Laurie O’Neill, the visionary owner of Salon@Church in Welland, Ontario, has over two decades of experience in the hair industry. Her journey is a remarkable transformation from a successful commission stylist to an ambitious salon owner. Explore Laurie’s motivations, challenges, and triumphs in establishing a salon that not only meets aesthetic needs but also embodies growth, innovation, and a dedication to maintaining a healthy work-life balance for her team. Embark on this inspiring journey and discover the core values that have driven the success of Salon@Church.
How long have you been working in the hair industry?
Laurie: Oh, that’s a loaded question. I’ve been doing hair for just over 20 years. I took a year and a half off after high school, and I worked in a greenhouse, like most Dutch people do. I woke up one day, and I’m like: ‘You know, I think I’m meant for more.’ I signed up for hair school in March 2004 and graduated in 2005. Here we are 20 years later. I was a commission stylist for 14 ½ of those years.
At what point in your life did you know you wanted to do hair?
Laurie: Looking back, I’m obviously destined for it. I always played with people’s hair. I was in the bathroom doing box color and just playing with all sorts of things. And even when hanging out with friends, I was always playing with their hair. It goes back to being adolescent for sure.
Were your friends and family supportive of your decision to go to cosmetology school?
Laurie: There was never a hairstylist in my family. Growing up, my grandma cut our hair, but that’s more of a Dutch thing to do because everyone has a million kids. You line them all up in the kitchen, and you all get the same haircut.
No one really knew anything about the industry, including me. My parents always said to be passionate about what you’re doing, and it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, as long as you love it and do it. My dad is a tradesman, a welder by trade, so he’s always very supportive of the trades.
Were you always looking to open your own salon, or was this more of a circumstance?
Laurie: I actually never had the desire to open my own space. I had a great, great gig as a commission stylist, as head stylist, making a shit ton of money, growing people, and just leading people, leading the team, so it wasn’t on the radar.
What were some of the things that you brought with you to your business from your experience working as a commission stylist? And what are some of the things that you were absolutely not bringing with you?
Laurie: I brought in leadership, emphasizing its importance, as well as education and guidance, to ensure the team has a clear purpose, understands its role, knows what it can achieve, and sets goals based on its objectives.
I didn’t want to bring in the grind. I remember being booked 10 hours straight and not having a chance to have 30 seconds to myself. So, making sure that stylists don’t get burnout, that they have a good work-life balance, and knowing that their career will give them the life they want, but their life is number one.
Do you feel like everybody’s experiencing that balance?
Laurie: It comes with coaching and monthly revisits through our one-on-ones and PDMs. It is easy for the team to get into their own heads and think that I have a level of expectation. I have to remind them that I’m still human, and even though I want them to meet their KPIs, they can do it in an easier way. That’s where I’m here to help them.
How would you describe the dynamic or culture of your team?
Laurie: Right now is amazing, and exactly what I’ve worked so hard to create for the last five years. We built a place — I say ‘we’ because obviously everyone has come in and this is their hair home — where they know what it’s like to be a new person there. They want to ensure that everyone else succeeds as well. By setting up basic SOPs and a clear client journey, everyone has the same expectations, so they know what they’re coming in with and what they’re providing to each other, as well as to the guests.
One other thing we’ve created as a company is a team code of honor, which holds people accountable if they’re not falling in line, and that’s a set of guidelines that they have created. Every year, we revisit with new staff and make sure that everyone agrees to these things. So, by having that, it really helps people just show up as their best selves and then also gives the team the willingness and readiness to call out, in a nice way, their team members when they’re they’re not following suit.
What did it take to get here?
Laurie: A lot of lessons. A lot of learning. It took a slow walk out. It required a significant amount of personal development on my part. I had to figure out myself, and myself as a leader. Me as a stylist versus me as a mentor, business owner, and coach. I had to really transition out of that hairstylist and into that role model role. So it was probably about a solid year and a half of me working on myself, and taking additional programs to better myself and to search for what’s happening, what’s holding me back.
How have you been recruiting?
Laurie: We actively recruit and visit schools regularly. We have a provincial college, a regional college near us that offers a hairstyling program, as well as a private college. I was a graduate of a private college, and the new owners have just taken over. They’re actually using my story, as well as the salon’s story, to help recruit for them.
