Finalist
Retail
Nancy and Ed Brown believe that their business achievement is measured by the number of people they have helped become successful.
It is how the couple — Nancy, who is founder and president, and Ed, who serves as CFO — run Ladies & Gentlemen Salon & Spa & Brown Aveda. And it has proven to be a successful formula as the company has expanded from to its original location founded in 1975 to an additional location in Lyndhurst, two cosmetology institutes — Brown Aveda Institutes — and a soon-to-opened salon in Chicago, with plans to continue to grow beyond that. And that growth is directly linked to the company culture that the Browns have established.
The pair has developed an employee base by setting simple steps and clear paths to success. Instead of micromanaging, they give employees the tools they need to achieve results. To do that, the Browns have set clear attendance and performance goals for employee promotion and rewards. Employees are rewarded quarterly, and their weekly performance is charted and posted so they can track their personal accomplishments.
Ladies & Gentlemen also allows its staff direct access to client schedules and information. While many spas and salons keep that information from their employees, the Browns want their technicians to be better connected with their guests in order to build relationships and, ultimately, the business.
Since Ed Brown joined the company in 1987, he has provided biannual financial updates on the business. He believes that sharing company financials makes employees more knowledgeable about cash flow, profitability and how it relates to their own success.
As an Aveda salon and spa, Ladies & Gentlemen follows in the footsteps of the company product line that it carries by giving back to the community. The Browns have hired a manager whose main responsibility is to oversee the company’s donations and outside events. Every year, the salon raises money for Earth Month and gives the proceeds to clean water grant projects in Northeast Ohio and around the world, and it is also involved in a number of other fundraisers.
How to reach: Ladies & Gentlemen Salon & Spa & Brown Aveda, (440) 255-5572 or www.ladiesandgentlemen.com
