Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Woodie.
Hi Anna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my career out backwards. When I opened my salon, I had no business background or cosmetology background. I was an elementary school teacher making a crazy career change. In the beginning there was a lot of bootstrapping, tears, and figuring things out as I went.
What surprised me the most was—I LOVED IT. It combined all these things I loved: artistry, teaching, problem solving, and even a little mad chemistry (aka mixing color formulations).
I’m not saying it was easy. For the first three years, I worked seven days a week. I was still teaching during the day, apprenticing at night, taking home salon laundry and running loads at midnight. But I knew it was the path I wanted to take, so the grind and long days felt worthwhile.
While I’m so thankful for where I got by being scrappy, things really changed for me when I finally began investing in mentorship and business education. I joined Thriving Stylist, where I learned how to create a brand, how to lead a team, and found a community of other salon owners. The business started growing significantly, but even more importantly, I learned how to grow into the role of a business owner and leader.
Some days I kick myself for not seeking out mentorship sooner. But I also think those years of making mistakes, solving problems, and trying again, really shaped how I show up as a leader today. Elevate has grown into something I never could have imagined when I first started this crazy journey of entrepreneurship, and somehow the career I never planned out turned out to be the perfect one for me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I lost my little brother the same day I signed the lease for my salon. From the very beginning I learned one of the hardest lessons about running a business: it keeps going even when life happens. Even when you’re navigating grief, you still have to figure out how to keep moving forward.
Over the years, there have been seasons of grief and major life changes, keeping the business going through COVID, financial pressures, sleepless nights with a newborn, team changes, and plenty of mistakes I’ve had to learn from along the way. And when you own a business, you aren’t just responsible for yourself. You have a team of people who count on you and the decisions you make. I love it, but it can feel heavy at times.
I’ve also learned that the challenges don’t disappear as the business grows—they just change. I’ve had to learn that growth means feeling mediocre at the next level, and pushing through that icky feeling. Every new stage has required me to learn something new and become a slightly different version of the leader I was before.
I don’t think I’ve ever reached a point where I thought, “Okay, I’ve finally figured this out.” But I’ve gotten much more comfortable knowing that I can figure out whatever comes next.
We’ve been impressed with Elevate Salon + Spa, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Where kindness and craft meet.
Elevate Salon + Spa is a nationally awarded salon in Charlottesville, Virginia, where exceptional craft is paired with the light and warmth of hospitality. We offer customized hair color, haircuts, extensions, and headspa. We are obsessed with building an experience that allows us to deeply know and care for each guest.
What’s next?
I really want to keep building what we already have. I don’t have dreams of opening multiple locations or spreading myself thin. I love being in our space, with our team, and what we’ve created together. Growth doesn’t have to mean bigger. Elevate is this magical place that people love to be in, and I want to keep growing who we are and making it better and better.
I find so much joy in creating more opportunities for the people already here, strengthening our systems, refining the details, finding new ways to bring hospitality to the guest experience, and building a business that can be sustainable for a really long time.
As for me personally, everyone who knows me calls me the Spreadsheet Queen because I have a minor obsession with operations. Somewhere along the way, I realized that one of my favorite parts of owning a business is figuring out how all the pieces fit together. I love taking something that feels complicated or messy and distilling it down to a system that is simpler for everyone.
I’ve started wondering whether operations consulting for other salon owners might be a next step for me someday. I’m still figuring out what that could look like, but I love the idea of taking everything I’ve learned—usually the hard way—and using it to help someone else build a business they love too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elevatesalonva.com/
- Instagram: @elevatesalonva
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatesalonva
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/5d2WDXJrhp
- Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YXsoukWwVVkWX11N7
