JB Shelton worked as a hairstylist for 14 years before making the decision to work on her own. Three months into being a solo hairstylist, JB realized working on her own really wasn’t what she wanted. Not only did she miss being surrounded by other people, but her clientele was too large to keep up with. Thus, her dream of running her own salon began. In February of 2016, JB reached out to others for help and a close friend of hers referred her to Bankable. Just before Memorial Day, she was approved for a loan from Bankable to help with start-up costs and Detour Salon & Style was ready to go.
She still gets emotional looking back on the day she received the news of her loan approval.
“Somebody believing in me, telling me to go to my dreams… is so powerful.”
Part of the reason JB has been so successful in her time as a business owner is that she doesn’t allow fear to stop her from going after her dreams.
“People think that if you’re an entrepreneur, you have this vision and you just totally believe in yourself, and you have this huge level of confidence. The reality is, my confidence is no greater than anyone else’s. I’m just not allowing fear to be the main thing that dictates my decisions.”
In 2019, JB Shelton teamed up with Bankable for a video highlighting her successes and journey to entrepreneurship. This month, we caught up with JB to reflect on the three years that have passed since the video was made and talk about what’s next in store for Detour.
As a part of this reflection, JB answered a few of the same questions that were first asked of her in 2019. Here’s how her responses have changed over the last three years:
2019 — “Our revenue growth since opening has been unlike anything I have ever been a part of. Up 35% in just 1 year! It's amazing to watch our team prosper and it humbles me to know it came from my dream!”
2022 — Today, JB sees success a little differently. Now, success lies within her mission-turned-reality of “developing the next generation of beauty professionals in Madison County.” She believes her purpose is “to touch as many humans as possible in a positive way, uplift them in confidence, and to reach their highest self.”
2019 — “Thriving and running like a well-oiled machine. Planning for a second location.”
2022 — As of now, “this second dream of growing the corporation, growing the company — it looks like it’s going to be coming to fruition this fall.” With the property next door becoming available to Detour for a spa space, JB has found the perfect opportunity to keep this dream alive.
2019 — “Do the market research, do the math, ask everyone you know to help you share your dreams and visions with others, get mentors in your field, follow your gut.”
2022 — “The first thing I tell them is ‘go to Bankable.’ I mean it, because as much as I did know… there were still so many things I wasn’t prepared for.” And, “following your gut is a big one, because you wouldn’t be a successful entrepreneur if you hadn’t.”
When Detour first opened, spa services were not a part of the plan. It wasn’t until Detour’s front-end lead Lindsey Pile, also a longtime friend of JB’s, decided to take a new path during the pandemic and attend esthetician school, that the idea came about. After getting her certification, Lindsey asked if JB would create a space in Detour for her to start her work. The spa services are currently offered within Detour’s salon, but will soon be moved to the building space next door; the acquisition of that space is the result of a right place, right time situation. The Detour team had always secretly hoped to expand next door, and it happened to become available right when Detour was ready for that next step.
With the spa expansion, JB knew she was going to need more funding to get the new place staffed and running. She says,
“There wasn’t even a second thought about [going to Bankable for assistance]... it wasn’t just about having solutions. It really was more about having somebody that’s like ‘it’s gonna be okay, we’re gonna get this taken care of, we’ve got a plan. Let’s breathe together.’”
As a part of her personal mission, JB wants to support the local community, especially local entrepreneurs. According to her, going to a platform such as Bankable is a way of doing that. In a bigger picture mindset, JB believes working together with the community means having more abundance together (which doesn’t always mean money). She also wants to show her children that because of hard work, commitment, and ethical integrity, they’re changing their family for generations to come.
JB Shelton is a light to both her team and her community. From watching her interact with her customers and employees, who she lovingly calls ‘teammates,’ it is evident that JB values being an impactful leader over everything.
Detour’s mission statement says it all with: “Empower. To provide a casual yet premier salon & shopping experience for the Madison County community & its visitors. To support & develop the next generation of beauty professionals while creating sustainable, long-term careers in Madison County.”
Being an entrepreneur is one thing, but using that initiative to become a part of a bigger mission to do good is what ultimately sets JB and Detour Salon & Style apart.