Theory Salon is a culture that provides visionary looks with a world class customer experience. With a welcoming environment and luxury product lines like L’Oreal Professionnel and Oribe, we value integrity.
You will find through our passion for one’s craft, our dedication to establishing a salon that works with purpose and meaning.
Commitment to innovation, and continued education is a must, because we know that it is integral to keeping our skills sharp and our artistry inspired.
The driving forces behind the Theory Salon experience are to provide unparalleled hospitality and extraordinary hair artistry.
Olivia Newell is a small business owner in Woodstock that does it all, from hair and makeup to consulting for other local businesses. She is a L’Oreal Professionnel Educator and she grew up in the Woodstock area. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2013 with a degree in Public Relations.
For over 18 years, Olivia managed, staffed and trained in the salon industry upon opening Theory Salon with her two business partners. She firmly believes in continuing education and travels from New York to LA throughout the year to train, coach, and mentor other salons.
She has a passion for both hair and makeup, while specializing in cutting, blonding, balayage. Olivia is a L’Oreal Pro Certified Balayage Artist, Network Expert Color Specialist, as well as being Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment certified.
When she’s not behind the chair making her clients laugh, you can find her planning her next travel adventure or spending time with her hubby, son Sullivan and three pups!
Being a Woodstock native, Andi graduated from Paul Mitchell and joined the Theory family in summer of 2021.
Andi specializes in blondes, where she is a true perfectionist and stays busy foiling her clients. She also holds a certificate for Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment.
When not at the salon, you can find her by any body of water or cuddling up with her pets.
Lacey is from Modesto, California, and joined the Theory team in the early spring of 2019. She attended Kennesaw State University before pursuing her passion for hair in 2016.
Lacey has a love for balayage, pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain. She considers her chair a safe space for all conversation and values each unique relationship the hair industry has brought her.
She is Theory Salon’s L’Oreal Color Ambassador where she holds a certification in the art of color.
Jess is from right here in Woodstock! She graduated from Chattahoochee Technical College with her Master Cosmetology License in 2020 and spent a year working with wigs and toppers.
Since starting at Theory she has grown a passion for natural lived in color as well as formal and bridal hair styles.
Outside the salon, she is teaching children’s choir at her church or coaching her swim team!
Emma is originally from McDonough Georgia, but raised in Kennesaw. She graduated from Chattahoochee Technical College on the President’s List with her Cosmetology Certificate.
Her goal is to provide a welcoming environment for her clients and be a creative asset to the Theory team. Emma loves color and is a head spa guru with our Japanese Head Spa.
In her free time, Emma enjoys exercising with her dog Bella and continuing her education with hair.
Follow Theory Salon on Facebook and Instagram.
This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.
TRANSCRIPT
Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Woodstock, Georgia. It’s time for Cherokee Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.
Stone Payton: Welcome to another exciting and informative edition of Cherokee Business Radio. Stone Payton here with you this morning. You guys are in for a real treat. Please join me in welcoming back to the program with Theory Salon, Miss Olivia Newell. How are you?
Olivia Newell: I’m good. Thank you so much for having me back.
Stone Payton: It is a delight to have you. What have you been up to since we talked last?
Olivia Newell: So many things. And I’m even more excited because today I brought some of my girls from the salon. So I’m so excited to have them here with me.
Stone Payton: So the last time you and I traded emails. I think it was you had some exciting news about New York Fashion Week and then it blossomed to even more stuff. Get us updated. Yes.
Olivia Newell: So last time I saw you was last year, right before our fall market and right before I was heading to New York Fashion Week for the first time, which was really cool. Um, so I went on the trip. It was fabulous. I worked for BP, who is the owner of the boutique brand. He’s from Italy, and I had the honor of working with him last year at New York Fashion Week, and I got to work for him again this year. Um, and then after the fashion week was over, we got offered to do, like a partnership with him. Um, and that kind of in itself looks like fashion weeks for Paris, Milan, London, Berlin, all these exciting opportunities. Um, another thing that I think is so cool, I’ve always loved, like, the fashion world. And this partnership with him will help lead us to do brand campaigns such as like Dolce and Gabbana and Fendi and Prada. Whenever they’re doing like photo shoots or commercials, will be the team that they call to do, like hair, makeup, nails were a part of that, like boutique family now.
Stone Payton: Well, congratulations on the momentum.
Olivia Newell: Thank you. My business partners and I were leaving next week for Milan to officially sign on and and get the team started.
