From Struggle to Breakthrough | Reinventing Beauty Podcast Episode 11

How do you manage all of it because you have, and you do it with such grace?

Life is beautiful chaos at all times. I just kind of have the balls to try to shoot big from the get-go for some reason.

I was crushing it in San Diego. I went to LA all confident and then I was squashed.

That was a very, very humbling experience. What has led you there?

I go look at it and then I can't stop thinking about it. I'm dangerous because then I do it.

Is it a challenge to lead a team that can deliver a result that that type of clientele is looking for?

It's actually not easy. If you can inspire others to do the same, then there's more of that.

Welcome back to the re-inventing beauty podcast where we explore artistry, leadership, and growth within the industry.

And today we're joined with one of our dear friends from La Jolla, California, Sherry Belinger.

Sherry, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Ben as salon owner, a Belster and salon for 10 years now. We're celebrating our 10 years, which is so exciting.

And, you know, I'm a mama. I have two little girls, ages seven and three and a half.

And yeah, life is beautiful chaos at all times.

That's definitely the best way to describe business ownership and small children, for sure.

I think one of the things that most intrigues me about watching your journey and I feel so privileged

that we've had the opportunity to work in your salon. We get to facilitate education there quite often.

And it's one of the best, probably the best part for me in that experience is watching you navigate

life with your little ones. And I know I've said that to you before you do it so beautifully.

How do you manage all of it? Because you have, and you do it with such grace in a way that

never makes you look like you're supposed to be somewhere else or need to be someplace else.

You're pretty much in the moment all the time. From my perspective, I didn't actually thought

in your head. But in general, it just as a person, I feel like I'm a very present person.

And especially having children, you know, it's made me be that much more present.

I feel like every day time is fleeting. And so I think for me, it's just I take it day by day,

minute by minute. And I really prioritize, you know, what's most important every day, what can

kind of go on the back burner, what I can't give my energy to. And I think when you kind of have,

it's, you know, I don't like the word boundary so much. I feel like it's overuse. It's not boundaries.

It's just, it's my priorities. So I think, you know, my family comes first now, you know, it's like

if I didn't have children, I would, I would live at my salon. I would be, I'd be dangerous. I feel

like I would be obsessed with what I do as a salon owner. And I love my salon. I love my team.

But, you know, my, my girls, like they need me. And I try to be a good example as a working mother

and business person, but then also really be mindful of them and their attention to what I'm doing.

And, you know, it's like, like little things like for a moment, I created a salon owner course,

like a digital course. I did it. Like it was during the pandemic. I filmed it. I, it was awesome.

I was so proud of it. But then, you know, having a digital course, it's like I had to keep selling it.

I had to keep showing up on social media. I had to like, you know, pitch and position myself. And,

and when I was doing that, I realized I didn't like, I didn't like that. It meant that I had to be in

my phone or away from my kids as much as it did. So I stopped because I don't want to be the mother

that's constantly like this. So it's just, for me, yeah, it's just like figuring out who I want

to be, how I want to show up. Then I just do the best I can every single day. I lead with like

openness. And we have, it's constant open conversation and communication in my home and in my

business. And I think just with that transparency and prioritizing like it just, it all works. And

I obviously I have a really incredible team. And I have great leadership within my team supporting me.

I also have a great husband supporting. So it kind of, it's, it's all of it is what makes it

be what it is. Yeah. It's true. We definitely have found a lot of freedom in having the,

I don't want to stay hard conversation because I also think that's like, makes it always sound

like such a negative. And it's not a negative. It's just the conversation and revisiting when we

don't hit the mark, whether it's in the salon or in our life, our relationships with our family

at home. I mean, we have, you know, a whole mess of kids. And so with all of those moving parts,

