Riley Burzynski: Finding Freedom and Fulfillment in Small Business

For my first podcast, I chose to interview my friend and former coworker, Riley Burzynski. She is the owner of two small businesses located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She firstly is a licensed Cosmetologist, and operates independently within a salon suite. She also creates handmade artwork and home decor and sells it in retail shops in Downtown Fredericksburg, and at pop-up events around Northern Virginia. She has owned these businesses for over three years and has slowly been expanding her workspace and clientele. She illustrates the many layers of being an independent hairstylist, and the lifestyle adjustments she faces as her hand-crafted homegoods gain demand.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I am here with Radhi Brzezinski and she is the owner of Lived In Hair Co and Handmade by Ree and we are gonna ask her a few questions about her journey as a small business owner and she's gonna tell us all about it. So thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Yes. So what do you remember being the aspect you were most excited for about starting your own small businesses?

SPEAKER_01 0:24

I will say the first business I started was my side business, which is handmade by Rye. So I'm a big crafter, I like home decor and stuff, and um during COVID when we were stuck in the houses, I was bored and I saw this idea like, oh, how to make a tire, like rope ottoman. I was like, hmm, that looks interesting, maybe I should try it. So I like tested it out. It was okay. But after I made that first one, I was like, I see potential.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Like, okay, I did this one.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Yeah, I did this one, like this would be cool. Like, I would have this in my house. Maybe other people would like to buy stuff like this.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Um, because I see stuff in stores all the time, and I was like, I can try to make that.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Um, so I think that's what kind of inspired me to go further with that. And once people saw it, they were like, ooh, like that's really interesting. Like, can you make me one? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Um, so with that, you made your first one, and then you started on Facebook mainly, like, yes, I started with Facebook first.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Yeah, I just like posted on Facebook, and the attraction I got from it just from like family friends and all that made me think, like, oh, I feel like there's potential. Yeah. Here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

So you you were already part of a community, and that was that was really kind of what pushed you into like okay, okay, I can do this. That people want these things. Yeah. Okay. Who has been your biggest supporter as you've started your two businesses? My parents. Your parents. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Um, I am a person who's not really the best at believing in myself and thinking I can do certain things. But when my parents kind of like pushed me to doing more, it kind of gave me the confidence. So I'm like, oh, if they think I can do this, I sure can do it. Because they know me better than myself. They do.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

When did you first notice you'd made a considerable kind of comparable growth in your business? Like, when were you like, wow, this is uh like actually going somewhere?

SPEAKER_01 2:29

So I'll do for like both businesses. So with my craft business, I noticed in like in our area in Burksburg that there's a lot of like craft markets and stuff. And I was like, let me try doing one. And my first market, I made a decent amount of items, but not too much because I didn't know what I was expecting to get myself into. After that market, I almost sold out of all my stuff. So when that happened, I was like, okay, like this did good. Yeah. And then the second market, I did even better. So that's when I kind of noticed like I can make something out of this. Right. And then when it came to my uh salon business, um, I came from a working in a commission salon for the past like seven years. So I was so used to the income I was making with that. And my last place I worked at, that was the most I had ever made in this industry. When I went independent, I didn't expect how much I could make. I thought it maybe would be similar, but my first two weeks being on my own as an independent stylist, I had doubled what I would make in one paycheck. That's insane at my old job. That was like a realization just like, oh yeah, this is one, this is amazing, and this is worth it, and I can do this. Yes. Like just seeing that big jump in the income was a big difference.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

And do you feel like what do you feel like your hesitation was to even jump into that? Was it just you you hadn't you didn't know too much about the independent stylist deal and I had no clue how to run a business.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Yeah. Like in that aspect. Um I just feel like there's so much into it that you don't think about. Like that's why when you work at like a commission salon, you know, there's someone else doing all the work for you. Yes. And now I'm having to do it all myself.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Um can be overwhelming, but you it's it's like a you're dealing with your own problems at this point.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Yes. And so it's a little like all right. And like how to how to handle certain things. Um, but you get way more flexibility in your schedule.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

And yeah, I do, I guess the aspect of like you you're as busy as you need to be, and then and then if you need some more time to work on other things, you have the flexibility. Yes. That is that is definitely invaluable. Yes. How many more years do you think you plan to operate your own businesses? Do you even have a timeline?

