Female Influencers Spring 2018: Tiffany Lahn

Just out of high school, Tiffany Lahn began working at the newly opened Salon Secrets Spa. She remembers being struck by the beauty of the salon and the people working there. “It’s kind of funny to look back,” she says. “I had no fashion sense, and I didn’t know much about the industry.” She grew up at spa and even met her husband, who was a client, there. Nearly 20 years later, in 2012, she purchased the business and began redeveloping the brand to suit her personal values and vision for the company.

Lahn is passionate about caring for guests and about mentoring the 30 women who work for her so they can grow in their skills and become leaders themselves. The culture she has created is based on building one another other up and working together as a team rather than focusing on individual accomplishments. This approach benefits guests and stylists alike. “We’re unique in the salon industry for not paying commission to employees,” she says. “This takes away the ‘me and my client’ mentality and cultivates ‘we and our guest’ customer service. If your favorite service provider is busy and you need an appointment on a certain day and time, we encourage you to try another skilled certified service provider. No one will feel as if they are ‘cheating’ on their stylist.” In this way, guests at Salon Secrets have an entire beauty team at their disposal at times that fit their schedules best.

One of Lahn’s favorite parts of owning the business is providing opportunity. She wants to continue to grow the business through relationships with local schools, hiring young women and training them to provide excellent service. “It’s incredible watching their skills sharpen along with their confidence,” she says. Making decisions that affect the women who rely on their careers to support their families is a responsibility that Lahn takes very seriously. “You have to be willing to work really hard,” she says, “and you have to be humble and treat others really well.”

It’s also important, Lahn says, to stay true to your values, to right your wrongs, to forgive yourself and others, and to show gratitude instead of grumbling. “I want the best for everyone around me,” she says, “and I want to provide a haven where people feel good about themselves and cared for.”