Stone Payton: I didn’t mention as we started, but we’ve got a studio full. Tell us who you brought with you.
Olivia Newell: Yes, yes. So today we have Lacey Lang. She’s one of our stylists.
Lacey: Hello.
Olivia Newell: Andi Dirk. She’s one of our stylists.
Andi Dirk: Hi.
Olivia Newell: Jessica Inibit. As I say, last time, I’m like, I don’t know how to say this. She’s one of our stylists. And then Emma Cosentino. Okay.
Emma: Hello.
Olivia Newell: The last names are hard.
Stone Payton: All right, well, let’s start with you, Miss Lacey. Tell us a little bit about what drew you to? To work at theory?
Lacey: Oh, yeah. Gosh. Forever ago. Um, I started at theory. Well, I started actually, Olivia had a different salon in a different place, and I was led there. Um, when I was in college, I started doing hair and myself, just like, in my bathroom. And someone suggested, um, that salon and I interviewed with Olivia and was just, like, all work so hard, please. And so she hired me when I was 19. Wow. Um, yeah. Like weeks.
Stone Payton: Ago.
Lacey: So I’ve worked with them for almost nine years, actually. Yeah. So it feels amazing. Um, and I went through their apprenticeship program. So from the very beginning of my whole hair life, I’ve been with Olivia. So thankful for that. I tell you what. Um. And. Yeah, now to being a I’m a level three stylist at theory, so that’s super cool. We just got promoted.
Stone Payton: Um, Congratulations.
Lacey: Thank you. And yeah, getting to. I never in a million years would have dreamed to be traveling to do hair in other countries or anything. And, um, it’s been such a beautiful. Yeah, journey to get to do that and to meet incredible people and work behind the chair. So cool.
Stone Payton: So what do you remember about that initial interview? What kind of questions did you have to field, or did you ask all the questions?
Lacey: Oh no, I didn’t know what to expect at all. Um, I do remember I went in to interview after another girl who really looked like she had it, um, and I had quite.
Stone Payton: Literally took the air out of her tires and it.
Lacey: Yeah, I had just cut all of my hair off in my bathroom. And so Olivia asked me like, what do you, you know, what’s your experience? What do you know about hair? And I was like, you’re looking at it, babe. This is it. Um, but I told her that I would clean toilets. I would do whatever. Um, but she just. Yeah, she was so warm and welcoming, Um, and was really kind of like, you know, we’ll teach you what you need to know if you’re willing to put in the work.
Stone Payton: So you mentioned the apprenticeship program. Say more about that.
Lacey: Yeah. So you can, you know, go to beauty school, which is kind of a traditional way to move through that process. And you learn everything quick. And then you go into a salon and you learn more. And the apprenticeship program is takes you longer, but you just it’s all hands on kind of stuff. So I’m working under a mentor and yeah, starting from the ground up just in salon work really.
Stone Payton: So so I have the same question for all of you. And then my, my next victim is Emma. But what brought you to theory? Why theory? Because you you’ve got some choices, right?
Emma: Yeah, I actually don’t even I don’t live in the Woodstock area, so it took a while to figure out where I wanted to work. And when I was looking for salons, it was actually the New York Fashion Week that really, really drew me in because, you know, I started simple. I went on Google salons and Woodstock, and then I went through websites and Instagrams, and when I saw theories, Instagram. It was first. Lacey’s tattoos that, like, really drew me in. I was like, okay, this place is cool. It’s him. Like, there’s a lot of freedom. And then I saw their New York Fashion Week and I was like, oh my gosh, I can do my dream in Woodstock. I kind of always assumed that if I wanted to get to fashion, I would have to go towards the city. And so to be able to do it and kind of a small town, you could call it and get to accomplish something so big is my like final decision. I was like, I have to go here. So I submitted an application and I was interviewed and I was kind of hired in my interview. I feel like she basically was like, well, look at you.
Stone Payton: You go girl.
Emma: I had already done hair school, so I did the more traditional route. I spent a year and I went to Chattahoochee Tech. They have a hair program there, and I graduated last year in November and then got theories position in December. So I’m I’m the baby here. I’ve in the process. I assist some days still and then I’m in the process of taking clients. So I have two client days and then three assistant days. So they do it very gracefully. So the more I build my books and the more comfortable I get, I’ll get granted more days. So that’s really cool.
Stone Payton: I get the sense that the onboarding, the development processes here are pretty robust. Is that your experience, Jess?
