We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Terri Cole a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Terri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

I think it’s very important for small businesses to make themselves stand out by giving an”experience”.

For my salon setting, it is making the client feel cozy and welcomed. I play spa music and offer lite refreshments at times, such as wine or donuts. I make sure to explain what I’m doing to their hair and offer any tips and or advice when they have questions. We have meaningful conversations or if I sense they want quietness, I give them that.

When it is a new guest, I send them a welcome note prior to their visit and I often provide parking validations for our garage.

At the end of (some) sessions, we do a brief photo shoot or a “fun” video to showcase their new look.

Most times, that is the highlight of the visit

Terri, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was a little girl, I used to play with Barbie dolls. I would get frustrated because my fingers were too big to style the (small) doll heads. I put hairstyling in the back of my mind until one day while working at the prestigious Morgan State University, I had a conversation with a friend who suggested doing an apprenticeship. From there, I did my research and ended up as an assistant at a salon the very next season.

Being an entrepreneur has its many sides. One being discipline, and since I was already working full time the very year I graduated from high school, this was a natural and easy task. The biggest challenge for me being self employed was focusing. Most benefits that corporate jobs gave, I had to get in my own. Once, I learned to do that, work became a breeze.

I specialize in softwaves and the iconic pixie cut. I am in love with and solely use the Influance Haircare line. I have done extensive product knowledge classes with them including trichology and have multiple certifications from the WELLA Hair color line.

I see a lot of clients who have damage to their hair from either heat, extensions, braids, chemicals or just the lack of tlc. I have the ability to train the hair and bring it back to life. I love when I transform a guest and she sings and dances in the mirror. That’s a pivotal moment for me as well.

New guests can expect a top tier experience. I will leave no stones unturned.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Consistency, consistency and consistency.

My guests book online, I show up maybe and hour before my work day starts to tie up any loose ends that I may need to tend to.

I have become a master at time management.

I have a high presence on social media and once word of mouth circulates, people are drawn to the fact that they aren’t in a salon all day. I believe this has been the best strategy for growing my business.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Out of all the services I’m licensed for, I took only two…pixie cuts and softwaves . I combined those with the “experience” and built a name for myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.terrisalon.com
• Instagram: Terricolesalon
• Facebook: Terri Cole Salon
• Linkedin: Terri Cole Salon
• Twitter: Terri Cole Salon
• Youtube: Terri Cole Salon
• Yelp: Terri Cole Salon

Image Credits

Terri Cole