By Michaella Blissett-Williams, Founder and CEO of [salon]718
How do you turn a creative passion into a profitable business, build a strong team, embrace technology, and create a lasting legacy?
Michaella Blissett-Williams, founder of [salon]718, shares seven lessons on entrepreneurship, leadership, salon profitability, personal growth, and community impact.
Building a business is about more than being good at what you do. It is about turning your talent into a sustainable business, developing people who can grow alongside you, embracing change, and creating something that makes a difference beyond yourself.
When I started my journey in the beauty industry, my hands were my business. As a hairstylist, my success was tied directly to the time I spent behind the chair. But as my vision grew, I realized that if I wanted to build something bigger, I had to change the way I thought about business.
That shift—from being a business owner to becoming a leader who builds systems, develops people, and creates opportunities—has shaped my journey with [salon]718, a Brooklyn-based, multi-location salon brand.
Over the years, I have learned that sustainable business growth requires more than talent and hard work. It requires financial discipline, strong leadership, a willingness to stretch beyond your comfort zone, and a commitment to the people and community around you.
Here are seven lessons that have shaped my approach to entrepreneurship and leadership.
- You Can’t Scale Yourself. You Have to Scale Your Systems, Culture, and People.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that being exceptional at your craft doesn’t automatically make you exceptional at running a business.
As creative entrepreneurs, we often start with a talent or a passion. We focus on perfecting our work, serving our clients, and building a reputation. But growth requires an entirely different set of skills.
You have to understand your numbers. You have to develop leaders. You have to establish systems that allow your business to operate consistently, even when you aren’t in the room.
At [salon]718, we focus on key performance indicators that help us understand the health of our business: client count, average ticket, retail sales, rebooking, and reviews. These measurements help us identify opportunities, hold ourselves accountable, and make better decisions.
But numbers alone don’t build a brand. People do.
As a leader, I have had to learn that my job isn’t to have every answer or solve every problem. My responsibility is to develop a team that can think critically, take ownership, and lead with confidence.
The goal is to build an organization that doesn’t depend on one person’s constant involvement to succeed.
You don’t scale yourself. You scale your systems, your culture, and your people.
That is how you move from owning a business to building a brand that can grow beyond its founder’s daily involvement.
- Be Careful of the Words You Speak Over Your Life
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned on my entrepreneurial journey is that we have to be intentional about the words we use—not just when we speak to others, but when we speak to ourselves.
How often do we say, “I’m tired,” “I don’t have enough time,” or “I have too much on my plate”?
I’ve said those things myself. But I’ve also learned to challenge the language we use because the words we repeat can shape how we see our circumstances and what we believe is possible.
What if, instead of constantly telling ourselves that we don’t have enough time, we asked ourselves whether we have developed the capacity to manage what we want to accomplish?
Sometimes, the problem isn’t that we don’t have enough time. It’s that we haven’t yet developed the capacity to take on more.
Capacity is something we can build. It grows when we learn to prioritize, become more disciplined, develop new skills, delegate effectively, and challenge ourselves to operate at a higher level.
As entrepreneurs, we cannot expect our businesses to grow if we aren’t willing to grow with them. The person who built the business in its early stages may need to become a very different leader to take it to the next level.
That means stretching ourselves. It means learning to handle greater responsibility, make better decisions, manage our energy, and create systems that allow us to accomplish more without simply working longer hours.
And there is an important distinction here: stretching ourselves doesn’t mean ignoring exhaustion, sacrificing our health, or believing we must do everything alone. True capacity comes from becoming more effective, building the right support systems, and knowing when to rest and recharge.
We don’t build capacity by endlessly adding more to our plates. We build it by becoming better equipped to carry what matters.
I’ve learned that growth often begins when we stop accepting our current limitations as permanent and start asking ourselves a different question: What do I need to learn, change, or develop to get to the next level?
That question changes the conversation. Instead of focusing only on what we cannot do, we begin looking for ways to expand what we can do.
Be intentional about the words you speak over your life. Don’t let today’s limitations become tomorrow’s identity. Build your capacity, stretch your thinking, and become the person your next level requires.
