OK, as we wait another two days to find out who the winners of the Local's Choice Award for Best In Beauty 2024 goes to, this whole blog is supposed to celebrate the fact that we just found out we are now ranked #1 on Google (cue happy dance 💃) for "salons near me" and #2 for "hair salon". To make it even sweeter, we also wrote this blog to tell you that to celebrate, we are giving you an extra 20% bonus value on all gift cards purchased now through December 31st! 🎉 when purchased online through our booking link HERE
Alright, now that we’ve got that part out of the way, you’ve been warned: this blog is an emotional, tear-jerking, but ultimately uplifting story of hope and perseverance.
Here’s the thing: someone will read it. Then I’ll be told I’m too much, too vulnerable, or attention-seeking. All wrong. This is just life and when we share our stories to encourage each other, good things can happen.
So In that spirit, here it is—raw, real, and unapologetically honest.
From a Basement Dream to the Top
In 2017, I started this business in the basement of my parents’ home, not just as a way to express my passion for hair, but as a means to create a better future for my family. At the time, my husband and I were in a place where waiting for the next promotion or a shift in his career felt like an endless loop of uncertainty. He didn’t want the 60-hour workweeks with little to show for it, and I didn’t want to keep waiting for someone else’s timeline to change our lives. So here was the Inception of 'The Beauty Artisan'.
This career became the way forward—the way I was going to rewrite the story for all of us. With two small babies underfoot, I poured everything I had into it. What started as a simple idea to provide for my family quickly transformed into something extraordinary.
In just ten months, between 2017 and 2018, my basement salon transformed into a thriving storefront with a team of 16. The secret to our success? It was the love and passion for people—both clients and stylists—that drove everything we did. They were worth pushing for, and so I pushed harder and faster than I ever thought I could.
By July 2020, at the height of one of the largest disruptors the salon industry had ever faced, we had grown to two locations and 65 stylists. Even in the middle of a global pandemic, somehow, we were thriving.
Metamorphosis and Reinvention
Between 2021 and 2024, the business went through wave after wave of change. It wasn’t just growth; it was metamorphosis—breaking everything down and rebuilding it, over and over again. Each iteration revealed flaws and weaknesses, but it also showed us where healing and adaptation were needed.
What began as a way out of my parents’ basement turned into something I could have never dreamed of: a business that, through every challenge, continued to bend, revise, and redefine the way things were done In the beauty Industry. 🦋
And for that, I am grateful.
The Clients Who Gave Me Purpose
As we reached the crescendo of growth, heartbreak wasn’t far behind. To truly express what our clients, followers, and friends mean to me, I have to share the depths of what you have carried me through.
In 2024, I wasn’t just navigating the challenges of business—I was doing it as a single mom of three, rebuilding my life from the ground up.
This wasn’t just about survival—it was about believing that the work I started all those years ago in my parents’ basement had laid a foundation for something unshakable. Even when the circumstances felt impossible, I trusted that I could build again because of the way my clients had carried me the past.
The Last Setback That Sparked a Comeback
In 2023, I faced the unimaginable. The salon I had poured my heart into—the space where I built my dreams, my community, and my craft—was forced to close unexpectedly. It wasn’t just a business; it was my home, my heart, and my identity. Losing it felt like losing a piece of myself.
To make matters worse, the fallout wasn’t just personal—it was public. A trash article written about me in to defame my character by someone who felt victimized by our closure cast shadows over my reputation, leaving me to pick up the pieces while carrying the weight of uncertainty, doubt, and heartbreak.
It felt like the whole world had turned its back on me. Even my own loyal stylists—the ones who stayed—could see the dim sparkle of hope fading. As I faced divorce, the financial crisis of losing half my income overnight, and the overwhelming task of rebuilding from rock bottom, it seemed like I was slipping away. My team could feel it; I could feel it.
But even in those moments of doubt, a tiny voice inside me refused to be silenced. It whispered that I wasn’t done yet.
From Setback to Action: How We Got Back Up to Temeculas #1 Salon on Google
The only way out of the fire was through it—one step, one day at a time. I couldn’t sit around waiting for things to fix themselves. If I was going to rebuild my life and this dream of loving my clients and empowering my stylists, then I had to get to work, even without knowing if it would pay off.
