Spotlight on Jen Phipps: Beauty of Being in Business

Jennifer Phipps and daughter Lily in the waiting room at Satori. Robin Allen Photo

By Robin Allen

I had the pleasure of sitting down with the incredibly talented and focused Founder + Owner of Satori, Jennifer CS Phipps this week. Not only did we talk about how she is crushing it as a business woman of color in a small community, but she also shared how her business was able to survive 2020 as well as revealing the key secrets to her growing success.

Robin Allen: First things first. Let’s get to know you a little bit! Were you born and raised in The Dalles?

Jen Phipps: I was a service brat. My Dad was an ER/AIR VAC nurse in every branch of the military except for The Marines.  So, I was actually born in Shreveport, LA. I was a little Japanese girl running around with a cajun accent for the first four years of my life. Then, we moved to Anchorage, AK for a short time.

RA: Wow! What extremes.

JP: Yeah right?! And then, we moved to Dallesport to be closer to my grandparents. My grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer, so we ended up moving there to take care of her and all the farms and things. I was 6.

RA: Which grandparents?

JP: My Mom’s. The Japanese side. They all came from the internment camps and ended up over in Dallesport. That’s why the Japanese side of the family are all over there.

RA: Wow! So, then you grew up in The Dalles from then on?

JP: Yep. This is my home town!

Robin Allen Photo

RA: Incredible. Is your Japanese side where you got the inspiration for your business name? Satori? What does it mean?

JP: Yes.  Satori is the Japanese word for “enlightenment”. It is my middle name, which was also my Grandma’s middle name.  My two Japanese brothers and my daughters have four middle names and one of them is an ancestor’s that is passed down.

JP: I didn’t want to pinhole myself with my business name either.  Plus, I like the way it rolls off the tongue, and it looks pretty in a logo.

RA:  I love that you thought about all that. Branding is extremely important as a business person. But the fact that you are a business person with heart and Satori is your passion not just your business, it makes sense there would be meaning behind the name as well.

JP: Definitely, yes! And, it’s always good to think 20 steps ahead too. What if I were to sell this business and somebody wanted to buy the name? I wanted my business to have a name that sounded really good, that looked good on a label, looked good on a product and if you see it, you would know it.

RA: Yes. The meaning aside, it’s just a strong business name. And, that in itself, is good business!

RA: So, now that we know what inspired your business name, what inspired you to not just choose a career in beauty but become the founder + owner of an Aesthetics Salon? 

JP: I don't truly think I chose beauty.  The world of beauty chose me.  And quite honestly I wouldn't call it beauty.  I think I would call it guest service. 

Robin Allen Photo

The first time I ever stepped foot into this career was truly not to become a hairdresser or makeup artist, but to help a business owner out.  Jim Entwisle, the owner of Salon Visio, was struggling to answer the phones, take care of his guests, and change the CD player.  He needed help, and I knew how to do it.

I think it was because I was taught at an early age to have good bedside manner from my parents who were both nurses.  I actually think that these two careers are similar in a multitude of ways.  I have always been the person to take care of another person.  And, after meeting and working with Jim, I knew I could transfer that love for caring for someone into this field.  

RA: Amazing.  Now, talking about caring for someone, you, unfortunately, lost your Mom to COVID-19 in December 2019. 

Robin Allen Photo

JP: Yes, before we even knew what it was called. Until about two months ago when they started telling us it was around then.

RA: It’s unnerving and I’m so sorry for your loss Jen. As a nurse, did your Mom have any inkling to what her sickness might have been?

JP: She had no idea. She was as healthy as a horse. This woman never smoked, never drank, never did drugs, exercised, was at a great weight, no diabetes. The woman was the standard of health.  So, when she passed it was so crazy.  She had this chair she would always sit at and she had stacks of books of things she was researching to try and find out what was wrong with her.

RA: Whoa.

JP: Yeah, it was crazy. It was so crazy.

RA: In the grace of it all though you were able to save the rest of your family including your employee “family” because of your Mom in a way right?

