Celebrity stylist and entrepreneur, Gina Rivera, is transforming the salon studio style of business
By Roma Ihnatowycz
It was practically preordained that Gina Rivera would one day work in the salon business—her family had been involved in the trade across multiple generations, since 1929. In fact, Rivera was already helping out her parents in their salon when she was just seven years old, sweeping hair and doing an occasional shampoo.
“I grew up in the salon industry; it’s in my DNA,” Rivera says simply. “I remember going to hair shows with my parents. I would sit in the front row, and my feet didn’t even touch the ground. I loved the energy and excitement. So I always said I came out of the womb knowing I was going to do hair!”
What wasn’t predestined, however, was that Rivera would turn her inherited skillset into a multi-million-dollar salon studio business: Phenix Salon Suites. Her entrepreneurial path, she says, had less to do with her talent with scissors and more to do with her somewhat headstrong nature and larger-than-life personality. “It goes back to me just being stubborn,” she laughs. “I knew early on that I never, ever, ever wanted to work for anybody. I always wanted to be my own boss and have my own business.”
Journey to Phenix
Before she started her own business, Rivera began her career much like any other aspiring hair stylist: in a traditional salon as an employee. Eventually she rented a chair in a salon, which is a common practice in the business in the U.S. and Canada. But that working model didn’t sit well with Rivera when, on the day she gave birth to her son, the owner demanded she pay her weekly rent or she’d lose her chair. She says, “It was at that moment that I looked at my husband and said, ‘I’m not going back.’”
Just six weeks later, with an infant son at home, Rivera bought her own salon in her hometown of Colorado Springs. Two years later she was ready for her next career move when she saw a former cycling shop up for lease and realized it would be the perfect space for a salon studio style of business, which involves having one physical location with multiple individual suites rented out to stylists. Rivera had fond memories of her mother using a private back room at her salon for customers, and more importantly, she loved the idea of enabling stylists to have autonomy over their own business and professional life.
“I thought it would be a great way for stylist professionals to be able to build their own business and be their own boss,” says Rivera. “It was about them and not about me. Each suite is an enclosed space, a stylist’s own personal space. Everyone dreams of having their own salon, right?”
Phenix Salon Suites—named after Rivera’s son—launched in 2007. It was a success from the get-go, with one location leading to another, and then a third. Even the 2008 housing crisis couldn’t stop the company’s growth spurt. “That’s when I thought, ‘Ah, I’m on to something,’” says Rivera. “It’s when I knew that this industry was recession-proof and it was going to be a great concept.”
Embracing franchising
Rivera then started thinking about franchising, an idea that took root when people began asking her to open Phenix locations in other cities. She approached her husband Jason about selling his own business, a market research company, and joining her to help expand the brand. “I said, ‘Come over, be my CEO, and help me grow this thing,’” says Rivera.
Jason, now the chair of Phenix Salon Suites, had already been familiar with franchising, mainly through franchise clients in his previous business. “It was the perfect fit because he knew that world, while I was the boots on the ground with the stylists,” explains Rivera.
The duo worked together to open their first franchised location in nearby Castle Rock, Colorado. It marked the start of a growth trajectory that now encompasses over 400 franchises in four countries: the U.S., the U.K., the Republic of Ireland, and Sweden. Soon Canada will be added to that list as Rivera prepares to move into the Canadian market.
Not only has Phenix Salon Suites become an established franchise brand, but Rivera has turned into somewhat of a cult figure in the salon industry. She’s launched her own product lines, including a hair colouring line called Colours by Gina; developed a booking app for salon professionals called Gina’s Platform; and published over 300 articles on business, beauty, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, Rivera just launched ‘Xoxo Gina’, a cutting-edge direct sales company in the beauty, health, and wellness industry that allows everyday people to open their own business from home with her help.
She’s also a professional motivational speaker and has built a sizeable following on social media—her Instagram account has 180,000 followers to date. She’s even appeared on the reality TV show Undercover Boss. “I didn’t want to do it and went in kicking and screaming, but it ended up being a blessing. It put our name on the map,” Rivera says.
Yet despite all the fame and glory, Rivera still gets the deepest gratification out of the core motivation that led her to start Phenix Salon Suites in the first place: giving lifestyle professionals the autonomy to run their own business, in their own customized space. “We now have over 17,000 lifestyle professionals that work under our brand that have their own business,” she says. “I’ve seen how it’s changed the lives of lifestyle professionals, and I’m so proud to help them be able to open their own business. It’s been so rewarding.”
Eyes on Canada
The company is now actively looking for franchisees in Canada. Salon industry experience isn’t required, but a “people-first” mindset is, as well as some familiarity with real estate management. “I would say that most of our franchisees have zero background in the salon industry,” says Rivera. “We look for strong operators that value relationships and have some understanding of real estate and operations. What’s most important is just being passionate about supporting independent professionals in their communities.”
Given the nature of the business model, Phenix franchisees are most heavily involved when a location first opens. But once it’s developed and the suites are leased, the workload eases up. They also have the option of hiring a site manager to oversee the operation of the building. As a result, Phenix franchises can be operated as a semi-absentee business model. “This enables operators to keep a day-to-day job if they want,” says Rivera.
The move into Canada is all part of Rivera’s continued effort to build the Phenix Salon Suites brand into a global player. Yet despite its large size, Rivera gets as much joy out of her work today as she did when she was just a little girl sweeping the floor at her parents’ salon. It’s because of the positive, transformative nature of the salon industry, she says, that it is so gratifying. It’s the very definition of a feel-good business, and it’s given Rivera the opportunity to transform the lives of both the franchisees and the salon professionals that rent their space.
“I saw how my parents could make people feel just by changing their hair. Customers would walk in one person and leave a different person, and I really loved that part of it,” says Rivera. “I just love making people feel good.”
Learn more about franchising with Phenix Salon Suites