SPEAKER_01 4:56

If I were to like say like right now, I could see myself doing this at least for the next eight to ten years. Yeah. Um, I feel like I will do it as long as I can. Um even if I didn't like work in a salon, I feel like I'll always know how to do this and I'll always have those opportunities. But running a business though, like starting off just being independent, I could see myself getting my own salon, like booth rental salon. Okay. So you would want to have your own place and then rent to other stylists.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

Yeah, so I think that's like the goal.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

Um because right now that's what you're doing. You are renting your own space in a within a suite. You share other chairs, or you share your chairs sometimes with another stylist too. That's awesome. That's awesome that you guys all have a little community. Okay. That could be a really good goal then. Yeah. I could see myself doing it for as long as I can until my body is like nothing. Right. And then probably transition to into work. Do you so at that point do you think you'd want to become more of like the managerial side and just overseeing things?

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Towards like the end of it, yeah, I maybe would um kind of end up being more of like the business side of it. Um and still do a couple clients. Yeah, maybe do like a day or two a week. Um, especially if I do like own the salon and I do have booth renters, I wouldn't have to work as much. That's true.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Yeah. Yep. Yeah, that steady flow coming in.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

And then with the craft business, I feel like I'll do that forever, like for the next like 10 years. Because it's more just like for fun. Um, too, like even if I'm not doing markets, because it just depends on the season, I still have people wanting items in like order. So that's something that's kind of ongoing.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

That was one of my other questions when you said that it's fun to do. Do you feel like the type of work you do? It's it is time consuming. It does make you have to sit down and take time to do it. Hair and crafts. Do you feel like that has changed the way you spend your free time? Do you think you like to do more things that are outside, or do you like to do things that are more calm in your free time? Like, how do you think that has changed?

SPEAKER_01 7:10

I definitely feel like it is more calming for me. So it kind of keeps me wanting just to be at home. Like, I'm okay with just being at home and working on this stuff to kind of occupy my time versus running around town or do anything like that. That makes sense. Um, so it it had definitely has changed the way I spend my free time. And I'm am a homebody, so it kind of gets me to stay at home too. Okay, so it works for you. Yeah, it works for me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Okay. Let's get into the the deeper, darker parts of this. What was your first major hurdle or setback or unforeseen complication? What was the first, like, ooh, this is this is the big stuff here?

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Um, so something that actually happened, I would say more recently. Um started in like October this time. But this is with your hair business. This is with hair. Okay. Yes. So it is one thing that is hard about being your own boss, and that, especially in the hair industry, is you have to handle the harder situations versus your manager or boss. Yeah, there's no middleman now. Um, I was still taking on like new clients, and I wanted to take on new clients because I just, you know, I want to make more money, I want to just build my clientele a little bit more.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Because before you were just doing clients that you had been previously doing. Okay, so at this point you were like, all right, I can take on new people. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

Okay, yeah. So I had, you know, one of my clients recommend someone to me. Um I started doing extensions this past year.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

And and extensions are um you you put in artificial hair to make the hair longer or fuller. Longer, fuller, more textured. Okay, and then that is more of like a somewhat permanent service, right? Like once the hair's applied, it it can be removed, but it's in there for a year.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

So more like semi-permanent because with any version of like air extensions, any method, there is maintenance. So that like you'll have to take the hair out, it just doesn't stay in forever. Right. Everyone just has a different timeline depending on the method. Okay. Um sounds like a big service though. Like this is it's a more luxury service. More luxury service. Yep, it's more expensive. You know, hair costs a lot of money in the time that it takes to do these services. Um and you have to get certified to perform these services too. It's yeah, you definitely want to get certified because just a more um, it's a better way to just kind of have protection for yourself. Yeah, and share your quality.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Yeah. Okay, awesome. Okay, perfect. I just want a little background of yeah, what what we were getting into here. Okay, so you took on this client who wanted extensions. Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

And I was in that moment where I was like, yep, I will take anyone I can because I want to. That's a big money, of course, like service. Like I can make a lot off of it. So I wanted to take more people in in that realm. And you know, I was excited that my client was recommending people to me, and this girl reached out to me. She's had extensions before for a while. Like she mentioned, she's done many different methods, and she moved to the area, so she's trying to find someone who can do those services for her. And um, I am pretty booked just in general, so I booked her around like she reached out to me in August. I wasn't able to get her until October, which she didn't really want to wait that long, but she was open to waiting two months to get in with me, which you know to me, I was like, oh, like she is committed to it. Yes. So leaning up to her August appointment, I feel like I was just seeing some red flags. Um so this was after she had booked her appointment? This is after she had booked her appointment. Yeah, communication. Like I am constantly having her kind of like blow up my phone, like operating, calling me, texting me. I get it like having like concerns like leading up to the appointment, or you know, she gave recommendations on what's my opinion on where she should buy her hair, because that is one thing she wanted to buy her own hair versus me ordering it. Oh, that's a straight reader. Oh, that's a very big difference, yes, big difference because she was is familiar with certain brands. I'm familiar with the brand that I got my certification through, which is totally fine. People can buy their own hair, um, but that's where there's like a liability. I'm not liability, I'm not liable for the hair that she chose to buy, right? Because you're not trained in that specific brand. Or I'm not familiar with that hair, like the texture and everything. She does have curly hair. She wanted one that she was used to using from before.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

