The path to exploring a children’s franchise opportunity is not always a straight one. Prior to becoming a successful Snip-its franchisee, Jill Raedels, like many soon-to-be entrepreneurs, was on a completely different career trajectory. She started her career in sales with Enterprise Holdings, Inc. after completing training widely known to be very challenging. Little did she know this experience would provide her the skills and foundation to become a multi-unit owner of 7 children’s hair salon franchises.
As life progressed, Jill became a mother and was looking for a place to bring her daughter for a haircut. To her surprise, there was nothing available in the suburbs of Lexington for kids’ haircuts. Realizing that there was a unserved need in the market, she set out to research children’s franchise opportunities. She recalled hearing about a great kids hair salon in her hometown of Greenville, SC, and began researching. This is where Jill found Snip-its Haircuts for Kids. Within six months, she was signed on and planned to open her first Snip-its location in Lexington, SC, in 2011.
Balancing Life
Initially, Jill continued to do both her corporate career while working on the salon business mainly on weekends. However, juggling motherhood and the salon started to take too much time and energy away from what was most important, her family. Knowing she wanted to be her own boss, Jill decided to go all in and focus on Snip-its as a full-time career. Jill quickly expanded her salon footprint by purchasing the Greenville, SC, and Charlotte, NC, locations in 2013 and by mid-2015 she opened her 4th salon in Columbia, SC.
Since then, Jill has expanded her business outside of the Carolinas. She now has locations in Millbury, Peabody, and Canton, MA, rounding out her ownership of Snip-its to seven locations. How does she do it? She believes those considering franchises in the salon industry should have tenacity and be self-starters. Franchisees need to ask a lot of questions, trust the model, and follow the processes that Snip-its has created. She thinks Snip-its’ competitive advantage is their ability to balance the needs of the children, parents, and hair stylists. This was the goal the founder of Snip-its had when she created the first location, and Jill said she believes its why Snip-its has done so well over many years. Keeping each part of this triangle happy in their experience is critical to promote long term growth and success among franchisees who follow the model.
Success Factors
Her business card says “Chief Happiness Officer.” She says one factor with franchising success within Snip-its is to create a good organizational structure. Hiring great people and giving them the autonomy to manage the day-to-day work gives them a sense of ownership. Recruiting a staff with this level of autonomy in your business is critical to becoming a multi-unit franchisee. This structure provides visibility across all salons and ensures employees are being supported and enjoy their jobs.
Jill had seen double-digit growth in most of her salons before the pandemic in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She says Snip-its corporate team was pivotal in helping her manage her expansion and take advantage of this niche children’s franchise opportunity. “The more engaged and involved you are with the corporate team and their initiatives, the more successful you will be,” Jill states.
Living the Dream
Her goal is to continue building her portfolio of salons, but the reward for her is seeing the children. “Very few children’s franchise opportunities allow you to actually see and experience the impact we have on kids and families. “Working in a business that is actually helping to build self-confidence in children is a reward all of its own. And providing a workplace for stylists that share this same passion is such a joyful way to spend my life. I don’t need to think about my dream job because I’m already living it,” Jill concludes.
To learn more about opening your own children’s hair salon franchise with Snip-its, click here to request an informational packet.
