Blog
OWNER LIFE
By Laurel Nelson
March 21, 2023
Amy Bellwood, co-owner of CALA Salon in Nolensville, Tennessee (with Ciji Wilkes and Lisa Rogers) worked in Aveda salons in Michigan and Tennessee for about eight years after graduating from beauty school.
In those years, she grew as a stylist, became an educator, and felt ready to take the next step in her career.
“I left my salon and opened a Sola Studio with one other person,” she says. “I did it for 11 years and loved it, but eventually I grew out of it.”
SUITE REALITY
In her suite, Bellwood was her own boss and created her own schedule, but quickly realized if she didn’t also create boundaries, her clients were the ones setting her hours.
“There was no buffer between me and my clients,” she says.
“I would stay late, get messages while I was out of town, and never felt like I was off—I always felt I needed to respond to people.”
Bellwood also found herself less focused on advanced education without the support of a salon behind her.
“The amount of education I took definitely dwindled,” she says. “I tried to go to a couple of educational events or classes each year, but it took a lot of self-motivation.”
Instead, Bellwood put her focus on building her clientele. “I didn’t have a salon putting people in my chair, so I had to do it myself,” she says. “I relied mostly on word of mouth and referral cards, with a little social media, but I wasn’t a regular poster.”
Clients also played a role in the inventory Bellwood carried.
“We switched over product lines about once a year,” she says. “We were always looking for the latest and greatest, but had no plan—just flew by the seat of our pants. And clients often dictated what we stocked.”
Bellwood and her partner did inventory together, buying only what they sold with no real strategy in place. “Product sales cut down to a quarter of what I was selling when I was in a salon,” she adds.
She was prepared for product inventory, but all the “extras” in the salon came as a bit of a shock to Bellwood.
“I didn’t factor in the cost of foils, gloves, water for clients, color brushes, etc. when I became a suite renter,” she says. “It was a lot more than I anticipated, and my rent went up every year.”
She tried to budget but was never successful with it.
“If I had a good week, it also meant I used more color,” she says. “And I only raised prices three times in 11 years.”
AVEDA OWNERSHIP
Last year, Bellwood opened CALA with two other Sola stylists and the change has been dramatic.
“As we were creating prices for our stylists, I realized my pricing was at a level 2 after almost 20 years,” she says. “I had a fear of losing clients and was pricing with my emotions. It’s hard to raise prices when you’re in a suite and have that personal relationship with clients.”
Now, if her clients can’t afford her prices, Bellwood refers them to a more junior stylist in the salon.
“We (the owners) have a jot form new clients fill out, and we see their budget,” she says. “It gives us the opportunity to let them know who would be the best fit for them in our salon. It might not be me, but I still have money coming into my business.”
And new clients are coming in a steady stream. In addition to advertising in a local magazine and using referral cards, one of the other CALA owners is a social media maven and spotlights the salon and individual stylists regularly.
Being an Aveda salon has also created good buzz for the business and given Bellwood’s retail numbers a massive boost.
“My retail has gone up 75 percent,” she says.
“We’re tapping into Aveda’s product education with monthly classes and they provide more support than any other company—they’re really walking alongside us as new business owners.”
GROWING TOGETHER
The collaborative spirit of the salon is a huge motivator for Bellwood. “Just working around others and growing from their knowledge gets me excited and remembering what I loved about Aveda,” she says. “I now educate my clients on retail instead of just asking, ‘Need anything?’”
She also realized how much she missed in education as a suite renter.
“I was being surpassed,” she says. “There were newer stylists with better capabilities, which did not sit well with me. But you see it all the time—stylists get comfortable with the status quo when they’re making enough money to pay bills and they stop taking classes and building their knowledge.
“We have stylists who have only been in the industry for five years and are unafraid of new techniques because they’ve been exposed to the latest trends and techniques,” she says. “I’m happy to be out of the cycle of the same cuts and color day in and day out.”
Early in her career, Bellwood was a cutting educator and is hoping to get licensed as an educator and start doing in-salon education with my team.
“I love teaching and seeing other stylists grow,” she says.
“I’m happy in my business now though—there’s not that pressure of worrying about clients leaving and I’m enjoying watching the team grow around me.”
MORE FROM THE BLOG
THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REVOLUTION
In January, salon owners, managers and stylists gathered in New Orleans for Neill’s 26th annual Serious Business conference—two days of inspiration, networking, and thought-provoking speakers and workshops.
SHIFTING THE VIBE
Have you noticed customer service has become extinct in the post-Covid world? Are you so wrapped up in work that you’ve lost your sense of self? Do you have more textured-hair guests than ever—but don’t know how to service them?
NEW HABITS FOR TEXTURE GUESTS
In recent years, the conversation around textured hair has taken center stage in salons across the country, and Aveda North America Artistic Director for Texture, Naomi Dove has been a vital voice in driving the discussion.
F UP YOUR CULTURE
Ask a salon owner to name the most important aspect of their business and more often than not, you’ll hear “culture” in their answer. But push that same owner to elaborate and you may be met with crickets.