"American Dreamers" -Angela Black-Macon, Owner B-Natural Salon & Day Spa
Friday, January 18, 2008SUSIE GHARIB: This week, we teamed up with "Black Enterprise" magazine to introduce you to some young, successful minority entrepreneurs. Tonight, we wrap up our series "American Dreamers" in suburban Washington, DC, with a visit to the b-natural salon and day spa for a lesson in perseverance and success.
DANA GREENSPON, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Nearly a decade ago, Angela Black-Macon decided her consulting career needed a makeover. When the MBA graduate and budding entrepreneur noticed her middle class African American neighborhood offered no high-end beauty services, she saw her chance.
ANGELA BLACK-MACON, OWNER, BNATURAL SALON AND DAY SPA: I just saw the huge opportunity because we were driving all the way around the beltway to go to Elizabeth Arden, to go to other places to have these kinds of experiences, but we didn't have them in our own community.
GREENSPON: So, in 2001, she opened b-natural, a full-service day spa. The spa offers high-end services like body treatments, facials and makeup artistry. In her first year, she grossed more than $600,000. But that success came to a halt in 2006 when a dryer in the back of the spa caught fire and the sprinkler system flooded the salon. She needed to gut the entire store.
BLACK-MACON: I believe it was about four to five feet up and it was torn out all around the spa and the floors were totally ripped up to concrete. That was the most dramatic thing.
GREENSPON: At that point, Black-Macon says she thought about giving up.
BLACK-MACON: And it just hit me that I was going to have to redo, start from scratch and redo this thing all over. And in that moment, I don't know that I was ready to do that.
GREENSPON: What at first seemed like an overwhelming challenge ultimately fueled Black-Macon with a renewed sense of inspiration. She decided not to let an accident determine her business' fate. So, with the support of her husband and after eight months of renovations, b-natural reopened to an eager and welcoming public. She says rejuvenating her business required the same determination every business owner needs every day.
BLACK-MACON: You had to fire this person. This person walked out. Are you going to get up that next day? You know, numbers look like this, this month. You have to go and make those hard decisions or feel this pressure. Are you going to keep on going?
GREENSPON: Black-Macon not only keeps going, she's also looking to broaden her business, opening more b-natural stores across the region. And she's putting 10 percent of the proceeds from holiday gift certificate sales towards a mentoring program for blossoming entrepreneurs. She says she hopes her experience can help others know what they're getting into.
BLACK-MACON: You've got to be willing to pull up your sleeves and do whatever's necessary because it's not always cute. OK, hair and makeup - hello -- you will be in the back plunging the toilet when it floods, if necessary.
GREENSPON: Viki Mandara Akiwuma has worked at the salon since it reopened. She says Black-Macon's commitment to excellence allows b-natural to shine.
VIKI MANDARA AKIWUMI, EMPLOYEE, BNATURAL SALON AND DAY SPA: She wants to give people the highest quality service that she could possibly give people, to give them an experience, what she calls a b-natural experience.
GREENSPON: Black-Macon says maintaining that level of service can be a challenge, but she says that's why she chose an industry she loves.
BLACK-MACON: I know I needed to be in a space where I could see myself working every day because I knew that was going to be very important and I knew this environment. And I just liked that notion of making people feel good.
GREENSPON: With more than a half a million dollars in sales last year, Black-Macon has a lot to feel good about, too. Dana Greenspon, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Bowie, Maryland.
KANGAS: Monday, our focus on the minority entrepreneurial experience continues with "American Dreamers," an NBR special edition.