I definitely, that's something that I think really that you just said that really, really resonates

with us. If you have the conversation, there's freedom that lives in that because that's the only

way it can actually change. So inviting the people into the conversation that need to actually be

present has been such a huge piece of what's helped us navigate all of the beautiful chaos that

business ownership is and having a family and all of the things. Well, I think if you don't fake it

and you just show up authentically in all versions of yourself, there's less energy being depleted

from you. You're just just showing up and then, you know, saying when you need help or how you,

you know, what, what you can navigate asking for forgiveness when you need to, you know,

and yeah. I think you, I think you've grown out of, I think you've grown out of energy to try to

think it. And there's that. It's like as with more children, it's like, I'm tired. You know,

mentally, emotionally and physically, yeah. And, you know, with age and the wisdom, it's just,

it's just different. I feel I balance is another funny word. There's no such news now. But for my

life, I've created my own balance. Yeah. I think we would love to hear what your journey looked like

in the industry before about Seren. I don't know that we've ever even heard that story. And so,

I find it intriguing to think about what the process was and how you got to where you are even today,

the space that you're in today. How did that all kind of transpire? Because we've been in your office

and I see the plaques behind you, a female entrepreneur of the year, a couple times it looks like

on some of the plaques in San Diego. So, top salon, salon today, top 200, you know,

so lots of accomplishments. What has led you there? I joke that this is my vanity wall.

Everybody should have like, I have on this wall over there, a collage I made my first year

as a salon owner. And it's like sweet showing the evolution of these plaques and these, you know,

accolades that I'm so proud of. But then I have like my, my magazine and newspaper article

clippings over here, which is just so sweet too. But so, you know, I'm a hairdresser first. And I,

I've been doing hair 22 years and I think from the get go, I don't know why because I grew up

in a small town in Massachusetts. I did not come from much at all. And for some reason,

something in me always wanted to strive for more. And when I got my cosmetology license,

something in me said, I want to work in the best city that I can. And I was living in San Diego

at the time. My family moved to San Diego when I was 12. Okay. So I went to cosmetology school in

San Diego. And I just kind of had the balls to try to shoot big from the get go for some reason.

I don't know why because nothing in my backstory kind of backs that, right? And, you know, at that

time, and maybe even still today, La Jolla where I'm at is, you know, a high end luxurious, beautiful,

you know, city that I maybe would feel uncomfortable in, you know, in the rooms in it or

but I wanted to show up there and try. So I started, I got hired as an assistant and moved on up,

you know, into being a stylist. And after four years, I was crushing it. I was an educator.

I had built my own branding. Like I always kind of have like a little bit of a business thing to

me too. I had a web, I made a website and back then I, it was Sherry does hothair.com.

There's still people that is like, Sherry does hot hair. Oh my gosh. Cause, you know, little 23

year old was me, me is like, I do all the hot girls hair and I do hot hair, whatever, but it worked.

And it was a thing. And, you know, during that time, I always dreamed of working in LA and being

a celebrity stylist and life kind of navigated me to LA. And so I left San Diego with a full client

hell and a booming business. And I started over as a, what is it? A little fish in a big pond?

Is that correct? Like, basically like I was crushing it in San Diego. I went to LA all confident.

And then I Los Angeles and I was squashed. That was a very, very humbling experience and a big

growing season for me as a person and as a stylist. And I had to rebuild and prove my worth

in myself there in a city of, you know, it's the best of the best. Everyone, you know, and people

assist for five years in Los Angeles and that worked their way up, right? And so it, it took some

time. But then I, you know, it's like with word of mouth and referrals, you know, I built a great

business. So then I started doing celebrity hair and even through doing celebrity hair certain

celebrities were on shows or whatever. So I would get contracted through the shows and it was a

really exciting time. But ultimately my heart wasn't in LA. My heart wasn't in it. So on paper,

that life is very glamorous. But ultimately I always check in on my happiness, my soul. And I

wanted to be back in San Diego. I didn't want to stay in LA forever. So I made the hard decision to,

you know, there was a lot of life pivots at that time. But after five years in LA, I went back to

San Diego. And at that time, I knew I wanted to open a salon for sure. I just didn't know when,

when I was going to be ready because I, I always knew it was going to take all of me. So came back

to San Diego. What was cool at that point. Now I'm not just Sherry that did hair in San Diego and

all these old clients came back to me. Now I had a celebrity stylist title to my name and, you know,

that kind of, that cool factor, which really helped me. So with that, it was time to, you know,

make my next big move and open a salon. And so this was, it was 2016 when we opened. So I guess

2015 is when I started looking for locations. And, you know, I was working a ton behind the chair

and saving all my money. And I found my first location and opened an 11 chair salon at that time.

