Terri, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

My story has been full of risks from the beginning, from a high school drop out going to cosmetology school and buying a salon all in a years time to navigating thru the pandemic after losing 11 employees. As a single parent, bartending at night and going to school during the day my days were exhausting from the beginning. My grandparents had left me a little money and when I completed school (the first thing I ever remember completing as an adult), I went to work for a product company. I thought I was going to be a ‘platform artist’ or at least they aluded to that and ended up schlepping hairspray. So one day I walked into a little hole in the wall salon and came out knowing I was going to buy it. I called my aunt who was in charge of my money and told her of my big plan. To which she replied, ‘ Are you kidding me! You have never held a job over 6 months!” I have spent the last 34 years proving that I could do it! She died last year so I guess I won. I have moved the salon 3 times over the years, gotten divorced, remarried, had 3 sons, buried one of them, taken on a partner, grown-trained hundreds of stylist/associates and stayed over the million dollar mark even during the ‘damn-demic’! In 2005 my oldest son Jake was killed in a car accident. He was not wearing his seatbelt. I began a billboard campaign to get young peoples attention where they are … in the car to let them know this can happen to you! Over 50% of young people who are killed in car accidents are not buckled in! So we have an art wall in the salon where we feature mostly local artist and a portion of the sales goes to our foundation. We also sell art and jewelry by Nancy Pfau for the cause and all those proceeds go direclty to the charity.

I grew up in a small town in East Texas and got out as soon as I could looking for the answer to boredom to mere existance. I found that in hair with a detour into the bar industry. I used the bartending as a means to an end that I did not know I was looking for. Hair and make up were always an afterthought for me so when my friend/husbands assistant suggested I do hair I laughed. But from my first day at school I knew this could be my ticket! The first 9 years I literally just got by! I had no idea what I was doing but I was determined. Then my only competition in the neighborhood sold her salon and came to work with me. She was older, wiser and loved to help others succeed. I became her project. Then came a hairdresser who was super talented and had worked in exotic places like Switzerland and Italy and finally the crown jewel came… my first assistant, Rebecca who is now my business partner and truely the brains of the business. I have great ideas and she makes them happen. Her rise in the company is what I am most proud of. The older wiser lady died in 2020, the world traveler is still here and Rebecca and I are still training our future and the future of our industry.

Around 2003 we were just existing, barely making payroll some weeks and a fellow salon owner called to tell me about a business consulting group she had begun to use. The cost seemed so prohibited I mean we almost did not make payroll the week before! But this salon owner / friend was so convinced that this was our answer that I jumped in. Then I talked to my husband. You know it is easier to ask forgiveness that permission sometimes! Rebecca had been working in the office with me by then so we packed up and flew to Minnisota. The night before the first class I freaked! What had I done! This cost so much money! What was I thinking! As we drove back to the hotel after dinner Rebecca asked me ‘Wheres your faith? I thought you prayed about this?’ Well, I did but I didn’t wait for the answer! So I fretted! The next morning while she was in the shower I flipped thru channels and just like the character on TV was speaking directly to me, loud and clear he shouted ‘WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?” Wait, is he talking to me? So off we went to class and I had a new sense of direction that seemed to come from above.

We bought in hook,line and sinker and still use that same company today. We are a commission salon and 5 of our stylist took home 6 figures this last year! That is a huge win for all of us!