Coming from a family of well-acclaimed beauty experts, Gina Rivera, a renowned name in the beauty industry embarked on her journey as an entrepreneur in the year 2007 when she launched the first Phenix Salon Suites at Colorado Springs in Colorado. Her mission was to offer a cost-effective solution to the independent lifestyle professionals who are working in the beauty, wellness and appearance industry so that they could run their own business without the hassle of managing a full-scale multi-chair salon or studio. From there, she has come a long way and is presently running a franchise of 275 salon suites located all across the United States, which continues to accelerate. For her remarkable contribution to the industry as an expert, mentor, and a fashionista, Gina has been featured on the popular Emmy award-winning reality series ‘Undercover Boss’ where she visits some of her locations to see how the business is performing in real-time. The episode managed to gather one the highest Nielsen rating, exposing Phenix Salon Suites to the limelight and a tremendous fanbase on an international level. Through her hard-work, sheer passion and unconventional strategies, Gina has led Phenix Salon Suites to be the first-ever salon suite company honored by the Entrepreneur magazine’s Top 500 franchises list, and that too seven times in a row. Besides, they have also received many other awards including Best Beauty Franchise.
“We work to build relationships first as I believe solid relationships are the key to successful businesses. We emphasize that we are in this together and we must lift each other and pave the way for every Phenix Family member to be successful.”
The business suites ministered by Phenix Salon Suites enable lifestyle professionals to operate their business at a much lower cost than what it takes to establish a large studio or a store. They provide significant startup equipment such as washbowls, cabinetry, styling chairs, etc. along with a laundry room, break room, on-site security system, complimentary wi-fi. There is also a receptionist at each location who deals with directing clients, cleaning, and other on-site needs. Moreover, Phenix Salon Suites’ services allow the suite owners to keep their jobs if they want to despite owning a business, set their own working hours, use their own products, decorate their own suites, and be their own boss. Additionally, it organizes frequent complimentary educational sessions and a national annual convention for them. The reason being, unlike most of their competitors that are mainly businesses founded by non-industry professionals, Phenix Salon Suites was founded by hairstylist Gina Rivera who came from a family with 90 years of experience in the field. This gave Gina an upper hand when it comes to understanding the true needs of their target market. However, at Phenix Salon Suites, they have a strict policy to avoid comparison with other companies and rather focus on the betterment of their organization. Gina exclaims, “We set clear objectives and we have a vision for exactly who we are and who we want to be. We work extremely hard to achieve all of our goals and continue to raise the bar for our company.”
“You are exactly where you need to be”
When she was just a child, Gina grew up sweeping hair in her parent’s hair salon. Watching her mother and father pursuing their dreams, she developed a deep passion for the industry. She says, “I loved the artistry of the craft and witnessing how people felt after receiving treatment. I always knew I would work in the industry. I went to beauty school and was formally educated at the age of 17. Next, I started my own salon which later led me to open my first Phenix Salon Suites. I had a deep drive to be successful and was fortunate to have many mentors to help me along the way.” As the Founder & President, Gina makes sure they have a family culture that involves all of their franchisees and Lifestyle Professionals. She fondly refers to them as Phenix Family members. She says, “We work to build relationships first as I believe solid relationships are the key to successful businesses. We emphasize that we are in this together and we must lift each other and pave the way for every Phenix Family member to be successful. We are also selective and seek to engage those with our same mindset.”
Phenix Salon Suites appeals to a wide-section of lifestyle professionals which includes hairstylists, barbers, aestheticians, manicurists, boutique owners, massage therapists, professional make-up artists, personal trainers, tattoo artists, smile specialist, brow and lash artists and many others. Precisely, they seek out individuals who want to craft their own story and way of life. Recently, Gina has also designed and introduced its new business app called Gina’s Platform as a complimentary service for anyone in the industry. It is composed of multiple features such as scheduling, educational tutorials, daily inspirations, credit card processing at extremely low rates, online booking, and mass email and texting that allows easy management of business operations. Gina adds, “It even includes a discount pharmacy card and a telehealth option.”
Innovation and growth
Gina as an entrepreneur employs unconventional routes using innovation and technology to advertise and further her products and services. She is frequently an expert guest contributor with publications such as; TODAY.com, O Magazine, Shape.com, Women’s World, Allure.com, Modern Salon, NBCNews.com, and several others. She has also been seen on HSN and the Emmy winning show EXTRA. Likewise, she is a sought-after speaker appearing at national industry and non-industry conferences presenting a compilation of her personal stories and interpretations which can be applied to achieving in business and in life. Most recently she completed her autobiography “A Mirror and a Prayer”. She has also developed a hair color line, product line and hot tool line. Moreover, Gina has her own international artistic team which is dedicated to development and education in the beauty arena. The team provides education inside and outside of her stores. “I believe there are many entrepreneurs that have a deep desire to become their own boss and operate their own business, however, they lack the financial resource,” says Gina. “Phenix Salon Suites offers a cost-effective solution.”
To fulfill her commitment to helping others achieve their dreams as business owners, Gina continues to learn new things and take on new challenges to stay enthusiastic. Similarly, she expects her franchise owners to master their system thoroughly and take advantage of the resources they offer. As initial support, Phenix Salon Suites offers various resources from site selection to permitting, construction to marketing, operations, and more. Their franchisees loudly express how they feel and readily share their pleasant experience working with Phenix Salon Suites. And now, since the bar is already set so high, for future, Gina asserts, “We are embarking on international expansion plans for the UK. We continue to expand our national footprint and are cultivating many multi-unit deals with franchisees who are joining the Phenix Family.”
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