Meet Michelle Fultz | Cosmetologist/Salon Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Fultz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted my own freetime. I realized the salon I loved working for was a toxic environment and it was affecting my mental health. I needed a more open schedule so I could have some family time with my kids and husband during the weekends.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I always knew I wanted to be a cosmo from the time I was a kid. I’d give family haircuts at 13/14 and my family loved it. Some how it always turned out decent. Beauty school was a Rough Ride. I was trying to focus on being a teen mom at the time so I made sure to get my diploma in December before my son was due in March. I thought my life that I dreamed of was going to be too hard to manage with a kid at 18 now. So I worked for a credit reporting agency for a year until we decided to move back to Colorado. That year was ROUGH. My husband and I decided to split for a little while. I was in school full time, working full time, and a mother. It was hard but I can look back and say I did it. Fast forward only a couple months until graduation and my husband and I wanted to work through things and beauty school was going great. I graduated and I got a salon job two weeks after getting my license. Then I started to notice the environment was not what I wanted. I want people to come in my chair and feel welcomed. No matter your hair texture, skin color, pronoun preference, etc. and I just was not getting that vibe. So I decided after two years of renting my own suite I’m going to pull the trigger on this salon opportunity. My business partner had someone who had a building come available and she calls me three weeks ago and says, “Are you ready to open and run a salon” and my stomach sank. But somehow everything has fallen into place. And now we’re opening in two weeks on December 1 where we welcome every single person 😭😍

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m not much of a drinker, but I do love to drink and race go karts over at Overdrive Raceway 😂 we also spend family days at the track riding our dirtbikes and our kiddos ride theirs. Sugar City is a super small city out by calhan if you need some peace in your life. That was one of my favorite calm places to visit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband is my number one supporter through all of this. On top of my dad and his wife. They have pushed me and have faith on me when I didn’t. They told me My worth is worth so much more than being at this mom and pop salon. And i finally said okay and took the leap.

Website: thevibebeautylounge.com

Instagram: @thevibebeautylounge

Image Credits
Cassandra jasmine lifestyle photography for the family picture