Health & Beauty Chat December 2021

Kelli Hecker and Sean Stafford.

Featuring TRIM NuLu’s CEO and Co-Founder Sean Stafford

By Sarah Carter Levitch
Photos by Andrea Hutchinson

Though in its adolescence, the newly established hair salon TRIM NuLu has proven its quality and professionality through the expertise and experience of its stylists. Since its opening, the salon has seen expansive growth and reach within the community. We spoke with CEO and Co-Founder Sean Stafford to get to know some history of the salon and discuss the salon’s success thus far. 

How did TRIM Nulu get its start?

I’m one of the owners and founders of an ad tech company called El Toro, and recently we started bringing in food and offering onsite haircuts for our employees. When we had executives from Texas Roadhouse and Humana come through, they would see our employees getting their haircut onsite and ask how they could get that for their employees. Being entrepreneurs, that’s when the lightbulb went off. We turned that idea into a company called TRIM.co, and it was all onsite haircuts, which is great because there’s a built-in customer base. Then COVID hit, and all the businesses went to remote work. We had just become an investor in the Gateway of NuLu building, so we had some space available. We decided to build a high-end salon in that space. That’s how we came to have TRIM NuLu. 

When did the salon open, and how has it grown?

We opened in August 2020. The growth has been explosive and massive. Last month alone, we put on 325 new clients. I can’t hire stylists fast enough! Since we’ve opened the salon, we’ve doubled the space, and now we need to double it again. 

What are some services you offer at TRIM NuLu?

We offer balayage, color, highlights, lowlights, babylights, artistic haircuts, special occasions and facial waxing. The great thing is, everything is compartmentalized. The haircutters only cut hair, and that’s what they’ve been doing for a long time. The same thing with the colorists, they are color specialists, and they don’t cut hair. Everyone has one focus, so over the years, they’ve honed their craft. That’s where the quality comes from.

Chris Edwards.

What experience can a customer expect when coming to TRIM NuLu?

We have a high retention rate because all our stylists are engaging. Some folks leave feedback, saying, yes, the coloring or styling is fantastic, but the people are amazing. The atmosphere is always relaxed. 

What distinguishes TRIM NuLu from other salons in town?

We have high-end stylists, but we’re not pretentious. Anybody can come as they are, and we are an open and welcoming environment. Another significant factor is you can make all your bookings online. In most places, you have to call in, and you can do that here too. Our clients love the easy use of our system, though. They can book their haircut, style, color or anything else online. 

Chris Edwards.

What does it mean to TRIM NuLu to have won so many Besties?

It speaks to the loyalty of our clients and to how engaged and welcoming our employees are. I think it also speaks to the relationships built through all of that. We started this salon in the middle of the pandemic, and we’ve seen explosive growth since. It’s because we’ve got quality stylists, and there is a mutual love between the clients and us.

TRIM NuLu
552 E Market St. Suite 225
Louisville, KY 40202
833.874.6444
trimnulu.co

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