Mompreneurs: A Spotlight On Beauty Mark Owner Kimberly Hylton

In this episode of Mompreneurs, host Nancy Redd sits down with Kimberly Hylton, a successful owner of multiple salons, stylist to the stars and AirBnb owner. Just a few years ago, Hylton was working around the clock to keep her salon, Beauty Mark, going. Today, she can proudly report a $100,000 profit for her recent tax year. And, she did that all while staying home with her family. Here’s a look at her story.

A Vision Turned Reality

Hylton always knew she wanted to do hair. As a child growing up in Brooklyn, she’d sit on the stoop and do her friends’ and neighbors’ hair. She even had a vision when she was young of herself owning a salon on Fifth Avenue, popping in to check on her staff, then jetting off to travel the world. (And as an adult, she recently had a surreal moment of living that very vision). Hylton says that’s how her life goes. “If I can envision something, I know it’s going to happen, whether I want it to or not.”

Later in life, Hylton was able to do hair on fashion sets. Her uncle is a well-known photographer, and he let her accompany him on shoots and style his models. She was styling models from top agencies like Wilhelmina and learning industry tricks. It wasn’t until her uncle landed larger roles and couldn’t take Hylton along because she was unlicensed that she realized just how much this career meant to her. So she went to cosmetology school.

After graduating, Hylton did rent some chairs in other people’s salons – and had to give the salon owner 50 percent of her earnings. But, she didn’t like having a boss or limitations. “I never really liked having a glass ceiling,” says Hylton. She wanted the option to make as much as she wanted, but to also relax when she wanted. “The only way you can do that is by becoming an entrepreneur,” she explains.

Embrace The Boulders

Then, Hylton got unexpectedly pregnant. This would be what Hylton refers to as “a boulder.” Boulders are events in life that feel scary, overwhelming, unexpected and – at the time – bad. But they go onto be catalysts that push you forward to where you need to be. And that’s just what having a baby did. Once her baby arrived, Hylton had to stay home, so she started doing hair from her one-bedroom apartment. That’s when she realized how high her earning potential was when she didn’t have to give half of it away to a salon owner. That calling to open her own salon was getting stronger.

Just around that time, as luck would have it, Hylton’s mom found her a space to rent. It was the perfect size and in the perfect location – and the rent was affordable. Plus, her mom gave her $3,000 to renovate it, so all the signs were there: it was time to open her very own first salon. Beauty Mark opened its doors to customers not long after.

It was not all smooth sailing from there. Hylton didn’t know about the realities of owning a business – including the need for insurance, the cost of utilities, and…taxes. She hadn’t been charging customers a sales tax, so when the IRS came knocking for their cut, she got stuck with a huge bill.

Hylton says she has her youthful naivete at the time to thank for keeping her going. But, Redd also notes that making mistakes early on is not a reason to give up. In fact, they are bound to happen and new business owners need to embrace them as part of the process.

Moms Need A Village – Mompreneurs Need One Even More

Hylton got through that rough patch, and grew a loyal customer base, doing almost everything herself for seven years. She struggled to find someone she could trust to work in the salon with her, until one day, an old friend who had also attended cosmetology school came in. She learned the ropes and then she told Hylton to go home and not come back. “It’s time for you to go sit down and enjoy being a salon owner,” her friend said.

Hylton was hesitant at first, but then a pandemic gave her no choice. She stayed home with her children; her friend managed the salon. And Hylton came out of quarantine $100,000 up. Once people could leave their homes again, her salon chairs were filled. Her client base loved the special care, attention and community found at Beauty Mark and they needed it more than ever following a quarantine.

Lessons To Other Mompreneurs

Redd asked Hylton what advice she’d like to impart on other moms who want to start their own thing, but don’t know where to begin. For Hylton, throughout her life, she’s taken the time to periodically sit down and write out her goals. She writes down who she is and where she is now, where she wants to be, and what steps need to be taken to go from point A to point B. She’s brutally honest with herself, and has had to acknowledge when some of her current habits aren’t in line with her goals.

Always work on yourself, too, says Hylton. “When you work on yourself, you’re working on your business.” You also improve your relationships with everyone in your life when you work on yourself, says Hylton. And you start to recognize who around you is not working on themselves, and perhaps make less space for them.

More than anything, it really does take a village. You need both mentors and sponsors, says Hylton. Mentors can coach you but sponsors – like her uncle – are plugged into the communities you work in and wants to find you opportunities.

Hylton also shared how special it has been to instill confidence in her children. She’s shown them that “Their future is in their hands and they can design their own life.”

Mompreneurs: Spotlight On Beauty Mark Owner Kimberly Hylton