Casey Nickole’s entrepreneur journey began behind a salon chair in DERAILED in Dayton’s Oregon District.
A year later, she moved across the country, landed a job in a Seattle barbershop, and went on to launch her own salon, BANG, which she grew to multiple locations.
Today, she’s back home and launching a new adventure. SHAG Studios is an 11,000 square foot renovated medical center. Its 15 private studio spaces will house a variety of wellness entrepreneurs and retailers in one space.
“Honestly, I’m just that cliche person who moved home during the pandemic,” Casey recalled. “Seattle was very tumultuous at that time. Everything was boarded up. I came home and visited family and realized that I wanted to move back.”
She opened SHAG hair salon on Jefferson St. with a friend from Seattle before she found the building at 1126 S Main St.
“Our goal is to take each of those spaces and create a space that reflects the person who rents it. They can choose kind of colors or patterns or light fixtures or things that they feel like are going to enhance their business,” Casey said. “I think it’s important to give people spaces to reflect not only who they are in business, but who they are in the world. I really look forward to collaborating with people who want to spend their time in a space that feels good energetically and socially.”
Casey tapped the First Floor Fund to complete renovations.
“Dayton has a lot of these really great spaces that have been neglected for just a tiny bit too long. People are starting to inhabit those spaces and turn them over. I used the First Floor Fund through the city of Dayton, which was amazing. I definitely recommend anyone entrepreneurial who’s interested in being downtown or close to downtown, take advantage of that.”
The studios for rent at SHAG offer a great way for growing wellness practitioners to dip a toe into entrepreneurship, Casey said. A salon suite is an easier, faster, cheaper way to see if it’s a fit than pursuing a storefront or lease.
“Being an entrepreneur is some of the best and the hardest work that you’ll ever do,” she said. “I love this industry and the people that work in it. They’re interesting, they’re eclectic, a lot of them are artists. It’s an industry that has a lot of movement.”
But entrepreneurship is still hard, she said.
“Things like navigating personal relationships, and being a boss, and telling people no,” she said. “You have to really be willing sometimes to not be the most favorite person in the room.”
At SHAG, tenants can tap into the energy of the other entrepreneurs around them, Casey added.
“They understand that the hours aren’t set hours. They understand that you do things every day that are not part of your job description because it’s just what has to be done,” Casey said. “Entrepreneurs have a mindset and a flexibility that a lot of 9 to-5 people don’t encompass or appreciate. And I really enjoy being around people who just make things happen.”
Casey brings 17 years of experience as an entrepreneur to the table — and she hopes to serve as a resource.
Her biggest piece of advice? Get comfortable hearing “no.”
“I definitely have not gotten every space I wanted, or every loan I needed. Being told no becomes part of the language. If that’s really uncomfortable for you, or you’re really sensitive about it, you might want to re-evaluate. Because you just have to shift gears and keep working towards what your goal is,” she said. “Sometimes, being told no is a gift, because it would have been a mistake, and I couldn’t see it at the time.”
Have a strong vision — and surround yourself by folks who get it.
“It’s important to sort of surround yourself with the people who share those ideas and the investment in all the humans coming together for a common purpose, even if it is just haircuts,” Casey said.
As the space comes fully online, Casey hopes to spend more time behind the chair.
“I really love doing hair. I love the intimacy of a one-on-one situation with someone. And I like being skilled enough to give them a product that you know they love or couldn’t achieve on their own. I like doing a good job. There’s something that’s easier about giving someone a really great haircut in an hour and a half, as opposed to this building has taken a year,” she said with a laugh. “There’s some instant gratification in doing hair that is very fulfilling. I honestly would like to go back to doing hair at least two days a week. And now I have 11,000 square feet to do it in.”
I am Casey, and I am an entrepreneur.
There’s no one way to be an entrepreneur.
You don’t have to look a certain way, operate in a particular industry, or pursue specific education. You don’t have to grow up in a particular household, or spend your free time nurturing any particular hobbies — entrepreneurs grow from all walks of life.
In this series, entrepreneurs, founders, and small business owners from across the Dayton Region share their individual stories to break down pervading stereotypes about who can or can’t be an entrepreneur.
They proudly declare, “I Am an Entrepreneur” — and you can be, too.
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