The Art of Salon Ownership and Motherhood

Here at Sola, we are a community of like-minded individuals—beauty professionals who thrive in the “suite life,” running our own business and building successful brands. Within this beautiful community of ours, we have many working parents and many women to celebrate this Mother’s Day.

Balancing building a business and motherhood is a bit of a juggling act. From getting kids off to school or to daycare to booking clients and doing inventory, not to mention a dance lesson or t-ball practice, it takes a lot to keep it organized and functioning as a well-oiled mommy machine.

Within our 2018 Faces of Sola tribe, we have a few moms (and a grandma, too!) we’d like to acknowledge and celebrate including Polly Sanders-Peterson, Ashley Lewis, Amanda Fagen, LaShonda Banks, and Mahogany Plautz. When these ladies aren’t standing behind the chair, they are raising incredible little humans.

We recently chatted with Amanda and Mahogany and asked them both, “How do you balance salon ownership and motherhood?”

Here's what these two working mothers had to say:

Balance & Boundaries

“Balance has been a big goal of mine this year,” shares Amanda. “How I have been working to maintain balance as a mom and business owner is by setting boundaries to separate my role as business owner and mother, as well as a wife, a homeowner, and maintaining my individual identity. They’re all really important roles to me and I want to ensure that I’m able to invest fully in each area and not overwhelm myself.”

Rhythm Nation

“In my experience, I have found that balance is a myth,” adds Mahogany. “One of my favorite coaches, Nina Kovner of Passion Squared, introduced me to the idea of finding my rhythm rather than searching for the mythical balance.”

Make the Time

“This year I’ve lowered my schedule to three days a week so I have been able to maximize time at home with my family and I’ve increased my hours for those three days so I can maintain availability for my clients,” says Amanda. “I also have one day during the week that I have scheduled as a self-care day to recharge and spend time on my own hobbies. I also put my phone on 'do not disturb' and hold off on business emails or messages after a certain time in the evening and one day a week that is designated entirely to my family.”

No Drama Indoors

“In my business, I strive to do the same and be present with each guest and not worry about anything before they came in or what is happening next,” shares Mahogany. “These boundaries are tough to uphold but totally worth it.”

Live in the Moment

“My sons Oliver and Isaac are the reason I do everything that I do,” adds Mahogany. “When I am with them, we are having dance parties, watching movies and adventuring. I do my best to get lost in the fun stuff with them. We have check-ins before bed where we make our gratitude lists and talk about what happened that day.”

Manage Your Money

“We also have financial goals as a family to pave the way for my daughter’s future so being able to provide a secondary income for my family to help give my girls a better life and also afford ballet lessons, family outings, and much-needed Target goodies are extremely rewarding,” says Amanda.

In It Together

“It’s also really special as a stylist to be able to connect with other mothers the way we do,” Amanda explains. “I have clients who are seasoned moms, new moms, and some desiring to be a mom and I am grateful to be able to walk alongside them in their pursuit of motherhood. I’m constantly encouraged and inspired by these amazing women I get to call clients and friends. We root each other on, support and pray for each other. Oftentimes it takes so much for moms to even make it to my chair and to able to be on the giving end of much-needed self-care hard working mommas is something I don’t take for granted.”

At the End of the Day

“I am extra grateful to all the mamas out there who support each other," Mahogany states. “It’s an all-encompassing, lifelong journey that twists and turns. I have learned so much about myself and the things I want out of life being Oliver and Isaac’s mama. They really are #mamaslittlereasons.”

“It’s honestly not easy to balance motherhood with other responsibilities because it requires so much of you," Amanda ends with. “My kids are my world and my family comes first and I would be so grateful to spend every day with them but I also absolutely love my role as a business owner. I am so blessed to play both parts. It brings me so much joy to care for my family and for my clients, have a creative outlet as a stylist, and be able to grow personally and professionally in each area.”

To all our Sola mothers – and to each and every woman who takes on the role as “mother,” including foster mothers, step-mothers, grandmothers, and everything in between – we raise a virtual bouquet of flowers to you. Cheers to YOU.