Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Steller. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Katie Steller is the owner and founder of Steller Hair Company, a values-driven hair salon located in NE Minneapolis, Steller Connect, a creative community-centered event space, and Executive Director of the Steller Kindness Project.
Katie entered into the hair industry when she was 18 years old, but her story began much earlier. At age 11 she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Ulcerative Colitis. This diagnosis dictated a lot of her childhood, but it did not dictate her spirit. Throughout illness and life circumstances, she became a determined fighter.
When Katie turned 18, her illness had progressed beyond remission, and she had her large intestine removed. This created the circumstances that inspired her to become a hairstylist. Her serious health challenges resulted in hair loss. Losing something can make one realize its value. Seeing Katie’s distress, her mom decided to book her a hair appointment with a family friend. Katie had never received a professional haircut before, and after having her hair cut and styled, she realized the impact a hairstylist could have on their client. During her appointment, she was more than an illness: she felt like a person. A person who was beautiful, cared about and important. This experience changed her personally and professionally.
In every aspect of her life, Katie strives to be an advocate for people: her employees, clients, and all members of her beloved community. She believes in showing up, even when it feels difficult, and doing the very best in every situation every day. The reputation and growth of Steller Hair Company is evidence that she is succeeding in these goals.
In 2016, Katie had the idea to start a project that would help spread positivity and kindness. Katie decided that she wanted to use her skills as a hairstylist to celebrate and uplift those around her. She started out by offering free haircuts to those in need, and publishing stories of people doing good in their communities, even in small ways. Her idea developed into the Steller Kindness Project, now a non-profit organization that recognizes and celebrates those in our community who show up, and have a positive impact on those around them without even knowing it. Because if fear is contagious, what can’t kindness be?
In 2019, Katie’s “Red Chair Project” drew the attention from Kare 11’s Boyd Huppert and was featured on Land of 10,000 Stories. From that point Steller Kindness Project gained national and international attention which has led to opportunities to give and show up in unexpected ways!
Currently, Steller Hair Company is in the top five in the nation for the NAHA 2022 award of Inspiring Salon of the Year. This honor is a clear indicator that kindness truly is contagious and the ways we show up for the person in front of us have a ripple effect beyond what we can imagine.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Something I have learned over the years is that if you are looking to create change it will never be a smooth road. A smooth road means that it has been paved over and over by people and ideas before you. Starting Steller Hair Co came from a place of wanting to see changes in an industry that was set in a traditional model that didn’t reflect why I became a hairstylist.
The struggles and challenges started immediately. I was completely naive to the immense stress, failure, and countless closed doors I would face in starting my own business. I entered the process with aggressive optimism which I believe is what kept me going and believing I could do this task that felt impossible at times.
I never went to college and barely finished high school. I didn’t have a background in business, and very little experience in the industry as a whole. I quickly realized that even though I knew how to be a hairstylist and had the motivation to create the changes I wanted to see by opening my own salon, I didn’t have the support I needed in navigating the business end of things. I was connected to WomenVenture, a local SBA organization, and with their irreplaceable help and support began the real process of opening a business. The team at WomenVenture assisted me in writing my business plan, cash flow projections, navigating the loan process, connecting me to financial advisors and accountants, and all of the other nuances that we don’t think about when entering into a new venture.
Funding for my business was incredibly difficult due to the fact that I was 23, didn’t have collateral or assets to my name and had never had a credit card. Banks laughed me out the door when I approached with a request for a loan. After working with WomenVenture to get approval for an SBA loan, along with crowdfunding I was faced with the next hurdle of finding a space. I nearly signed leases at 8 different spaces and each one fell through for various reasons. After every closed door, it felt like the biggest heartbreak. I believe that having doors close is a test to your creativity and resiliency around your idea. Is it worth recommitting to? After every “failure” I had a moment of wanting to give in and give up, but again and again, I reminded myself why I was doing this and I would recommit, day after day.