Jess: Yeah. So like Olivia kind of said, I’ve been working with theory for almost two years in January, and I actually came to theory already as a licensed hairdresser, having just shy of about two years. I was working for a different company, and I, I knew stuff about hair, but it was my first time, like in a real salon environment. So I was like, I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. It’s like, I need help. I need some guidance. Um, and so I actually interviewed with Olivia’s mom, who’s one of the other owners, Joy. And she was like, she’s like, if you want, we can give you a few days. But she’s like, if you want to assist, it would kind of be a cool way for you to get used to a salon environment and all that kind of stuff. And so I was like, yes, please, please, please, please. So I assisted four days and then I already had a day behind the chair since I already had a few clients. So it was like like Emma said, it was a very nice way to get into it and start building the clientele and everything. Yeah.
Stone Payton: So how do you get new clients? Is it a lot of referral? I mean, you can’t really do typical sales and marketing or maybe you can. Yeah.
Jess: So there’s there’s so many different ways social media has a big impact in it. Um, for me personally, I’m very involved in my church. And so a lot of my clients are from my church, which is amazing and so much fun. Um, and then, like, kids, you know, if you ever get kids in, then the mom wants to come to you and everything like that. Just being a happy, fun person. Family wants to come see you because you’re just having fun. You’re having conversations, you’re enjoying each other. It’s it’s really easy. You can go so many different ways to build a clientele.
Stone Payton: All right, Andi, it’s all butterflies and unicorns, as far as I can tell. Give us the real dish here now. Tell us about your experience.
Andi: So I did go to Paul Mitchell and once I finished.
Stone Payton: Steve and I have heard of Paul Mitchell. Yeah, there’s Paul Mitchell and Olivia Newell.
Andi: That’s so funny.
Andi: Yeah. So I went to Paul Mitchell. And then once I finished there, I did interview at a few different salons and theory salon, I think was like the second or third place that I did interview at. Olivia interviewed me. And funny enough, at that time there was no AC.
Stone Payton: That’s a tough environment to recruit in.
Andi: It was, it was.
Andi: And you know, I yes, I actually had extensions at the time and, you know, jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Um, and, you know, Olivia gave the interview, you know, using the papers, fanning both of us at the same time.
Andi:
Andi: I felt like it was very welcoming. And I really enjoyed the environment, the energy. That sounds very young to say. Um, but I think that whenever we do walk into places, you can feel energy. Um, and so, yeah, I mean, since then, I was an assistant for six months, I want to say seven months. Um, I was very nervous to go on the floor. And actually, I remember in our salon meeting, I thought that I had two months before, um, going on the floor. And Olivia looked at me and said, nope, you’re going next month. Actually, within a few weeks. And so nervous. Um, but if she wouldn’t have pushed me, then I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. So I’m so thankful. Very grateful. Don’t get me wrong, the industry is hard. You know, things aren’t given to you. Um, but within time, you know, your hard work does pay off.
Stone Payton: So say more about the salon meeting.
Andi: I’m intrigued. Well, more so, like.
Stone Payton: Margaritas Mondays.
Andi: Or I wish. No.
Andi: Um, but. So every Thursday morning, we do have class and so that kind of goes on a rotation. It is a mandatory class. It kind of keeps up with our education. Um, and so I believe once every month or once every two months, we do have a normal salon meeting to kind of check in with everyone, see if there’s any issues that we have, kind of go over any issues that we have. Also with being on the floor with some of our clients. Um, and so, yeah, just tons of education, which is great.
Stone Payton: So how long have you been at it at this point?
Andi: So 2019 is whenever I started going to beauty school, I would say 2020 was when I started working at the salon. Um, and so it’ll be going on my fourth year.
Stone Payton: Fantastic. So at this point, what are you finding the most rewarding? What’s the most fun about the work for you these days?
Andi: Um.
Andi: I don’t know. I feel like it’s.
Stone Payton: Okay to say.
Andi: Cash. Yeah.
Andi: Which sounds bad, but I do really enjoy all of my client relationships. Um, I think that that is very great. One of my clients just got married, and it was amazing to kind of go through her engagement to, you know, hearing everything. Um, as well as, you know, I have heard the downside about Passings and just kind of being there and over time, you know, your job is still hard, but these are all like your friends, you know, granted, you do have to be professional, you know? Um, but yeah.
Stone Payton: So I really I have that question of everyone and we’ll just go around the table. So I’ll ask, uh, Jess next, but I am genuinely interested in what’s, um, what’s stoking the fire for you these days, because in my experience, that can change and evolve over time. How about you, Jess? Yeah.
