104 | NAILS mAgAzINe | September 2010
Maisie Dunbar is a computer
systems analyst-turned-brand
name. That is, she used to be
a systems analyst, more than 17 years
ago. Since then, she has become a nail
tech and salon owner, makeup artist
for celebrities and runway models,
beauty consultant, Bluffa Jo makeup
and skin care line owner, and in
essence, a brand name.
Dunbar explains: “I hired a beauty
business consultant and he made me
realize my name was my brand,” she
says. He asked her a simple question:
“Maisie, have you ever Googled your-
self?” When she did so, Dunbar found
that all her work, including the Bluffa
Jo line, showed up under her name.
Taking the consultant’s advice, she
moved to a bigger location nearby
and changed her salon name from
M&M Nails and Wellness Center,
opened in 1999, to Maisie Dunbar
Spa Lounge.
Making the Switch Opened in
October 2009, Maisie Dunbar Spa
Lounge in Silver Spring, Md., is a
two-level salon that includes six
pedicure stations, two manicure
tables, and four private rooms that can
be used for massage, waxing, and skin
care treatments. Makeup, eyelash, and
eyebrow services are offered in front
near the nail area.
The new location interior was
entirely rebuilt — and Dunbar faced a
setback when the hired contractor took
off with her supplies, forcing her to buy
all new ones. Dunbar adds that another
challenge was financing the new place,
as new materials and furniture had to
be bought. Worried about being in debt,
salon profile
The Salon Owner as Brand
prompted by the advice of a beauty business consultant, nail tech and wellness expert maisie Dunbar moved from her old salon to the new branded maisie Dunbar Spa Lounge. by thI DAo
}buSINeSSDunbar retails a variety of skin care and beauty products, including her own line, dubbed Bluffa Jo.
QuIck LookSalon Name: maisie Dunbar Spa Lounge Location: Silver Spring, md.Owner: maisie DunbarSquare Footage: 2,500Opened: 2009 (1999 in original location)Number of Nail Techs/Total Staff: 5/7Specialties: cutting-edge nailsCompensation: Salary at start, commission once establishedWebsite: www.maisiedunbarspalounge.com
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www.nailsmag.com/fifi/20265
called the Girl-Le-Girl Manicure and
Pedicure. At $83 for the combo ($93
if the service is with Dunbar herself),
Dunbar says prices are a little higher
than area salons.
Other nail services include CND’s
Shellac hybrid nail color, Minx nail
coatings, and Bluffa Jo Sugar Butter
services, which use products from
Dunbar’s own line. Clients can choose
polish from OPI, Essie, CND, China
Glaze, and Zoya.
She enacted a second-day callback
system for new clients. The caller
makes sure clients are happy with
their treatment and experience, and
if they are not, Dunbar calls them to
see how she can fix it. She says this
has been an effective policy in getting
repeat bookings.
Most clients are female baby-
boomers who moved with her from
her previous location.
tipS for other techS From
computer expert to beauty expert,
Dunbar has gone a long way from
by buying a certain amount of products
and for pre-booking.
Internet marketing includes a
comprehensive website, e-newsletters
sent every month, and a YouTube
channel with videos that include a
walk-through tour of the salon. She
also offered a Groupon (online group
coupon available at Groupon.com)
to spread the word about the new
location. “The client retention aspect
of Groupon wasn’t that high. We got
a great response, but many people
thought our prices were a little steep,”
Dunbar says. “However, people have
referred other organizations to us for
events.”
To combat the effects of the recession
on salon business, she’s offered specials
and serviced events. “You just have
to rethink the way you do business,”
Dunbar says. “Doing it the same way is
just not going to work.”
enSuring excellent Service The
salon’s most popular treatments are
its basic manicures and pedicures,
she wiped out her savings to fund the
salon herself.
“I was looking for more of a spa
lounge kind of feel,” Dunbar says.
Whereas her previous salon had been
dominated by different wood tones,
the new salon has a sleeker, more
modern look, with white walls and
floors and mostly dark furniture.
Marketing anD incentiveS
Among other achievements, Dunbar has
been an educator for CND and Seche,
done nails for television and awards
shows, and been featured in newspapers
and magazines. Dunbar uses her
expertise to market the salon, offering
specials and discounts and using online
resources to push the brand.
Dunbar says her business grew strictly
from referrals throughout the years.
To reward those clients who brought
in new business, she established a
points and rewards system. Clients
get points for referrals, and they can
then use them to redeem services and
treatments. Points can also be earned
September 2010 | NAILS mAgAzINe | 107 www.nailsmag.com/fifi/20262
ahead. Some expect salon owners
to take care of this, and while they
should, not every salon owner will,
she warns. In this case, it’s up to
the tech to keep herself informed
the day she was laid off 17 years ago.
One can credit Dunbar’s success
to her innovation and readiness to
research other salon techniques, take
classes, and attend trade shows. She
eventually hired a business consultant
because she wanted to take her salon
to the next level.
“If you are committed to the
industry, you will be successful,”
she advises new nail techs. Techs
must invest in their education to get
1. following the success of her career in the beauty industry, Maisie Dunbar is working to spread her brand name. 2. the waiting room outside the spa area leads into four private rooms reserved for waxing, massage, and skin care treatments. 3. Manicure and makeup stations are located on the upper level of the salon. 4. pedicure stations that Dunbar designed herself lie along the back of the salon, allowing guests more privacy.
by reading, going to trade shows,
doing market research, and getting
services in other salons. “You have to
be responsible for your own success,”
Dunbar says.
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