Today we’d like to introduce you to Lael AnnMarie.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started cosmetology school after dropping out of college due to piling on student loans. My intention was to work as a hairdresser to put myself through the rest of college. However, when I got behind the chair I found my passion. I worked as a hairdresser for seven years and became a sought after hairdresser in my community. After a nasty divorce, I needed something to distract me from the chaos that was my personal life. I started taking advanced education to keep myself inspired and growing as an artist. For six years I was in advanced education nearly every week and even took week-long academies. I really found my ultimate passion in education.
In order for me to take my career to the next level, I moved to San Diego three 1/2 years ago. While still attending education courses (and even starting to teach classes to fellow hairdressers), I started to rebuild my clientele and business. I landed a job in a brand new salon in La Jolla where I was able to restart my career as a high-end hairdresser. During the time of attending hairdressing courses, I found a gap in our industry when it came to accessing advanced education. Although there are many advanced education offerings, I found that they were hard to find… there wasn’t one convenient location to find out about courses, learn about the educators, or purchase tickets. After talking to other stylists, I found that I wasn’t the only one with this pain point.
While building my clientele, I also sought out to solve this issue. In 2017, I launched VenuEdu, an online platform to centralize and make advanced education accessible in one convenient location. As my books got busier and so did my passion project, I decided to take the plunge and open my own private hairdressing studio in Del Mar in June of 2018. Running and growing two businesses simultaneously is not easy, but I am passionate about what I do and it makes it fun! After 13 years in the hairdressing industry, I feel so grateful to be able to say “I LOVE MY JOB.” As VenuEdu continues to grow and gain momentum, I still work full time in my studio and am loving every minute of it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
All growth comes with growing pains. After building a successful six-figure business behind the chair for ten years, moving to San Diego meant leaving that business behind to start all over. It was a huge risk and was very difficult at first. As I navigated adjusting to a new area, I slowly built my clientele. Launching VenuEdu while still building a clientele also wasn’t easy. I had to shift my lifestyle, priorities, and schedule to accommodate running a startup. It took a long time to learn about this thing called “balance.” I had to step back and really adjust myself and make self care a priority. That meant making sure I was eating right, exercising, and also spending time with friends and family. It’s so easy to lose yourself in the process of building a business… but the hardest lesson was for me to learn that taking time off to refresh was as necessary as working long hours.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My private studio B.B Coiffure is an intimate luxury hairdressing concept. I offer high-end services backed by experience, expertise, and integrity. Behind the chair, I do it all: cutting, coloring, and styling. I specialize in the art of balayage, corrective hair color, and haircutting. I am most known in San Diego as a short hair specialist. I found that there wasn’t a lot of stylists specializing in short hair around here, so I definitely found my niche there. I think what sets me apart from other hairdressers is my passion for education, and therefore my expertise. I am really proud of the fact that my dedication to my craft led to me branching out into the tech world with VenuEdu. VenuEdu is an online platform that connects hairdressers to advanced education, in one convenient location. So far, we are the only platform in the industry that offers this service. Since our launch in 2017, we have grown to just under 10,000 members. Our goal is to keep hairdressers inspired and growing their careers through making education accessible.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I would definitely say that persistence and consistency are the main characteristics for my success both behind the chair and with VenuEdu.
Pricing:
- Haircuts $100
- Balayage starts at $250
- Color Corrections are charged hourly, starting at $120 an hour
Contact Info:
- Address: 1555 Camino Del Mar #203, STE 41
Del Mar, CA 92075 - Website: www.bbcoiffure.com, www.venuedu.com
- Phone: 2093528526
- Email: laelannmarie@gmail.com
- Instagram: @laelannmarie @venuedu
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/venuedu
Image Credit:
Henry Tran Photography
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
