Meet Emily Roberts and Brittany Anderson of Roots Beauty Studio & Boutique in Fort Collins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Roberts and Brittany Anderson.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Wow I am not even sure where or how to start this… Let’s go back seven years ago… At the time I had been in the beauty industry for five years and felt like I was ready for something different! I was working at an amazing hair salon in Fort Collins, Co. The owner of the salon I was working with was so incredible that she inspired me to open up my own hair salon. I had never even considered that path because it seemed like a lot of responsibility and I was only 25 years old at the time I started to exercise the idea of ownership and the more I researched and shared my ideas the more things just fell into place. I knew I had to pursue the idea of opening up my own salon! Within a week of fully committing to the idea, I was blessed with the best business partner who was one of my long term guests, funding for the business, an incredible location, and a team of builders. There was no going back at this point. We started building out our space in January 2013 and opened our doors in May 2013. We jumped in knowing nothing about business but we knew a lot about the beauty industry!

Over the last seven years, we’ve made mistakes, lots and lots of mistakes. We changed our business plan at least half a dozen times and still continued to develop and do whatever it took to be successful. We are in a highly competitive industry and we have to excel in customer service to maintain our guest’s satisfaction and to ensure they become repeat guests for life! The best thing we did for our business what NOT GIVE UP. The best advice we have for other entrepreneurs out there, DONT GIVE UP! All good things take time.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
HaHa! I would not describe it as smooth. It has been interesting. Very interesting… We have had to be very flexible and willing to adapt to the continuous changes! We went from a business model of having all booth renters to now we have all w-2 employees who make a commission. That was a huge shift in our salon company and one of the best decisions we ever made.

We struggled a lot with learning how to manage people and keep our staff motivated.

We struggled with not being so emotionally connected and having appropriate boundaries with our team. This industry is so personal and easy to cross boundaries, but maintaining our professionalism is very important to us, so we learned many lessons over and over again until it finally sank in.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Roots Beauty Studio & Boutique – what should we know?
We are a hair salon and boutique located in the heart of Fort Collins, Co in Old Town Square. We specialize in providing a loving, professional, and luxury salon experience. We are known for encompassing Fort Collins true nature of being the change by using eco-friendly hair care products and working with BCORP companies who are also aligned with the bigger picture to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

I have so much to be proud of, but If I had to choose one thing it would be my team. Without all their love and support none of this would be possible. They are so dedicated. It is a true honor to work side by side such as creative, talented, and loving people.

I believe it’s our atmosphere that sets us apart from others. When you walk through our doors you can feel the difference. The vibe is so laid back and homey. Everyone is so welcoming and smiling. We truly want you to have the best experience ever so we pride ourselves in giving great consultations followed with a service! From our manager to our salon assistance, we are here to love and serve our community with a great experience beginning to end!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
We defiantly have not done this alone. Our family deserves a lot of credit for all of their continued love and support. This would not have been possible without them.

Summit Salon Services for teaching us and believing in us and still to this day offering us the best coaching and development strategies!

Our team. For showing up everyday, working hard, and truly encompassing our culture all while taking such great care of our guests.

All our amazing Beauty Distributors for making sure we are always up to date with our products and education!

And finally, my partnership with my business partner/best friend/work wife for always being there to pick up where I leave off and always seeing the bigger picture! Our partnership has been the best part of this journey so far.

Contact Info:

• Address: 115 Linden St
  Old Town Square
  Fort Collins, Co 80524
• Phone: 970.484.2119
• Email: roots115@yahoo.com
• Instagram: @rootsbeautystudio
• Facebook: rootsbeautystudio

Image Credit:
Samantha Ruscher for Staff photos and Kamila Angelika for Salon photos.

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