- Growth Should Never Make You Lose Your Roots
Community has never been just a marketing strategy for me. It is part of why we exist.
[salon]718 grew out of Brooklyn, and our connection to this community remains central to our identity. We aren’t simply providing hair services. We are creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and confident.
As a business grows, maintaining that personal connection becomes more challenging. You can’t personally interact with every client, mentor every employee, or participate in every community initiative.
But you can build a culture in which everyone understands the importance of those relationships.
For me, that starts with education. I want our team members to grow not only as hairstylists but also as leaders, entrepreneurs, and human beings. When we invest in our people, we empower them to invest in others.
That commitment extends beyond the salon through [718]Cares, our nonprofit initiative focused on exposing young people to beauty, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and mindfulness.
I believe businesses have a responsibility to ask an important question: Who is better off because we exist?
Success isn’t simply about how many locations we open or how much revenue we generate. It is also about how many lives we impact, how many opportunities we create, and how much stronger our community becomes because we are here.
Growth should never make you lose your roots. It should give you more opportunities to deepen them.
- Embrace AI and Technology Without Losing the Human Touch
Artificial intelligence and technology are transforming the beauty industry. For small-business owners, these changes can feel overwhelming, especially when we are already balancing staffing, operations, customer service, and profitability.
But I believe technology presents an extraordinary opportunity.
At [salon]718, we use technology to help us understand our business, track performance, improve marketing, and make more informed decisions. AI can help us recognize patterns, streamline communication, and reduce repetitive administrative work.
Think about how much time business owners spend answering the same questions, reviewing reports, managing routine tasks, or trying to understand why performance has changed. Technology can help us work more efficiently, freeing up time for the work that matters most: coaching our teams, building relationships, and creating exceptional client experiences.
However, there is something technology cannot replace.
It cannot replace the feeling a client gets when their stylist remembers something personal about them, listens carefully to their concerns, or helps them leave the salon feeling beautiful and confident.
Those moments are at the heart of our industry.
My advice to small-business owners is to start with a problem, not a technology trend. Identify one area of your business that consumes too much time or creates unnecessary friction. Find a tool that addresses that problem, train your team, and measure whether it delivers meaningful results.
We must also protect client privacy and maintain trust as we adopt new tools.
My philosophy is simple: Automate the tasks, but humanize the experience.
The businesses that thrive will be those that combine technological efficiency with empathy, creativity, and genuine human connection.
- Stop Confusing Being Busy With Being Profitable
For creative entrepreneurs, passion is often what gets the business started. But passion alone is not enough to sustain it.
We can become so focused on serving clients, perfecting our craft, and creating beautiful work that we neglect the financial side of the business.
One of the most important lessons I would share with any entrepreneur is this: you must understand the business behind your talent.
Know what it costs to deliver your service or create your product. Understand your margins, pricing, payroll, and operating expenses. Most importantly, know how much money you are actually keeping at the end of the day.
Revenue tells you how much business you are generating. Profitability tells you whether your business model is working.
You also have to learn to communicate and charge for the value you provide. Talented people often underprice their work because they are uncomfortable discussing money or uncertain about how to calculate their value.
A sustainable business requires more than great work. It requires thoughtful pricing, disciplined financial management, repeat customers, and a clear understanding of what makes the business financially healthy.
You must also build systems that reduce your dependence on your own time. Create consistent processes, strengthen customer relationships, and give people compelling reasons to return.
A sustainable business isn’t built on a single transaction. It is built on trust, consistency, and lasting relationships.
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Seek out mentors, learn from people who have already navigated the challenges you face, and invest in your business education with the same commitment you bring to your craft.
You don’t have to choose between being an artist and being a businessperson. You have to learn how to be both.
- Turn Your Challenges Into a Different Way of Seeing the World
My own journey has taught me that entrepreneurship is as much about personal growth as it is about business growth.
Building a company while raising a family, managing responsibilities, and navigating challenges has required me to keep learning and adapting. I’ve had to develop skills that didn’t always come naturally to me.
Those experiences have also taught me to approach problems differently.
I believe the challenges we face can become sources of strength when we learn how to work with them rather than allow them to define us. They can teach us to be resourceful, to think creatively, and to recognize possibilities others might overlook.
