966 Erin Mills: Salon to Software

Letting Go of Ego to Find True Purpose and Transforming Struggle Into Opportunity

Reinvention is an inevitable part of the entrepreneurial process. That doesn’t make it easy, but embracing the uncertainty of change, accepting the things we cannot control, and leveraging all we learn in the process to adapt and thrive, is table stakes for anyone that wants to succeed as an entrepreneur. 

Erin Mills has spent over seven years as a multi-salon owner, building multi-million-dollar businesses and leading teams of more than 50 employees. The founder of Theory Salons, Erin faced a difficult decision to walk away from a business she loved—and how the painful process helped her reinvent her business and her life.

Now she’s opening up a new chapter, refocusing her salon expertise in the software space with a new company, Flamingo Salon Software, addressing all the pain points experienced by salon and spa businesses gleaned from personal, lived experience in the space. 

Today Erin talks about the process of reinvention and resilience. When she opened a salon just five months before the COVID lockdowns only to face a devastating flood weeks after reopening, she exhausted her savings and sold her home to stay afloat. Then came the outpouring of community support that helped the business thrive to profitability and surpass $1mm in sales in its first year. It was a powerful lesson that is helping her in her latest transition, while inspiring her to help other women’s healing and empowerment with her Be Brave Community. There, she helps women break free from limitations imposed by trauma, grief, and societal expectations, offering tools, support, and a reminder that no one is too broken to begin again.

More about Erin Mills at www.theorysalons.com

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More about Arjita at New Founder School

Arjita Sethi is a serial entrepreneur, physical therapist, certified yoga teacher, Ayurveda practitioner, and meditation expert, recognized as a leading voice at the intersection of AI and wellbeing. She is the founder of Shaanti, an AI-powered wellness platform creating personalized rituals rooted in Ayurveda, and New Founder School, which equips entrepreneurs with practical strategies to launch and grow sustainably. Arjita sits on the advisory board of the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center, teaches entrepreneurship at San Francisco State University, and has impacted hundreds of thousands of people across 40 countries through her businesses, teaching, and advisory work. A TEDx speaker, angel investor, and advocate for women in technology, she brings her philosophy of life-synced success into her work as a partner and mother.

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