Jess: So my my kind of direction for my career has recently changed very much. So, um, I love being behind the chair and doing, like, lived in, um, specialties, whatever that may be. But I’ve really grown a love and passion for bridal. I love doing bridal hair. It’s so, so, so much fun. The cool thing about the hair industry is there’s so many different things you can do with it. If you want to, you can be like just a cutting specialist. You can be a color, you can be a stylist. There’s so many different opportunities. So if you want to, you can kind of change it up with whatever feels fun and everything. But for me, recently, I’ve really been into the bridal stuff and everything has been so much fun.
Stone Payton: Is there any interest of anyone here in specializing in old men with broken dreams?
Lacey: There’s not a good market.
Andi: Not a good.
Stone Payton: But but you, you do cut men’s hair or you don’t.
Andi: Yes, sir. Yeah, yeah you do.
Jess: Yeah, we all do.
Stone Payton: Oh, wow. Okay. All right, Miss Emma, it’s kind of a hard act to follow. I’m sorry. I’m making you.
Andi: Follow.
Emma: I feel like I fall a bit with everyone. I have to agree with Andy that, like, the relations with your clients you have are super duper huge. You learn so much about people, and it. It makes your job so fun. It doesn’t feel like you’re working. You just have these friends all day and then even your coworkers. It’s like, I forget I’m working when we’re bored, we just. We do each other’s hair. We hang out in the back like it never feels that stressful or that you’re working. But the most exciting things for me have just been the opportunities. I love the idea of getting to potentially travel and whatever that looks like. The fashion weeks is definitely my biggest dream and that’s something I want to be involved in, even if that’s just standing in a corner and watching like that would feel like such an accomplishment. But I mean, there’s so much fun. Me and Jess recently did like a branding photo shoot, and that was super fun to do and meet these girls and do their hair and have this whole networking group that we created, and it felt very professional, but also so, so freaking fun to get to do this thing. And we we rented a studio and we did everyone’s hair and we took pictures and it was a blast. And I loved being able to do stuff like that. Anything that’s networking really is up my alley.
Andi: Yeah.
Stone Payton: And I’m going to come to you on this, Lacey, but I want to dive more into this branding shoot, because that’s a whole different ball game, right? Yeah.
Jess: It was our definitely our first time ever doing it. It was just kind of fun because we both have really enjoyed styling and everything. And so we both just wanted an opportunity to show our work and get connected. I mean, that was one of the main things that Olivia always talked about, like branding yourself with other owners, other businesses, other things because it’s it’s just fun at the end of the day, getting to know other people in the industry, whether it is in the hair industry or we connected with a young photographer. And it was just so much fun just getting to hang out with all the girls. And like Emma said, we kind of got an opportunity to tip toe into that whole, like, professional world of doing people’s hair, having a timeline, like all that kind of stuff.
Andi: Oh, I bet.
Stone Payton: There is a lot of. I would think there could be some pressure, right? Time pressure that you got to. Oh, yeah.
Emma: Oh, it was stressful trying to figure out like, okay, we need the studio for this amount of time. It’s going to take us x amount of time to do each person’s hair. The photographer needs this amount of time to get the photos. And it was stressful and it went by so fast. But at the end of the day, it was it was really cool to see our work payback with the photos we got.
Andi: Oh, I’ll bet.
Jess: And the girls just had so much fun. That was really fun. They were like, I’ve never had my hair done before.
Andi: Yeah.
Jess: We got you girls so much fun.
Emma: Yeah, the outfits we brought, like, a whole wardrobe for them. And it was a lot. A lot of fun.
Stone Payton: It sounds like a lot of fun.
Andi: Yeah.
Emma: Got to make some content with it, which is always exciting and so necessary. Now with the industry to have your social media up to date.
Stone Payton: So you could add this to your portfolio and oh yeah, this.
Emma: Will be on my Instagram. I’m on the radio. Yeah, yeah.
Andi: Same same same. Very cool.
Stone Payton: What are you enjoying the most, Miss Lacey? What’s what’s fun about it these days for you?
Andi: Oh, yeah, I know.
Lacey: Well, and now we’re like a broken record because I definitely. I mean, I love doing hair. I love, um, it’s so cool because hair is definitely, like, such a tangible thing that you can, like, see, so visually your ability to improve. So, you know, looking at the pictures that I took when I first started and being like, wow, I’m so good at this. And then seeing those pictures now, like, wow, okay, girl, you really did that.
