“Be special, have a specialty.”
Chances are, if you’re hanging out with us, you’ve heard it before…but actually doing it? Yikes.
That’s why today, we are so beyond thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Bridgette D’Angelo, a Thriver salon owner and stylist who has mastered her niche!
Bridgette D’Angelo, the owner and master stylist of Head Rush Salon, specializes in lived-in color and goes by the mantra of lead, inspire, support, paint, style. And this woman? She has nailed down what it means to be special and have a specialty.
That’s why we were so excited to score time with her to dig into her top tips, tricks, and how she made a niche business truly thrive!
Tell us a little bit about your salon and business!
My salon is the first organic, non-toxic salon in our town! I opened in 2015, have 4 stylists, 1 lash tech, and 2 receptionists. We are expanding and hoping to add on facials and another stylist. We are a Green Circle salon and are sustainable in every corner.
I want to serve clients who care about the products they use because it’s important to me as well. What we put on our body is just as important as what we put in it.
How did you become interested in this niche? Why do you want to serve this clientele?
My first salon job was at a commission salon where they used organic color. When I opened my salon, I knew I wanted to have a healthier option for clients as well, so I opened with an even better color line to help me support my niche.
Do you just have one niche or more? Why?
Sustainability is our biggest niche. Others include balayage and bridal. We have a natural, boho vibe which eco-friendly fits right in with that! It’s who I am, it’s who the girls are, and I believe you should stay in your lane and be really good at that instead of doing all the things.
Were you interested in other niches/target markets or did you always know this was IT for you? Why?
Being eco-friendly/non-toxic was very important to me, but before Thrivers, I didn’t know who my TM was. I focused more on balayage and bridal to build our following and clientele, the products sold themselves, and I am now able to talk more about our holistic wellness as a whole.
In my town, since I’m the first to bring this sort of salon here, “organic” isn’t always a good thing. People may roll their eyes, ask if it works, and give a bad vibe whenever I mention it. So I decided to attract the clients I wanted without fully promoting the idea of organic.
Of course people care about the health of their hair and self, but they care about a good balayage first. It was once I got them in my chair, I could share what kind of products we have and get them interested in that!
Can you introduce us to your dream client?
She’s 35 and a working mother of two. She loves to take care of herself with working out, eating healthy, and getting her hair done. She loves coffee to get her going in the morning and wine to relax after a day of work and running around to kids’ activities. She invests in her hair care routine and styles her hair in either waves or a cute top knot.
How did you finally narrow down and in on this niche?
I have always been a product junkie but when I learned about the chemicals in most hair and face products and educated myself on it, I made a huge change in my life at home. When I opened, I wanted to be inspiring to others to be more aware of what they are using.
Are there other salons like you in your area? How do you make sure you stand out from them?
The closest salon that is similar is about 30 minutes away. Thrivers have helped us stand out from any salon near us. We are always getting new clients and focusing on the perfect guest experience, always checking in with what we are doing and how it’s working so we can make adjustments.
Can you give us an inside peek into how you attract clients interested in your business into your salon?
So what we have been doing that clients absolutely love is when a new guest fills out a pre-visit consultation and books with us, we send them a digital welcome packet that shares fun info about the salon, about the products we use, and a percentage off towards retail. In the welcome email, we also send them a “get to know your stylist” with a little blurb about the stylist they are booked with.
The pre-visit consultation attracts them because we have an in-depth email going on back and forth with pictures and questions about their hair.
What’s the biggest marketing mistake you’ve made? What lesson did you learn from it?
When I first opened, a lot of marketing companies wanted me to purchase things from them to get me out there. I paid a lot of money during my first two years towards marketing that wasn’t getting me anywhere or any clients.
I learned that I need to be in control of my marketing and precise about where I put my money so it’s the most effective.
What’s been your biggest marketing success?
I really haven’t done a ton of paid marketing. My biggest paid marketing success is being on The Knot. We get so many brides from that site. This year, I’ll be focusing on way more local marketing to boost our place within the community.
What’s on your social media/marketing plan to keep clients coming to your chair in 2021?
Video!! Any type of video will be our biggest focus this year. Educating our clients with “how-tos” and what it’s like being in our chair.
Sustainability/green salons are becoming more and more popular! How are you planning to keep standing out from the crowd?
They are and I do love that. I love being at the forefront of this niche in my area. We are well-known and I’d like to keep it that way.
This year we also want to focus more on scalp therapy and why having a healthy scalp is important. I’d also love to bring in a more holistic approach and learn reiki so I can add that to my client’s time.
I’m ready to level up in the green salon world and show other salons how fun it is to be holistic!
If you could tell one big, huge marketing tip to someone interested in specializing/attracting clients in a niche business, what would you say?
Be true to what you want and what you stand for. I had a difficult time in focusing on what I wanted because other salons were doing it a little differently. I stopped looking at what everyone was doing and did my thing. Don’t get distracted and it will all fall into place.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to build a specialty/niche business?
Be your specialty and just that. Don’t do too much.
Are you fully inspired or what?! Bridgette, thank you so much for your time. We are truly mind-blown by what you’ve accomplished and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for you and Head Rush Salon in 2021!
If you want to take a peek at all the magic Bridgette’s creating, to get inspired, or just say hi, visit her at salonheadrush.com, Instagram, or Facebook!
