Today we’d like to introduce you to Liana Mia.
Hi Liana, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was raised in salons both my parents and pretty much all of my family are in the hair industry. It was always a place of comfort and came naturally to me. My dream was that one day I would own my own salon. I grew up in CT and never felt like I fit in there, I knew I wanted to be out in California and to attend the best school so when I was 18, I moved out by myself to start my career. After years of working on the west side for other salons I constantly felt unheard and overlooked and the things I knew and had experience with from my life experience weren’t being utilized. Thats when finally I made the jump to start my own studio and put to the test what I knew needed to be done. It was simple to me, back to basics one on one customer service and dependability. At the end of the day, that’s what we are here to do as hairstylists are making people happy and feel good! In one year on my own, I tripled my Business and after another 6-8 months, I started to plan to open a salon with a team, Salty Mane. I opened Salty Mane in 2017 and have continued to expand each year. I have an amazing talented team that continues to grow and inspire me. After this year of closures, my team and our community of clients kept me strong and pushing! Things are getting back on track and we just added a boutique/shop this year to expand the lifestyle experience. More fun things to come this summer!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With all the closures this year and last, it has been extremely hard to navigate with so much uncertainty, we had just expanded and tripled the size of the salon about six months before Covid started. To say it was bad timing is an understatement. Still figuring things out. So many small businesses are still struggling, I tried to use the time to get together other small women-owned businesses and sell goods and host pop-ups to keep our community together! Our clients gave us so much support and encouragement during that time, that’s really what kept my head up! I had to stay strong for my team because they mean everything to me, it wasn’t an option to fail. Still pushing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I always love a good overhaul makeover! Doing color, cut and extensions. I love long mermaid hair thats my thing. I would say my main focus is always educating my clients on how to take care of their hair, scalp and skin health. I’m working on a hair and skincare line now for Salty Mane. I’m very passionate about simplistic and straightforward products it really makes all the difference.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Don’t let anyone dull your sparkle or tell you you can’t do something. Work hard, learn, grow, have integrity and be grateful for what you have and what you’ve accomplished. Prove them wrong!
Pricing:
- Hair cut $165
- Balayage $420
- Full highlight $265
- Partial highlight $210
- Gloss/toner $110
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Saltymane.com
- Instagram: @saltymanestudio
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/saltymanestudio/
Image Credits:
Professionals photos taken by Marley Chaney
