Meet Ryann Halo

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryann Halo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryann, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Throughout my life, I have encountered and overcome numerous challenges that have shaped me into a resilient and determined individual. These challenges, rather than hindering my progress, have fueled my determination to decipher the code to success. My journey began in my industry, where I dedicated myself to mastering the technical intricacies of hairdressing and nuances of exceptional customer service to achieve success.

One of my core motivations is to share the insights and strategies I’ve acquired with other women, empowering them to overcome their challenges and achieve their individual definitions of success. I am committed to being a catalyst for positive change, fostering an environment where women can thrive and excel in their own ambitions.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

So, I am a multi-7-figure entrepreneur & the founder of Salon Halo Salons, which specializes in education & personal development. As well as Halo Consulting & Edu., a leading growth strategy firm for small businesses.
Over my 17+ year career, I have founded, advised, & grown multiple companies from startup to scale. My first company, Salon Halo, went from existing business takeover, struggling to make payroll, to a multi-site, multi-million-dollar business that’s received numerous awards from Salon Today & is consistently recognized as a top 200 salon in North America.

As a thought leader in my industry and a certified John Maxwell leadership coach, I speak nationally at industry events & conferences to professionals. I am regularly featured in major industry publications including Beauty Launchpad Magazine & Salon Today Magazine to name a couple. In addition, my entrepreneurial achievements have led to The Know Women recognizing me as one of the “Top 100 Women to Know in the US” & Tampa Bay Business & Wealth recognized me as a finalist for the “Tampa Bay Business Women of the Year” award in 2023. This year, I am also a recipient of the Enterprising Women Award.

I am most proud of being a servant-leader first, and foremost. At the age of 11, my life drastically changed when my father took the life of my younger brother before taking his own. This traumatic experience led to an environment of dysfunction & addiction that made it extremely hard to succeed. I eventually dropped out of High School and searched for a way to escape my surroundings. After bouncing from home-to-home living with friends and family, I eventually started her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 16 & the rest is history.

In addition to my entrepreneurial pursuits, I am deeply committed to giving back & being of service in the community. I actively support organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Metropolitan Ministries, Makeovers for Survivors, Boys & Girls Club, Humane Society, & domestic abuse shelters. I also facilitate no-cost community workshops & share my personal story and message of hope to various schools and non profit organizations. Through Salon Halo, we also offer free back-to-school haircuts for kids, along with an angel tree toy drive for the holidays.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My most significant challenge has transformed into my greatest lesson, now regarded as my most valuable gift: a profound understanding of leadership. Contrary to my earlier misconception that leadership is solely achieved through position or title, I learned that the key to effective leadership lies in adding value to the lives of those you lead. In the initial stages of my leadership journey, managing a small team of 3-5 people, including family and friends, didn’t yield the expected results.

It was during this phase that I grasped the importance of continuous, relentless self-reflection, leading by example, and effective communication as pivotal tools in building a strong team. Immersing myself in personal development literature, I explored topics such as various communication styles, personality types, and appreciation styles within a group. This marked a turning point for me. To propel the company forward, I needed to comprehend my own shortcomings as a person and communicator, facilitating a better understanding of and service to those around me.

While initially believing that a successful leader must embody strength, intelligence, and a take-charge attitude, I ultimately realized that the most crucial aspect is helping others reach their personal definitions of success. My journey of personal discovery and improvement has equipped me with the ability to extend these opportunities to others. I hold the quote by Zig Ziglar close, considering it my life’s motto: “If you just help enough other people get what they want, you will have everything you could ever want.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Starting a business on my 21st birthday with a 10th-grade education and no formal business training left no shortage of challenges. The first major challenge began when my blind grandmother and I pooled our limited funds and even more limited business experience to purchase a small 1,000 sq ft salon that had sadly gone out of business due to its employees’ issues with substance abuse and other undesirable experiences. My vision was to create the first luxury salon of its kind in my small hometown, a town known for a lack of culture and diversity. Establishing this vision of sophistication and professionalism in a market where it had not previously existed was something many said would be impossible. We are now 13 years into business, and have created systems for continued sustainability.

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