using natural daylight. The session also includes an introduction to makeup that aligns with the client’s color palette where we identify the client’s signature blush and complementary lipstick shades. We finish the session by identifying the client’s 10/10 showstopping colors – known as their “wow colors.”

The Personal Style Analysis consultation provides guidelines about styles of clothing that will work best for one’s unique self for the rest of their life, regardless of current fashion trends. We combine the client’s unique body geometrics with who they are and how they want to be perceived to help the client build a wardrobe that they not only look great in, but also honors their authentic self.

Supporting Services of House of Colour NE Santa Rosa
Advanced Personal Color Analysis is an opportunity for a client to revisit their color palette and build upon the foundation of the personal color analysis. We focus on color combinations in this session and re-vist the seasonal makeup offerings. It’s typically done no sooner than six months after the initial Personal Color Analysis.

Personal Shopping services are available to clients who have done both Personal Color and Personal Style Analysis. It’s typically done online for best selection and can be targeted toward a single goal (buying an outfit to attend a special event, putting together a wardrobe for a vacation, conference, job interviews, etc.) or as seasonal wardrobe refreshes. I always work with clients to use existing pieces in their wardrobe as a jumping off point, so we can make the most sustainable choices. House of Colour has a special tool called MyHOC Lookbook that makes the shopping and sharing process seamless.

The Closet Edit offering helps a client quickly edit their closet to align with their color palette and/or style goals.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I knew that social media would be critical to helping me get the word out about my services and letting potential customers know what it’s like to visit my studio for either Personal Color or Style Analysis. My approach is to be educational about what to expect when working with me. I try to be as personal as possible and often share my daily outfits and aspects of my own color and style story so clients understand I have faced and conquered the same dressing challenges they face.

I have three pieces of advice for social media.

#1 Commit to a posting schedule. I post three times a week for posts on my main Instagram feed. Instagram has had a lot of growth for me, Facebook less so. I still post to Facebook as I just re-purpose Instagram content.

There are several hundred House of Colour franchisees so I am in the lucky position of being able to share/leverage other people’s posts. I do this in Stories frequently. I will also re-run certain posts periodically. Good content is good content!

#2 Keep an editorial calendar. I use an editorial calendar to plan out my posts to make sure I am posting on a variety of topics to help my business. It also gives me a place to keep ideas for future posts. I maintain my editorial calendar on an Excel sheet and I use Meta Business Suite to queue up my posts each week.

#3 Use lots of photos, preferably with your face in them. Posts with pictures of me typically perform better than other posts. I invested in a professional photographer to take a good headshot and other shots of me in my studio, as well as some staged shots of me doing color analysis on two models. I supplement those shots with iPhone pictures.

My social media growth has been steady. I use the Instagram Insights feature to see what sort of posts do well and do more of those where I can.

I love the opportunity to use social media to interact with people before they come to see me in my studio and as a way to casually stay in touch with clients. Social media is a lot of work, but I think it’s worth it.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

Yes, House of Colour is a franchise and I am the local owner of House of Colour NE Santa Rosa. Before I started the process, the only franchise I was aware of was McDonald’s!

I had my attorney (otherwise known as my dad) and my CPA (otherwise known as my husband) look over the contract. I read the entire thing cover to cover and made notes of questions and concerns.

I interviewed as many current franchisees as I could get to talk to me. I had built out a business model on a spreadsheet and checked my assumptions with the franchisees that I interviewed, asked them questions about the business and received advice that I still refer to.

The process moved pretty quickly. I got an initial info packet and formally applied for a franchise. I had an interview with a franchisee and received a contract to review. Once I signed, I received my studio set up materials and started training.

House of Colour has a very comprehensive training process which was a big part of why I chose them. The extensive training reflects our core values of using science-backed techniques, natural lighting and specialized color drapes to accurately inform clients of their color season and style profile.

I was assigned to a group of 10 other new owners. We did a few days of online training together learning key concepts and then we attended a week long hands-on training class in Kansas City to learn how to do color analysis (I repeated the same process a few months later to get certified on style analysis). This group of people are still my go-tos for any questions, almost two years later.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.houseofcolourNEsantarosa.com
• Instagram: houseofcolour_santarosa_sallie
• Facebook: House of Colour Santa Rosa Sallie
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sallielycettemorris
• Other: https://www.houseofcolour.com/stylists/sallie-morris-northeast-santa-rosa-ca

Image Credits
Laurie Bell Bishop