Looking back, starting the business was the “easy” part. Keeping Steller Hair Co’s doors open while not compromising the values it was built on (despite outsiders critiques that it could be making a lot more money if I ran it more traditionally) is where the true test of resiliency comes in. The creativity and recommitment it took to create my business is still running through my veins, and when you’re paving a new road those are qualities that need to remain.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When I entered the hair industry my intention was to be a stylist behind the chair while I paid my way through nursing school. I quickly realized that the same pull my heart had for nursing could be fulfilled as a hairstylist. I was passionate about creating a space and experience that helped others feel cared about, safe, beautiful and less alone.
I have never been someone who can sit still, and have a hard time sticking with “one thing”. Being a hairstylist allowed me to not only tap into my creativity, but also have an endless amount of new experiences.
Once I decided to open my own business my excitement and creativity grew exponentially. I realized that the career I had chosen had many facets beyond doing hair behind the chair. I started to supplement my stylist day-job with learning how to be a boss, manager, business owner, and leader overall. The diversity in my responsibilities never left me bored, and I loved it.
As Steller Hair grew, and the business side started to take off I realized I wanted to do even more. I wanted to use this platform I had created to stand behind the foundational values and mission it was built on beyond hair. When Steller wasn’t open we would use our space for community events, supporting local artists and musicians, cut-a-thons, weddings and so much more. Steller Hair Company is a space for all, and that surpasses a haircut.
In 2016 I added the Steller Kindness Project to the mix. Steller Kindness was a venture that started in one of my darkest hours and at a time when the whole world felt like it was falling apart. I was struggling with my mental health and started to realize how devastating the world was when I would open up my social media or turn on the news. In a moment of despair, I asked myself a question “If fear is contagious, why can’t kindness be”? This question was asked to my social media along with “who inspires you to be kind, and why?”. The response I received became a catalyst for where Steller Kindness is today. People were so excited to share the small acts of kindness they’ve received which showed me that there is so much power behind the smallest moment of caring for others and I wanted to highlight them. If we want to see macro changes in our world, it needs to start on a micro level, and that is showing kindness to the person in front of us.
Steller Kindness started out as an online platform to share these stories of quiet acts of kindness in hopes to encourage others that it doesn’t take much to positively impact another person, and that the ripple effect of good can be greater than you realize! In 2019 my dream of turning Steller Kindness Project into a nonprofit came true, but not because of the story-telling aspect it started out with. The Red Chair Project, another impulsive idea, put Steller Kindness Project on the map and became a beautiful combination of hair, community, storytelling, connection and using our platform to bridge gaps and create positive change.
I can’t sit here and say anything I have to offer is “special” or mind-blowing, but what I will stand behind is I am proud that I have been able to grow this small hope of helping even one person feel less alone into a business and nonprofit with a beautiful team, clientele, community and reputation that is built on the belief that everyone deserves to feel safe, welcome, accepted and valued. My hope to create a ripple effect of good has now turned into the determination of creating a tidal wave of change, in the hair industry and the world.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My biggest piece of advice to someone starting out is to surround yourself with people who are good at the things you aren’t as strong in. You aren’t supposed to be able to do this journey on your own, and if you try you will be missing out on countless opportunities to have your idea/venture reach a potential you can’t even imagine!
Also, just remember that whenever you are creating change, wanting to do something different, or questioning how things have “always been done”, you will meet resistance. I truly believe that you don’t need to know what you’re doing if you know why you’re doing it. If you commit strongly enough to something you believe matters you will always figure out how to accomplish it.
Contact Info:
- Email: katie@stellerhair.com
- Website: www.stellerhair.com | www.stellerkindnessproject.com | www.stellerconnect.com
- Instagram: @stellerhairco | @stellerkindnessproject | @stellerconnect | @katiesteller
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StellerHairCo
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/steller-hair-company-minneapolis
Image Credits
Chelsie Lopez Production
Haley Peterson Photography
Jessica Zerby
AckermanGruber
DuoMPLS
