Lisa Schneider has spent her adult life following her gut. She knew from the time she graduated high school that she was on the path to business ownership, and that she wasn’t interested in getting there the most typical way. Instead of heading straight got college, she entered the workforce with gusto.

Lisa was no stranger to hard work: She held a factory job, worked for her cousin at a pizza parlor, and resolved to take some business classes at the community college after a couple years of working. All the while, she envisioned a future where she owned a boutique, so she jumped at the change to work for Time Out, a full-service salon in Caro, MI. Lisa’s initial role providing body wraps was soon eclipsed by her dreams of ownership when she found out that the owner was ready to sell.

In 1996, Lisa Took over as the owner, which presented a challenge as she scrambled to learn the many facets of the business. In addition to three completely booked tanning units, the salon did hair, nails and other esthetic services. She even went back to school to become a nail technician so she could fill in when demand was high.

Seven years later, the ownership of a nearby tanning salon announced that they wanted to sell. Initially, Lisa was only interested in using the opportunity to seize some upgraded equipment for Time Out. However, it didn’t take much to convince her that she was ready to expand into a second location. Even though the Essexville business had already been closed for six weeks and slow season was approaching, Lisa wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of turning the location around.

Between the two different business models, Lisa’s persistent work ethic and passion for learning are the consistent elements that account for the salon’s level of success.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.