For over 20 years, hair has been Rachel’s trade, but inclusivity and belonging are her true business. When you walk into Sweet Salon & Barber Shoppe, you’ll be met by a series of unique experiences – shopping for weird puzzles or guillotine earrings, sitting next to a golden skeleton in the waiting area, or catching a client swivel towards the reveal of their vibrant new color treatment. It’s hard to believe that you’re in the Minnesota suburbs–and this is Rachel’s vision come to life.
Sweet Salon is nestled on the second floor of the West Village Shopping Center in Chanhassen and provides an inclusive assortment of hair salon services: trendy trims, vivid styles, gender-affirming cuts, quiet chair requests, hijab privacy options, and much more. Rachel’s goal has always been to serve a very broad cliental in a space that is made just for their needs.
The birth of her daughter made it clear that she wanted to create something that will leave a legacy. “I just felt a real need to leave a mark and change the world… make things better for her and her generation,” Rachel shares. She spent most of her career commuting to Minneapolis for work, enjoying a career within the progressive Twin Cities salon scene. Following the pause to life that the Covid-19 Pandemic brought to many, Rachel began considering the idea of starting her own business–one that brings the aesthetic of a downtown salon to the Chanhassen community that she calls home.
In 2021, Rachel began searching for a lease and quickly encountered a common challenge of what it means to be a woman in business. “I had to bring my husband on a call once,” Rachel noted, remembering a time when a potential landlord showed a lack of courtesy and respect for her valid concerns of a terms sheet he proposed. After a long search, Rachel found Sweet Salon’s home in a commercial space with a landlord that not only met all her needs but went above and beyond to help prepare the space for her business to thrive.
Rachel was referred to WomenVenture by a long-time client of hers who felt the program offerings could support her entrepreneurial goals. Without hesitation, Rachel dove into the lending program to secure a small business loan that helped bring her dream to reality. “I was able to do my whole build out with WomenVenture. The loan provided me with funds to redo the space.”
Now, a little over four years after her initial loan and the launch of the salon, Rachel continues to strengthen her business ownership skills with WomenVenture post-loan consulting sessions. She works with a business consultant on financial projections and operation details with the goal of transitioning her hours behind the chair into a full-time leadership role overseeing and expanding the business she has built. Looking towards the future, Rachel envisions a way she can shape salon culture by providing mentorship and teaching opportunities to stylists in training.
A need for a new ‘do is what brings clients into Sweet Salon, but the community they join in the process is why they return. From book clubs to closet clean-out clothing swaps and a joyful “Promaween” celebration, Sweet Salon fosters intentional connection with the community it has cultivated. This focus also extends to philanthropic efforts, including blood drives held in honor of a client who passed away and an ice cream social benefiting Latino Voices of Chaska. That partnership continued as the salon’s community organized mutual aid fundraising and donation drives to support families affected by Operation Metro Surge this past winter.
“The impact we have had is immeasurable, especially looking at what happened this year. We were able to keep people safe because WomenVenture gave me this opportunity,” shared Rachel, reflecting on the powerful moments from this past year and the business she has created.
Rachel’s story is exactly why it’s critical to invest in women small business owners. When you empower their dreams, you simultaneously uplift the communities they serve.
Author: Heather Cook, WomenVenture Marketing Manager
