DB: Where are you?
CB: In Davenport, Fla., about 10 minutes outside of Walt Disney World.
DB: What’s going on?
CB: I’m by the pool. I own a couple of homes here, and at various times throughout the year I invite some of our (86) employees to attend our continuing education series. It also helps prevent worker burnout. We have salons in Rochester Hills, Orion Township, and Clarkston.
DB: What’s the format for your education series?
CB: The trips are typically five days. On this trip, we have 14 people. There’s two days of training, where our team learns about the latest trends in hairstyling and new techniques, and the rest of the time they can see the sights, head into Disney, or whatever they would like to explore. For this trip, I flew in a facilitator from New York. We set up mannequins around the pool so everyone can practice.
DB: What are some other trips you do?
CB: I had three people in New York in December. We just got back from a mansion retreat in Charleston, S.C., which was on the beach, and next year we’ll be in Lake Tahoe, Nashville, and on an Alaskan cruise.
DB: How did you get started?
CB: We’re celebrating our 30th anniversary. I started out as a hairdresser, and I was talked into becoming an owner. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun. I have the three salons now, and while I say never say never, I’m not looking to expand. I also invest in real estate, mostly residential, and I’d like to build some spec homes in the future.
DB: What inspires you?
CB: I’ve taken a lot of corporate training classes at Disney; they’re the best I’ve seen at executing customer service training. I learned to empower our staff, and the training has had a major impact on my management style. If your employees are engaged, everyone wins.
