Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tiffanie Whitt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tiffanie, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard
Coming from a background of being a hairstylist at both a commission model salon and a suite rental model, I have a very unique perspective on the good, bad, and ugly of both. I left the commission salon for a multitude of reasons and thought that renting a suite was the answer to all my problems. The promise of more money, flexibility, and owning my own business was a very shiny carrot dangling in front of me and I took the bait. While I discovered my passion for the business side of the beauty industry, I quickly learned that suite rental was not all that it was hyped up to be. I felt lonely, boxed in, and burned out from doing every job by myself. Also, suite rental is a business that only produces revenue while you’re working in it. This means that even if you’re sick and need to miss several days of work, rent is due even though you produced no revenue. Renting didn’t feel right either. I thought why can’t a commission salon offer transparency in pay, flexible working hours, freedom in who you are as a stylist with the ability to grow your career in the direction that you choose? I believe a commission salon should simply be the vessel to support the stylist’s personal and professional growth and fulfillment in a team environment. The basic concept of Reverie is to blend the ease and support of commission, with the flexibility of rental. There are many ways that we deliver on this concept but some things we do are allowing stylists at Reverie to make their own schedule, they have unlimited time off, and are not required to be at the salon if they’re not booked a client. They also have an education fund that can go towards whatever class they choose as well as in-house education. I believe strongly in the power of personal growth and incorporate personal development workshops into our staff meetings as well as monthly one-on-one personal development meetings for individualized goal setting and support. There is currently a huge movement amongst stylists to suite rental and I truly believe that is because of the dated business practices of commission salons. I think it’s important for hair stylists to feel empowered and find their happy place in this industry and I’m proud to be able to offer something unique. I’m on a mission to change the commission salon game and elevate the perception of what’s possible in our industry!
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?
I got into the beauty industry out of necessity. I was a young, single mom, and hair school seemed like a good career path for me. Being a hairstylist has been something that I’ve always been proud of. I love the beauty industry and the opportunities it provides to people from any walk of life. I think it’s truly an industry where resilience and personal growth are rewarded and what you put into it, is what you get out of it. My love and gratitude for the beauty industry and those in it are my driving force behind opening Reverie Hair Company. I truly feel called to make a difference and make things better for those around me. Changing my job title from hairstylist to salon owner has challenged me in every way possible. I think my experience being a single mom and a hairstylist brought a lot of issues to light that hairstylists face especially with work-life balance and allows me to view salon ownership differently. I am constantly learning how to run and grow a healthy business while prioritizing the salon’s mission to change old-school ways and the wellness of my team. Something that sets Reverie apart in my community is the humble atmosphere. Our clients have loved the feeling that they can come as they are while receiving high-end services with luxury products. I want people to feel at home, comfortable, and appreciated. No pretension here! We offer a range of beauty services. All things haircare – color, cuts, and extensions. We have been making a name for ourselves in the bridal and special event circuit with styling and makeup. We also offer skincare and waxing services with our amazing esthetician.
There are so many things that I’m proud of, but I’d say I’m most proud of my team at Reverie. We opened during a pandemic. Our first day open was when salons were allowed to reopen post shutdowns in North Carolina. My team over the past two and a half years has continuously helped support the salon’s mission for change in so many ways. They are comfortable openly offering insight and sharing ideas and helping to implement when needed. They’ve been flexible as the salon grows and changes, and most importantly they show up every day and give their best. A lot of people have been suffering through the pandemic which has made hairstyling harder than ever. The team at Reverie continues to push through which I believe has been the biggest contributor to our success. I’m so wildly proud of all of us.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My definition of resilience has changed over the years. When I was a young single mom working crazy hours to provide for my children, my biggest motivator was to prove to myself and others that I was capable and could do it. I knew my kids were watching and learning from me every step of the way and that was something that always pushed me forward even in the hardest times. Resilience for me then was a belief that failure was not an option. I knew that things would be difficult, but I thought if I worked hard enough, ignored the bumps in the road, and didn’t let any emotions get in the way I could survive. It was a very difficult time for me then and that mindset helped me conquer the reality I was dealing with at the time and served me at the moment. What I’ve learned about resilience since, and what I know to be the truth about it now, is not the belief that failure is not an option. Failure is inevitable, Resilience is the confidence that comes from trusting myself with failure. I can accept failure, emotionally process it, learn from it and rise above it.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Funding the business was not easy. I needed a business loan and learned that those are not just handed out. It seemed especially true for a new hair salon in an industry that struggles to be profitable. Banks don’t care about your feelings or how good your intentions are for the community. They care about if you’re a good risk or a bad risk. The biggest way that you can prove yourself to be a good risk is with a strong business plan. My first business plan was written by someone else. I thought that I wasn’t a numbers person and that someone else could do it better. After a couple of banks no’s I decided to buckle down and become a numbers person. I rewrote the entire business plan. I understood how much every little thing would cost my business, made realistic projections, and analyzed the likelihood of success with our location and business operations. I knew how much capital I needed to get started and why. Even with a water-tight business plan, a good credit score, and combined collateral assets with my business partner at the time, the bank still said no because they didn’t feel comfortable with the risk of a start-up salon company. I was devastated. My husband said, “but you’re not a startup” which prompted me to respond to the bank asking them to reconsider because I was not a startup, I had been self-employed and displayed growth year after year. This was a loan to fund the next step of what was already proven to work. The banker emailed back and said he liked my moxie and we had a line of credit available through the bank to get started within a couple of weeks.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ReverieHairCo.com
- Instagram: @reveriehairco
Image Credits
Mel Oberry photography