Daily Inspiration: Meet Sherri Yager

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherri Yager.

Hi Sherri, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a small town in Nebraska and I moved to Fort Collins, Colorado two days after my 18th birthday to go to cosmetology school. Getting a job at Angles Salon, I started as an assistant and had an opportunity to advance my skills. One year later, a new owner of the salon purchased Angles and named it Namaste Salon. I became a color educator and traveled to salons in Colorado to share with other stylists. It was Namaste for five years and the owner at the time asked me and my husband if we wanted to purchase it from her. We did and it has grown with us. Things have slowly changed throughout the years, and I have grown into a more experienced leader and have created a culture that I am so proud of. I love teaching my staff and watching them grow and become more confident. We are going into our 16th year of owning the salon and I feel like I have owned 15 different businesses. Things were feeling really great, and then covid hit. The lockdowns and uncertainty put a strain on things that I have never felt. As a business, I am proud to say that we made it through stronger than ever. It really made us appreciate the small things more. We had made some improvements to the salon, and clients and staff started getting excited. Our team works so hard, they do such amazing work and they make me so proud, that I realized that I wanted to go all out for them and create a space that is truly who we are. The name Namaste has been so important in my story.

I am proud of it and everything that it has meant to us, but after so much growth and time gone by, we needed a name that matched who we have become. I was struck when heard the lyric “her hair is Harlow gold” in the song “Bette Davis Eyes”, as our daughter is named Harlow. The phrase “Harlow gold” was initially coined to describe 1930s film star Jean Harlow’s bleached blonde hair, which was considered quite daring. As of May 16, 2022 we are officially changing our name to Harlow Gold Salon and Spa and we are so excited as it is a nod to our love for music and hair and beauty classics. We are in Old Town Fort Collins, and do so much incredible hair color, hair cuts, perms, smoothing and conditioning treatments, spray tans, facials and skin treatments, lash extensions, lash lifts, brow shaping and tinting, henna brows and massage. I am so proud of how we have created such an inclusive and welcoming environment. I love when people tell us how friendly we are and how awesome it feels. We strive to make everyone feel taken care of. Because we purchased a salon with an existing name, I feel like creating a name and a brand is the one thing in this business that we haven’t done. This name represents so much to us and we are over the moon to share our excitement and our team with everyone.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Purchasing a business that is pre-existing comes with many challenges. However, I was too naive to realize many of them. Everything has been a learning experience since day 1. Purchasing a business full of your friends sounds like a great idea, but with no leadership experience, learning that not everyone thinks like me was my first big lesson. I had to learn a lot of things the hard way. I remember being so overwhelmed when we were purchasing the salon, that I asked the previous owner how to clean the salon. Looking back, I wish that was the thing I needed to know the most. lol Of course, covid was a doozie. There were SO many stressful times as a business owner, but they have all molded me into who I am now. I feel grateful now that I had those experiences to really put me under pressure so I could grow.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am obsessed with coloring hair. OBSESSED. I constantly want to know more from technique to chemistry. If I am at a hair show or class, you can find me in the front row. I specialize in blonding, dimensional color and transformations. I also enjoy subtle but impactful changes we can make in someone’s look. I love enhancing what makes them unique and beautiful. I have a client that calls me the platinum whisperer. Haha, I love it. Hair health is so important to me. Teaching people how to have the healthiest hair they through products and care is my passion. I love to connect with people and really listen to what hair experiences they have had in the past and when they have loved their hair the most. I want them to be obsessed with their hair. Over time I have learned to communicate with clients about their hair in a way that makes them feel comfortable and taken care of. I am really so proud when I see the team following in my footsteps and sharing their passion for what they do. My greatest joy in my work is witnessing the feeling that people get when they take the cape off and have a new sparkle. I pretty much found my dream job and I feel so blessed to get to do what I do and get to work with the people that I get to work with.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We have an assistant program at Harlow Gold Salon and Spa and we are so excited to expand our team… We are always looking to collaborate with other businesses in the community.

Contact Info:

• Email: harlowgoldsalon@gmail.com
• Website: www.HarlowgoldSalonandspa.com
• Instagram: harlowgoldsalonandspa
• Facebook: harlowgoldsalonandspa
• Yelp: yelp.com/biz/harlow-gold-salon-and-spa-fort-collins

Image Credits
Hannah Kutner at Wild Faith Creative