Conversations with Kelly Swann

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Swann.

Hi Kelly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I joined my first salon in 2012 back in Rockville, MD where I grew up. That salon taught me the beauty of Curly Hair and a Team-Based business model in a salon. I fell in love with helping people to embrace their naturally curly hair and the collaborative environment of a Team-based salon.

In 2018 I made a career change to another industry that moved me to Denver and I quickly realized I love being part of the beauty industry and did not enjoy the career change. When I began looking for a salon home in Denver, I knew I would only work in a values-driven, Team-Based salon.

My boss from the salon in MD told me the founder of Let Em Have It Salon posted in a salon owner’s Facebook group saying she was looking for someone to join her team who wanted to work for a Team-Based Salon, knew how to do curly hair and could teach her team how to do curly hair! I read about the salon’s values and knew it was the place for me! I fell in love with Let Em Have It immediately and was so grateful to work for another value-based company.

Within a couple of years of being on the team, the Founder offered to sell me the salon and while I was terrified, I knew it was the next right step for my path. I am so grateful to be able to do what I love and help a lot of lovely people along the way while trying our best to make a positive impact on the environment.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has absolutely NOT been a smooth road. My mentors and other business owners that I respect warned me that the entrepreneurial journey is not for the faint of heart and I had no idea how true that was. Unfortunately, within 2 months of becoming the owner of the salon, one of our team members who we loved so deeply passed away unexpectedly.

Walking through grief while trying to learn how to run a business, and tend to my team’s & client’s grief along with the financial hardship that presented was one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced in my life. Love and trust are what got us through that, I had to trust that we could make it through the storm and keep love alive in the salon along the way.

After that, I know without a shadow of a doubt we can make it through anything as long as we keep love at the forefront of our business. I am grateful for all the support we got and all of the lessons we gained along the way. I think that experience helped me to become a stronger leader.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are one of 3 Certified B Corp Salons in the WHOLE WORLD! We are super proud of that and hope to inspire other salons to join us in the mission of using business as a force for good. We are a values-driven company with a focus on Inclusivity and Sustainability.

We use clean products with sustainable packaging and we are able to divert 95% of our salon waste through Green Circle Salons and Scraps Composting. As far as inclusivity, we are a queer-loving space with a focus on naturally curly hair. No matter how you identify and what texture your hair is, we have a mission to help you love yourself a little more.

What matters most to you? Why?
Love! That is my number one core value because all good things come from love. It starts with self-love – when I treat myself with love, I can treat others with love and help them to love themselves more. If we all keep love at the forefront, we can treat each other and our surroundings with respect and really start to make some positive changes for the environment and our society.

Pricing:

• Cuts – $100/hr
• Color – $110/hr
• Fashion Color – $150/hr
• Corrective Color – $150/hr

Contact Info:

• Website: www.letemhaveitsalon.com
• Instagram: @letemhaveitsalon