Joni's on the Triangle Hair Salon

Meet the Owner/Stylist Joni Sporleder

Summary

At Joni’s you get the knowledge of beauty paired with a heart for people. Hair can change a life!

Describe your business

We’re a hair salon but with a higher standard. We are Christian owned and operated. When people walk through the door I want them to feel the difference. I want there to be that spirit here; the Holy Spirit. We touch people’s lives and do the best that we can as God’s hands. I feel that God blesses those that bless his children and I feel thankful to have the salon. At one point, I was living in a homeless shelter with my child and 20 cents in my pocket.

What made you decide to open this business?

While at the shelter we had to write down our heart’s desires. I wrote that I wanted to own a business that supported other women. I didn’t know it was going to be a salon. I knew I was good with hair but I never wanted to get burned out with it. I had my stylist license and had gone to beauty collage. I was praying about it and the Lord gave me an epiphany moment Isaiah 40:31-“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” So, I prayed to wait on His timing. Little by little all the things on my Heart’s Desires list came true. They were things that some people might chalk up to coincidence but I knew it was God’s timing. A car in the same model and color that I had written down comes when I buy a car sight unseen. A set of china. Vacations with my family. This business. But the very first thing was baked potatoes. While living at the shelter I was in Tulsa going to one of my very first job interviews so I could get back on my feet. We were sitting at 61st and Memorial where a baked potato place used to be and I told my son as soon as we get enough money we’re going to come back over and get a baked potato. So, we went through this whole list of things that we would like on those baked potatoes and when we got back to the shelter they were having baked potatoes. Everything that we had wanted on our baked potatoes was set out that night.

What was it like when you first started?

I wanted to be an experience about the person in the chair. I wanted it to be a salon experience not just a beauty shop. Even the colors on the wall represent important concepts. The paint was 2/3 of our shoestring budget so it was pretty important to get right. I prayed about it and picked out colors that made me happy. The man that painted it was also in the habit of prayer before he tackled a job and the result was a colorful salon whose walls have meaning. Blues and Pink for the people we serve, purple for the royalty of God, Orange for happiness we bring to the people we serve, Green for money coming in and going out and finally a gray wall that is a work in progress. Sometimes it is hard but I have faith and it has always worked out. I feel if I have faith and wait on his timing and do the work that he put me here for it will fall into place. When I have a client in my chair I just listen to them all the while I’m silently praying for them. Many times, when people leave they comment on the positive & peaceful atmosphere of the shop and the caring nature of the staff. Doing the right thing and trying to live by the Golden Rule figure high in Joni’s personal and business practices.

What has surprised you most when owning a business?

There are wonderful businesses and some phenomenal hair stylists in this town and we are all in this business together. It’s just how you look at it. I’m no better than them and they’re no better than me. We are all trained and there’s enough hair to go around! There is room for all of us.

What would your customers say they love most about your business?

The customers love that they can come in and de-stress. Everything when you walk in is a drama free zone.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had working with a customer?

There’s an 83 year-old lady, and I’ve been doing her hair forever. When she comes in she’s hurting. She has arthritis really bad but by the time she leaves she’s on cloud nine and really feeling good about herself. She lets me do her hair red-Rosie’s red. I mix it up special, just for her. She says she’s going to live to be 107 and then decide if she’s going to grow old!

Do you have any exciting plans for the future that you want customers to know about?

I’m not sure what God has in mind for the future. I’ve been doing this 17 years and I was over 40 when I started this salon and that’s a lot of time on your feet! I have a great stylist who is going to take the baton and run with it here. We are probably going to be adding some more men’s pampering services I’m seeing that men want their beard’s taken care of and their hair to be cut a specific way. The younger generation that’s coming up expects a little bit more. Just yesterday I was looking at my spreadsheet and I have 43% male clientele. Looking back, I believe it is because I was barber trained. My dad always said you have got to find something in this world that you are good at and do it better than anyone else. He said everybody needs their hair cut and I think you’d be a good barber. He planted that seed when I was about 12 years old.

What is something most people don't know about the business?

I’m not in this business to make money. We have prices that are a little higher than say the beauty collage, but what people don’t know is that we don’t have insurance, retirement, or life insurance. So when people question the cost of a haircut I would like them to think about the overhead, utilities, and salaries. When you support a small business you are supporting families. Families that make up the community and who then go on to spend money in the community which supports other families and businesses.

Who are some of your business idols and role models? And why?

First, I would have to say that God would be who I use as a role model. As for the business, I believe that John Paul Mitchell really emulated the business side of things and there is a businesswoman named Tabitha who’s with Princess; a small distributor. Through her, we’re able to get more independent and exclusive products, They’re not exclusive in price but in the area of ingredients. They are lower in chemicals. I’m really trying to go green. It’s the right thing to do. We have essential oils being defused in the salon daily. The essential oils we use are from Young Living and it allows me to be green while supporting another small business in the community.

What do you like most about being an entrepreneur?

I can set my radio on a Christian station and it stays there! We also don’t have wi-fi. We want you to sit and talk to each other. It’s a social experience as well as getting your hair cut.

Do you have any advice that you want to share with other entrepreneurs?

Save twice as much as you make! Just don’t spend everything you make. Pray about it and follow His advice. If your heart’s not in it get out. No matter how much training you have you can always learn something new. Never be afraid to say you don’t know something just continue on to find out the answer! There is always someone better than you and there is always something you can learn from others. Educate your clients so they can do their hair on all those days they won’t be in your chair.

What do you love most about the neighborhood?

What’s not to love about the downtown community. Being able to be right here on that red brick road by the Triangle-the only one-way street in the town of Sand Springs! The heart of the community should be downtown. Some of the buildings are getting facelifts and new business are slowly moving in. One of the most recent boosts to the downtown has to be the 918 rocks. I’ve seen so many families plant the rocks around the Triangle. It’s wonderful to see families out and walking.

Anything exciting going on that customers should know about?

I have a wonderful team already! But, I’m hiring! I have a booth and a room for rent. 

Where are your favorite places to go in the neighborhood?

Trendy’s and Ron’s Hamburgers are favorites. I love to go to all the mom and pop shops.