Salon Today - May 2008 - (Page 33)

Eveline Charles >Owner, EvelineCharles Salons • Spas • MedSpa • Academy Celebrating more than 35 years in the industry, Eveline Charles has nine salon and spa locations in Edmonton, Alberta; Calgary, Alberta; Kelowna, British Columbia and Vancouver, British Columbia; as well as an academy and a medspa in Edmonton. WHAT HAS DIFFERENTIATED YOUR COMPANY IN YOUR MARKETPLACE? “We are a fully integrated company with many different divisions. These departments work together to perfect the EC brand, delivering an inimitable experience to our clients in all aspects of the beauty business. Branching into product development added manufacturing and distribution to our business model, which has also differentiated us. Eager to offer complete beauty solutions to our clients, EC recently opened its ﬁrst MedSpa. Another step to creating the EC business model was the opening of the EC Academy—we sought to raise the level of talented service providers by opening our own academy to train future professionals.” HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SUCCESS? “Creating a recognizable brand has been essential to the success of our company, and tied to all aspects of growth. A distinctive brand and consistent services allowed EC to branch into product development; creating a retail business driving clients into our locations to purchase EC products. Building the EC experience to be the same with each and every client visit pushed us to develop the structures and foundation of EC service standards. The credibility of the EC brand led to successful expansion into new markets across Western Canada.” WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR STRONGEST STRATEGIC MOVE IN THE BUILDING OF YOUR BUSINESS? “Strategic planning with the right management team has been vital to the building of my business. The EC management team lives by the motto, ‘Think big, grow big.’ This way of thinking encourages the company to take calculated risks while continually striving to be the very best. Beyond having the best people on your team, it is crucial to have the right tools to support and grow your business. Most recently, we updated our software moving to a complete enterprise version with Korvue.” KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? “Think bigger earlier. Thinking the way I do today would have had a huge impact on my business years ago. For 20 years, I worked as a creative stylist in a single salon. Once I was able to think beyond that single salon, my business exploded. This time also corresponded with my decision to step away from the chair and focus on the business. In the past 10 years, my business has grown to nine locations in four cities across Western Canada. Thinking big removed the barriers, and paved the way for success.” HOW DO YOU KEEP CONNECTED TO THE INDUSTRY? “More frequently, I am leaving my corporate ofﬁce to spend time on the ﬂoor working next to the service providers. This provides valuable input into the industry and influences the decisions made at a corporate level. Until just recently, I served as a PBA Board Member. To continually raise industry standards while setting new benchmarks, I also meet with industry leaders on a regular basis.” WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? “Challenge and growth are my two primary motivators. Challenges continually move my business into new directions and overcoming these are rewarding. Similarly, growth pushes me to think in new directions and continually expand our business model. An ever-present challenge is to raise the bar for the industry. I am extremely dedicated to polishing the profession.” WHO INSPIRES YOU AND WHY? “When it comes to inspiration, all successful businesses inspire me. I am a passionate knowledge seeker, therefore as my business changes, I draw on new sources for inspiration to move forward. As a creative thinker, I often pull ideas from other industries and businesses.” HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE SUCCESS IN YOUR BUSINESS? “Twice annually, all employees gather together to recognize individual and company successes. By understanding what drives our employees, EC is able to offer incentives to employees on all levels. Also, EC tries to tie together personal and business goals—achieving goals on a personal or business level start with an action plan.” WHAT’S THE BEST BUSINESS-BUILDING BOOK YOU’VE EVER READ? “Ten years ago, I read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber. This book proved to be pivotal to the foundation and growth of my business. It encouraged me to make the distinction between working on my business compared to working in my business. After reading the book, I stepped away from the chair to put the right procedures in place to grow my business.” > www.salontoday.com May 2008 | 33 http://www.salontoday.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Salon Today - May 2008

Salon Today - May 2008 Contents Editor's Note Reception Fashion Sense Spa Menu Round Table Decor Rave Reviews Power Players The Business of Make-Up Products Owner to Owner

Salon Today - May 2008

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