Kingwood Business Women - kingwoodbusinesswomen

Meet Emily Rae Arbogast of ERA Beauty Lounge in Kingwood, Texas!

Wife, together 7 yrs & trying to start a family. Born & raised in Cypress Texas, moved to Kingwood in 2015 when I met my now husband.

Did you always know that you’d be in your current industry? Tell us your story of how you arrived at your current success.

I started by cutting off my Barbie doll’s hair, into doing my friend’s hair in high school & now in the industry since 2008. Never imagined I would own my own salon until I was really struggling to find a salon that was right for me & where women empowered one another. My husband brought the idea up to create that environment myself & open our own. Now we are thriving and expanding.

Many of us have worked either for another business at some point in our professional careers. How do you go from being an employee to a business owner?

I built clientele and a reputation to support my move.

A healthy work/life balance is important. What’s your take on it?

Having a set schedule and remembering to put my phone down around my family to be present in the moment. Have a separate work phone I leave at work.

How long have you been in business or the industry you are in now?

Since 2008 when I started hair school.

Where are you located? Does your business serve the Lake Houston area and/or online?

We have been in Kingwood/Atascocita area since we started Sept 1 2020, and now expanding into our new space in kings harbor this month!

What was your drive to become a business owner?

Creating an environment myself & others needed. I wanted to provide that safe space & also start building a business to later help my husband and me retire.

What is most crucial to you in a business?

Relationships, they can truly make or break you.

How did your areas of improvement drive you to find your strengths?

I was terrible at the organization so I really focused on finding ways to help with that weakness and now I’m more organized in my business than I ever thought possible.

Has networking been an asset to developing your business? and How?

Absolutely, word of mouth is the absolute best referral. Especially when people hear these things from close friends & family rather than from an impersonal website.

What greatest success have you ever had in the business industry?

Opening my own salon in kings harbor is everything & more. I get emotional just thinking about it!

Other than a double shot espresso, what method or tools do you use or attribute to your increased business productivity?

Organization. If you organize and plan out your schedule well enough, you can fit way more into your day.

What digital marketing platforms have you utilized and how did they make your company more profitable?

Social media is our top marketing platform. We use Vagaro as our online booking and reviews website which is a big help since most people these days don’t call to book appointments and prefer to just browse and book online.

You’ve done great things professionally to get you where you are today! What are some of your professional achievements?

Going out on my own as an independent stylist was a huge step & then taking on employees & now expanding into my own full-size salon space.

What’s your best-selling product, package, or service? Why do you think that is?

My best-selling service is definitely my balayage technique. I specialize in natural lived-in color with low maintenance merging with stunning effortless-looking color. Pair that with my hand-tied extensions and that is the majority of my clientele.

Knowing what you know now as an entrepreneur, what would you tell your younger self?

Other people’s opinions are none of your business if it doesn’t affect your actual business. When mom tells you “they’re just jealous” believe her. 😉

List your favorite software programs/tools, apps, automation software, scheduling, or methods that you use for business or industry that make your workday flow a lot easier.

Vagaro, gusto, numbers (mac), square, Instagram, Facebook, repost, Canva & lightroom.