Erica Ourso arrived in Baton Rouge in 2006 with a business concept reflecting the latest trend in beauty: a waxing-only salon.
“They are pretty hot on the west and east coast, and there was nothing like that down here,” Ourso says in the latest Entrepreneur feature in Business Report. After working at a spa in Baton Rouge for six months, she opened Zanella’s Wax Bar.
“I’m thinking I’m coming into really high-maintenance women in the South, that there would be all of these Southern belles, so I wanted to work in a spa to get a feel from my clientele in Baton Rouge,” Ourso recalls. “I found out that women are pretty much women everywhere.”
Ourso, who worked as an aesthetician in Portland, Oregon, has found a niche in the market by providing only waxing services from beauty professionals who specialize in it. Until the recent arrival of the European Wax Center, a national company, Ourso didn’t have much competition in the market. However, she has found there is room for both, because Zanella’s benefits from being a small business. “It is more comfortable,” she says. “Our clients can pick and choose who they see.”
Ourso’s days are spent booked at the wax bar from open to close. While busy is good for business, one of her biggest challenges is unexpected cancellations. “It does cost money when people book time, and then you turn away other people who may either be on a waiting list, or they go to another business because they need it done,” she explains.
While Ourso was raised by a family of entrepreneurs, she admits being an entrepreneur is more demanding than it used to be because she must constantly monitor social media platforms, emails and online reviews. “Even if you are on vacation you still have to deal with issues because they are sitting in your inbox,” she says.
When Zanella’s made its debut in Baton Rouge about 10 years ago, so did its unofficial mascot and advertising guru, Oni. Zanella’s eye-catching print ads feature Oni, the hairless cat, often dressed in seasonal costumes, or even as a tiger for ads targeted to LSU students. “Even if people don’t really get the ad, she at least grabs your attention because she is unique looking,” Ourso says.
Read the full Entrepreneur feature. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
