SALON VA’LISE
FULL-SERVICE HAIR SALON

Your Own Way

What is the name of your business? Salon Va’Lise. We brainstormed for a few weeks, and one of our friends came up with combining our names. Va for Vanessa and Lise for Lisa, it just kind of stuck and it grew on us, so we went with it.

What is your product or service? We are a full-service hair salon. Services range from haircutting, hair color, balayage, highlighting, smoothing treatments, special occasion hair, to perms and waxing. The products we carry are Aquage, Amika, and Olapex.

How did your business get started? Our business started in 2014. We worked together for 15 years and had the opportunity to start up our own salon. We looked at a few locations before we decided 124 East Dunklin St. would be our new home.

How do you define success/celebrate a win? Success is when you can send a client out the door smiling because they love their new look. Another way we define success is the happiness of our team. These ladies come to work every day loving what they do, and that is a win in our book.

What kind of culture exists in your organization and how did you establish it? Teamwork. We all work together as one big team and have fun while doing it. Teamwork makes the dream work, right?

What quote or motto do you live by? “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” — Mark Anthony. How is community involvement important to your business? We love giving back to the community. We have been involved in various community events throughout the last eight years.

Who is your mentor? Darlene Grillos is our greatest mentor. We have both worked with Darlene since our first day working in a salon. She has helped both of us get to where we are today — both behind the chair and as business owners.

Do you have any advice for those just getting started? Never stop learning! Take advantage of any and all advanced education. Networking is another key to success. It’s huge in this industry. Listen not only to your clients, but listen to your peers as well. And look the part. You are, after all, in the beauty business!

What are you most thankful for in your business? The clients. Without them, we wouldn’t have a business.