NECESSITY ISN'T JUST the mother of invention. It's often the catalyst for improvement and it's often the fertile soil in which entrepreneurs take root and grow. For Kyle Simonson, her innate talents and passion were in abundance in that soil. When she put her hand to the work, the result has been nothing short of amazing.
As a budding young professional, she was initially thwarted by finances in graduating from the Brown Institute, a radio broadcasting school. Simonson's plans were shelved and the next would-be Barbara Walters was thrust into a job that brought home a paycheck but daily took a piece of her soul. Not long after, she and a business partner bought a small salon in Anoka, but it wasn't until a major lay-off at the company where she worked that Simonson took the leap and made the life-changing decision to go to cosmetology school. Although she is a gifted woman of many interests, she'd found her calling in being an aesthetician.
To be sure, small businesses require a lot of care and feeding and Simonson nurtured her fledgling salon along to modest waves of success. A little foresight allowed her to see a big wave start to crest and like a champion surfer, she rose to the occasion. She was on the cutting edge of the nationwide sweep of day spas, offering a full menu of services beyond traditional hair styling.
Sometimes those waves are slow to catch on in places like Anoka where the police were so curious about the massage services offered that they even sent a detective to check out the facility. "The memory of that sheepish police officer amateurishly poking around the spa rooms still makes me smile," says Simonson. Before long, people were making the trip to Anoka to be pampered at Simonson's. It didn't take long before it made good business sense to open up a second location where most of the burgeoning clientele were coming from: Maple Grove.
Getting the second salon up and running was a struggle in so many ways for Simonson, but she looks at every struggle as a lesson in the making. Moreover, she came to know many business people who believed in her and wanted to see her succeed. She says, "Working hard for them was equally important and satisfying as working hard for the organization." There are now four Simonson's locations and its success has been chronicled in local and national publications alike.
Her formula for success: "Calculated risk fostered by immense effort, sprinkled with a healthy dose of faith and just a dash of chutzpah." In addition to advising the up and coming entrepreneur to take as many calculated risks as possible, she's quick to point out that every true entrepreneur never stops being a student. She also counsels, "Always remember those who supported your dream and don't let your ego be your guide."
Simonson is a fount of energy and enthusiasm and it's absolutely contagious. She is without doubt the right person to run a company focused on making people look and feel good, but the beauty of Simonson's isn't merely skin deep. Even though she appears to have found the right formula for her company's success, her credo is "…right thoughts and right efforts ultimately bring about right results. If there's a better way, we'll strive to find it."
Kyle Simonson has profited well from her day spas, but she has never lost sight of the people that made her company the success it is. She encapsulates her entire philosophy in one thought: "The most rewarding aspect of being a business owner is the joy of nurturing your team to achieve their fullest potential."
Certainly, to get a business off the ground and into the black financially requires sacrifice. Simonson smiles wistfully at what she's given up to get where she is today, but characteristically without missing a beat, she moves forward, adding, "I've attained a better work-life balance and I'm able to spend more time with my daughter and partner. I'm excited to embrace the journey, not just the destination."
