Salon Plaza Member Kinda Hamm, born in Columbia, Maryland and raised in Richmond, Virginia, is a remarkable salon owner whose FAITH gives her WINGS.
Here’s How She Makes Her Dream A Reality…
As a licensed cosmetologist right out of high school, I started working for Kim & Johnny’s Hair Designs in Richmond. It was a great experience – I learned a lot.
But after 8 years I wanted to move out on my own. I had a concept of what I wanted, but…
I Didn’t Know It Existed
So strange how life works. I had just been telling someone I wanted to be in my own salon space with no overhead and no other stylists to manage. I had the idea but didn’t know where to find it.
Then God Led Me To It, Absolutely
One day when I was doing a little shopping at Fountain Square, God told me to go next door. There it was – exactly what I’d been dreaming about… a place to run my own studio salon and never have to worry about a loan, employees, or overhead.
Right then Fountain Square was full – I put my name on a wait list… Just 2 months later a studio became available. It was a small one, but a place to get started. I opened my doors on February 15, 2002.
You can find out why I named it Heavenly Hair.
A year later I moved into a bigger studio as soon as one became available. Come in and see what we’ve got going here…
“God will work with you, but not for you.”
I knew, since God had led me over here, it would work out. If I made an effort and did my best work, He would send clients to me. Well, my first year I worked long hours and accepted walk-ins. I advertised, handed out fliers, and appreciated the referrals my clients gave me.
The Key? Be Loyal – Be Here – Be Consistent
My new studio was a good 15 minutes or more away from where I’d been working, and off the bus line that was convenient to the other salon. Due to the change in location, only about 60% of my clients back then came with me.
With only about 75 clients, the hardest thing about getting started as a salon owner was the fear of not having enough.
- “Where would clients come from?”
- “Would they be consistent?”
- “Would I be able to pay my rent?”
With those concerns on my mind, I worked every day except Sunday. Some days I might only have one person. But I didn’t give up!
Here’s What I Did To Grow My Salon Business: Heavenly Hair
- Passed out a lot of fliers. Even my son and his friend helped me put fliers in mailboxes!
- Handed business cards and introduced myself
- Filled out my Salon Plaza website
- In addition to the Salon Plaza site, I maintain my own website. This draws in more traffic from the web
- Social media helped tremendously. I launched my Heavenly Hair Facebook and Instagram pages.
Today I keep my Heavenly Hair social media and website current with the latest photos and client recommendations. People look at the pictures of my work, read about my focus on healthy hair, see the recommendations, and called me.
Best Of All, They Keep Coming Back!
My work is phenomenal, very professional, with no drama. My specialty is repairing damaged hair and keeping it healthy. A lot of clients come with damaged hair. I like to watch the transformation; that’s a plus for me. Focusing on women and children, I enjoy making them happy.
Now I Have About 200 Clients
I’m always marketing and taking new clients. It keeps building. I have the best clients in the world!
What Keeps Me At Salon Plaza?
I love the environment. My clients enjoy the privacy, and there’s plenty of parking. Salon Plaza provides excellent quality workstations, cabinets, chairs – everything I need to run my salon. If something isn’t working right, they come and fix it, no problem!
My salon work schedule is just the way I want it now. I work 9 hours on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and Saturday only 6 hours. I’m closed Sunday through Tuesday. I have a son and I want to have time to raise him.
Considering Running Your Business Out Of A Salon Plaza Studio?
Here’s My Advice:
- Really, really promote yourself
- Social media is one of the best ways to get your business out there
- Have a Facebook page and a website
- A lot of people are going online looking for a stylist. If you don’t have updated images and recommendations on your site, they’ll just go on to the next salon
- Get help when you need it! Check out How To Market On Facebook Without Wasting Time & Money!
The Key Is To Be Loyal – Be Here – Be Consistent
Ready For A Tour?
Don’t hesitate to focus on YOUR vision of what life can be…
