The Why Behind Copper & Oak Hair Co.

People often ask me why I decided to open my own salon.

The easy answer is because I wanted to own a business.

The honest answer is because I wanted to build something that I couldn't find.

Before I ever picked up a pair of shears, I worked at a hospital for seven years persueing a career in nursing. I loved caring for people, but there was always a creative part of me that felt like it was waiting to come alive. Hair gave me that opportunity. It allowed me to connect with people while creating something beautiful at the same time.

Making the decision to leave my dreams of being a nurse was exciting, but it was also scary. I was starting over.

The first few years in the salon industry were harder than I ever expected. I learned quickly that talent wasn't always the hardest part. Sometimes it was navigating the personalities. This was something I wasn't prepared for, and I certainly didn't have the tools to handle it well. Looking back, I realize those difficult moments were some of my greatest teachers. They taught me patience, humility, and that leadership isn't something you're born with. It's something you develop through experience, failure, reflection, and the willingness to keep growing. As John Maxwell says, sometimes we either win or we learn. Those seasons shaped the leader I am still becoming today.

The gossip. The competition. The feeling that someone else's success somehow took away from your own.

That never sat right with me.

I have always believed there is enough room for all of us to succeed.

When I became a mom at a young age, my perspective changed even more. My son didn't need a mom who came home emotionally exhausted every night. He needed a mom who was present. Someone who could laugh with him, support him, and enjoy being home.

I realized that where you work affects how you live.

If you spend your day surrounded by negativity, criticism, and unhealthy relationships, eventually you carry that home with you. Your family feels it. Your children feel it. Your spouse feels it.

I never wanted that to become my story.

When the opportunity came to open Copper & Oak Hair Co., I knew exactly what I wanted to build.

I wanted a salon where women genuinely celebrate each other. Where helping another stylist is second nature. Where education is exciting. Where everyone understands that this is a career worth investing in, not just a job to clock into.

I wanted a place where kindness is expected.

Where humility matters.

Where we choose conversations that encourage instead of conversations that tear people down.

Most importantly, I wanted to surround myself with women whose faith shapes the way they love people. Not because any of us are perfect, but because we all want to become better. This all didnt come together without failure. All success has a date with failure. and boy have I had my fair share.

Better stylists. Better leaders. Better wives. Better moms. Better friends.

At the end of the day, beautiful hair is only part of what we do.

We help women feel confident.

We listen when they need someone to hear them.

We celebrate life's biggest moments with them.

Sometimes we even cry with them.

That responsibility deserves a healthy culture.

Owning Copper & Oak has never been about having my name on the building. It has always been about creating a place where people love coming to work, where clients feel cared for, and where everyone leaves a little better than they arrived.

This blog is simply an extension of that.

Over the next several months, I want to share what I have learned through working at the hospital, hairstyling, motherhood, marriage, leadership, faith, and business. Some lessons came easily. Others came through mistakes I hope someone else can avoid.

If something I have learned encourages one stylist to keep going, helps one salon owner build a healthier culture, or reminds one working mom that she is not alone, then sharing my story will be worth it.

Thank you for being here. My goal someday is to write a book, so this Blog will be my way of stepping out and preparing myself for when God tells me I'm ready.

I'm so glad you're a part of this journey.

Paula