Right. Because it would have, it would have, I'm assuming it would have been a lot to take on a new client and convince them to use a brand they didn't know. So you felt like it was the best compromise to do that. Yeah, because what she's comfortable with using, which is totally fine.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Yes, yes, definitely. Um, so there was just like her always like blowing up my phone, which is fine. You can text me whenever, but I'm at work and she's trying to call me and text me. I'm like, when I get off work, I'll you know hop on the phone with you and you can go over any questions, concerns, which is totally fine. But I just feel like it was a little more than a normal person, like just what I've had to deal with, and I get a little overwhelmed in situations like that. Yes, I am because they require something from you, like that's a yes. I just felt like she was she was putting a lot of pressure on me and expectations because she's had you know, she was saying how she has a girl in New York who does her hair, she has a girl in Philly who does like her haircuts, and she's like, I just want someone who can do all the services I want perfectly. So I felt a lot of pressure, but it's a lot of pressure, and that's like okay, we'll see how this goes. I could see this potentially being a difficult client, just with like the demeanor and how her communication is yeah, yeah. So leading up to her appointment, yeah. Um, in October, gotcha, I was really nervous. It's just I'm a nervous person, I overthink things, I get stressed out. I was like, it'll be fine. I'm just probably overreacting. Um I come in to work, and that morning, you know, just to get all my stuff all set up, and I had a full day. Um she wasn't coming until she was not my only client. I had a person, I had two people before her. I get to work, and um the lights don't turn on at work. Oh, the lights in the building are coming on. Okay, so maybe it's just this one like room. So I checked all rooms in the salon and nothing is turning on. And I was like, And you're the only person here. I'm the only person here. I'm the first person. So I call the um owner of the building. I'm like, hey, like the lights aren't turning on. Do you have an idea what's going on? And she looked up and there was a whole power outage on our street. So total out of our control. Yeah. So I was like, Great. Okay, maybe this is a sign that I don't have to do her hair today. I was stressing out about it. Right. But then I had to now text her after she's been waiting for two and a half months to get in with me. Day uh um day before Halloween. I think and I was like, okay, I need to text her. And had you taken a deposit from her? I had not. Okay, so no deposits. No deposits. She had bought the hair. She has the death. She has already bought the hair because she needed to have it for the appointment. Right. So I have to reach out to her. I'm like, hey, I am so sorry. This is really inconvenient, but the power is all out at work, the whole street is out of power. We have no clue when it's gonna be on today. Yes. I guess there was like a storm the night before. Okay. And immediately she messages me back and is like, Are you serious? Like, I have a Halloween party tomorrow, like I need my hair done today, like there has to be something you can do. And this is where I learned that I definitely let her like push my boundaries because one, I can't work in the dark, like no, and she was kind of making it seem like it was my fault that the power was out, right? Getting mad at me for the power being out, and from what you said, she did not sound understanding, so not understanding at all, and I just didn't know how to react in that situation. I kind of got quiet while she yelled at me on the phone or something. Oh, she called you. Yeah, she called me after I texted her, and I had to answer the phone because she knows I'm obviously texting her. Right. Meanwhile, I'm trying to reschedule the rest of my day. Yes, yes, you still have other clients, so I have to do other clients I have to figure the whole day around, and she was yelling at me on the phone, not saying nice things, and kind of really hurt my feelings. Yeah. Um, and I feel like she was guilting me into coming in the like the next day on my day off to get her hair done because she wanted her hair done for this party, and just saying, like, oh, I'm gonna have to cancel all my plans because I can't have my natural hair looking. So she didn't ask you to come in. Yeah, she was basically kind of forcing it on me and like kind of guilting me into it. But me being the person that I am, I gave in and was like, 'cause also I want to make it work for her. I don't think that's a great I it sucks. It was the first appointment together and all that, but it's also out of my control. It's very much out of your control.