And my, my vision was just to build a team of like-minded artists that we could all be collaborative.

I was capped out at that time. I was working six days, I didn't have children yet, right? So I was

working six days a week, double booking, booked out months and months in advance. And so I was constantly

referring clients. And so I'm like, I need a team, you know, I need to refer and kind of build

people up. But then, you know, gain on the, on the other end. And so we had a beautiful run at

that location. And then we, you know, I kind of started wanting more again. I have these cycles

in my life where it's like, okay, now what? Now what can we do? Now what do we need? And I had,

you know, I was craving, we had three shampoo bowls and I just really wanted one more. Our

break room was small. I really wanted it bigger. So I reached out to my landlord. And I asked her,

I was like, hey, like, you know, with the buildings around me, is there any square footage I could

maybe take on? And, you know, I want to expand just a little bit. And I'd love to put in another

shampoo bowl. And, and she's like, no, no, you can't do that. But I do have a location around the

corner that you should check out. I didn't realize it was the same landlord. So that's pretty nice.

Yeah, the same landlord. And, you know, I was like, you know, at first, it's like, move my salon

a block away. The salon space is triple the size of my original location. But she's like, you

should see, it's a great space. It's next to the openheim group, which is like, you know, the selling

sunset people. It's literally on, you know, that iconic corner almost of Gerard and prospect and

in La Jolla. Like, it would be the, it would be a huge deal in every way. And so I, you know, at first,

I was like, hell no. But then there's always little boys back here and I think, well, maybe I should

just go look at it. And then I go look at it. And, you know, and then I can't stop thinking about it.

And then, and then I'm dangerous because then I do it. So the last year, we reopened a block

away. And because it was the same landlord, we, I was able to navigate. Well, like, we literally

moved from one space to the other within, you know, on a Sunday. Right. And it's been incredible

ever since. And, you know, now we have a 22 chair space. I have a huge, you know, color room and

kitchen and I'm in an office. And we have seven shampoo bowls. And it's literally my dream come true

right now. So good. It's so good. It's a beautiful space. You guys did a great job. Not only in the

out of it, but every little detail feels so comfortable and high end, but not stuffy. It's,

it's like the perfect setup. We've been so impressed. We're impressed with your team. We've,

we've had the privilege of being able to facilitate some education with them and they're amazing.

Do you find it challenging to lead a team in that particular, like, demographic or that area?

I'm sure that's really all you know, I guess, but in such a high end space, is it a challenge to

lead a team that can deliver a result that that type of clientele is looking for?

Well, it's, there's definitely been learning curves with it. And, and the bigger our reputation as

a salon has grown that, yeah, the standard of excellence that clients expect from even our

newest level stylist is this high. So I wouldn't say it's hard, but we definitely have to do

our part in supporting our stylists and say we have assistance moving on to the floor,

being really, really sure they're ready. You know, it's like it's my job to set everybody up

for success, both client and stylist. So it's not hard, but it definitely it's thoughtful. I can't

just hire any stylist and put anybody on the floor. And our interview process is not an easy one.

There's a reason why we do feel as special as we do. And my team right now, we have 34 of us.

And it's, you know, we joke because people want to say, what's the drama? You know, there's got

to be drama. And it's like, you know, I'll walk out there and the drama is they're comparing like

their, their toe lengths to one another and they're like quirky things. It's silly stuff. And it's

just, it really is because it's so intentional who we led in and how we coach and how we just

vibe. So, you know, and we all know, like we, everyone that works here also is striving for some

sort of greatness. If they want to work in a salon like this and in this city, I can't say any of us

come from, you know, that per se, you know, it's like we all come from different walks of life,

but we all kind of collectively are striving for the same thing.