Andi: Um.
Lacey: But that hair, like, especially going through the apprenticeship program and, like, working under a mentor who is another one of the owners at theory that I remember when I was assisting that one of her clients moved the day that she came in to get her hair done so that she could see me while I was assisting. And that really opened my eyes to like, wow, there’s a whole ecosystem that exists inside a salon that matters to people, you know? And I got Christmas gifts from these clients. And I mean, yeah, to have these moments where you are sharing and like Andy was saying, like, you know, processes of people, you know, dating, getting married, having children and then doing their children’s hair, you know, and that it’s not, you know, hair is hair, but it’s not just hair either. It’s these like incredible. Yeah. It’s just incredible. And then yeah, all the coworkers. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Ridiculous. You know, you come into the salon and you.
Speaker9: Have.
Lacey: You never know what you’re going to walk into.
Andi: It could be a fashion show.
Lacey: We could be crying on the couch. You know, we could be making people dance for their discount. You never know what’s happening. Show up on Halloween and see what’s going on. See what’s going on on Halloween. So it’s always something and I leave. I mean, pretty much every day being like, wow, I can’t believe this is my job. People really cry going to their jobs, and I get to just have like, the absolute best time of my life.
Stone Payton: It didn’t dawn on me that Christmas cookies and in your case, just, you know, maybe I would bring some deer sausage or something.
Andi: I’m into that. I’m into that for sure. Please share.
Stone Payton: It’s part of the comp.
Andi: Package, right? Yeah.
Stone Payton: So who at the table is, is or has traveled for this New York thing? Is that anybody at the table traveled for that.
Lacey: Oh well we went so we haven’t done a fashion week, but we have um, Andy and I have been to the Academy in New York, the L’Oreal Academy, and I’ve taken some classes and y’all.
Stone Payton: Are dropping some names that even I recognize.
Lacey: Yeah, it was amazing. Um, we are a L’Oreal salon, and so they obviously the biggest beauty company in the world. So getting to be educated by some of, I mean the top people in the world is, I mean, mind blowing. But to continually be able to like, wow, this is so cool and be kind of on the cutting edge of stuff.
Stone Payton: So in just a moment, I’m going to get Olivia back on the microphone and ask her some questions, which is why I’m going to ask him a first before she has to go. Emma and Olivia are sharing a microphone because they brought like the whole team. And I got this little bitty, you know, I don’t know if Olivia needs a microphone. Did you hear that? Uh, but I’ll ask him this first, and then we’ll head over to Olivia. But again, I want to hear this from everybody. Interest, pursuits, hobbies, passions outside the scope of your work. It’s no secret I like to hunt, fish, and travel for my listeners. But, Emma, you nerd out about anything else.
Emma: I don’t know, I feel like my life now is all about beauty. Like everything I watched my Instagram, everything is something beauty related. But I’m a big crafty person picking up how to crochet. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with it yet, but it’s fun. Something to do with my hands. I definitely need to stay busy. It’s what I’ve noticed and one of the reasons I got in the industry, it’s like it’s a hands on job. I’m on my feet, I’m talking, I’m moving. And so I do anything outside that can keep me busy working out or crafts, I would say, are my biggest things.
Stone Payton: Neat. How about you, Jess?
Jess: Um, well, like you said, I love hunting. I am an outdoorsy girl. Um, grew up with a bunch of fun. Fun? Like, country uncles and stuff like that. So anything outside I absolutely love. And then I just, I love community, I love hanging out with people. So any opportunity I can to just hang out with my friends, go shopping. I love like the symphony. I love going and seeing art museums, stuff like that. So anything kind of like that’s fun for me.
Andi: Well, in.
Stone Payton: My experience has been and it sounds like maybe yours too. There’s not like this hard line between this is my work. This is my play. This is my community. It for a lot of us, I think it all kind of blends together.
Jess: Oh, yeah. For sure. I mean, like Andy said, community also comes from my clients in the chair. I mean, so many of them are friends prior to being clients or to a degree, come become really close friends after when they come into their appointment. It’s like, so how was the date? Did you have so much fun or be like, did you get your dress for prom or stuff like that? So it’s fun because they do interlock a lot.
Stone Payton: Yeah. So Andy, you collect stamps, what’s your deal? Um.
Andi: Honestly, a lot of my time outside the salon is either shopping. I do have a spending problem.
