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

Shannon, appreciate you joining us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

I not only think being a business owner is a risk, but I think life in general is a risk. Everyday we experience many positive and negatives in life. I truly believe that how we handle both creates the outcome that we deem fit for our business(s). I for one am a hope for the best, prepare for the worst type of human. I’m not much for surprises though so when I finally found the location and signed on the dotted line to open a salon that came about March 1st 2020. So talk about a surprise – I was shocked – that one took me a while to comprehend! I wasn’t able to purchase the items that I needed, I wasn’t able to do any type of hair in the salon, the world pretty much shut down and I felt defeated before I even got started! I had already knew that owning a brick and mortar would be really hard, I had worked at many different types of salons and seen the work that had to be into the successful ones and also realized that there had to be a passion for the business side or else it wasn’t going to pan out. So I found a business coach and started really investing the time and energy into that alive I couldn’t in the salon. Also might come as a surprise, but it was never a dream for me to own my own salon. As creatives our brains are not always meant for the number side of the beauty industry, but as I worked at many different types of salons, I just couldn’t find the perfect fit for me so that was when the vision of Color Vibe came about. I had many visions and dreams about what that would look like and for me my guest and community always came to mind. To say that it has been a wild ride from the beginning until now is an understatement! Being self employed behind the chair is hard enough, its a risk that any of us in that type of work take every day, but there’s so many positives to the negatives as well. If I had to make the decision again, knowing what I know now about how my start would be to opening up, starting up and owning a salon I would do it again. The positive will always out-way the negative and you know what – if my vision did fail – that’s OK too because life is one big risk and sometimes you gotta live a-little to learn a-lot.

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

I have been making the world a pretty place since 2002. I graduated from
Ohio Hi-Point Career Center in Bellefontaine, Ohio. I am down to earth yet a very passionate person! You can always expect me to be super honest and always ready to create the best you. I love hard and like to create a positive and uplifting experience for anyone that I come across. I am a huge fan of helping the underdogs in this world and truly thrive on helping others see the best in themselves. I LOVE for all of us to win!!

Color Vibe Salon was created to truly focus on caring for our providers and our clients through our words. through our own experiences and connection!
Ever since the pandemic hit, it has been so rough in the world we live and our connection with people has been severed. We hope to help people connect again and to bring the light back into our community! We are here to help our guests and the Miami County community grow. We are here to inspire. I practice from a true connecting perspective and expect my team to embrace the mission. vision/values to embrace growth and embrace community.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Being yourself, being authentic and being professional! Truly caring about every human being that sits in your chair and allowing them a space to feel seen, heard and loved! Know how to run your business in all the ways, which may mean having to work with a business coach! Stay open-minded and learn to spread kindness and love into every interaction that you have. Another important strategy, is marketing and promoting as you truly are and each post should serve a purpose. Your social media should always reflect who you are and what type of experience or salon environment a new client will be visiting so there’s no shock factors when they come to see you. Honesty is always the best policy!!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I would most definitely say being apart of your community OR finding your own community outside of the salon and beauty world, whatever that may look like for you! For me, my connections are from supporting my local community by volunteering at nonprofits in the Miami County area. I have been involved in animal rescue and TNR as well for about 15 years now, but have been more behind the scenes these days rather than boots on the ground.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.colorvibesalonohio.com
• Instagram: @shannonclarkhairstylist
• Facebook: @shannonclarkhairstylist
• Other: https://shannonclarkhairst.wixsite.com/website

Image Credits

Holly Lynn Williams Photography
Brandon Buckingham