Genesis Hair Salon

 

QUICK STATS:

Owner: DeAnna Williams
Summit Salon Consultant: Jennifer Boutwell
Opened: 2009, 1100 Sq. Ft.
Current Sq. Ft. : 5,000
Team: 14 stylists, 6 associates, 1 salon coordinator, 1 lead front desk, 3 front desk support, 1 massage therapist

Pre-Summit Salon Systems
Total Sales: $225,000
Average Service Sales/month: $21,000
Average Retail Sales/month: $300

Summit Salon Systems – Year 1
Total Sales: +44%
Average Service Sales/month: +30%
Average Retail Sales/month: +400%

Summit Salon Systems – Year 10
Total Sales: +384%
Average Service Sales/month: +266%
Average Retail Sales/month: +4900%

Favorite Summit Salon Resources:

Genesis Hair Salon – DeAnna Williams

I have been in love with the beauty industry since I was tall enough to hold a curling iron and style my mothers hair. I love everything about it; helping people to feel better about themselves, bringing their inner beauty to the surface, expressing my artistry and creativity through design and color, and building relationships with guests, team members, fellow salons and other industry leaders.

After several years of working for and with other salons I decided to venture out and begin my own salon company. With dreams and great intentions I started Genesis Hair Salon. I wanted it to be everything that I knew was lacking in previous places I had worked for. Unfortunately this dream would come at a higher price than I had ever thought possible. My intentions of owning and running a successful and energetic company soon sputtered and came to a complete halt.

I found I had created a business culture that was self centered and not team minded. We came to work, performed services and went home.

The average income for service providers was between $250 and $350 a week. We had no direction or plan. Our front desk didn’t even have a computer. There was no education and in turn no real growth. I was performing services on over three hundred clients a month and only able to take home a small fraction of my service charges because the rest had to stay in the salon to make ends meet. My hours were crazy and unstable and I had no quality home or family life.

I lacked goals in my own career and was clueless as to how to grow my own team or be the spark they needed. I was not taken seriously by my staff because rules were not upheld, not from lack of trying but between trying to keep the salon afloat and my own guests taken care of I just lacked the drive at the end of the day. Retail sales were non existent because I did not understand how important of a source of revenue they were to growing and sustaining your business.

To be completely transparent I felt hopeless, fearful and defeated as an owner, and completely exhausted and drained as a service provider. I knew I could not continue going in this industry in the state of mind I found myself. I was not a good leader then. I thought I was the only person I could depend on so in turn I directed what little energy I had left on trying to grow myself and my own clientele rather than my team. I lacked humility, stemming from anger and fear.

Fortunately this would all soon change. Blake Kennedy, my DSC, came to me to discuss this new program he had recently learned of. He shared with me information on Summit and asked me to consider attending in . He shared how it could be a game changer and could help us overcome the challenges we couldn’t seem to push through. Needless to say, I thought he was crazy. However, I had nothing to lose and was ready to try anything. So ten years ago I packed my bags and headed to Tampa to attend the Summit. It was here that I would have the honor and privilege to encounter a group of dedicated salon leaders who would quickly and permanently become the biggest influences in my life!

Challenges

Attending The Summit was a game changer! I left The Summit feeling excited but overwhelmed with all the changes we would need to implement to turn my business around, among all these feelings and trepidation was a glimmer of hope. Don, my new coach, visited a month later and helped me set things in motion! With the simple purchase of a computer and the Envision salon software we were taking our first steps in a new and inviting direction.

I was also able to pinpoint my main challenges. A few of our greatest were:

1) Retail. 

Sales were just above zero.

2) Salon Culture.

Service providers were uninterested in education or growing beyond their current clientele to reach their maximum potential.

3) Lack of Leadership.

The salon company had no goals or direction to follow.

Even with having a consultant, even with having all of the tools and resources and knowledge in my hands – there were still some habits that were rooted in our pre-summit days that kept us from seeing the major breakthroughs we wanted so badly.

Finding the Right Team

Over the course of the next few years we lost several stylists whose values no longer aligned with our new found vision for the future and business model we had adopted. I still wasn’t being the leader that my salon needed and I just couldn’t seem to find the team that Randy had always talked about being a key to a salon companies success.

Through all of this I had found one stylist whom I hired as soon as I met her. I knew she belonged with me. Sarah Poiroux and I did everything we could find to do in the Redken world together, she became closer than my right hand and next to my shears she was my greatest asset. We decided to draw a line in the sand and start fresh so we started by returning to Summit. We bettered ourselves one day at a time and slowly the other stylists started to get on board.

