May 15, 2017

Meet Anna Walsh of Lola Hair Studio in Cambridge and Belmont Line

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Walsh.

Anna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I became interested in hair dressing at a young age. With a degree from Bentley in the area of finance, I worked in Corporate America in various roles and found myself always thinking about it. When I was 26, I took a voluntary lay off and headed to cosmetology school at Lexington Minuteman Regional High School in their post graduate program. I loved every second of it. I then submerged myself in the industry. I worked in a salon studying hair for 12 years.

Having a vision and a business background, I thought owning my own salon was the way to go. After some time, I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe I shouldn’t, or maybe I wouldn’t be good at it. I thought that maybe I could just do my work and go home, continue to educate myself, work on my craft and have no ties and be free as a bird. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I left the salon I spent my hair dressing career at and rented a chair at a salon 6.5 miles from where my base was. I threw caution to the wind a little bit and knew I had to start over and figure it all out. So, now I was it! I bought all my own supplies, got a web scheduling and POS system, booked my own appointments, checked out and rescheduled my own clients, learned a new product line and scheduled my own education. I did all my own advertising and learned very quickly how to navigate around the social media I was ignoring. I went from having everything there for me to not knowing what the next day was going to bring. I was a wreck!!

I chose to do my best to have a positive outlook and consider it a learning experience. The salon I went to was great, the women there were more than supportive. I got to see a totally different salon. Slowly but surely some of my old clients started to locate me. I was floored that they would travel all that way (and it wasn’t an easy 6.5 miles). I met more and more people that encouraged me and cheered me on. It gave me a whole new confidence that clients enjoyed my work enough to find me and make the trip Every day my main goals were to do my very best work, to keep inspired and let people know why they were sitting in my chair.

I continued to educate myself. I took classes on-line and in person. I love the art of balayage, so I traveled to Atlanta to an amazing class at Jamison Shaw that reinforced and ignited my passion for my craft. How lucky am I that I get to do what I always wanted. I never work a day. I never wish I was doing something else. I enjoy making people look and feel good about themselves and I love to work with my hands to create it.

On my new drive to my new salon, I kept passing this group of stores and one of them had a “For Lease” sign. I looked at it every day and just went on. I thought, oh I should pull in and look at it. Every day, I kept driving. I eventually at least took a picture of the sign as I was driving by and I thought that it must be rented by now. Then it started to haunt me, and I thought about the area, and I thought about the location and I finally made an appointment to look at it. When I went in, it was very big – about 2000 sq. feet, completely gutted and empty with half missing, half hanging ceiling tiles and a destroyed floor. It had been a popular outlet food store for over 10 years. I saw potential but 2000 sq. feet was going to be hard for just me to fill. As I turned to leave I noticed there were two store fronts. I inquired about it and it had, at one point, been two separate stores. So, I submitted a request to split the space. I had to submit a business plan, all my financials, a proposal and an outline of what I thought the space would look like. It got approved! I couldn’t believe it! Then I was off again! I started to eliminate fear from my thought process, I already proved to myself that I could do it on my own because I had been. Every door that opened, led me to another one, and another one.

I had ideas of what I wanted my salon to be like but I knew that I could not design it myself. While I was gathering my inspiration on Pinterest, I found a salon I loved the style of – I pinned it multiple times without realizing it. I finally clicked on it and figured out that the designer is in Mass! What are the odds of that?? So, I called Tracy Mowchenson and sat down with her and told her my ideas (and my very small budget). She agreed to work with me even with such tight stipulations. We got very creative and the end result is gorgeous. I wanted a modern, sophisticated salon but I still wanted it to be comfortable and not cold, elegance with an edge. The end result is better than I would have pictured. I put so much thought into everything. I tried to keep in mind my guests and my future staff that I didn’t know yet. I also wanted to be as environmentally conscious as I could. I also had help from a friend who is an electrician but also a jack of all trades that was integral in getting the salon to where it needed to be.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
At times it’s been a bumpy road, but I think a lot of the challenges I encountered were not unlike the experiences of most small business owners. There were issues with permits, inspections, orders not being received, contractor difficulties and a much longer build out timeline than I was originally anticipating. Looking back on everything now, it doesn’t seem so bad but at the time it was agonizing. Although it was stressful, it was also empowering because I was able to work through everything and think on my feet and make adjustments accordingly. It’s all part of the learning experience. Going forward, I’m now prepared to face any type of situation that may arise in the future.

I would say that my biggest obstacle in the very beginning was myself. I really had to put my big girl pants on and let go of things that were out of my hands. I also had to be conscious of not letting fear determine my life choices, which I know is something that people do without realizing. I had to make sure I was making decisions based off of what my end goal was, not what I felt was a safe bet with a low chance of failure. It is a constant practice to keep these things in mind, but I’ve noticed a huge difference in my daily life. I learned very early on that a positive mindset goes a long way, and that even though I cannot always control what may happen, I can control how I choose to react and move forward.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Lola Hair Studio – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Lola Hair Studio is an elegant salon located on the Cambridge/Belmont line offering exclusive salon services for women and men of all ages, using some of the top luxury products in the industry. Lola Hair Studio focuses on current and customized hair cutting and coloring techniques along with superior customer service in a beautiful, comfortable space with easy, ample parking.

At Lola, our stylists wear many hats. We are a diverse group, fluent in both precision and free spirited cutting, using both scissors and razor. We enjoy working with all hair styles; curly to straight, long in length to a pixie, and anything and everything in between we are accomplished in all types of hair coloring, specializing in everything from a fun seasonal change to grey coverage. Our stylists are multi-dimensional, friendly, and attentive to all of our guests. I like to think that not only do our loyal guests return to us time after time not just because of the work we do, but also in part due to the bonds our stylists form with them. I always say that time spent in a salon chair should be a relaxing and fun break from reality, so I strive to ensure that everyone who walks in the door leaves us feeling refreshed, happy, and confident in their new look.

I am most proud of the brand we have created, and the staff I have assembled to carry out my vision of the ideal hairstyling salon experience. It truly feels effortless for us to succeed because of the incredible group of women I have working at Lola, or as I like to call them, the “Dream Team.” I am beyond proud of all of our accomplishments both individually and as a salon, and above all, our tireless effort to bring more and more inspiration, creativity, and passion to our craft each day.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I do have my eye on the horizon but I’m also trying to enjoy the moment. One of my main goals was to always have balance between working and spending time with the people I love most, my family and friends. Plus, who doesn’t love to take a little vacation every now and then? I like to make sure everything with my business is running efficiently and smoothly, that way I can take time for myself away from work and not feel guilty or as though I’m neglecting any necessary responsibilities. At some point in the future I may decide to open another location – or some sort of spin off of the business I’ve created. Of course I have a few ideas in my back pocket, and I figure the possibilities are endless as long as I’m able to continue my passion for hairdressing.

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