JP: Oh, totally!  I was able to sympathize. And, it’s because we watched it happen…we watched it unfold, I was able to take this VERY seriously from the very beginning and put that seriousness into my business immediately.  If her gift was anything to us, it was to be able to understand it all more.

RA: I definitely noticed your seriousness from the very beginning on social media. I felt like you pivoted and took action a lot quicker than most businesses, especially in your industry. So, how were you able to navigate, pivot and survive 2020?  

2020 required some quick moves as Satori owner Jen Phipps said she and her team hustled to put together a safe environment for customers so they could reopen their doors. Robin Allen photo

JP: I was sitting at home in Mosier and I looked at my family and said, “We’ve been going back and forth on having to shut down and I think I have to do it.  I think it’s my due diligence to shut my businesses down.”  I could never forgive myself if something happened to my employees or their families.

JP: So, I got on live video chat with my staff within our private Facebook group and I said “I understand we all want to work. I understand we all need to work to live but here are my feelings on all of this…To protect us, I think we have to do this, we’re gonna have to shut all three of the Satori locations down.” Then, we all had a vote.  Now, this is before unemployment, before the stimulus, before any of that stuff. And, the vote was unanimous. 

JP: So, the next morning, we posted on social media how we were going to go about this and how we were going to keep everyone safe, took signs to each of our businesses and officially shut down and it was about 10 days before anyone else. 

RA: That’s probably the most major decision you have had to make so far with your business.

JP: Yeah, it was big. I actually videotaped the entire day.  It was crazy. It was a big leap of faith. We didn’t know what was gonna happen.

JP: And then, every day when we were shut down, I racked my brain on how this was going to go down.  Everyday things shifted.  I didn't even know if personal services were going to survive to tell you the truth.  So each day, I searched for PPP and rules and regulations and reconfigured my salon to make sure we were all safe.  From temp checks to hiring staff to sanitize every day to acquiring safety gear we were going to need.  I remember there was a pile of everything just sitting here. I had masks. I had aprons. I had gloves, goggles. Everything was set out here because I was like, “ Ladies, the second they say we can open, we’re gonna open this door.” I wanted to be ready because there was no way we were going to go completely out of business!

I have to say, it was truly amazing to see my team shift each direction and come together to not only keep us safe but to keep the public safe.  We still, after almost a year, take the same precautions we did on May 15th, 2020.

Robin Allen Photo

RA: Incredible Jen! So, because you had the instinct to shut down early, did your employees actually receive unemployment?

JP:  YES, YES THEY DID! They were all immediately able to get it and then I would just check in with them from there every week to make sure they could cover their bills and put food on the table. I was bound and determined to keep my business and my family of employees.  I would have sold off pieces of my salon to keep my employees housed and fed.  And that is how we did it.  Day by day, hour by hour, thinking only of what the day we reopened was going to be like.  

RA: I feel like your Mom was guiding you on shutting down early knowing the benefits it would bring later to your staff, family and business.

JP: YES. That was totally a Mom thing. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it; seriously.

RA: Now being on the other side of 2020, were there any positives that came from it for you?  

JP: 2020 taught me a lot about the person I am. I think it was a great reminder that we shouldn't take life for granted. And losing my Mom from COVID, also taught me that not only is life short, but you have to do the things that make you happy.  It’s about pulling your family in as tight as you can and spending that time with them. Appreciating your surroundings. It's about living your life and enjoying the fact you are alive! 

As for my business, 2020 made us stronger than ever before.  My team has a bond that no one can ever break.  We laughed, we cried, then we went to work. And, to work together still, to this day, is an unbreakable force.  We love what we do, and will never take that for granted. 

RA: Although 2020 is behind us, the recent tragedies in Atlanta of fellow Women Of Color in the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders community as well in the world of beauty remind us that violence and injustice are not! During times like these, where personal self-care, preservation, balance and mental health are HUGELY important...what do you do to check in with yourself and with your staff?

Healthy rules to protect staff and customers amid the pandemic were promptly put together.