That perspective has influenced how I lead, how I build teams, and how I think about the next generation of entrepreneurs.
We need to create environments where people are encouraged to learn, ask questions, develop confidence, and discover their own strengths.
Leadership isn’t about being perfect. It is about remaining willing to grow—and helping other people do the same.
- Build Something Bigger Than Yourself
As entrepreneurs, it is easy to measure success by the visible milestones: revenue, expansion, recognition, or the number of people on our teams.
Those things matter. Financial sustainability matters. Growth matters. But I believe the ultimate measure of success goes deeper.
What opportunities have you created? Who have you empowered? What have you contributed to your community? What will remain when you are no longer involved in every daily decision?
For me, building [salon]718 has always been about more than hair. It is about creating opportunities for people to build careers, develop confidence, become leaders, and discover what is possible for themselves.
It is about creating a business that can be financially successful while remaining connected to its values.
And it is about recognizing that when a business grows, its potential impact grows with it.
We should not have to choose between profitability and purpose. With thoughtful leadership, they can strengthen one another.
The Legacy Is Bigger Than the Business
If there is one lesson I hope other creative entrepreneurs take from my journey, it is this: you can start with a skill, a dream, and a willingness to learn—and build something much bigger than yourself.
But you have to be willing to evolve.
You must learn the business behind your talent. You must develop people instead of trying to do everything yourself. You must embrace technology without losing the human connection that makes your business special. You must build your capacity to lead at the next level. And you must remember the community and the values that helped you get started.
Success isn’t just about how talented you are, how busy you stay, or how large your business becomes.
It is about building something that sustains you, creates opportunities for others, and leaves a meaningful legacy.
Don’t just build a business that works for you. Build a business that works because of the people you empower, the culture you create, and the legacy you leave behind.
That is the kind of success worth building.
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing a Salon Business
How do you grow a salon business successfully?
Growing a salon business requires strong systems, effective leadership, consistent client retention, financial discipline, and a culture that can be replicated across locations. Salon owners should track client count, average ticket, retail sales, rebooking, and reviews to understand business performance.
How can salon owners improve profitability?
Salon owners can improve profitability by understanding labor costs, monitoring expenses, pricing services appropriately, improving client retention, growing retail sales, and measuring performance regularly. Increasing revenue alone does not guarantee higher profits.
How can AI help a salon business?
AI can help salons streamline administrative tasks, support marketing, analyze business performance, and improve communication. Technology should complement—not replace—the personal relationships between stylists and clients.
Why is leadership important when scaling a salon?
Leadership allows salon owners to delegate responsibility, develop managers, establish consistent standards, and create a business that can operate successfully without relying on the founder for every decision.
What does building capacity mean for entrepreneurs?
Building capacity means developing the skills, systems, discipline, and support needed to manage greater responsibility effectively. It involves learning to prioritize, delegate, protect your energy, and grow as a leader rather than simply working longer hours.
Book Michaella Blissett-Williams for Speaking Engagements
Michaella Blissett-Williams is the Founder and CEO of Salon 718, a Brooklyn-based, multi-location salon brand. Her entrepreneurial journey offers insights into scaling a creative business, developing leaders, building a strong company culture, embracing technology, improving profitability, and creating meaningful community impact.
Michaella speaks on topics including:
- Entrepreneurship and business growth: Turning creative talent into a sustainable, scalable business.
- Leadership and team development: Building strong teams, developing future leaders, and creating a culture of accountability.
- Women in business: Navigating growth, challenges, and the evolution from business owner to CEO.
- Technology and AI in the beauty industry: Using innovation while preserving the human connection.
- Community impact and education: Creating opportunities for the next generation through mentorship and initiatives such as [718]Cares.
- Personal growth and capacity: Challenging limiting language, developing leadership skills, and becoming ready for the next level.
Whether speaking at an industry conference, leadership event, business summit, panel discussion, or educational program, Michaella brings a practical, personal perspective on building a business with purpose.
Interested in booking Michaella for a speaking engagement?
Email michaella@salon718.com with details about your event, audience, proposed date, and speaking topic.
We look forward to connecting with you.
