Today’s YEDaily features Lisa and Laura di Ioia of Baristas, a Montreal-based blow dry suite than is anything but your typical salon. Find out what inspired their business and where they see themselves in five years in today’s YEDaily…
Lisa:
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
I like to believe my day begins and ends with the purpose to inspire! Owning a blow dry suite, I see fabulous hair flock out daily, but more than that I see confidence, drive and smiles.
I love being the director of a place that promotes the power and drive to be anything. Baristas is just that. It’s a platform for what comes after you walk out and into the world…
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
I always knew I couldn’t live by someone else’s tune. I knew that would never be my story.
I wanted to be a part of something that was far from mainstream and something so outside the box it would be an element of surprise in every woman’s life. In a world where cookie cutter is way too common, I was set on standing by something different. Anything worth anything must stand out or it just doesn’t do it for me!
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
Best is the relationships I build each new day and challenging is the search for the perfect barista. It’s not just about fabulous hair for us, we want them to be as bubbly as us.
The barista, after all, is your “day maker,” and we take pride in who that will be for you.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I hope baristas will hold a prominent spot in every woman’s life. I hope we become a healthy addiction in the lives of many. But most of all, I hope we are a constant driving force for inspiration!
What does success look like to you?
Having created something that lasts far longer than I will. That is my everything…It’s the peace of mind that comes from waking up every day for myself and not for someone else. Its living by a tune that’s challenging, flexible and, most of all, a tune that sings passion. The freedom of working for yourself is worth millions already!
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
Taking a leap of faith against all fears and just opening our doors!
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Focus is huge. You have to commit to focusing on building your dream or someone else will hire you to help them build theirs. This favourite quote I once heard is all one needs to hear and it should drive you long into the nights. Well, it certainly does for me at least.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
None in particular, but hopefully in the future one that focuses on encouraging and promoting empowerment.
What to you is notable?
Anything worth knowing and worth spreading. Anything far from ordinary and rather close to remarkable!
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
iPhone (it’s all about the pics).
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s feature on Lisa’s business partner Laura di Ioia
Laura:
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
I work in a high energy environment which my partners and I have created and continue to mold. Every day I am surrounded by people that compliment and reflect myself. My job is to take something that is simple, hair, and make it into something grand. We aim to be more than just hair and do not want to be compared to the concept of a salon.
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
9-5 was never a concept that sat well with me nor was it in line with my personality. I decided I was worth my own dreams and that life was not about chasing someone else`s. That being said, I wanted to build a brand of my own, one that would allow my personality to be at the forefront.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
The best part of my day is that the potential of it is in my own hands – and my hands only. The only person that could stand in the way of Baristas` success is myself. This is simultaneously the most challenging part of day.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Giving a speech at a seminar on where baristas all began… In 5 years I see baristas as the only go-to place, where women are addicted to its energy. In that time frame I hope to break barriers and go against the norms while building my brand.
What does success look like to you?
To me, success is becoming an influencer. It is continuing to amaze your surroundings and your clients. Success is not a rulebook, nor does it have a manual, it is what you create of it. It is about taking something small and ever so simple and making it into “something”, something worth spreading. And this is what I intend to do with Baristas; building an empire that lasts forever and not a trend that is simply in one day and out the next. Success is creating a brand that one cannot get enough of.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
The most memorable milestone in my career was actually a series of events that led to the signing of my first lease and obtaining the keys to Baristas, or the keys to what I consider to be the beginning of something big. It all began when I decided I was going to take control of my life, quit my supposedly “dream job” as an accessory buyer, and took off to Bali. Upon my return, I was ready to take on the world, and November 1st Baristas began.
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Never colour inside the lines. Although it may be safe, safe never broke records, safe never gets you the oohhhs and ahhhhs. Life begins at the end of your own comfort zone, so get used to being uncomfortable. And if you have any down time, it won`t hurt to read The Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma (amazing!!).
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
At the moment I am not linked with any charities but I am working on getting baristas involved with empowering women.
What to you is notable?
Notable is anything worth spreading. Notable is… Baristas.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
Others, I am too clumsy for any of the above.