Recently, I hired an experienced stylist. I went on Indeed and posted an ad, and it turns out I used to work with her when I was a hairstylist. So, it always helps when I know them. With 20 years in the industry and all in the same area, I’d like to think I have a good reputation. So, that’s typically how I would recruit.
You mentioned a slow walkout. Tell us more about that.
Laurie: So it first happened when I let the wrong person into the company. At the time, it was the wrong person, but I know now it was the right person to get where I am. She ended up turning a couple of staff members, not against me per se, but perhaps against what we are building in the company and what we are trying to align with. So I let that person go fairly soon – she had been with me for five months, and during that time, she had managed to manipulate some of the team. So it was her, and then another stylist, and then another stylist two months later. And so it was like half of the staff had gone within four months.
What was your biggest lesson that you took away after that happened?
Laurie: Hire slow, fire fast, and if I have any inkling that they are not serving the business’s best interest, or if there’s any red flag, either to address or dismiss. And take the emotion out of it. Stick with facts, and if they push back from any new ideas or policies without a valid reason, then they’re going to fight every decision that you make. They don’t trust you as the owner or leader.
After the departure of those team members, did you notice a positive shift in the dynamics of the remaining team? Did they rally together to strengthen and uphold the brand’s culture in a more significant way? What changes did you observe in their attitude and commitment?
Laurie: Definitely because they had wanted more of that culture, too, that dream culture. So after the three had left, the remaining team was like, ‘Okay, the number one thing we need to protect is our culture.’
As a business owner, do you tend to play it safe, or do you prefer to think outside the box and take calculated risks?
Laurie: Risk taker.
Salon@Church Owner: Laurie O’Neill. Photos by Sandra Letourneau
What do you think is the biggest risk that you’ve taken so far besides opening your business?
Laurie: The biggest risk? I just did an expansion into a facial bar. It was kind of like, ‘Okay, we have an empty room, here we go, let’s invest $20,000- $25,000.’ Obviously, that’s a financial risk as well as risking my own time as a boss and business owner with limited time now. I would say that would be the biggest risk lately.
When did you expand, and how is it going so far?
Laurie: We extended in May (2025) and brought in one esthetician full-time, and hopefully, we can bring in another part-time. The services we’re bringing in are now finally covering her wage.
Was she new, or did she bring some clientele with her?
Laurie: She was brand new. Actually, she hadn’t even graduated from school yet, which was another learning curve for me because I couldn’t get insurance or establish my product line, so I had to come up with all that on my own.
Much like your facial bar, many salons are expanding into the wellness sector. What are you seeing in terms of customers who are coming in and getting these services done? Are they looking for more?
Laurie: I find that the client base is now prioritizing self-care and wellness.
Actually, another big risk last year (2024), I switched from being a Redken salon to L’anza. I worked with Redken for 20 years, serving as an educator for 20 years, and had all those relationships for 20 years. Then, I decided to throw in the towel and launch with L’anza, which focuses on healing hair care. Their approach is centered on wellness. When they have classes, they start with meditation, sound baths, and stuff like that. So, I wanted to take all of those things back into the salon. Now, when they arrive, they see a sign that reads L’anza Healing Center. So you know, when and especially being in a church, too, it almost brings that very Zen feeling, like that healing kind of thing.
Do you incorporate any of those things into your services, such as during consultations?
Laurie: Not so much. I would do more in an event or something, more of the wellness thing. However, what we like to do with the service is focus on the scent experience, or offer hot or cold towels or cold patches on their eyes while they’re getting shampooed, rather than spending time on activities like breath work or yoga.
When you started incorporating scent and making it a little bit more holistic feeling, did that come with a price increase at all?
Laurie: There was a shift in price with L’anza taking on that. It was a higher price point, but not when it comes to services.
Have you noticed any changes in client retention or tipping since adopting a more wellness-focused approach?
Laurie: I would say the frequency, for sure. And the in-between visits. So, the blowout in between full colors, coming in for a facial, or that kind of maintenance side of things, where we can brand.
We are also liquor-licensed, which helps a lot. That was another thing we did last year. That was a big risk, too.
What do you serve?
Laurie: We serve sparkling wine, regular wine: white and red; and craft beer from local breweries. Plus Sexy coffees, as I call them: coffee with Bailey’s or hot chocolate with Bailey’s. We’ve just started an iced latte bar, as well as our signature cocktail, which we call Sip Happens — a plum vodka that’s like a twist of the Cosmo. We have cute little mason jars with a dried lemon slice inside, which also helps with the scent journey.