And Nicole and I talk about it a lot because we've been to your salon, I don't know,

a dozen times. And when we go in there, it is very upscale, but everybody is just so chill and they

get along and you can tell because we've been in many salon environments before that when we walk

in, you can actually feel how tense the situation is and it's like, sure, no, we enjoy coming out

there a lot working with your team. And even even when we're working with other teams in your space,

so it's like, can you share with us like even just the key points of what your interview process

looks like? Sure. I mean, we, I mean, we get applications daily. And it's just probably through

social media and our website, you know, people can apply. Unfortunately, we can't get back to

everybody or, you know, so it's, it will start by me reviewing the submission or my manager reviewing

the submission. And something has to stand out to us to kind of grab our attention to now

pry and want to inquire deeper about this person. And then, you know, then the next step would be

we would bring them in for an in person interview. And my interviews, I'm really getting to know the

person. I'm, I'm kind of like, there's almost like a psychology to it. And just like, you know,

I know what my red flags would be. And then I know what my green flags are because our our

salon culture and what we do and who we are as a team is so defined that I can know pretty much

right away if this person could be a good blend. And if we're going to be a good fit for them.

So if we feel that, then the next step would be working interviews where they have to

bring in multiple models and work within the space. During this time, I presented to them that,

you know, it's really important for them to feel what it's like working in Bel Saran and make

sure energetically it feels good to them and start getting comfortable. But then at the same time,

my team is feeling their energy too. And we're not like a club, right? It's not like, but it's

more just, you know, like my goal is that if they pass that, let's just say, and it's just like,

it's a no-brainer. By the time they finish their second model, they're already friends with my team.

They're already like, can I help full, you know, towels? And unless it's that, it's not going to work.

Not with how close we are and how large we are. That's not easy. It's actually not easy to get a job

here. And I've had to keep that bar raise. And as we've grown, and even with our, you know,

how we've evolved into this new space and just our reputation grows, it's I have to keep doing this

in this. And it's really, it's the person, it's the heart, it's the why, you know, we are a people

first business. You have to, you have to respect what we do and the people that sit in our chairs,

first and foremost, not just the art of hair, but the people and how we make people feel. Like,

that is a very important part. It's so huge. So Sherry, we've been in there a few times and we've

seen something hanging on the back while it's called the culture commandments. The bells are in.

Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, I put that together. That wasn't from the beginning.

That was probably a few years ago, but it's essentially it's, you know, it's our 10 commandments,

if you will. And it's essentially these 10 foundational pillars to our team. And kind of like,

you know, the anchor that we fall back to. And, you know, it has things on it like trust, open

communication, leave negativity at the door, you know, when one rise, you know, somebody's struggling,

like we help them out. So there's, it's, it's very unique and custom to us. And I love it because

in moments, if somebody is not following through on, you know, one of them is respect too. It's like

respect, respect and trust or, you know, and it's just, it's a good thing that we can go back to.

That's what I was going to say. It's just something that you can easily reference when you're in a moment.

And sometimes it only takes that little moment of being able to redirect because it is something

that lives in your core, the core of what your company is. So yeah, I think we've always found

that really intriguing when we're in your space. I think I've actually photographed it and like

sent it to our team before and just said like, hey, this is something that they operate by. We have

certain ones that that we work off of within our space or, or they kind of evolved depending on

what season we're in, you know, what we're addressing at the time, if we're in a season of growth.

So yeah, I think that that's something that really when you take the time to identify your

company in that way and your team commits to it when you get the commitment from them, it's,

you have no place to go but up and then, you know, into success or further into success and what

that looks like. So also we are affiliated with the same brand as you are, Daveness. So

we talk to teams all the time about being exclusive with their brand, but they're probably sick

of hearing us talk about it. So what's your experience with being exclusive with a brand?

I mean, it's a decision I should have made a way sooner. You know, when I opened my lawn,

I did what most, you know, stylist turns salon owners do and I just brought in everything I was

already familiar with, you know, I was using two to three color lines. So I brought all of those in.

I, I loved two retail lines. So I retailed those none of them supported one another though, right?

