This month, Like a Boss is profiling mother and son team, Kim and Michael Anderson, owners of Spa Concepts Aveda Salon and Spa.
While they have three locations across Bossier City and Shreveport, it was a long road for Kim to open her own business and then expand.
Growing up in Vietnam with a grade school education, Kim moved to the area in the 1970s. She raised two kids on her own while making end’s meet as a cocktail waitress as she put herself through cosmetology school.
“Growing up, we were really poor and we had to earn everything. It teaches you to be patient, to go the extra mile. You get nothing free, you have to work hard and you don’t quit,” said Kim.
She eventually opened her own salon in Southpark Mall in 1992. That grew into Spa Concepts with their first location at Ashley Ridge in Shreveport in 2003. Michael said the business blossomed when it switched to the Aveda products in 2004.
Kim said it has been so successful because people are always looking for healthy alternatives when it comes to beauty products, noting Aveda is totally green and not only good for clients but the Earth, too.
The pair expanded to Bossier City after they had existing clients who wanted them to move across the river and found there was a market for it. They started looking for a location in 2017 and found their current spot off Beene Boulevard and Airline Drive. That location opened in August 2018.
“The population in Bossier is growing very quickly and that has had a positive impact on business,” said Michael. “You can open anything here, and if you deliver exceptional customer service and have a great product, you can be a success.”
Kim said what sets them apart from other spa and salons is that they’re very particular in what they do for the customer. She said that her philosophy is to treat people the way she would want to be treated.
“If they’re not happy, we’re not happy. We say that if you like us, tell others. If you don’t like us, tell us so we can fix it,” Kim said.
Michael added that Spa Concepts Aveda Salon believes guests come first and tries to give exceptional service, developing personal relationships with their clients.
“We know their first name, we know what they do for work, what they do for fun, about their families. It keeps people coming back, that personal touch,” said Michael.
They also put emphasis on their social media. Michael said it’s impossible to have a business in this day and age without a good social media presence. That is why he and Kim train their staff on it and attend classes to utilize social media marketing for their promotions and specials.
And speaking of training their staff, having a team they can trust is crucial with three locations and Michael regularly traveling back and forth from northwest Louisiana to California.
“I’m just now used to having three locations that are all this busy. This is the busiest I’ve ever been in my whole life,” said Michael. “I find taking a little time to yourself is really important. Whether it’s turning your phone off for a bit and going to the gym or taking a short vacation, having that mental break from work is really important.”
And that heavy workload means that things can get stressful between mother and son. But they find their working dynamic to be almost always positive.
“I love my children and am so happy they want to do this. Sometimes we argue but we always come to a conclusion to work together to make this place work,” Kim said.
“It’s so fulfilling,” Michael added. “Sometimes we do have differences of opinions, but in the end, we are on the same team.”
Looking for more Like a Boss? Check out last month’s interview with Evan McCommon from Mahaffey Farms.