EP #31 Hair Revival: Redefining Salon Culture

Step into the warm, welcoming world of Hair Revival with founder Cassandra Matus, whose 24-year journey through the hair industry has culminated in a boutique salon experience that's changing how clients view professional stylists.

Cassandra takes us behind the scenes of her four-chair studio, explaining why the intimate setting creates a calming environment where guests can truly relax. "It's very chill," she shares, differentiated from the chaotic energy of larger salons. With specialties in custom color blonding and their own hybrid weft extension line, Hair Revival combines technical expertise with personalized attention.

The conversation dives deeper than just hair techniques, though. Cassandra passionately challenges the misconception that hairstylists aren't business professionals. "We're highly intelligent. We use chemicals on people's heads," she points out, highlighting how stylists function as entrepreneurs, scientists, and even therapists for their clients. This multifaceted role requires education, creativity, and business acumen that often goes unrecognized.

Perhaps most compelling is Cassandra's candid revelation about entrepreneurship: "The most surprising lesson I've learned is getting over self-doubt." Diagnosed with ADHD at 37, she discovered that business ownership doesn't require having all the answers upfront. Her philosophy of giving yourself grace while learning on the go offers wisdom applicable far beyond the salon walls. For anyone considering visiting Hair Revival, Cassandra promises total authenticity – what you see on social media and their website is exactly what you'll experience when you walk through their doors.

Ready to experience the Hair Revival difference? Connect with Cassandra and her team at www.hairrevivalfxbg.com or follow their journey on Instagram, where they "hang out a lot."

Cassandra Matus

hairrevivalfxbg.com

[phone]

[e-mail]

11926 Cherry Road Fredericksburg, Virginia 22407

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast.
We love introducing goodneighbors to great businesses,
and today we're talking toCassandra Matus of Hair Revival.
Cassandra, welcome to thepodcast.
Hey, thank you so much forhaving me.
Well, I'm excited to talk toyou and excited to learn all

(00:32):
about your business.
So let's start there.
Share with us a little bitabout Hair Revival.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
So Hair Revival is a boutique hair studio.
We specialize in custom colorblonding, dimensional color, and
we also have our own hybridweft extension hairline.
Oh well, that's exciting yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
So I hear the term boutique hair studio often, so
tell us, what does that reallymean?
So a boutique?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
hair studio is designed more for like an
intimate setting with yourguests.
We only have four chairs.
Right now we have four stylists, so it really provides our
guests with a more one-on-oneexperience.
It's a little bit more calm, alittle bit more quiet, like.

(01:33):
The vibe is very chill.
It's not like a bustling 20chair salon.
It's very intimate, that's nice.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
I love that you can be relaxed and yourself and not
intimidated.
I love that.
Yes, okay, perfect.
So tell us, how did you getinto this?
Tell me about your journey.

Speaker 3 (01:53):
Okay, so I have been a professional hairstylist for
24 years so since dinosaursroamed the earth and I have done
it all.
I started out as an apprenticewhen I was 16 years old.
I was homeschooled, so I wasable to work full time and do my

(02:13):
homeschooling and from there Iwas a commissioned stylist.
I've worked in a booth rentsalon, I've been a studio suite
owner and then now a team basedbusiness model, and so through

(02:39):
those 24 years I've kind of justdone it all.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, yeah, that's exciting.
And then now you're into we'vecreated your own product now too
.
So that's a whole notherrevenue stream for you.
That's exciting.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Yeah, it is exciting.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
So do you find that there are any myths or
misconceptions when it comes toyour business?

Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yeah, I think sometimes when people look at
hairstylists, they don't look atus as professionals, as
business owners.
You know each individual stylistand this is what I always tell
my team is that you know, whenyou graduated from cosmetology

(03:21):
school, you were given almostlike an associates in business,
so you learned a skill and thennow you're going to use that
skill to build your own minibusiness within someone else's,
essentially because you are thetalent you're doing the work.
So I think a misconception isthat hairstylists aren't

(03:42):
business savvy or that it'salways drama and it's a bunch of
women and stuff like that.
And I can definitely say thathair revival like we've built a
culture to prove that wrong.
You know we're highlyintelligent.
We use chemicals on people'sheads.
You know like you have to havea level of education for that,

(04:04):
and so I think that that wouldprobably be the biggest myth is
that maybe it's not taken soseriously.
It's like, oh, you play withhair all day.
It's so much more than that.
You know we're like minitherapists with our guests, and
so there's so many layers towhat we do.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
Yeah, I can see that.
I mean, you're basically ascientist with all the chemistry
and you're a therapist andyou're also very creative, so I
feel like you got to have thatright brain, left brain thing
going for you.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
Oh yeah, for sure I love that.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
So can you describe a hardship or a challenge that
you've been through, either inbusiness or personally, that you
feel like, now that you're onthe other side of it, you are
better for it?

Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah.
So I think the most surprisinglesson I have learned in
entrepreneurship is getting overself-doubt, and that was
something that I was reallysurprised by, you know, going in

(05:15):
to owning a business andactually in the midst of all of
that, at 37, I was diagnosedwith ADHD and I thought, wait a
second, my whole life now makessense.
So I would say I don't know ifI would call that a hardship.
It was definitely a discoverythat you know when you go into

(05:38):
something like this, you feellike you need to have all of the
answers and you have to haveeverything done.
You know right up front and youknow, know exactly what you're
doing.
And so I think that that'ssomething that I've definitely
overcome is learning to go withthe flow, and learning on the go
and giving yourself grace whenyou don't have it all totally

(06:02):
figured out, that like you'llget it.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
That's really good advice and I think so many
people can relate to that.
You don't have to have all theanswers right away.
You can figure it out as you goalong and businesses grow and
you you have to adapt and learnas you go.
I mean that's.
I think you kind of have to beadaptable in that way.

Speaker 3 (06:27):
Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
So what is something that you wish the listeners knew
about your business?

Speaker 3 (06:36):
Um, something that I wish, um they would know is that
, um for us, um, what you see iswhat you get when you visit our
um social media, when you visitour website.
Um, nothing we've done on theinternet as you're doing your

(07:00):
search for a new salon or newhairstylist, we haven't churched
it up and we 100%.
I mean.
Our biggest compliment that weget from new guests and
returning guests is that as soonas they walk in the door, it's
so welcoming.
We 100% base everything we doabout our guest experience.

(07:24):
From the time they read ourreviews, visit our website, go
to our socials, you're learningexactly who you're going to be
seeing and the type ofexperience you will have when
you come to Hair Revival.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
I love the transparency you have.
Yeah, absolutely so clearly youwork very hard on your business
and congratulations on yoursuccess, Thank you.
But when you're not workinghard, tell me what are you doing
for fun?

Speaker 3 (07:52):
Oh my gosh, I'm doing what I'm doing right now.
I'm sitting by my pool, I amhanging out with my kids.
My husband and I, we have fourchildren, two dogs, and so we're
always busy.
It's funny.
A lot of people are like oh,what do you do for fun or a
hobby?
And I'm like well, we're justalways going.

(08:14):
We love to travel.
My husband and I are the worstfood critics because we'd give
everybody 10 out of 10.
We love going out to eat andvisiting new restaurants in
Fredericksburg and just tryingnew things.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
Wonderful.
Well, if the listeners want tolearn more about you and your
team and connect with you, wherecan they find you?

Speaker 3 (08:38):
You can find us on our website it is www.
hairrevivalfxbg.
com, and then also on Instagram.
We hang out on Instagram a lot,so you can learn a lot about us
and see us there.

Speaker 2 (08:55):
Amazing.
Thank you so much for joiningme on the podcast today and
sharing Hair Revival with us.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg
Neighbors Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tofxbgneighborspodcast.
com.
That's fxbgneighborspodcast.
com, or call 540-534-4618.