Hidden Gems: Meet Angela Janssen of Stem Hair and Body Salon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Janssen

Angela, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Ever since childhood, I knew I wanted to be a hair stylist. While I didn’t envision becoming a business owner, my journey led me to this fulfilling path. After completing hair school, I sought a salon that felt like home and eventually became an assistant. This is where I honed my skills and built my clientele. A few years later, I ventured out as an independent contractor and met my business partner, Suzanne Phelps.

Little did we know that a few years later, we would open our first booth rental salon. However, after some time, we realized that this model wasn’t a perfect fit for us. We both craved a sense of community and a team environment.

During our search for guidance, one of our salon reps suggested attending an industry seminar for the weekend. What we thought would be a fun getaway turned out to be a pivotal moment in our lives. That weekend transformed our vision, and upon returning, we decided to revamp our business model, despite the challenges it posed.

We changed everything, including our name, and thus “Stem” was born. The name symbolizes growth and new beginnings, reflecting our journey and business model. We opened our first location in Merriam, KS, and five years later, a second location followed. As we outgrew both spaces, we expanded to Mission in January 2021 and later relocated our Lenexa location in 2022.

We are passionate about our team and take pride in nurturing young stylists, nail techs, and estheticians within our community. This past year, we onboarded shareholders within our salon company. These future Stem owners have grown up with the company, and we look forward to passing the torch to them one day, ensuring the continuation of our vision.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, and any entrepreneur would agree. The road to success is long and winding, and in the end, you hope to discover great treasures. Owning a business is not for the faint of heart. You’re married to your business, and no one will care for your “baby” like you do. You’re always on call, navigating various personalities, managing guests, facing challenges like COVID-19 and economic downturns, dealing with broken equipment, organizing events, handling social media, adapting with service providers leaving, rebuilding, and consistently implementing changes to stay current. You’re the problem solver 24/7. Every significant challenge we’ve encountered has only made us better and more grateful. If you aren’t in the trenches, you will never truly appreciate the rewards.

As you know, we’re big fans of Stem Hair and Body Salon . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a teaching salon dedicated to nurturing talent and delivering high-quality services in an inclusive atmosphere. As a full-service salon, we embrace the unique strengths of each of our service providers, enabling us to serve everyone in our community.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice to anyone starting out is to first find the right salon home. I always recommend a teaching salon where you can fine-tune your skills to become a well-rounded service provider. It also allows you to lean on others during challenging times. Building a clientele isn’t easy, so be patient. Soak up as much education as you can, take every opportunity that comes your way, and most importantly, enjoy your journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stemhairandbody.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stemhairandbodysalon/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stemhairandbody