Q – Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Meraki Hair Lounge is a salon offering clients offering a broad array of skin and hair services with our amazing talented artists, easily accessed in the heart of Minneapolis. But Meraki Hair Lounge is primarily a space for independent service providers to grow their businesses while finding balance in their lives and careers.
Q – Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Tiffany Wheelhouse has been in the health and beauty industry for 15 years, working in a variety of salons in both the Twin Cities and Boulder Colorado. Tiffany is a lifelong athlete and advocate for personal growth and has shared this passion first through teaching group fitness classes, and continues this by mentoring and coaching both for business and personal wellness. [While she has been recognized for her work and athletic achievements, the award she most identifies with is the “Tells it like it is” award, given for being the kind of friend people need rather than want. (husband joke, but based on a real joke award).
Q – What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
The hair industry is dominated by oppressive work models for stylists and that needs to change. We saw that it is possible to be a profitable salon owner with a stylist centric business model, where we success when our stylists do.
Q – What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is an opportunity to grow, as cliché as that sounds.
Q – What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
They are not all skills. Be decisive and go all in – while there is a process that goes into a decision, once you make it you go all in. You have to be like that in business. Follow your strengths, but to be good at anything you have to be ok to be a work in progress so that you remember to always work on yourself, practice, build and hone your skills, and work on being well-rounded by turning your weaknesses into strengths through practice. Third, manage expectations and be flexible.
Q – How many hours do you work a day on average
I’m always working, but truthfully I enjoy all of it.
Q – To what do you most attribute your success?
My incredible support. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, who support you through your doubt and bring you back to focus.
Q – How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Instagram and social media are critical ways we reach potential clients but our best advertisement are the heads of our clients who act as walking billboards for their experience with us.
Q – Where did your organization’s funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
We self-financed by taking out an equity loan on our home and using a small nest egg.
Q – What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Have a solid business plan.
Q – Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Building a successful business means watching our stylists succeed. I see myself growing this business model to empower others to pursue theirs.
Q – Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Companies that make a difference with their products by tracking their footprints and impact, like R+Co Bleu, which we carry, and Coconut Whisk a local company with so much to admire.
Q – How important have good employees been to your success?
We do not technically have employees, but our independent contractors are the basis of our success, and we want nothing but the best for them. Our business would not be thriving if it weren’t for the amazing talent and people we have at Meraki.
Q – How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
If I commit to something then the idea will always be there, waiting for an opportunity even if the timing is not always right,
Q – What motivates you?
I don’t think motivation is a reliable source of sustainable energy. Good habits get things done.
Q – What are your ideals?
World Peace, it’s trite but real. I want to bring wellness and understanding to everyone I can through empowering people to see their own goodness, beauty and strength.
Q – How do you generate new ideas?
I have a huge collection of little things I see everyday that inspire me, I save them and they guide me through the creative process