You could create signature cocktails for the month and be like, ‘Father, forgive me,’ the confessional cocktail, the dirty nun. It could be really cute.
Laurie: Totally, for sure, yeah.
Any other plans for the space?
Laurie: My husband was also working on converting the salon space into a concert hall, doing maybe five shows every year or so. However, we had to let that one go due to the high cost of the insurance. As soon as you put in live music, they just want crazy amounts.
How big is your salon?
Laurie: The entire main level, including my office, is 3,500 square feet. We’re on the top floor, so the whole building is 7000 square feet.
Salon@Church. Photos by Sandra Letourneau
In Aura, there’s a feature that calculates your cost per square foot and revenue per dollar. Have you ever used that feature before?
Laurie: I did when we first started, before I expanded into the back half, so I would have to edit that now. Yeah, my old one said 2000 square feet, so that was before we expanded in the back.
How would you describe the ambiance or the vibe of your salon?
Laurie: We’re still a hustle and bustle type of space. It’s not like you come in and everything’s quiet all the time. I would say it’s relaxing and friendly and luxurious, inviting.
We’re not the conventional type of space where you walk in, and you see a front desk. You walk in through a door off our deck, and someone says, ‘Hey, how can I help you? Come on in.’ You know, it’s not: ‘What do you want? Do you have an appointment?’ It’s more, ‘Come on in, we’ll figure out who you’re here for.’
How many hair stations do you have?
Laurie: Eight
Aside from the really cool location, what do you feel sets your salon apart?
Laurie: I think that we’re just like a forward-thinking salon, bringing in the technology of Aura and utilizing all the new technologies. It’s not your typical come-in-and-paper-book kind of mom-and-pop shop. It’s very team-based. People say all the time when they come in, ‘Wow, they all work together. I love when they bounce ideas off of each other.’
There aren’t many of this type of salon in the area; it’s mostly what you would call booth rent, which we call chair rent here. And so, the fact that we are team-based and work together, and that we are forward-thinking in everything, enables us to progress everyone’s careers as well as the salon’s.
What do you think is leading buyers’ decisions today?
Laurie: I find it fascinating to observe buying trends because I look at myself and what I buy. I am talking about that ‘click and buy’ and the abandoned cart because I clicked on the TikTok, and then I’m like: ‘This is stupid. I don’t need this,’ and so I’ll abandon. However, there is something that makes me want it now. I have the opposite mentality; my retail sales are increasing year over year, especially since the switch to Lanza. Our retail-to-service (RTS) ratio is at around 22% without SalonScale, which is unheard of in the industry. I think it’s around 40% with SalonScale.
My mentality is exclusivity, so they can’t buy it anywhere else. And then we are recommending solving a problem they have. So you know, they’re coming to us for a reason because we’re going to fix their hair and provide them with this amazing service, and with that service is recommendations. They are taking home the products from us because they can’t get them anywhere else – maybe they can get them on Amazon, but it’s different here in Canada. You don’t know if it’s it’s real or if it’s diverted or whatnot.
Additionally, L’anza is a great brand that also wants to protect its reputation. Therefore, I think some people or business owners may be missing the mark when it comes to retailing, specifically in terms of what they are providing. They’re providing everything else that is easily accessible, so why would they buy it from them? Providing something tailored to their guests or brand? One of the reasons I left Redken was that the market was getting flooded with it, and this salon down the street was carrying it, and you can get it on Amazon or at any store. So, having a brand that is only available here, and the next salon that carries it is 40 minutes away, is good for me.
Is it paired with in-salon education? Are they talking about the brand and those healing aspects of L’anza and why you made the transition?
Laurie: Exactly. Having that one brand, all the team is educated on it as well. So they’re not getting overwhelmed with what Paul Mitchell’s doing, what Redken’s doing, what this brand Olaplex is doing. Lanza has a product for every need, allowing them to focus on those areas, especially as a business owner, by keeping inventory levels lower.
What has your experience been with forward-thinking technology since you interviewed with point of sale and salon software companies, especially considering Aura’s newness at that time? How do you envision the future of technology for your business?
Laurie: I think I’m just open to everything that’s out there. So I’m constantly looking and adding new things and then subtracting where I don’t find value. A lot of lessons with that too, a lot of fees that I’ve paid, but being open to what is out there, I just can’t wait to see where technology goes. From five years ago, when I had my first call, which I think was with Jennifer Cooper, back in the day when she was pitching it to me, to where Aura is now. This is why I chose Aura, because of how far you’ve gone. You went from just online booking and this and that to extensive reports to automations to everything like that. So, another five years, where’s Aura going to be, right? And where are all these other technologies going to be?
