The Back Story.
Now as far as I can remember, I have always been driven to problem solving. I can recall a few instances (or maybe a lot! lol) in which I simply could not resist the need to improve or “fix” an issue.
One such scenario I distinctly remember is relative to these folding chairs my parents once had. The chairs were made of a solid wooded frame and had this thick fabric on the seat portion. They were held together by wing nut type screws in which I would eagerly unscrew to take apart the chairs to then proceed to “fix” them. Ahhh, the things I would do just to satisfy my problem solving “itch.” What’s most interesting about this was not the rather festive fabric on these chairs lol, but that I was about 5 or 6 years old thinking on how I could improve on something that everyone else deemed as “fine as it was.”
This desire to analytically take apart things that are seemingly solid and rebuild it better followed me throughout middle school, throughout college, and eventually flourished into not only improving upon that which was already created, but building fresh solutions for gaps in systems, structures, and now industries.
In my journey with God, I’ve learned that one of the gifts He’s given me is the ability to pivot and produce solutions in any arena. I utilized this gift very often throughout my life both personally and professionally. Of course my various corporate positions were no different. Through various experiences and skills I obtained in college, I usually earned a promotion every six to eight months, with my last position before becoming a full time business owner being an Operations Workflow Manager - a role that was created specifically for my recognized skillset. Part of what had contributed to my numerous promotions in short amounts of time was that in every position I created new resources and programs that were used to help with increasing employee performance and, in turn, increased revenue for the companies in which I worked for. Now while my companies thought I was simply taking initiative, I was doing much more- I was fulfilling a call. A charge to build and rebuild solutions. A call that was clearly identified in the simplicity of taking apart and rebuilding chairs!
Now after a couple of years with different companies and being at the height of my corporate career, I strongly wanted to do more. The way I saw it was that I had spent enough time serving as a critical component in helping corporations become more successful. Now I wanted to do more for people, not just a company. Now I wanted to create something that was lasting not seek ladders (corporate ladders that is!). So I left. I left behind my job with the comfortable salary. I worked full-time as a nail manicurist for a few years allowing me to not only learn this industry but giving me time to reflect on where I’d take my solution finder skillset next -nail salon ownership.
All things worked together….
A family affair….
In my last business experience before becoming a full-time salon owner, the company leads spoke to us a lot about building a legacy for our family. They encouraged us to build something that future generations can still benefit from even when we are not around. This resonated with me, especially in the nail care industry as I already had, and still do, numerous family members who too either owned a salon or worked in nail care, including my mom. This provided me with further confidence that in the fact that legacy through nail salon ownership was not only possible, but already present in my direct background. However, in true “Lynn” fashion, I was of course charged to improve upon the gaps I saw in this industry that may serve as a hinderance to my fellow legacy seekers.
A new lot on legacy….
Now while my idea of legacy certainly, like most, has my family, and most importantly, my children in mind, I learned after many years of salon ownership that my children may not want to take over this business and keep our so called “legacy” going in this particular way. This caused me to reevaluate what legacy meant to me. Now throughout my years of owning a salon, I frequently witnessed the positive impact we had on those who’d worked for our salon. When it was their time to leave, they always had more confidence on venturing out to start their own business after not only seeing, but experiencing how we operated our business. I had began to take notice of the fact that people became more confident in their craft because of the trainings and processes I put in place within our salon. It was these seemingly minute observations that birthed my desire to pass on my knowledge and skillsets. It was through seeing the impact on both employees and clients that I decided that my legacy will be helping others build theirs.
….and I’d absolutely LOVE to help you build yours.