Like, it's not like I was gaining points or opportunities because, you know, I use this color

and it aligns with this retail and it just, it started feeling like it got messy and I was getting

so over like these different color lines being inconsistent and then, you know, for every problem

they would have, they would come out with a new line and a new line and a new line. And, you know,

and of course my team wants everything and before I know it, it's just like, it's ridiculous how

much stuff we had and when I was expanding Bell Seren and going bigger and grander at the same time,

I wanted to simplify and with, you know, Daveness who we are concept with, I mean, I love Daveness

from the very beginning of my career. So I've always used Daveness retail. That has always been a

no-brainer for me, my whole journey. But color, I was just, you know, used to what I was using and

so I didn't think to change until I opened my mind and I tried the color and some team members

tried the color and we were blown away and, you know, the more we, you know, dove in with Daveness

and the deeper, it was just a no-brainer and I feel so proud to be a concept salon and I feel

so proud to only exclusively retail Daveness in my luxurious La Hoyas salon that, you know, it's like,

you could, I could think of whatever lines I want to put there, but it's like, no, that's Daveness

and we're going to shout it because we're really proud to retail them and work with a company that

aligns so much. A lot of our core values of Bell Seren, totally mirror Daveness. Absolutely.

It just brings that much more harmony to what we're doing and then obviously as a salon owner,

a business owner, the abundance of support you can gain. Obviously the money you spend on color

and the money you spend on retail, it kind of goes hand in hand and the opportunity it provides for my

team and myself as an owner, it's endless. It's literally a no-brainer. I can't believe that

anyone wouldn't do it. Any salon owner like really should open their mind to it.

It is, it's a pretty interesting concept. I mean, you know, that's a lot of what we facilitate when

we're out, you know, doing on the road teaching, whatever, talking to business owners, we really

promote being exclusive with a brand and it was something that was taught to me early in my salon

owner journey and it really does make a difference in your bottom line. It also for us became such a

piece of our culture and it allowed our team to become an expert in the brand that we carried

instead of being so like distracted by the next shiny new thing that we brought in or constantly

looking for something new so that they could make a recommendation easily instead of becoming

really, really versed in what they use which ultimately in the end gives their guests the best

experience possible. And, and also being feel that feeling of being held hostage by an employee like,

oh, I, I only want to sell this hairspray. So I need this, you know, it's like, okay. Yeah, it makes

interviewing so much easier when you bring someone in and it's like, this is who we are.

I know. And like, I literally, I'm truckling inside because early on in my salon owner journey,

I literally hired stylist that like, if I didn't have the line, the color line they needed,

like, it would have worked. So I brought their color line on just because, like, no.

Like, I don't even know who I am. I'm just want to hire. So whoever, if you're breathing,

we're going to hire you, whatever you want. We're going to figure it out. But it's like, also,

obviously, the product needs to perform. You have to believe in it too. And so I wouldn't do it

just because it saves money or there's more opportunity. Exactly. Or Daveness color performs

remarkably. It's, it's perfect. The retail is incredible. So, you know, the, it's just like,

you can't tell me otherwise. Yeah, I agree. Well, there's no doubt that you've built not just a

beautiful, aesthetically beautiful salon. You have a culture that I really feel is a game

changer for the industry and what we love to see the industry continuing to evolve into. So

I know you're proud of it, but I, I hope you're very, very proud of it because you should be.

We pretty much end every episode the same way. Yes. We ask the question just, if with this

industry or even without the industry, how do you leave this place better than you found it?

It's a great question. You know, I think leaving this place better than I found it is

if I can show up authentically as just a leader in a human being and leading with love being,

I want to be love. I want to be light. So I want to leave that, you know, and yeah, I only hope to

inspire people to kind of like, you know, stand true in who they are and help build, you know,

good people. It's part of my, my job as a leader and as a mother, right, is to raise good

humans or, you know, support just kindness and love and, and openness for humanity and I leave

from that way too. So leaving this place better would just be, you know, the ripple effect if you

can inspire others to do the same, then, then there's more of that. Nice. I like that.

So true. It's amazing. It's amazing. It's, I mean, and that's exactly how that's how I would

describe you. That's how I would describe being in your presence. So I think you do that beautifully.

And I'm so again, just grateful and appreciative that our paths have crossed in this industry.

And I just love that we get to spend time with you because you make a difference for me every day.

So thank you for that. I feel the same way, you guys. Yeah.