Meet Michelle Olee | Salon Entrepreneur & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Olee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
Making the decision to be an entrepreneur is something that one has to be mentally prepared for. You have to go into it knowing that there will be good days and there will be bad days. You have to keep going even through the bad in order to be successful. That thought process is one of the main things that contributed to where I am today. Most importantly, I made the decision to live far away from a place called FEAR. That place is somewhere that can make or break a person in business. Either you will be fearful and wont take the leap, or you will look fear in the eyes and declare victory.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Although I own a salon, I like to refer to my work and services that I provide as art. Being able to be creative is something that I take pride in with owning a business and also professionalism. The blend of Creativity and professionalism is something that sets us apart from others in a sense. Our clients come into the salon knowing they will be walking away with an experience and not just a normal, typical hair appointment. I discuss education and product knowledge with my guests as well as with staff. We do like to have a good time as well and “let our hair down”, lol. I am most proud of the fact that I persevere. I believe in God and I know that He has instilled in me perseverance and overcoming adversity. I got to where I am today because of these 2 things. I can honestly say that I have made some mistakes in life when I was younger and some things that I know played a part in slowing my progress for where I am at in life. Instead of me dwelling on my mistakes and continuing to live in fear, I chose to keep pushing. I received several “NOs” in life and I didnt allow it to stop me from trying to go harder and farther. I let those No’s be my motivation and eventually those same No’s turned to Yes! It was not easy at all, however, we all know that nothing worth having comes easy. It boils down to the question, How important is this to you? and How hard are you willing to go to get to the finish line? Some lessons Ive learned along the way is to: 1. Dont be afraid to keep going even if you’ve made mistakes. 2. The worst they can say is no, and when they do, keep going. 3. If you fall 7 times, get back up 8 times. Which means never give up. 4. Live outside of fear. 5. Be a blessing to others and it will surely circle back around. I would want the world to know that life is about experiences and not perfection. Yes you will have lessons that you have to learn from, but look at them as experiences that are necessary for growth.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Here in Harrisburg? Lol. Well, it depends on what the interests are. I consider myself a foodie and I would definitely take advantage of the week long trip and go somewhere new every day or every other day that is within close proximity. For example, the 1st day we would keep it local and use that day to catch up on each others lives. We would go to the grocery store and pick up all of our favorite foods to cook and go to my place and chef it up together as we spend time bonding, laughing and discussing everything on our minds. The next day we would go on a road trip and head to Baltimore to Papi Cuisine, which Ive never been to yet but cant wait to try. While we are in Baltimore we would walk the Harbor and do some shopping. Over the course of her stay we will visit places like Philly and DC also and sightsee, take pictures, shop and eat. We would also experience some things in my hometown too like brunch at my favorite pho place or soulfood restaurant, Isabelles. We’d go to the movies, head to my salon and have a full overall day of being pampered with a scalp treatment, steam hydration, and style of her choice. We would enjoy some wine at the winery or join the locals in some nightlife fun. Then on Sunday we would definitely attend church!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My daughters, BellaRose and NovaRae have been huge motivators for me. I do have a son as well, Jayden. The story behind it is that my son is 20 and for a long time it had just been he and I, then along came the girls. They are 3 and 4 years old and when I gave birth to them, I didnt intend to be a solely single mother. No help from the father or his entire family. They have decided to not have any involvement, which is something that initially caused postpartum depression for me. However, I knew that no matter how much pain I was in physically from c-sections and also pain emotionally from rejection and abandonment, I still got up and kept going and kept growing. With Jayden, I had his father and his family in addition to my parents but with the girls having the absence from that other side is what caused me to go so much harder. It showed me that it is impossible to fail and they are depending on me like no other.

Website: http://www.oleedelux.com

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Twitter: oleedelux

Facebook: oleedelux (business) or michelleolee (personal)

Yelp: Olee de lux, Salon Professionals