Your Goal Was Never Big Enough

If you’re still behind the chair but dream of something more — this one’s for you.

By: Angela Walker

What if you let yourself dream?

I mean really dream — a big, audacious, “girl be for real” kind of dream.

I dare you.

So many salon owners stay stuck behind the chair because they never gave themselves permission to dream beyond it. Or worse — they don’t believe they deserve to.

The only story I can tell you is my own and I hope it inspires you to finally make moves toward something bigger.

Disclaimer:

If you love styling and have no desire to leave the chair, this ain’t for you.

This is for those of us who love what we do and deeply desire the option not to do it every day.

Hi, I’m Angela Walker.

I’ve owned N Natural Hair Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland for 13 years. We’ve got two locations, 11 stylists, 3 admin, 1 HR, and 1 secretary. I’ve been working from home for 8 years and full-time from home for 5.

But before N ever opened, I spent my undergrad daydreaming about building a multi-location, multi-tier salon. One year, I went all in — saving, planning, dreaming, and grinding

I opened the doors to N in 2012 with plans to be a millionaire by 2014 (let’s just say I’m still waiting on that part). But the other part of the dream — creating a life where I could do good for my community and still pick my son up from school? That part came true.

The first four years were intense. Like most salon owners, I worked long hours, barely knew how I was going to pay rent, and still managed to build a team, co-create a bomb women’s empowerment event, and throw a hair show. I didn’t know what burnout was, but I met it anyway.

Eventually, I found a financial advisor (she’s pretty famous now), showed her my numbers, and asked for help. She looked me dead in my face and said, “You’re destined to be a millionaire. You just have a cash flow problem.”

She gave me three steps:

1. Put yourself on salary

2. Take time OFF from styling

3. Apply for a line of credit

I was scared as hell. I got denied for the line of credit, but I took one day off my 4-day styling schedule and I put myself on payroll. And then the wildest thing happened. That first month, our revenue went up $10,000.

It wasn’t luck. She was right, and here’s why:

• We were running inefficiently. That extra day gave me time to fix things only I had the eyes to see.

• I answered phones. And got access to honest client feedback. You don’t hear the complaints when you’re fully booked with people who already love you.

• My stylists got busier. My limited availability pushed clients to try them, and they stayed.

• I focused on marketing and saw results immediately.

Eventually, I dropped down to two styling days a week. Revenue went up. My stylists earned more. I was on salary, and I still loved what I did.

Over the years, I’ve had so many stylists and salon owners ask me:

“How’d you do it?”

“How did you grow your team?”

“What do you wish you’d known?”

If I could go back and answer those questions today, I’d say, “Dream bigger”.

As artists, it’s hard to imagine doing anything other than what we love. But there’s more joy and more impact waiting for you beyond the chair — if you want it.

Things shifted for me when I realized I was actually under-serving my community by styling beside my team. We couldn’t meet the demand. Our phones were ringing off the hook. And I knew the only way to scale was to train more stylists to be excellent — to multiply the mission.

It meant helping more people.

It meant building real careers for others.

It meant stepping into the role of leader and visionary.

I invite you to dream bigger. Dream wild. Dream ridiculous. Then come back next week for more on salon ownership, team building, and building a life you actually want.

Because if there’s one thing for sure and two things for certain…

If I had someone like me in my ear back then, I could’ve done all this in half the time.

Want to learn the exact 7 things I wish I knew before opening my salon?

My first live class is happening soon — and the first 50 people get in for just $25, after that, it jumps to $50. The Gist: In “Your Goal Was Never Big Enough,” Angela Walker shares her journey from behind the salon chair to becoming a successful multi-location salon owner and full-time remote entrepreneur. She challenges stylists to dream beyond their current roles, offering a candid look at the mindset shifts and practical steps that helped her grow her business and reclaim her time. Her story is a call to action for beauty professionals ready to build something bigger.