Hidden Gems: Meet Megan Donley of Bello Skin & Beauty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Donley. 

Hi Megan, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Hi! I’m Megan Donley; I have wanted to be in the beauty industry since I was in 8th grade. I was also interested in Art throughout high school, so my plan was to use Cosmetology to get me through college for an Art degree. I ended up getting my license after high school and worked in various salons in Mount Pleasant while attending Central Michigan University for Interior Design. 

After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design with a minor in Art in 2021, I moved back to my hometown; my career in cosmetology took off while I was still searching for a job in the design field. It seemed that doors in Interior Design were closing for me while doors in Cosmetology were opening; it wasn’t until I was offered a space in Big Rapids that would allow me to open a salon that I decided to put all my focus into cosmetology and what would be Bello Skin & Beauty. 

The journey since that moment has been incredible, I was able to design the interior of my building almost from scratch and pave the way for a new, modern salon in Big Rapids. This has been the best choice I have made, and I am able to still do design work independently in my free time as well. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been smooth. Choosing to move in a different direction from a degree that I worked for was not an easy decision and I told myself if I was going to do it, I had to make equal or more pay for myself. This involved making a lot of changes to my business plan to allow things to be possible such as higher pay, benefits, and time off to avoid burnout. 

Starting a business is also a very intense start-up, and I poured a lot of time and money into making it possible. The stress of all of it was a lot and took a toll at times, but I made sure to carve time out to rest. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Bello Skin & Beauty. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Bello Skin & Beauty opened August 1st, 2022. We are a modern salon in a small town and are hoping to help change the industry. Our focus is clean and inclusive beauty that is a safe space to our community. We are making strides to be able to service all textures in our space, which is not something normally seen in Big Rapids. We also are working towards offering alternatives for harmful treatments and products that have been used on women that have taken a negative impact on their physical health in exchange for beauty in the past. 

Bello has also made a point to offer a new perspective for employees. In a lot of cases, commission salons can have a lot of toxic tendencies and can cause a lot of emotional damage to stylists and estheticians. We have made strides to promote a healthy work-life balance for employees and allow full freedom of schedules and pricing. We also have a goal of allowing employees benefits from their career with Bello, such as 401K matching, Vacation Time, and health insurance. 

We currently offer all basic hair services for all textures, including color, haircutting, styling, and perming. We also offer multiple protective styles for textured hair and are working toward more in the future. Along with the basics, we also offer bridal services including makeup and hair extensions. Our esthetician offers facials, eyelash and brow services, and body waxing as well. 

Our salon also offers an online retail store that is fully stocked with multiple brands of haircare. In-store, a hand-poured soy wax candle line is available and a hair care subscription box, The Bello Box, can be charged monthly and shipped to subscribers. 

What are your plans for the future?
We are still in our first year open, so a lot of our goals for the salon are to get more established and meet our goals for our services. Personally, I would love to get to the point where I am only marketing and training and no longer working behind the chair to make it easier for me to start a family in the future. Down the road, I would love to expand Bello Skin & Beauty into another location. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bellosalonco.wixsite.com/bello
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellosalon.co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083278955927&mibextid=LQQJ4d 

Image Credits
Alex Lang Photography