In a previous discussion, you mentioned that you love the comparison report. Have you discovered any other reports that you really like?
Laurie: I actually utilize the future books weekly now. So we do this thing weekly. I actually have to give credit to Nikki, our money maker and order taker. And so I screenshot their future bookings for the week, and I have their goals beside it. At the end of the week, I record their service sales, and then whoever has the highest percentage of growth receives the Money Maker Award, which is just bragging rights!
Do you notice a pattern in the same person winning the award every week, or is it different?
Laurie: Sometimes, there can be two weeks where a junior stylist who has only $50.00 on the books gets $400, and then they’re the money maker of the week. But at that same time, I don’t know the effort that they have put in to try to get that service revenue. So I still think that they deserve it.
One of the features unique to Aura, and perhaps under-talked about, is the abandoned booking. Do you have experience with abandoned bookings at all?
Laurie: I did see that because I had gone in and booked myself as the client journey. I did see the abandoned booking text come through. I didn’t realize that there was a report.
What percentage of your appointments are through online booking? Do a majority of your clients use that, or do you still have people who want you to book for them?
Laurie: Well, I know you got a fancy dancy report for that.
I book all of my physical guests, but we also receive a lot of online bookings and same-day bookings. Actually, I feel like the trend is changing for that, where people aren’t pre-booking anymore and they’re doing a lot of same-day or last-minute bookings.
Do you use two-way texting?
Laurie: Yes, all the time.
How does that help streamline your process?
Laurie: We’ve become integrated with Mya and do all of our Mya leads via text.
And then do you use SENT, the text message marketing, as well?
Laurie: We’re using it more lately with the facial bar. I’m trying to get her booked, so I’m sending out opportunities for the next day. So we just paste that photo, a photo of her promotion or whatever, of her introducing herself, and then send it the next day.
The parts and labor model that we talked about in a previous session is that still on track for you? Is that working well as a business decision?
Laurie: It is, for sure. It has its own difficulties when onboarding and trying to get stylists to quote, especially remembering to put SalonScale into Aura when they’re charging. There have been times when they don’t charge the client for SalonScale because they just forget to put it in. There are different systems that I’ve had to implement from that. But I think that definitely sets us apart from other people, and this is the fact that the stylist, if they meet their threshold, can make a commission off of that as well.
What do you feel has contributed most to your success?
Laurie: I would say it’s definitely personal growth. The moment that I put my ego aside and started serving what my purpose is, versus serving for a dollar amount. The dollars come with your purpose and your hard work, and to really make sure that you’re aligning every decision you’re making with that purpose with what the salon represents, what I represent.
What would you say you’re most proud of with your business and or with your career?
Laurie: I’m proud of the stylists that I’ve helped grow and mentor. Help them see their potential – I’m proud of that. I’m proud of who I’ve become and what I’ve had to change within myself to be a better person and a better leader. And the fact that I could recognize that and do it, I think a lot of people can’t. I’m proud that I have a profitable business within five years. And that some of our stylists are the top 1% earners of the industry.
Has there been somebody, has there been somebody that you’ve looked at as a mentor in the industry or along your journey, maybe, or even outside of the industry?
Laurie: There are multiple mentors for sure. High Performance, and having that network of people and badass business owners, salon owners, and you know, Jason, who’s not even a salon owner, but he’s the one that’s gonna kick you, kick your ass personally and then all the other mentors are going to kick your ass in a like a salon based way. So, I would definitely say that the current mentors with High Performance, as well as Jason, and surrounding myself with those people.
What advice would you offer to another stylist looking to open their own salon?
Laurie: Take care of yourself. Don’t get lost in yourself. And don’t forget why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Would you do it all over again?
Laurie: Yeah, I would.
What would you do differently?
Laurie: I’m such a Libra that I feel like everything comes into your path for a reason. So, there are a lot of lessons, but no regrets. You know, a lot of money I’ve wasted, right? A lot of people I’ve trusted that I shouldn’t have, but all of those things come in, and they will continue to come in because that’s life, and you’re meant to be provided with things that you’ll learn from. So I would not change anything. Every bad situation has provided me with something to learn from and grow, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.