We still had to deal with the challenge of finding the right team that was comprised of just the right combination of personalities, temperaments and skill sets that we were always lacking. We followed his advice and decided to stop seeking out seasoned stylists and instead grow our own fresh out of cosmetology school. Finally four years ago after much fervent prayer and many tears I made the decision to release some of my stylist and staff that were holding us back, I was quickly able to replace them with people set on fire by their passion and drive.

Even after I hired my first graduate I continued to struggle with the reality of bringing my associate along side me and actually letting them participate, grow and learn rather than just being an assistant. I just couldn’t do it, I wasn’t able to relinquish control. Slowly and with patience and consistent coaching from our Summit family I began letting go and letting God and the Summit principles do their work, and we finally began to see the progress we had been anticipating.

Again three years ago I returned to Tampa but this time I was able to take along my first mate Sarah. I wanted even more knowledge and I wanted her to experience first hand the people and education that had put a fire in my spirit to go at this industry like never before. I believed in the teachings and principles so much but I needed more back up. More than anything else I wanted to come back from Tampa and give it 100% and not let Randy down, someone who had shown so much faith in us and what we were trying to accomplish. We cried the last day of Summit and the whole way home. We had faith in our team that they could transform and slowly our salon culture started truly becoming one of unity and a family. They wanted as much education as we could provide for them and still more. Our salon was changing before our eyes and later that year we earned the title Redken Black Elite.

Today are blessed to have the ability to go into schools and hire in graduates as associates. We even have stylist seeking us out wanting to work for a salon company they know is going to be a mover and shaker in our industry. We can teach anyone how to do hair, technical education is the easy part. We look for humility, patience, team centered mindsets and quality work ethic first and foremost.

Embracing the Systems

When I let go and let the system work we saw growth across the board – it was crazy!

Last April I went to Summit for the fourth time. Sarah went back with me (as if I could stop her at this point). By this time, Sarah was set to become my first shareholder and partner. Skye Currie, my second level 4 stylist and Pureology educator along with Brittany Fincher who at the time was still a booth renter also attended.

Needless to say before we returned she was converted to a full time commissioned service provider that is now on the verge of becoming my third Level 4 stylist with an associate. They cried, they laughed, their minds were opened to new possibilities and had more than a few lightbulbs finally turn on in their minds.

We knew at that visit we would begin taking our first steps into moving toward our 5,000 square foot, top of the line salon and spa designed by Mr. Peter Millard of Millard Kwon Design Firm based in New York City, a move that finally came to fruition in February of 2018. All this because we stepped out in faith to join this crazy group of industry professionals and leaders working under the Summit Salon Business Center banner.

It’s truly been a decade of new beginnings and we are now only looking forward to the future of our company. We still make mistakes, we still have challenges every day but thanks to the principles taught by the Summit Salon Systems, we know not even the stars are our limit.

Our clients have seen significant changes in our group over the past few years. They see us work together and love each other. We consistently receive high praise from guests who remark on the tangible teamwork they see when having services performed. They see and hear us formulating and planning together, passing on knowledge from more experienced stylist to the younger generation. High fives and audible praise for a job well done and multiple compliments to each guest who leaves from service providers, front desk coordinators and management.

I am a transformed owner. I am no longer a boss but try each day to be a better leader and a teammate who is not just willing but eager to share my expertise and knowledge. I once again love and anticipate coming to work. I get great joy from watching them toss around new ideas for videos, talking about educational experiences, studying together for certifications and just helping each other out when one gets overwhelmed from a difficult task. It makes me work that much harder to be the transformational leader I know I can be. Everyone is finally on the same page where as before I’m not sure we were even in the same book.

I owe everything to God first and followed closely by Randy Kunkel and Blake Kennedy. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. They kept pushing me to be more and refused to let me quit. Blake and I have cried together, laughed together, gotten mad at one another but at the end of the day, loved each other like siblings.

Are you ready?

If I could give any advice it would be don’t waste time, don’t be scared, don’t wait to hit the bottom before you trust the system. Even on the grayest of days just listen to Randy, Dave, Michael, Peter, your personal salon coach, your DSC, etc. Do what they tell you to do especially if it’s “not the way you’ve always done it.” Lead by example. Grow your team. We will all fall but we only fail when we don’t get back up start over the next day. Surround yourself with those people who cheer you on rather than negate your dreams and plans. Make friends. Reach out. Cheer on your competition as much as you want to be lifted up. Treat others the way you want to be treated, and always always remember, we all started in the same place, no matter where you find yourself now, at one point you were a new stylist doing his or her first hair cut.

