Владелец салона красоты Joy Boyd передает бизнес менеджеру Desiree Boucher

BRATTLEBORO — Thirty-one years after Joy Boyd founded Shear Designs Hair Studio, the business is shifting ownership from Boyd herself to her manager, Desiree Boucher. With a mission of “Smile, laugh and do great hair,” Shear Designs has carved an impact on its community through multiple annual charity fundraisers and various local events over the years. “I’ve owned the salon for 31 years, and it’s time, you know?” said Boyd. “I’m ready — ready for the salon to have a new vision.” Boyd confirmed that she would undoubtedly remain a part of the Shear Designs team, even if she is no longer the owner. “[The salon] is a part of me. It’s who I am ... I’ve always said my veins run through here. I breathe, it breathes.” “I’m super excited,” said Boucher. “I’m not really that nervous. I’m excited about everything.” Boucher, whose father was a friend of Boyd from before the founding of the salon, has been a member of Shear Designs for 14 years. “I think maybe I’m proudest that I did stick it out all those years,” said Boucher. “I didn’t jump ship.” When Boucher was in beauty school 18 years ago, Shear Designs was the dream job for herself and many of her peers. “It was hopping,” said Boucher. Neither Boyd nor Boucher believe their collaborative relationship will change much going forward, in spite of their new positions. “Desiree has been a godsend for me over the years,” said Boyd. “For me, I want to make sure that I’m here long enough that things are okay, and that she’s not getting taken advantage of.” “Our relationship won’t change, and she probably will not be able to step down from certain roles for a while,” agreed Boucher. “We’re all the same people, we’re running the business the same, our clients are the same, we still have the same vision that Joy started 31 years ago.” The major shift that will come to the salon, according to Boucher and Boyd, will be a change from a commission-based system to a chair rental system. In a commission-based system, everybody is an hourly employee — if they do not generate hourly income, they receive a percentage of their commission. “If you bring in $600, you get 50 percent commission,” explained Boucher. Boyd would then have to pay taxes, complete a W2, cover workman’s compensation, unemployment, “all those things behind the scenes,” according to Boucher. By contrast, a chair rental system is posited on every employee being in charge of their own income, paying their own taxes and having their own insurance for their respective chairs. “In most places, they would be responsible to provide their own products, booking system, sometimes linens, phone number,” said Boucher. “Here, your chair and rental includes everything except for insurance, because every stylist has to carry that themselves.” “It’s a major benefit for anybody who wants to kind of be self-employed, but doesn’t have the startup cost or really the know-how to kind of manage all of the behind-the-scenes,” said Boucher. Chair rental has no payroll system, while a commission-based system would — the employees are “in charge of” everything they bring into the salon each day, and Boucher pays for the employees’ supplies. “It’s the same Shear Designs it has been,” re-affirmed Boucher. “I feel like her and I have already been running it — we’ve just kind of swapped roles.” “It’s going to take some time to disconnect a little,” said Boyd, on the transition from owner to employee. “This is my baby ... it’s its own entity. I am so proud of what I’ve done with my girls, and now Desiree’s going to do a new vision with her girls.”