The sky has always been the limit for Blo Blow Dry Bar Chief Executive Officer, Vanessa Yakobson. She has never allowed life’s challenges to prevent her from reaching for the stars.
After battling and beating childhood cancer, Vanessa developed a new sense of drive and determination to chase her dreams.
“When I learned that I’d survive, I realized that I could create my own reality. I knew I wouldn’t be held back by things that didn’t go my way,” Vanessa explained.
The Foundation of a Future Franchise Leader
In 2001, Vanessa, her husband and their business partner opened a children’s hair salon which quickly grew to multiple locations. The trio later acquired Blo Blow Dry Bar as a sister company in 2007.
At the same time, Vanessa was also eager to pursue a cause that was close to her heart, so she started volunteering at the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) in 2002.
Volunteering later led to an 11-year tenure working in their fundraising department.
Vanessa’s role in fundraising taught her how to build infrastructure and partnerships. “I was in charge of private sector fundraising, and it was like building a business of my own,” she added.
After spending over ten years in the fundraising field, Vanessa was ready for a change. While she always dreamt of running her own business someday, it wasn’t until she turned 40 when she experienced a turning point in her career.
“I knew when it was time to pivot in my career, and I had to be brave enough to leave,” she added.
The Power of Believing in Yourself
Vanessa left her job at POGO in 2012 and took some time off to consider her next move. Encouraged by a friend who ran a hedge fund, Vanessa began working in the space, providing capital introduction and marketing services to a number of clients. But, as a longtime partner at Blo, she was eager to join her team to help grow the business.
“I knew I belonged there,” she said.
When Vanessa first discussed joining the Blo Blow Dry Bar team with her business partners, the company was smaller, and the group wasn’t sure if it made sense for Vanessa to join the executive team at the time.
She initially focused on a special project, but quickly recognized the brand’s potential and the need to build the business and drive growth. And in 2015, Vanessa joined the team as CEO.
Life as a Female CEO
As a woman, Vanessa knows the importance of not only working for what you want but fighting for what you want.
“Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to try, seek out opportunities, take your place at the table and share your ideas and observations,” she added.
“When you act confident, you start feeling confident,” she said.
Since becoming CEO, Vanessa has helped Blo Blow Dry Bar grow to roughly 130 franchise locations across 27states.
Vanessa’s leadership approach is simple: to be collaborative and seek outside perspectives if you don’t have the answers.
“If you don’t have all the answers, learn from others in and outside of your industry,” she said.
Even as a CEO, Vanessa still heavily leans on others for advice – her team, her franchisees and other experts. “You need people you can learn from and who can give objective insight,” she added.
Vanessa actively works to refine the franchise structures and operations to continue to improve the brand and expand. Communication is a large part of Vanessa’s role, and she values being proactive in her communication efforts as a franchise CEO.
“We’re always ensuring there are multiple points of communication available to our franchisees. We’re launching a new coaching program to be more proactive with our outreach. At the end of the day, we want to build our brand by ensuring our franchisees are successful,” she added.
Navigating the Pandemic
It’s no secret being a CEO can be challenging—not to mention being a CEO during a global pandemic. While 2020 posed its challenges, Vanessa, her team and Blo Blow Dry Bar franchisees persevered.
“When the pandemic hit, I maintained the same approach to leadership that I’ve always had: to be collaborative, value opinion and expertise and be a good listener.”
By creating an open, collaborative environment, many franchisees came to Vanessa with their ideas and solutions during the pandemic—which greatly benefitted the business.
“Our franchisees have their fingerprints all over the brand,” she explained. “That’s advanced our business model, and we value their feedback and learning from their best practices. We also value those who came in with various industry experience and expertise.”
Looking Ahead
Vanessa has made it her goal to continue to build a culture that celebrates beauty and the power of blow outs to enhance people’s lives. The team is also committed to ensuring Blo is an inclusive space where everyone who visits or works there feels welcomed and represented.
In August, the blow dry bar will be relaunching its hair menu with an updated look and imagery that reflects the diversity of Blo’s community of franchisees, staff and guests.
“We are always striving to do better in terms of representing our diverse community through our communications material and ensuring that the services we offer meet the needs of a diverse community of guests,” Vanessa explained.
Vanessa and the leadership team are seeking more opportunities to refine the brand and add additional services and products that are consistent with consumer needs.
“Innovation is a priority of ours, and we always want to evolve with the trends,” she said.
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