Kimberly Bordeaux

 

 

I started in this industry as a nail technician.  I rented a space in an upscale salon in CT. In the beginning I was not getting the amount of clientele that I needed to survive.  I wanted to quit.  I had left a well paying job for a dream and it was not working the way that I planned.  But instead of quitting, I decided to work on my situation.  I ended up creating a business within this upscale salon: Nails with Attitude.  I made my own personal business cards, and on days when I had no clientele, I stood outside and handed out business cards.  Before long, I had more than the amount of clients that I needed to survive.

 

I opened my first hair salon without my license. I noticed that the salon where I was working had perfected hair styling ,but they were lacked business sense.  I realized that I could do better, so I opened my first hair salon without my license. Since I did not have my license, and  did not style hair at the time, I hired a full staff consisting of managers, and licensed stylists.  This opportunity gave me the chance to focus completely on the business aspect of things.  I set the vision of the salon, purchased and sold retail products, and kept myself and my staff motivated.  I had a dream and  went for it. 

 

After a while, I saw that my stylists were lacking certain skills.  They were all good stylists, but they did not have customer service skills.  They did not look at each client individually.  They did not know how to sell more services, and they did not understand the different textures of hair.  I realized that when we did someone’s hair, we changed their lives.  None of my stylists realized that so I decided to go to hair school. 

 

I went to hair school once a week. What should have been a one year process four years to complete I stayed motivated and now I have my license. When I received my license I felt like I hit the lotto. ANYTHING THAT I WANTED WAS POSSIBLE!

 

I have experienced many ups and downs over the years while transitioning from a nail technician to salon owner and finally business owner and world renown stylist.  I love my industry, and I want to see it grow.  Its growth consists of salons surviving, salons that love themselves, and salons that respect all aspects of the industry.  It is also important that students who complete their education realize the importance of having their license.  Twenty years later, this is why The Art of Business was written.

 

Experiences

 

I have been the owner of two successful salons in the Greater New Haven, Connecticut Area.  From 1991 to 2001, I was the proprietor of Studio West, the largest African American owned salon in Connecticut.  Studio West was an upscale, full service salon which catered to professional, career orientated clientele.  All clients were treated like superstars.  As a convenience to these superstars, hair care products were available for purchase.  Unfortunately, in 2001, a fire in the building where Studio West was located forced it to close.

 

In 1998, I had a second salon which was called Salon Bordeaux.  In its early years, , Salon Bordeaux was a very artsy, college orientated salon that catered to a clientele that was 100% Caucasian.  The primary focus at the time was haircuts and manicures.  When Studio West closed, its clientele combined with that of Salon Bordeaux.  This fusion of clientele developed into a very eclectic and diverse population.  Salon Bordeaux’s clients are encouraged to relax and be themselves while an atmosphere of sisterhood and empowerment is fostered and supported.

 

I have also been an educator for two major companies.  Kimberly Bordeaux has been featured in many national magazines such as Essence, Salon Sense, and Salon Today just to name a few.