Andi: I was right about.
Stone Payton: The cash thing earlier. Right? It’s a direct.
Andi: Connection.
Andi: Um, read.
Lacey: Her like a book.
Andi: Yes.
Andi: Um. Or recently, it’s been working out. I’ve been getting into fitness and trying to lose weight. Um, down 22 pounds, which is very exciting.
Stone Payton: And we made you walk right by those donuts on the way in. I’m sorry about.
Andi: That. No no, no.
Andi: Um, but, yeah, that’s pretty much my life. And hanging out with my dog.
Andi: Oh, you’re a dog person.
Andi: I am my boyfriend, my high school sweetheart. He drives semis, so he is gone a lot. So kind of. You know, my dog is my best friend. Sure.
Andi: So. Yeah.
Stone Payton: Lacey, what are you into? If you’re not cutting hair or styling hair.
Lacey: Oh, yeah. Um, I play pool, actually. Yeah, I’m on a billiards team, so that’s pretty fun. Yeah, I went to Las Vegas to play in the World nine ball championship this year. That was really cool. Um, yeah. So that’s kind of I mean, most of the time I like after work, try to talk the girls into, like, you guys trying to go play some pool. It works. Every once in a while, you should see Olivia on a pool table. She’s pretty good. No, she’s shaking her head, but that’s. That’s not true.
Stone Payton: Lacey could probably beat you with a broomstick, right? Right. Yeah.
Olivia Newell: It’s terrible.
Stone Payton: So I’ll tell on myself. I got a marketing degree. This was a long, long time ago. You could see I’m a little longer in the tooth than everybody else in this room. Uh, But I didn’t go to class a lot. And so I got, you know, kind of good in pool and ping pong and actually, I got good enough in ping pong to call it table tennis. Okay, okay. So I hit the next level, and I discovered that I was like, you know, the king of the hill in my little pool room. But, buddy, I didn’t have to travel a mile down the road to find somebody better.
Andi: Yeah, that’s. Yeah, but.
Stone Payton: You’re you’re hanging out with the big dogs. You went to, like, the nine ball.
Andi: Yeah. I mean.
Lacey: I can’t say that we did super well being there, but having made it was so cool. Yeah, but I play on a team, so it wasn’t just me. Most of the guys on my team are really great. My boyfriend and I play together, and so there’s eight people on my team, and all of them managed to to get us there. And I got my little pom poms out and oh.
Andi: Yeah, it was great.
Stone Payton: And so regularly here locally though, you’ll go play like in a league or something. Yeah.
Lacey: Yeah I play on the APA. Mhm.
Stone Payton: Yeah that sounds official. That is fun.
Lacey: It’s the amateur pool association.
Andi: Very cool. Yeah.
Lacey: Yeah it’s super cool. It’s really fun.
Stone Payton: I love asking that question. You just never know what you’re going to learn about people. All right. Olivia. I do want to dive into the particulars of this whole partnership, the New York Fashion Week. But and I’m really looking for and I know our listeners are, too. Just insight on how you how you you get a little aperture, a little opening to do some good, and then it just continues to build and snowball. That is not pure luck. There’s there’s something you’re doing to create what you’ve created and to, to have this new opportunity.
Olivia Newell: I think I have a slight obsession. My my brain doesn’t turn off like my I always laugh. One of my business partners, Lita, like my best ideas come at night. So she’ll she’s very used to getting, like, a 1 a.m. text. Like, I got this business plan. We got to save this much money for a down payment, and we got to do this, and then we’re going to go here, and we’re going to go there. And she wakes up and she’s like, okay, just run the numbers. But like sounds good. So she’s always like on board to my my crazy. Um, but yeah, I actually spent some time with them this weekend. My husband threw me a surprise birthday party and I was happy birthday, 1,000% shocked and it’s very hard to get something past me. So he did good. But I was outside in my backyard by the fire, talking to my mom, my business partner and Lita and we were just chatting. And I’ve always wanted to fully embrace like a true motto for our business and our salon and what we stand for. And I’ve always had one, but I would say that it was like a generic motto, like we’re a luxury luxury salon, we offer you a high end experience, blah blah blah.
