JOEY GUIN
Joey Guin, owner of Joseph Guin Salon in Downtown Shreveport, has felt a change coming into his world recently. “There’s been a transition from being a hairdresser to a businessman. It’s honestly something I didn’t expect; I was still hairdressing and running chairs and doing the same thing I always had, but it turned into something new within the past three years,” June 4th will mark Guin’s 15th year as a hairdresser. I’m getting close to 10 years of business ownership in Shreveport and I’m very proud of that.”
Guin closely relates to the socioeconomic group known as the creative class, which, by some, considered the key economic driving force of the future. “As part of the creative class, we are the risk takers for moving into areas that others are afraid to move into. I discovered that Shreveport is loyal to the people that are loyal to it. I never had any intention on staying here, but it was quite honestly a coupling of family and business that has kept me here,” he said. “My goals and motivation have completely changed. Now I want everybody in my business to be prosperous and happy. I want to make sure the reputation I have inadvertently built is maintained and still good. I’m a human being; we have the natural human condition of making mistakes every day, but I feel like in business it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. It’s holding strong through the rough patches, and being introspective - looking at it from the inside standpoint and figuring out what you can do better each day.”
Business is in the blood for Guin. “I’m finding my voice, and I’m finding through management of my staff and expansion of my business, there is absolutely a creative outlet that I was not anticipating. I never really thought I was all that business minded, but apparently it’s inherent to me. In addition to his successful salon downtown, Guin has also renovated the upper level into a stylish loft. “I’ve always been drawn to downtown. In high school I was a runner for Classic Reprographics. I never lost that fascination. When Lee Hardware opened I was one of the first five people to move in. I have studied and watched downtown Shreveport for as long as I can remember, and now I’m a permanent fixture down here, which is a great feeling.”
In addition to being a successful salon owner, Guin is also an educator for the Kevin Murphy product line. “We have been chosen as a test salon Worldwide for a marketing plan in Kevin Murphy called Prime, Prep and Finish. It’s a way to start a conversation; it’s a regimen like skin care: cleanse, tone and moisturize, This is Prime, Prep and Finish. I was recently promoted to Platinum Key Educator, which comes with more responsibilities and more travel.”
Even though Guin is successful in his own right, much of the joy he finds in owning his own business is through building the team at Joseph Guin Salon. “At the end of the day it’s great to know that I did this. But, we are so team oriented here that it has stopped being about me and now we’ve done this together. And that too is more rewarding than doing this on my own. We all have a vested interest in our business now and are all a part of this team. We have created a little family and everyone in here cares about each other and I think it absolutely shows.”
Joseph Guin Salon | 711 Texas Street | Shreveport, LA 71101 (318) 865-2525 | www.josephguinsalon.com