But as I got to work, I realized something important: this skill set, this craft, had always been about more than just me. It’s what changed the game for my family. It became the foundation for our success, the drive to share it with other women—to empower them, remind them of their worth, and give them a pathway to independence and dignity—was the real vision all along. Those of you following me since 2018 will remember that message of empowerment from my online presence and the 'Girl, own your business' conference we held in 2019.
Here, I pause, and remember Desiree, the first renter who ever believed in my vision. She was a 2 tour, decorated combat vet, as bad ass as they come, who had gone to beauty school to "find herself" after retiring her 14 year service in the Military as a Staff Sargent. She was the first one who said, "I see what you are building here, and I want to be a part of it", only to loose her to stage four intestinal cancer seven years later in 2024, just four months after closing the first salon Store front we had opened together on Washington Ave. She will always be in my heart, I will always hear her voice, it will always guide me. I will see you in my dreams, my love.
Whenever failure reared its ugly head over the years, it wasn’t because the dream was wrong, it was because we lost sight of the goal. It was never just about us. Desiree would remind me, It was about them—our clients, our stylists, and the relationships that thrive in a culture where both are cared for. These were the lessons from a true leader. Full transparency, the rebuild was happening simultaneously while we were also deconstructing. With the close of each chapter giving us clues to the next, Artisan Parlor is the product of the heart ache of the past, and the hope for a new future. I decided to rebuild with that clarity in mind. But practically, what did that look like?
Rebuilding Trust with Clients The Free Blowout Program became the heart of what we were doing. It wasn’t just about getting clients in the door; it was about serving them and reminding them of the joy and satisfaction of salon services, no strings attached.
Focusing on Growing New Talent Through the Intern Program. This year, we helped 12 young professionals prepare to become independent business owners, equipping them with the confidence and skill set to contend as strong professionals in this saturated industry, while also giving them a purpose and a pathway to success. Watching them find their confidence and step into their futures reminded me why I love this industry.
Staying True to the Vision I kept asking myself: Does this align with the bigger picture? Every decision came back to the original dream: creating a salon that empowers stylists, serves clients, and multiplies what we have to give. "Does this help me build the bridge to client trust?", "Does this decision help me train amazing industry professionals" and "Will this serve the current salon community of artists that I do have and help them build their businesses as well?" Those questions become sort of a North Star for me.
Here’s the thing: you can only share what you already have. When stylists feel fulfilled and supported, they leave their clients feeling fulfilled and cared for. And when we divide what we have—happiness, contentment, purpose, dignity, and hope—it doesn’t diminish. It multiplies.
That’s what this comeback Is about. It was never about the numbers or the rankings. It was about returning to our founding purpose while creating something that could be shared—something that could grow.
At this point, after the closure of our first salon In September of 2023, the new business plan was clear: Love your clients, love your craft.
The Real Measure of Success
At the heart of everything we’ve accomplished lies a simple truth: Success is loving what you do.
When you focus on that—on pouring your heart into your work, showing up every day with passion, and striving to make a difference—you find a fulfillment that no external marker can replace.
Happiness, though, is different. It doesn’t move. It doesn’t change. It’s always there, waiting for you to choose it, ready for you to dance with it.
For me, I've learned that success is also measured in the things you can’t see: the late-night heart to heart talks with my daughter, laughter from the silliness of little rough housing boys In the backyard, the encouragement of the most amazing boyfriend and partner who reminds me, “You won’t give up—you don’t have a choice to give up—this is what you were made to do,” and the quiet wisdom of parents who remind me to treasure the time I have with my children.
As my Dad just recently reminded me, "Lauren, don't let life's worries weigh you down. Just focus on loving God, loving your children, and loving your clients. Nothing else matters right now" I have so much to be thankful for. There’s no need to worry about the unknown, the “what ifs,” or the struggles that come with life. Those things will always come and go. But happiness—happiness will always be a simple choice.
So wanna know our secret to ranking #1 on Google for the Temecula Valley, and how you can get yourself there too? Start by loving what you do and loving who you are doing it for. You can't fake that shit.
God bless this season. God bless each of you. God bless Temecula. And don’t forget what winning actually is. -Lauren Slays Hair
Humble Artisan, Human Being, Mom, Hairstylist, Daughter, Partner and Friend.
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