Jaimie Fraser & Marnie Frere- Seelen
Beaners Fun Cuts for Kids
Red Deer, Alberta
How long have you been in Business?
1 year and 6 months
Tell us a little bit about your business:
Beaners Fun Cuts for Kids is a hair salon primarily geared towards children, however we also offer services for adults. Our environment provides a fun,safe atmosphere where children can choose to either sit on a puppy, horse, quad, Barbie car and jeep to have their hair cut. We also have 7 flatscreen TVs provided above each station, which play the latest children'smovies and can serve as a great distraction for many of the little ones. In the back section of the salon we have 2 adult chairs- often this is where the older children sit, as they can play the Sony Play Station 3. Before and after hair cuts little ones can enjoy playing in the ball pit, and are rewarded with a sucker at the end of every haircut. Beaners also carries their own line of children's hair care products that are very gentle and specially formulated for young children. We also do Birthday parties, where the girls receive up-do's, mini manicures, and make-up. They leave the store looking and feeling like little princesses! At Beaners all of our services and products are 100% guaranteed.
In your opinion, what is the best thing about your business?
Being able to see the faces of the children after their 'new- do's', being able to amaze parents that we can 'get the job' done (as many children do not like having their hair-cut), being able to provide not only a haircut but a great experience, having more flexibility with our own families, being able to build a great team within the store, and being able to provide great lasting relationships with our clients!
Tell us a little bit about yourselves:
Jaimie currently resides in Jarvis Bay with her husband and 2 daughters' ages 3 & 6. Her background was in Rehabilitation Services where she provided services to both children and adults with special needs. Jaimie loves working with the public and with children so opening Beaners seemed like the perfect fit! As a mother she recognized the difficulty in taking her children into adult-geared salons. After chatting with her sister who visited Beaners in Calgary with her very shy daughter, days later she made the call to head office to find out more..and the rest is history!
Marnie currently resides in Sylvan Lake her husband, 2 daughters and 1 son. Marnie's background is in Administrative services, and in addition to co-owning Beaners she is also employed at Red Deer College on a part-time basis. As an extremely busy mom of 3, Marnie was always keeping her eyes open for ways to simplify the lives of 'moms on the go'!
Jaimie and Marnie have been childhood friends and for the last few years eagerly awaited the perfect opportunity to start their own business. With the number of young families living in Red Deer and the surrounding areas theywere hopeful that Beaners would be a great fit in the community. Beaners has received a warm welcome and have grown much quicker than anticipated! Jaimie and Marnie are both truly so pleased that they took a 'leap of faith' and look back without any regrets!
What advice would you offer any women with their own business or starting out as an entrepreneur?
The 2 things I think Marnie and I would both agree on as being very strong contributors of our success would be our partnership, as well as working with a franchise. As partners we are able to balance things out, utilize our different strengths and at times perhaps compensate for each others weaknesses. In terms of being part of a franchise - you are never entering unchartered territory. With so many others coming before us there is rarely a question that can not be answered and every scenario we have encountered has already been faced by another franchisee. All polices and guidelines have been laid out before us, thus saving both time and money during set up. I'm sure others may disagree on both points; however I feel very strongly that our partnership, as well as the support of head office has been integral components of our growth and success.
Why did you choose to work for yourselves?
As busy moms Marnie and I both needed something that provided greater flexibility in our lives, rather than the typical 9 to 5 position. We both enjoy leading others and relationship building with our employees.
How do you balance work and family?
As with all working moms clearly creating balance can be kind of a 'work in progress'. I think it is key to have a supportive significant other in your life, great childcare, and a family who is willing to step up when needed. For Marnie and I having each other has been an absolute saving grace. We are able to step in for each other at times when we both are not able to give 100%. It is imperative to create margin in your life so one is never fully consumed by any one particular area of life.
Do you have a favorite business quote or mom quote?
"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers". ~Jewish Proverb
Beaners Address:
Unit 430, 5001 19th Street (South Pointe Common) Red Deer
Work Phone:
403.754.1578
Business Hours:
Monday to Friday 9:00am - 7:00pm Saturdays 9:00 - 5:00pm and closed on Sundays
