Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlyn Begue.
Hi Kaitlyn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I had always been fascinated with entrepreneurship since a very early age. In second grade we had what was called “business day” and all of my seven-year-old peers and I were divided into groups and were expected to create a product or service to sell to parents, students, and faculty. I remember spending all night creating “dotted portraits” made with bingo stamps. You would have thought I created the next Picasso with how excited I was. Unfortunately, the only person to have bought my paintings were my stepdad – Gary. Nonetheless, I learned quickly that a sale is a sale no matter where it came from and that I would always have unwavering support from my parents… In high school, once I received my driver’s license, I quickly applied for my first job. Then one job turned into two, two into three, and before I knew it, I was juggling four jobs, an internship, vocational school, and my general education. I was so busy with everything outside of school that I would pay some of my fellow students to do homework for me so I wouldn’t be behind on my general education classes… Some would call it cheating; I’d like to say I was practicing the art of “delegation”.
When I signed up for Cosmetology in high school, it wasn’t because I had a passion for doing hair. I thought it’d be an “easy” way to earn more than a minimum wage paying job that I could carry on after highschool. I was very wrong about the “easy” aspect of it. It was challenging and drove me to my limit multiple times. However, the challenge is what sparked my passion for it. Despite what you see on social media, Cosmetology is not just slapping color on someone’s head and gossiping about the latest drama. It’s an art form that is backed by science. You learn anatomy, electricity, chemistry, social sciences, etc. You combine all of those fields into one, sprinkle a little creativity, and you’ve got a beauty professional. I learned along the way that it was the mistakes that made for the best learning opportunities.
While I was in cosmetology school, I bartered my way into interning at a local salon. I would spend every Saturday cleaning the salon, shadowing stylists, engaging with customers, etc. What I lacked in monetary value, I gained in education. I took pride in doing the “grunt work” because I knew eventually it would make me a well-rounded stylist – and trust me, it did.
Once I received my cosmetology license – I felt the need to enroll into college. I switched salons to better accommodate my college schedule, and after a semester I realized I didn’t need to go to college to truly feel accomplished. At 19 years old, I dropped out of college, packed my bags, and moved to Alaska.
When I first arrived In Alaska, I briefly worked at a bank. The corporate atmosphere was something that was new to me, and I had a hard time adjusting. After a few short months, I gave them my two weeks’ notice. Soon after, I rushed to get my cosmetology license transferred (cosmetology licenses are only valid within the state you received and need to go through a formal process to get it transferred to another state).
The options for salons to apply to in Alaska were less than ideal, especially when you know next to no one. Out of sheer luck, I applied to a salon called the “Hair’em” which was a booth rental salon. Both Rental Salons are what we know today as “Salon Suites,” but they didn’t consist of a whole room. Most of time, you were only renting the chair you were working with and were given a small cabinet for your supplies. When I was interviewing, I was informed that the “Hair’ ‘em” was being taken over by new ownership – Matt and Pam. I voiced my concerns about not having any clientele and the affordability aspect. They assured me that I would be able to make the payments and put their faith in me to help them with their new ownership. The entire experience was one to remember. Matt, Pam, me, and the other stylists created such a strong bond over the following year. When the salon would close for the day, most of the time we would all chip in to help renovate the space. We installed new flooring, painted, removed outdated decorations, installed a new reception desk, and even changed the name to “Escape Hair Salon.” Despite all of the labor, we would also spend afternoons floating down the Chena River together, hosted salon events, and had PLENTY after hour Margarita nights. The friendships I created will be something I will cherish forever. In fact, I even briefly lived with Matt and Pam when my living situation took a turn. Their passion, hard work, and sheer belief in me is truly what sparked my interest in opening a salon of my own.
Once I moved back to Ohio after living in Alaska for a few years, I had so much inspiration and knowledge under my belt… I had one problem, though – I would be starting from the very beginning. The salon I had originally interned at was kind enough to offer me a position at one of the two locations they had availabilities at… I decided I wanted a new beginning and went with the location that was newest to me. While everyone was partying in College, I was building my clientele. Although I was putting the work in, I was still struggling to make ends meet. There was a time I would only eat gas station hot dogs so that I could afford rent, dog food, and gas for my car. After two years of scraping by, I felt I had enough clientele that would follow me to rent out a salon suite. Unfortunately, I found out after opening my salon suite that only 10% of my clients would follow. The problem was I worked in a college town. Most of the clients that were seeing me were because the salon was within walking distance from their dorm. I quickly learned the skills of mass marketing, and within a year, I was finally living comfortably, working independently, and absolutely crushing it.
I continued working in a salon suite for five years until I had an old friend reach out and ask if I’d like to purchase her salon back in June of 2022. I might have played hardball at first, but I could have easily said yes without hearing the fine details. Beginning October 1st of 2022, my partner, Michael Panning, and I went on to renovate the salon for thirty-seven days straight. We did everything – HVAC, electrical, flooring, paint, etc. It is safe to say that blood, sweat, and tears went into creating SEED. Salon Suites LLC.
SEED. Salon Suites LLC has now been open for over six months, and it’s been a true dream come true. It has grown to be a space for stylists who want to be in charge of their own business but who also need a helping hand to get started. My next dream is that I hope one day I can become recognized as a national brand and help stylists with salon suite ownership throughout the United States. It may seem impossible, but if there’s anything I do know – it is possible to grow anything; all it takes is a SEED.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
If you’ve been a beginner of anything – which we all have been, it’s no secret that beginnings are not easy. Starting SEED. Salon Suites was a VERY bumpy road. I made mistake after mistake. Whether it was leasing to the wrong tenant, ordering equipment from a scammy website by accident, postponing opening day, locking myself out of the salon for three hours (on my first day of opening), the list is endless. However, if you were to take anything that I am writing to you, remember this – you will never fail as long as you don’t give up.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
SEED. Salon Suites was created to help beauty professionals build their business from the ground up. We provide fully furnished suites so that we are able to relieve beauty professionals of the large financial burden of having to buy storage equipment during the transition into Suite Salon Ownership. As a former Suite Owner of five years, one of the major things I noticed in Suite Rental was the secludedness the stylists had in their everyday lives. You’d go into your suite in the morning and only leave when your day is done. At times it was lonely, and the opportunity to bounce ideas off of your fellow stylists are lost. I created the semi-open concept with general community areas so that we could welcome back inclusivity and creativity into our lives even with suite ownership. It’s the perfect mix between a traditional salon and a suite rental salon. It gives beauty professionals the perfect opportunity to grow and bounce off ideas with others around them.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The most important characteristic I can contribute to my success is the tenacity I have for the things I believe in. Because I started my career at a very early age (sixteen, to be exact), it took a very long time to be taken seriously. If it wasn’t for the unwavering belief I had for myself, I would have listened and taken advice from the naysayers. DO NOT LISTEN to the people who want to tell you about the “what ifs” or the possibilities of something failing, or even the very logical people in your life who list the reasons why you shouldn’t do something. If you have a dream and you know down to your core that you can make it happen – go for it. YOU DO NOT FAIL UNLESS YOU GIVE UP.
Pricing:
- $250/week with a yearly lease
Contact Info:
- Website: SEEDSALONSUITES.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/SEEDSalonSuites
- Facebook: Facebook.com/SEEDSalonSuites
- Other: TikTok.com/seedsalonsuites