Olivia Newell: But there was no like story to it. And I feel like as S3 business owners have been together for going on eight years, I feel like we finally have like our story to tell. And I think the main focus that I was realizing this weekend is I love that our salon literally sees all walks of life. Like, you don’t come in and see everyone with lived in blond extensions and feel like, oh, I can’t get my hair done here. Like, I don’t look like that. We have. I mean, I think you’re the the newest baby, Emma, 21, all the way up to my mom, who’s 70. So we have so many different generations of women that work in our salon as stylists that you will see everyone from, like just said, children all the way up to like people are getting driven there from the nursing home, like all walks of life. So I love that. Um, it’s just so great. Like the girls were saying, the community of people and you just get to know, you know, our community so well and everyone’s so great. It’s awesome.
Stone Payton: So three owners. Yeah. And so how do you, if we’re not getting too much into the secret sauce, how do divide up the responsibilities. Responsibilities.
Olivia Newell: It’s great. I, I truly have to say I would never ever do a salon by myself. It is so hard. You’re always working, never a day off. But having two business partners, I mean, we laugh all the time. Like, this is my second marriage, I’m married to my husband, but I’m also married to my mom and Leah with the business. Um, it’s great. Like throughout, you know, I have a four year old Covid happen. All the things throughout all of that. It’s been a nice shift. Wherever one drops the ball, the next one picks it up. Um, we’re always there for one another. We’re always in constant communication through our group text. Um, we try to make sure that at least one of us is in the salon all the time. We’re going to be gone for a week, though. You girls are gonna have a party, I know it, um, but but yeah, it’s, um, it’s it’s good. Um, it’s almost like, unspoken, unsaid what the responsibilities are. Everyone just knows. And if you can’t do your role for whatever’s going on in your life, it’s. You’re given such grace that I truly am so thankful to have them as my business partners. It’s it’s been an incredible journey with them.
Stone Payton: Okay, so say more about this partnership. Kind of share with us again how it got started and where you think it’s headed. And any counsel that you have for other people that are trying to scale or trying to really leverage good relationships like that in, uh. Uh, a tangential is not the right word. Connected businesses. Yeah.
Olivia Newell: I think my biggest thought on that is just say yes to everything. Um, I from the minute we opened theory, my thought was I want everyone when they hear that word to know that it’s a salon and Woodstock. So it was just about like getting the name out there. So I was like, almost like business to business, like door calling, just going to businesses, dropping off our business card, introducing myself, offering the owners to do free hair, um, whatever, whatever I could do, and then any kind of like networking event, the ypo stuff that they have in Woodstock. I was there every week on Friday morning at 8 a.m., um, just doing all of the things anytime that someone wanted to do a photo shoot or a fashion show or literally anything, I’m like, yes, we’ll be there. Yes, my my team will come. We did an event a few weeks ago in downtown Woodstock at one of the boutiques. We did like a braid and, um, Tensile bar. So we’re going everywhere. We’re doing all the things. Um, so I just think that’s a good way. And I’m so proud to see, like my younger two girls, I talk about them like they’re like my family, but, um, my younger two girls like, it makes nothing makes me more happy than to see them, like, have such a passion to, like, network and brand and put themselves out there. Because I truly know that, like, that’s what’s worked for me. And like you said, the secret sauce. And so I love that they have that drive within. And I feel like my job as the leader is just to like, smooth that and like, shape it. So yeah.
Stone Payton: Fantastic. All right. Before we wrap, I would love to leave our listeners with a little bit of advice. Counsel. I call them pro tips from from the four of you. Um, so put a little thought, since I give you all this advance notice into you’re speaking to the world. So now you get to go on record and, I don’t know, maybe you want to focus your comments on a younger person in there. They’re considering a career in this arena. Counsel for them or, I don’t know, maybe coach a client on what to be looking for in a, you know, maybe they live in a different town and these are the characteristics they ought to be looking for in a salon. But let’s leave them if we could. You know, each of you, please, maybe a pro tip or something. Andy, can we just put you on the hot seat just right out of the box like that?
Andi: Um, my biggest advice it’s going to be towards stylist is don’t give up. This job is very hard. It’s going to take a lot of time. Stay that extra hour two hours after the work day, you know, to get that client in. Because who knows. You know they’ll come back. Their friends will come back. Um, don’t ever turn anyone away. When I first started, it took a lot to be confident and comfortable having consultations with clients and figuring out, okay, this is what she wants. Have no idea how I’m going to get there, but I’m going to get there. You just need to keep trying. And over the years you will get better. Kind of like Lacey was saying, looking back at pictures. Um, the other thing is find your salon that you truly love. Because as much as I hate to say it, you know, there can be very toxic salons and you want to be able to go into work knowing that you’re around your friends all day and that you can go and ask them for advice. And, you know, and if you’re not enjoying it in that salon, that might just not be the salon for you. That doesn’t mean that the industry isn’t.