SPEAKER_00 16:35

Yeah, you're not the owner of the building, you're yeah, it's weather. Okay, right. So I um Yeah, so what was the compromise? So what did we I ended up coming in for her? So you came in the next day.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

I came in the next day for her, got her hair done, I spent five hours on her hair because I even though I was really upset with how I was spoken to, I still wanted to be the bigger person and just make this work. Right. Um was absolutely unnecessary the way she's worked. She did not have to go that way. Yeah, it didn't really need to be like that way. Yes. And once everything was done, she was happy, and it's like my mom made a good point to me. She was happy and she was nice to you when she got what she wanted. Yeah, she was like, you can't let people take advantage of you like that. So I've been working on it with this client, I've still been doing her hair. So she came back. She actually came back, and I feel like this whole time she's constantly asking more out of me. Um and I feel like I gave her the opening to kind of just expect that I will do anything to make her happy. Yes, okay. Yeah, last-minute appointments. I I feel bad saying no, which I need to be better about because if it doesn't work for me, I can't make it work. Like I am, I am one person. Yes, I am one. Then you're running two businesses. Yes, yes, this is um, so I've been doing her hair since October, and this past week, we um she's planning on to go on a trip, and she's like, I'm thinking about changing up my hairstyle. Like, I've had these extensions for a while. Um, what are my options? So we talked about taking the hair out, getting new hair for her to make it work with her trip. She was going to the Dominican Republic. So we're talking about maybe getting clip-ins, cutting it to the style she wants that way. It's easy for her to take in and take out with getting in the water and everything. Yeah, so we had planned a week ahead. All right, this is the day we're gonna switch the style. Just let me know what you decide so I can plan accordingly for the service. And I was at work on Friday, and um, as I'm doing another extension client, my phone is blowing up. Um, she has texted me saying, Hey, um, are you working today? And I decide I want to get braids instead for my trip. Also, she knows I do not work on Fridays. I was only working this past Friday because we had snow, so I was working and rescheduled. So she's texting me on my day off, which she already knows because she always asks me to double check that I don't work Fridays. Um, asking me if I could if she could come in and I can take out her hair and her appointment. Full removal, okay. Full removal and her braid appointment is tomorrow morning.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Yep. So she's very last minute.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

So she is expecting you to accommodate to schedule her.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

For her being last minute with her plans. Wow. Which I could not make work. I stated that. Yes, and um she just kept begging and saying, You can stay late for me, and just asking a lot out of me. And I was currently with a client, I was like, I can't take away my time with my client I'm working on right now. I will respond to her when I'm done. I am working right now. Yes. By the time I got off work, it sent a response stating I cannot do it today. It's already nighttime. I it's my day off by the time she had blocked me. She had blocked you. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Completely just yeah, just because I didn't, I feel like because I didn't respond to her in a tiny manner or make it work for her. This time when I feel like I've made it work a lot for her. Yes. So I feel like with this situation, it was a big learning lesson. Yeah, it seems like it. To one, I know I need to stand my ground a little bit more um and not let people just assume I can do anything for them. Like every once in a while, I can make things work. But I feel like it was since I let her in that first appointment and caved into making it work for that one situation, she's gonna expect it for me every single time, which I am one person, I can't do it. No, that's a lot. It's been a lot. I feel like I learned that if I see the red flags early on, I need to act on that. I probably should have taken this person on as a client.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Um but it is hard when you're starting out on your own, you're starting your own business and you don't want to turn away opportunities because everyone says to take what you can. Yes. And I do think that I think we can we can start to tell people that that's a little misleading. Yes. And it's very important to analyze everything, not take every risk. Because this is like we can end up with some not the kind people in our in our in our seats. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

So it was a big this is in the two years of me being independent, this was the hardest but most like learning experience I've had to do. So now going ahead, I will be way better about that.

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Um have you changed the way you operate any part of your business or approach any part of your business?

SPEAKER_01 21:59

How I operate and also just being more I guess in a professional way like enforcing my policies and all that because like you know when it comes to like cancellations like she had canceled on me the like day of her appointment too so it is teaching me that like I really need to enforce you know policies within my business and just run it in a certain way.

SPEAKER_00 22:24

I guess it's and I would and I feel like it could be hard because you came from a place that was completely ran for you. And so now that you have all of this control and independence it is really easy to try and accommodate people where maybe you saw the other business wouldn't accommodate people. Yeah. And you want to try to be better and do more. Yeah. But then sometimes but now it's at your expense. Yeah and now you end up in not so great situations and the stress and all that.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Yes but that's a lot to balance. That's a lot of things and it's a lot of learning lessons.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

Yes yes like actively like you don't know till you get into it. Yes and now we know. Yeah okay well do you have any little things you feel like future entrepreneurs should know about starting their own businesses.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

I will say if it's something that you dream of or like you're wanting go for it. You will never know if it's gonna be the best decision of your life until you try. From my experience I never thought I could do something like this but I had to make that decision and at least try it and I am doing double than what I was doing before. Like it was the best decision I ever made for myself. So if you want it you need to look into it and try it.

SPEAKER_00 23:38

Yeah just believe in yourself.

SPEAKER_01 23:40

Yeah just believe in yourself that's the biggest thing thank you so much for spending this time with us.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Thanks for having me