“The mind is like a parachute…if it’s not open it doesn’t work!” Frank Zappa

What an honor it is to empower the people I love, each and every day. And that is what we do every day at Passion Squared, because we are in the empowerment business. How cool is that? #bestjobever

While most of the work I do is obviously confidential, I wanted to find a way to share the stories of the beautiful and passionate humans I get to work with every day. In this new blog series, A School Stories, we will be sharing a closer look into the passionate and courageous small biz owners that work tirelessly to live their purpose and empower those around them. I am so stoked to kick off this series with the beautiful and awesome Marcia Beck, owner, color specialist and creative director of HIVE a natural beauty collective in San Luis Obispo California. Meet Marcia Beck…

N. What does passion look and feel like to you?
M. Passion looks like diversity and it feels like an unstoppable desire to create.

N. Why did you join A School?
M. Like a lot of small biz owners I have the passion and the vision but I don’t have a business degree. I’m a hairdresser first, biz owner second. I realized that kinda needed to change. They both are different aspects of myself and I really wanted to honor both of them I just didn’t know how. I had the question, “how am I going to learn how to be the best biz owner I can be?” and then POOF… A School appeared in my IG feed. It was like a bolt of lightening…this is my answer!! It spoke directly to my heart…that’s how I knew A School was it!

N. What have you learned on your journey in A School?
M. I’ve learned that I’m not alone. Everyone out there deals with the same insecurities, questions, challenges that I face on the daily. It feels so good to have a tribe and to know someone’s got your back!

N. Why did you become an owner?
M. Well, there are several reasons I became an owner. First, I wanted to have more control over the environment that I spend the majority of my life in and I wanted to create a clean air salon. For me that meant not only less chemical toxicity but also less drama, less negativity, less noise pollution …the whole shebang. Second, I was tired of feeling like a victim. At the time I was working in a salon that I felt totally unappreciated, unloved, unimportant and unsupported….so I thought “how do I empower myself in this situation?”. The answer was clear…creating your own environment! It was the BEST decision I’ve ever made!

N. What is your biggest lesson so far being an owner?
M. Shit, there’s been so many! But if I have to choose one it would be to trust my gut…you always know what you need if you just listen. 

N. How do you handle difficult situations with clients or team members?
M. I try to approach every situation with an open mind and heart. I literally have a visualization technique that opens the heart right up! This helps to discover the truth in the situation. Which is ultimately what I’m after. I also listen to everyone’s story, spend a bit of time mulling it over (aka. consulting with my council…my hubs and my BFF) and then trust my gut on the best way to handle the situation.

N. What ONE tool would you say is the most effective in marketing your business and why?
M. As much as I want to say Instagram…it’s actually been Facebook. Facebook has allowed us to reach our local audience through post boosting. We can target in a very specific way. So as much as Instagram is taking over our industry it’s still Facebook that works best for drawing our target market.

N. Where does your inspiration come from?
M. My inspiration starts with a question. How can I accomplish this? How do they do that? What color creates that? How, what, why. The question is the ignition…it’s what stokes the fire of creativity. Then before I know it the fire is in full burn mode! Sometimes I can hardly control it!

N. How do you practice self-care?
M. By SETTING BOUNDARIES! I’m still working on this one but, for me, it’s the most important self- care there is!

N. Coffee Bean or Starbucks?
M. Def Coffee Bean!

N. Favorite quote?
M. “The mind is like a parachute…if it’s not open it doesn’t work!” Good ol Frank Zappa

You can find Marcia and all the awesomeness that is HIVE on Instagram, and their website! And be sure to check out HIVEU, which features awesome education for clients + pros!

A big shout out of love + gratitude to Marcia for sharing her story with us. Love you woman and so grateful to be on this journey with you!

PS: If you are in the SLO area, I am doing my Creating Awesome Brands + Biz + Life Workshop at HIVE on June 27th! For more info + tix, click here.

PPS: If you are a creative small biz owner looking to create more awesome, A School may be a good fit for you! Click here to learn more about this special + sacred program.