Jennifer Thomas

Overland Park, KS (USA)
Role(s):
Founder/Owner/Principal

Last Tangle Salon

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Location: Overland Park
Industry: Design
Year Founded: 1992
Number Employees: 10-50 people
Description: We are a full service salon, that seeks to employ service providers just out of school and mentor them into success with a balance of personal lives, work and community. I have been a success in the business for 28 years and worked hard to get here, I want to pass down how to work smart and get rid of the beauty shop mentality. We were well on our way to our first goal of half million when a medical emergency took me out for a short time, in this amount of time I endured computer theft,equipment theft and an attempted takeover. Upon getting back to work, it was necessary to 'clean house' of extremely busy stylists I found these people were not healthy for the atmosphere I am (URL removed)se service providers did not think they should have tomeet the same quotas as the young staff did. This led to a cash flow issue. I now have a staff that I have grown myself, that is happy to be there however it doesn't give me the cash flow I need to still pay build out and to hire more staff to train. I am in a holding pattern and need help to get back on track. I do work with a consulting company so I have good standards in place with goals for the staff, monthly 1-1s help them achieve the next level. We operate on a high customer service ratio, I teach the staff not only technical skills but how to treat their guests and retain (URL removed) staff then grows to mentor someone right out of school themselves, there feeding the future of the business. We do a large amount of networking, from Chamber events, BNI meetings to eWomen'sNetworking. We also volunteer in the community, it is our feeling if the staff is committed to their community they will be more engaged in their work and family. Our future goals after seeing this location reach it's potential of 1,000,000 is to buy up studios that have gone under and revamp them in communties with the same high standards. Most people that graduate out of our cosmetology schools fail at an alarming rate, or live at poverty level, we want to work to change that landscape so that women can learn to live and buy a house on their own etc.