In this episode, host Paul Ehlinger sits down with Vanessa Yakobson, CEO and partner of Blo Blow Dry Bar, LashKind, and MINK. Vanessa shares her journey from nonprofit fundraising to leading one of North America’s largest beauty and wellness franchise systems. From pioneering the blow dry bar category to scaling with customer experience at the core, she reveals how Blo continues to evolve while staying true to its values.

Listeners will hear:

• How Blo created the blow dry bar category and grew it into a scalable franchise model.

• Why Vanessa sees customer service as the linchpin of competitiveness in beauty and wellness.

• The origins of Blo’s “Pink Carpet Treatment” and what it means for customer loyalty.

• How franchisee innovation feeds back into system-wide growth.

• Why community building — both inside salons and through digital platforms — has become central to the brand.

• The shift from being “just a beauty brand” to embracing wellness and holistic care.

• Vanessa’s leadership philosophy: staying adaptable, open-minded, and willing to say, “I changed my mind.”

🎧 A must-listen if you’re curious how customer experience, community building, and adaptive leadership can drive lasting success in franchising.

👉🏻 Learn more about Blo Blow Dry Bar at http://www.blomedry.com/

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