JP:  My clients are my mental health.  Personal relationships that are healthy are the only way to overcome the bleakness of all of these horrible instances.  During all of this, I watched families become closer, friendships become more important. And, Satori has actually become a safe haven for my staff and my clients alike. If you ask any one of them when sh*t gets real on the outside, family, weird stuff happening in our community, anything like that, this place is where we come to settle those nerves and talk about other things. And if I notice someone is stressed out or burnt out then we’re gonna sit down and have a talk and I will honestly be like, “Take some time off.” So, the balance is checking in. I always ask “Can I promise you anything? Do you need anything? How are you doing?”

RA: This place definitely feels like a safe haven. It is a way to escape and also a way to connect and it feels like you’re door is always open.

RA: Now, because you are so familiar with your staff, what are the lines? What’s some advice you can give on drawing the line between “Boss” and “friend”?

JP: I learn where that line is every day. Especially working with actual family. There has to be that level of respect. There has to be that chain of command. Yes, I’m their friend but..

RA: That’s second?

JP: Yes it is…it is. Communication. That’s it. It’s all about communication.  Our private FB Group is literally where they can say anything that is on their mind. Like if somebody didn’t take the trash out the night before we throw up a pic and 9 times out of 10 someone will be like “Crap, sorry, I forgot.” DONE! SMASHED! Once you have it out in the open they’re not gonna argue with it. 

RA: Yeah, there’s no resentment or gossip…no negativity brewing. Awesome.

JP: We also have staff meetings often and we have votes.  I have them look at this business as their business. Because if it’s not their business they’re not gonna take care of it, right?

RA:  Right. I agree. Communication is everything.  Ok, Jen what’s one last piece of advice you can give to your fellow entrepreneurs?

JP:  Set a goal, crush it.  Have a plan.  Achieve it.  Don't ever let anyone take you down, by gossip or negativity.  If you are passionate about what you do, it won't matter what you sell.  Be genuine.  Talk with your heart.  Never lose sight of why you started this journey in the first place.  Don't get caught up in the money aspect.  

And, no matter what road you take, find a mentor.  Find someone to look up to.  Take their advice.  Learn everything you can from them.  Be open to criticism.  Learn to adjust.  And lastly, treat people how you would want to be treated.  In the long run, that's all it takes.  I can teach anyone technical skills, but I can't teach them to be instinctual when it comes to dealing with people.

RA: Spectacular advice. How about a support system? You seem to be that for a lot of people. Especially as a Mom of triplets as well as a stepmom and as an entrepreneur, where do you find YOUR support?

JP:  Hahahaha.  OOF! This is a tough one.  I have had a support team of a couple of people who I couldn't have done this without.  My daughters also have a great sense of independence, that only daughters of a business owner would know.  The success of my business goes hand in hand with what is going on at home.  Without the love and support of them, and understanding I would not be where I am today.  My success is their success.  They are almost 19 now, and I know for a fact that if I was to pass tomorrow, they would not only be able to thrive but to be super successful in anything they put their mind to.  My stepdaughter has become my right hand through Satori.  I also know that if I were to step back, she would grow the business.  My girls are my support system and I am theirs.  Success isn't about money.  I measure my success on how I raised them.

RA: I agree. Ok, last question. “Self Care” seems to not just be the word of 2021 but a true practice that will continue as we head into the “New Normal”… Do you feel the type of beauty you offer is self-care? Or at least a part of it?

Tea counter at Satori Robin Allen Photo

JP:  What you feel on the outside directly reflects on what you feel inside.  From what you eat, to what you wear to how you exercise your body and mind.  Yes, I think that taking care of yourself is so important.  Looking your best and feeling your best are all we've got when it comes down to it.

To me, it’s about human touch.  And, to have a direct personal connection to someone taking care of you.  To have a provider care enough about you to make you want to feel great.  That’s what Satori provides. That’s self-care. And, that is priceless.

*Jennifer has a full cosmetology license in OR, WA and CA, Tattoo licenses in OR, WA, CA, and FL and several more certifications in specific aesthetics trainings.

Satori is at 406 E. Second St., The Dalles Robin Allen Photo