Stone Payton: Very nice, Jess.
Jess: Um, I was actually going to kind of say basically what Andy was saying, but this is to the stylist, because I know this really had a big impact for me, but I struggled really hard with finding a salon that I felt safe in. It’s a very vulnerable industry. You can be brought down very easily. Um, and theory really stood out to me when I was looking at just in their in their Instagram post, the Instagram post literally said no drama. If you have drama, we don’t want you.
Andi: Yeah, and here’s your.
Stone Payton: Recruiting tip.
Andi: Guys. And it’s it’s.
Jess: Funny and it’s silly, but that actually is very important in an industry of women, which are awesome. But oftentimes we can tear each other down so easily. And it can be a competition and finding somewhere that you feel like you can be an individual, but also be a part of a team at the same time is very, very important. And if you can find that you’re going to grow and thrive in the industry in a way that you never thought you could.
Stone Payton: Fantastic. What do you think, Miss Emma?
Emma: So I have to kind of tag team all of them, like the industry can be so discouraging. And as a baby stylist, I’m seeing that kind of firsthand. It really takes a while to get established. But education, I would say, is so important. The industry is constantly changing, and I mean, season by season, there is something bigger and better, and there’s always going to be a better stylist than you. So I would say it’s so important to make sure that you never stop learning. And that’s something I’m so grateful about. Theory is not only do we have classes weekly on education that we learn from, um, our stylist ourselves, or we have like guest come in and teach us, but we also are partners with L’Oreal, so we get so much free education from them, which is huge because I, I know, at least from theory, I will never stop learning from them. And then what I decide to do outside of there, you know, it’s always beneficial, but you always need to keep always need to keep learning. Everything’s always changing.
Andi: That is.
Stone Payton: Good counsel. So, Lacey, if you’ll mention L’Oreal one more time, I could send them an invoice.
Lacey: Yeah, mine’s definitely similar. Um, but like, definitely focusing on having your. It’s so great to go and, like, have your friends there, but like, having strong like, mentorship in the salon, like me knowing that I can go and that we have I have a relationship with our owners that I can bring up anything that I feel like I’m struggling with, that maybe I feel like, you know, the that we just need as a community and feeling heard by the people that, um, that run your salon or that, you know, I know that I can go to Olivia, I can go to my specific mentor, Lita, and be like, I don’t know what I’m doing, you know, going in the back and having my freak out and, um, having somebody that’s going to guide you that is not, you know, in the weeds with you. Um, yeah. Finding, finding a mentor.
Andi: You know, stuff.
Andi: And it’s not only when it comes to owners or different people coming in for classes, it’s also other stylists. And, you know, not to shout out Lacey, but, um, Lacey has helped me grow a lot because with the owners, sometimes they’re a little farther in advance sometimes, and it needs to be dumbed down to beginner. Um, but Lacey has helped me a ton, um, throughout my journey and given me advice. I mean, I’ve lost friendships because I valued, you know, my work and where I want to be in my future. And that kind of happens throughout all walks of life. Stop crying.
Andi: Um, love you girl.
Andi: But, you know, it is a big thing that, like, Emma can come to me or, you know, anyone and Lacey as well, or whoever, and be like, what do you think of this formula? Or what do you think of how I’m going to go about this haircut? And it’s not a judgmental like, you don’t know what’s going on. It’s, you know, very true and honest and is like, take a second, breathe will formulate through this together. And the other thing is Lita, one of the owners, she will question you and she will make you stand there. She will ask you a question about why you’re formulating this, and you will stand there and she won’t give you the answer. But over time it has really helped you learn. But anyways, yeah, love my girls.
Andi: Olivia.
Stone Payton: I know we stole the microphone from you, but you must be absolutely beaming with pride.
Andi: Yeah, to be like a little mama bear. Proud. So proud. Wow.
Stone Payton: This is fantastic. Congratulations on the momentum, the insight, the perspective. Ladies, it has been an absolute delight having you in the studio. And we’d love to have you back sometime. Olivia knows I’m being quite sincere and maybe keep us updated on the on the progress, but this has been a delightful way to invest a Monday morning. Thank you all for coming and joining us.
Andi: Thank you so much.
Stone Payton: All right. Until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today from Theory Salon and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, we’ll see you again on Cherokee Business Radio.
