This stylist learned from experience—and then found the support she needed to be her own boss
Early on, she worked with a salon owner who seemed to struggle with the day-to-day duties involved in running a business. “Honestly, she seemed kind of miserable,” she recalled. Alix also worked for big corporate salons, but they had many of the same obstacles. “Seeing how other people ran salons really opened my eyes and I learned a lot,” she said.
After ten years working in top salons across the area, Alix decided it was time to take all that knowledge and break out on her own. She trusted her vision and she was confident that she had developed a roadmap for success. She had seen things done well and she had seen some mistakes. Through that experience, Alix learned that building lasting relationships would be the foundation of her new venture.
A friend told Alix that she could find the resources she needed to get her new salon off the ground at the University of Hartford’s Entrepreneurial Center & Women’s Business Center. She was matched with advisor Elaine Thomas Williams, who helped her start off on the right foot. “Elaine was amazing,” Alix said, “She guided me through creating a business plan and she helped me research locations to figure out the best place for my salon.”
Elaine also assisted Alix in getting the funding she needed through HEDCO’s small business loan program. With the financial backing to go with her solid business plan, Alix officially opened InK Hair Bar in Farmington in the summer of 2018.
The name of her salon has particular significance for Alix. “InK” (with a capital “K”) is named for her two daughters, Iliana and K’leigh. The salon is located right in the center of Farmington, which Alix says has been ideal both for serving her existing clientele and for developing her new business.
“For a first year, I really couldn’t have asked for much more,” she said happily. Alix reports that she has stayed busy with building a new clientele and positive word-of-mouth has been her biggest asset. Her ultimate goal would be to add stylists to her Farmington location and possibly even expand to a bigger space.
While Alix came to this business with a lot of knowledge of salons, both the upside and the downside, the nitty gritty of launching a business was not something she had studied. That’s why she is so grateful to have had the resources of the Center available to her, right from the first free business workshop she attended. “I was not a money person,” she emphasized, “Elaine was so helpful and she showed me how to understand profit and loss. I had so many questions!”
Alix says she is now a cheerleader for the Entrepreneurial Center & Women’s Business Center, often referring friends and colleagues and encouraging them to take advantage of the free and low-cost support services. “I think it’s great. I talk about it all the time,” she said, “They’re available whenever you need to talk to them, and that’s been so important for InK. I couldn’t do it without them!”