Genesis Stylist Testimonials

Sarah Poiroux

Level 5 Stylist
Shareholder
Redken Master Specialist
Redken Certified Colorist

DeAnna and I have said from the beginning that being placed together was a God- send. We hit it off immediately and I knew Genesis was a salon I wanted to call home. She had just converted to Summit and it was a new adventure for both of us. I started out as new talent with very few clients, yet I believed in Summit and I listened to DeAnna when she mentored me in how to grow a clientele. Flash forward eight years, I am a level 5 stylist who is now the first shareholder in Genesis Hair Salon and
Spa. When DeAnna approached me about partnering with her to expand our salon company I could not have been more excited and on board. She and I have honestly grown together. We have immersed ourselves in education and as many learning opportunities as possible and are now Redken Master Specialists and Certified Colorists.

I never dreamed of being 30 years old and part owner of a salon, much less, a salon with the qualities and potential for sky rocket growth as ours. The culture has changed and grown from our personal belief and value system and of course having a solid foundation rooted in Summit principles.

Our tribe knows their goals and can envision their future because of daily tracking and monthly updates. They fuss and play over who is going to be the next shareholder! We cannot wait to see what our future holds with this expansion. We definitely wouldn’t be here if not for DeAnna’s passion and Summit’s infrastructure and proven system that provides results. I am eternally grateful that she invited me on this wild ride with her and for the mentors we have in Summit. It has truly been a life altering experience.

Amanda Brinkman

Level 3 Stylist
Redken Certified Colorist
Certified Sugarist
YTD Salary: $53,000

I have been back with Genesis for about 13 months now. To make a long story short I left Genesis after 6 years and tried out another salon experience and fell short on joy and happiness. It literally felt like a job not a career choice.

I was a booth renter there and when your on your own there is no external motivation to help your fire burn bright. No one to help push you when you are discouraged and force you to grow and educate when you’re just not feeling it. Working the way I was there was no chance of a raise because I didn’t know how to accelerate my business!

Fast forward to the present, I came back to Genesis as a booth renter and I witnessed just how fired up the girls were about the Summit system and the growth and opportunities it was giving them; the freedom of a 32 hour work week, constant education, endless raises and the ability to grow and inspire an associate of my own one day is a dream come true! So here I am, just eight months later after taking the leap to become a commissioned stylist and I am now a level 3 service provider and on the verge of a level 4 jump and a Redken Certified Colorist! My YTD this year was 53K, a number I never would have thought possible just a year ago. I wish I could tell everyone could know and see first hand how the Summit system works. I owe every ounce of my success to the team of mentors and fellow stylists I work with. They all bring a sense of individuality to our group! My salon company owner, Deanna has even blessed me with the opportunity to become a “Certified Sugarist”, education I may not be able to afford if I were still just working alone. This is something I am truly excited about because I have a background in physical fitness and body building and I believe it’s a service that is better for our clients than traditional waxing! I love being able to offer my guests the best experience possible. I am so excited to grow and succeed with Genesis Hair Salon and Spa.

Skye Currie

Level 4 Stylist
Average Service Ticket: $95
RTS: 20%
Rebooks: 80%
Referrals: 100+
2017 Salary: $85,000

I started working at Genesis three years ago. When I walked in for my interview, the atmosphere of the place was unlike any other salon I’d ever been in. The energy just felt right and I felt at home immediately. I was greeted by DeAnna, I stuck my hand out to give her a handshake only to be pulled in with a huge hug. I knew then that this place was different. When I began at Genesis I had a very minimal clientele and my yearly income was roughly around $7,000. I knew Genesis was a Summit salon, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant. With help and guidance from not only DeAnna but my fellow stylists as well, I was quickly seeing how this ‘Summit thing’ worked, and boy did it work!

I went from making 7k a year, to 25k, then 60k, and in 2017 I made 85k. In just three short years I turned this “job” into a career with the help of my mentors and the Summit Salon Business Center!

I am now a level 4 stylist and running 100+ referrals with 80% prebooks. My average service ticket is $95 and my RTS is 20%. My life has truly been changed forever thanks to this amazing salon company I’m apart of. They truly care about your success in the company and in life. I am so incredibly thankful that I get to do what I love everyday while making an amazing living!