Conversations with the Inspiring Calandra Bodilis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Calandra Bodilis.

Calandra, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story started as a teenage girl wanting to pursue a career in the art form of ballet and dance but I knew that I needed a career as being a “starving artist” was not something I wanted to be. I knew I wanted a career that was creative and flexible to work around rehearsal and performance schedules. I thought doing hair checked all of the right boxes so I applied to my high school’s technical cosmetology program. I was ecstatic to learn I was accepted on scholarship filling one of the two spots that were open for the year.

Once enrolled in classes, I knew I found my calling and passion- doing hair. I came home after the first day of class and told my parents I was not only going to learn to be the best but I was going to open my own salon one day. I was going to make that happen by sweeping salon floors, and working my way from the “ground” up, I would do whatever it was going to take. At 18 years old, I graduated cosmetology school and applied to be an assistant at one of the top salons in cherry creek north at the time. I assisted and learned from the top stylists, Gina Martinez and Amy Lerch.

After working for ten years and working my way up to becoming a master stylist, I met my now-husband Stephan Bodilis, who is also an entrepreneur. Not knowing much of the business side of operations my husband became my mentor and taught me everything I needed to know about running a business. It was time, I was ready and Envogue Salon Inc was born. We have been successfully operating in business since 2013.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have had many challenges and obstacles to overcome in the past six years. One of the biggest lessons I learned early on is making sure you plan time for self-care and establishing a work-life balance. After only being in business a year, I ended up needing multiple surgeries due to complications from Crohn’s disease. This was extremely difficult because I was learning to run a brand-new business that I needed to keep afloat and by overworking myself I let my health go. I quickly learned the phrase we all know, I needed to work “smarter not harder”.

As we became more established, I began growing and hiring staff that fit our brand, are amazing stylists, a team that I fully trusted an awesome General Manager Nawaal Farooq.

After, figuring out this work/life balance I was able to work, have my Crohn’s disease in remission and I was ready to start thinking about starting a family- or so I thought.

After multiple miscarriages and rounds of IVF over the past three years has been one of the biggest challenges in my life.

The only way I was able to keep the salon going was due to the incredible team and the system and procedures Nawaal and I have in place. I was very honest with my team during this time, I always shared with them what I was going through, if I may be a little “off” not to take it personally-I’ve cried in front of and with my staff tears of joy as well as sadness. My biggest advice I would share with that has always served me well is to be open and transparent with others. This builds a strong community and it builds trust.

What should we know about Envogue Salon? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Envogue Salon is an upscale hair salon located in the heart of the golden triangle. We specialize in highlights, balayage, color and men’s and women’s haircutting. We are also known for offering bonded as well as tape-in extensions. I believe what separates us from other high-end salons is how welcoming and friendly our entire team is.

We strive to make our clients feel like they are at home while they are getting serviced by highly, hand-selected staff. Another thing that makes us unique is we truly work together as a team, we share clients and are always bouncing ideas off of each other.

We also have and provide continuing education for our team, from new techniques to learning about the most cutting-edge performing product lines on the market. What I am proud of is how we run our business- at the salon, we strive to be consistent, organized and efficient so that our stylists can focus on what they excel at, doing amazing hair! I am also the proudest of our team, they are a group of extremely talented, motivated and respectful women.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Fortunately, I feel like women in our industry do not have as many barriers as other industries. I believe there is a new movement of hairdressers out there that are starting to work together as a community. As far as female leadership, I turn to other women for inspiration.

One of my greatest sources of inspiration as a women business owner is listening to the podcast Skimm’d From The Couch. Every episode features a woman in business, from founders to CEOs from all industries. I find inspiration by listening because, at the end of the day, you realize you are just like most of these women, you realize we all have good days and bad days but you keep going.

Another source of inspiration is from a group of young women entrepreneurs, a friend of mine and I started an all-women leadership business book club- from there it grew into another group Kim Jarret started called Leading Ladies. We get together and share “wins” and lean on each other for advice when we can’t seem to find motivation. Having a support system or mentor is the key to keep going!

Pricing:

• Schedule for a complementary consultation for hair color and hair extensions
• Women’s Haircuts start at $45
• Men’s Haircuts start at $40
• Blow dry’s start at $40

Contact Info:

• Address: Envogue Salon
  300 W 11th Ave Unit D
  Denver, Co 80204
• Website: www.envoguesalondenver.com
• Phone: 303-573-3910
• Email: envoguesaloninfo@gmail.com
• Instagram: @envoguesalondenver
• Facebook: Envogue Salon Denver

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.