Alicia Waters Schroeder is blazing a trail through the beauty industry like none other. As a new mother and owner of Waters + Company Salon and Boutique in Scottsdale, Arizona, she’s hard at work creating a life and business that’s tailor-made to support her vision for the future.
“I think my role in the industry can be best defined as D) All of the Above. I work very little behind the chair anymore and spend most of my time developing a business plan. It’s a slow grind, but the vision is coming to fruition. I guess I like the chaos, I seek it out.”
With over two decades of beauty industry experience, first as a receptionist, then franchisee and booth renter, and now a salon owner, Alicia’s seen it all – and she’s ready to share her vast experience and business savvy with other professionals paving their way to success.
“I learned the hard way,” she says, “that I had been doing business all wrong.” Because there’s such incredible opportunity for success in the beauty industry, Alicia shares, there’s also potential to mismanage income and business expenses. Without strong business foundations in place, stylists can easily lose earning potential.
Alicia’s vision is to create an intimate salon environment where professionals can absorb crucial business wisdom that isn’t traditionally taught in cosmetology school; information and smart, practical business procedures that they don’t have time to pursue when they’re busy behind the chair, building a client base.
“I know for a fact that a lot of stylists are just doing the best they can to keep their head above water. We put in so many hours and energy behind the chair and keeping clients happy, that there’s little time to dive into the specifics of reports, P&L statements and business standings.
This is such a huge money-making industry, yet many stylists aren’t profiting as much as they could be because they haven’t been trained. The success of my salon is really built on their success – it’s a servant leadership situation. I can’t be successful unless they are.”
Alicia’s passion for the industry and coaching fellow professionals to optimize their business continues to grow strong after twenty years. “For me to have flexibility and personal time, which are my priorities, there’s no dollar amount that could make me change my mind about working in this industry. Beauty affords opportunities for the different seasons of life.”
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