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It's been said that wisdom comes with age—but every rule has an exception. What these 16 superstar stylists lack in years they make up for with business acumen. Each is 30 years old or younger and a successful salon owner in his or her own right. Here, insight on how they blazed their trails. —FRANCESCA MOISIN Young Guns Live & Learn/ POV COURTESY OF INDIVIDUAL STYLISTS 40 | BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD | JULY 2017 1 NAME: Monica Gabriela Avila, 30 {Affi nage} SALON: MadameGents Beauty Parlor in Fullerton, CA What surprises or obstacles did you encounter and overcome when launching your business? Signing my lease was the fi rst hurdle I had to overcome. I didn't own any property or have other assets to automatically qualify me for that application, so I turned to my professional network for help. Affi nage vouched for me as a responsible potential salon owner, and after delivering the specifi cs of my business plan, the landlord felt secure about taking a chance on me. 2 NAME: Kieron Price, 29 {Andis} SALON: Raw: Image Barbershop in Buckinghamshire, England What do you love most about your work? After completing my fi rst show, Barber Connect UK, my best mate Jim introduced me to a young audience member who revealed that she'd been in a bad place for nearly a year after leaving school, uncertain as to what to do with her life. By chance, she'd stumbled on my YouTube page, watched the videos, and was inspired to enroll in barber college. I was stunned. All I ever wanted was to cut hair and teach basic barbering. I had no idea my passion might motivate others to pursue the same career. 3 NAME: Sara Caroline Gault, 26 {Bosley Professional Strength} SALON: Aura Hair & Makeup Salon in Alpharetta, GA Any advice you'd give a fellow young entrepreneur looking to follow in your footsteps? Stay passionate. I fell into the pit of forgetting why I'd opened shop in the fi rst place. While focusing on business building and number crunching, I let my love for doing hair slip away. When that happens, you stop learning. You become dull or burn out, which clients can sense. Always remember what brought you to this space in the fi rst place. 4 NAME: Heather Yurko, 29 {Eufora} SALON: Neatbeat Salon in Louisville, KY What's your secret to success? There's no such thing as a well-rounded leader, only well-rounded teams. I learned you're only as good as the company you keep, so at Neatbeat I roll with the best of the baddies. Everyone on my fl oor was hand- selected because they're all highly skilled. Grit, passion, belief, gratitude—those are the qualities I look for in stylists. 5 NAME: Kristen Colòn, 30 {Hairtalk} SALON: On-Site Studio Hair Salon in Orlando, FL How would you defi ne your biggest professional victory to date? My "aha moment" came when I identifi ed my target market and started narrowing my focus to the services they want and need: hair extensions and treatments for textured tresses. Business tripled within a year and I went from having one extensions client per week to doing extensions daily. I'm also proud of the work I do on photo shoots and when traveling around the country to teach. 6 NAME: Gina Bianca, 25 {Paul Mitchell} SALON: Gina Bianca Hair in Plantsville, CT What's your secret to success? Many will tell you to care for clients fi rst, which is important. But here's the trick I learned for running a profi table salon: Make stylists your top priority. If you truly care for your team, by nourishing a healthy culture where they will thrive to their full potential, they'll automatically deliver that same level of service to guests who walk through your doors. 7 NAME: Jessica Kocurek, 29 {Lakmé} SALON: Willow & Birch Salon in Springfi eld, IL Any advice you'd give a fellow young entrepreneur looking to follow in your footsteps? Create a system for how to run your operation before opening and implement that process starting on day one. Streamlining your practice will set you up for success by ensuring consistency across all business fronts, from booking and managing staff to maintaining client relationships. With a solid system in place, you can focus on offering guests a stellar experience without getting bogged in the minutia that may otherwise cause chaos. @madamegentsbp @aura_hairandmakeup @onsitestudioorlando @willowandbirchsalon @the_hair_doctor @neatbeat_salon @rawimagebarbershop "My 'aha moment' came when I identifi ed my target market and started narrowing my focus to the services they want and need." — Kristen Colòn 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 MORE