When it came time for Maura Parks’ son with a sensory processing disorder to get a haircut, the experience was a nightmare. Soon after, Maura realized she and her husband needed to find a kid-friendly hair salon for their son.
That’s when Maura found Pigtails & Crewcuts online and fell in love with its family-oriented concept.
Today, Maura is a successful Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee and owner of two salons in the Memphis, Tennessee area (Germantown and East Memphis).
Through her hands-on and empathetic approach to management, Maura has made long-lasting connections with her guests and learned lessons in business firsthand.
Establishing a Human Connection
Maura has two favorite regulars at her Pigtails & Crewcuts locations. They are two young, non-verbal twins. Their mother drives over an hour to bring them through Maura’s doors, and they’ve sometimes needed a therapist present, as well as four stylists at a time to get through their haircuts. But, they get through it.
Recently, the twins came into Maura’s salon and received their haircut with no issues, leaving their mother in tears.
It’s these types of memories that keep Maura motivated.
“We establish real, true relationships with kids and their families,” Maura said. “My proudest moments as an entrepreneur are when I’m able to establish human connections with families.”
Lessons in Business Ownership
A first haircut is a big milestone in someone’s life. For many children, the experience can be frightening. For Maura, it was memorable.
“I still remember the woman who cut my hair when I was a kid,” Maura said. “I remember the way the place looked and the way she treated me.”
Now, as a Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee, Maura sees that moment from the perspective of a manager.
Assembling and managing a caring staff is essential for Pigtails & Crewcuts. Maura encounters all different types of situations and scenarios that she and her team are able to accommodate.
To make her guests happy, Maura needs her team to be happy.
“It’s important to me to feel appreciated, so I assume it’s important to other people, too,” Maura said. “If you work with me, you’re going to feel appreciated. We talk things out and focus on the positive things that happened throughout each day.”
Maura takes an active role in her Pigtails & Crewcuts ownership. She’s direct with her employees and uses her past experiences with managers to inform her own managerial style.
“I’m very unorthodox as a manager,” Maura said. “I’ve taken all the things about all the managers I’ve had in my life – good and bad – and implemented what was good and fixed what was bad. My employees know exactly what they’re going to get from me: honesty and empathy.”
Throughout all her time as a Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee, Maura has learned one important lesson.
“The issue is always going to work itself out,” Maura said. “No matter how hard, or what gets thrown your way, it will work out. Just take a minute, learn from it, and grow. Over the years, problems I thought were career-ending have all worked out.”
