Although not a hair stylist, Michelle Van Eaton, a partner at Silver Moon Salon in La Grange, now handles the salon’s training of stylists.
That switch was part of information that Van Eaton learned in the “Breakthrough Challenge,” a program to help small business owners get to the next level.
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“It was like going to graduate school and not paying for it,” Van Eaton said of the Breakthrough Challenge, which helped six local small-business owners who have survived the startup phase look at steps toward growth.
A smaller, local version of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, the Breakthrough Challenge is a joint effort by FNBC Bank & Trust, Suite Spotte and the West Suburban Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The nine-month program consists of small-group mastermind sessions addressing specific business topics and guest CEOs, including Tim McEnery of Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants. The CEOs shared their stories of being in similar positions as the program attendees, having built a viable business but having difficulty growing beyond a certain level.
“It was the best business knowledge I could have gotten,” Van Eaton said.
By taking strengths tests as part of the program, Van Eaton and her two partners, Liz Chada and Kelly Douglas, learned that they all needed to handle different roles. Van Eaton, who had spent 30 years in the gaming industry, found that her strengths were in organizing and training so she took over the training of new employees at the salon, which will hit its four-year anniversary in August.
Douglas, whose background is in information technology, had been working in the front of the business. She is now more behind the scenes, handling data management for the salon.
Chada is transitioning from a veteran stylist to more of a customer-service manager as the business looks to grow.
Van Eaton noted that the stars aligned quickly for the three partners, with the building at 711 W. Hillgrove Ave. and Chada, a 30-year stylist, both becoming available at the same time. The business started in August 2012 with Chada and three other stylists.
“We started giving a lot of $25 haircuts to get people in the door,” Van Eaton said. “And we started building our clientele. Growth happened with Yelp and organically on Facebook.”
Having grown to 19 employees in less than four years, the salon has done well, but had reached a plateau, Van Eaton said. Part of the West Suburban Chamber, Van Eaton said she was contacted about participating in the Breakthrough Challenge.
Finding the 3 ? hours on a Monday morning to participate in the program was tough, Van Eaton said, but well worth it. The salon will likely move to a bigger location or open a second area facility within the next year, thanks, in part, to information gained through the Breakthrough Challenge, according to Van Eaton.
Sue Reardon, owner of Suite Spotte, a co-working space in La Grange, and a certified business coach, is the facilitator of the Challenge program.
She said the monthly half-day sessions give small-business owners the opportunity to focus on growing their business.
“They pretty much get caught up in the day to day and don’t look at things from the strategic point of view,” Reardon said. “It is an opportunity to work together, looking at ways to address their own issues. They are so close to the business, the Breakthrough Challenge lets them see what they haven’t been able to see.”
She said the program provides opportunities for specific development, such as marketing, financial data and other important topics for small businesses.
Reardon said bringing in the CEOs is a chance for the small-business owners in the program to hear from people who have gone through the same issues they are facing.
“They have been there and done that,” Reardon said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to get tips and ideas from people who have already broken through.”
Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.