Service That Starts with Empathy

When Stephanie Anderson opened The Living Room Hair Lounge in 2014, she aimed to provide the environment, service, and quality she would want.

“Customer service is our No. 1 priority,” Anderson said. “When I go to a business, I want somebody to satisfy what I'm looking for, my pain points. So I think about myself as a consumer first, and then I just implement the things that I think a woman of my demographic wants: customer service, quality care, professionalism, and certain skill sets. That makes us stand out.”

That ability to put herself in her customers’ shoes, coupled with her track record as a highly skilled stylist, helped Anderson build a strong reputation for her business and a loyal clientele. Her full-service multicultural salon in Ferndale, Michigan, specializes in hair color, haircuts, extensions, hair styling, makeup, barber services, nail care, and skincare.

From Chair to CEO: Building a Salon From the Ground Up

Being a salon owner was a natural progression for Anderson, who started working as a hairstylist more than 30 years ago. Gradually, she shifted from employee to a solopreneur renting her own space. As demand for her services grew, she started hiring and training a team to help her. Eventually, she felt they were ready to operate a full-service salon, and The Living Room Hair Lounge was born.

The transition to running a full-service salon was a demanding one. Not only did Anderson need to focus on providing excellent services, but she also had to start thinking about promoting her business, bookkeeping, payroll, personnel management, and a long list of other to-dos.  

Anderson invested time in learning about marketing and building a strong social media presence, a strategy that allows her to show off the salon’s results, introduce herself and her team, and gradually build potential customers’ trust.

Within six years, The Living Room Hair Lounge had seven employees and a steadily growing customer base.  

A few years later, Anderson launched a natural skin product line, Gorgeously Good. Her products are available at The Living Room Hair Lounge and online, and Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center stocks sample-sized containers in its VIP suites.

SurePayroll: A Smarter Payroll Solution

As her business evolved, so did Anderson’s needs. Over time, she found that her original payroll provider, ADP, wasn’t a cost-effective fit for her small salon.

Making the switch to SurePayroll was an easy decision, Anderson said. SurePayroll® By Paychex offers all the payroll and tax services she’d come to rely on, but at a much more affordable price.  

Searching for a Better Fit

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“I looked into shifting to a more affordable package with ADP, but there weren’t many options for me,” she said. “I was already at one of their lowest monthly fees. And so, I just said, I’ve got to do something else.”

She wanted help running payroll, but she didn’t want it to break the bank.

Her business mentor recommended SurePayroll, which provides easy, affordable payroll service for the everyday business owner.  

Getting started with SurePayroll was easy, too.

“I had a rep helping me. I also went online and set it up. Now, when a new person starts working with us, the interface to add them is very user-friendly, easy for the new person, and easy for me.”

Payroll Help at Her Fingertips

Anderson is a big fan of the SurePayroll mobile app for employers, which lets her manage payroll from anywhere, check payroll deadlines, and generate detailed reports, among other things.

“I really loved the SurePayroll mobile app when I was out of town,” she said. “That app was my best friend. I didn't have to mess around with my laptop, and it worked very well.”

Anderson also praises the SurePayroll customer service team, which has been extremely responsive to her questions and requests.

“The customer service is very friendly, very patient,” she said. “They walk you through everything.”

If Anderson were to advise other small business owners on selecting a payroll service, she says she would encourage them to take the same approach she did.

“Get something that's cost-effective, something that's user-friendly, like SurePayroll.”

SurePayroll meets Anderson’s needs whether she is paying seven employees, two or three people, or just herself — and it fits comfortably within her budget.

Top Tier Payroll Service at the Right Price

With ADP, even the lowest tier was too expensive for her small business.  

“With SurePayroll, I get top-tier payroll and payroll tax assistance,” she said. “The pricing is amazing, and I’m very satisfied.”

Anderson feels good about her company’s future. “Having SurePayroll in my corner, handling paperwork behind the scenes, helps.” That leaves Anderson free to focus on what she loves most: making people look and feel gorgeous.

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