Yovanka Loria – An Accidental Entrepreneur

In 2017, after 25 years of hairdressing, Adelaide’s Yovanka Loria took the leap to open her home hair salon in South Australia, continuing her passion-filled journey with all things hair.

A particular curiosity for hair extensions, Yovanka set about learning everything about weft hair extensions, business and marketing. Feeling there was a gap in the market for luxe, good quality hand-tied hair, in 2018 Yovanka was able to secure the exclusive rights to develop her very own line of hand-tied hair extensions, developing an ever-growing hair extension and hair education company.

Tell us a little more about your business journey so far.

It’s been an adventure and a true learning experience, particularly since the brand’s inception and then navigating COVID and everything that came along with that! A year into the business, I simply didn’t foresee the rapid growth we experienced, and with my husband Vlad becoming a vital part of the business we promptly established the ‘Yovanka Loria’ collective brand. Our Salon, Extensions and Education are separate elements, however they collectively make up the YL brand and are all vital to our business model. In just 2 short years, we created a nation-wide phenomenon with our product truly becoming known for its unique nature, distinctive quality and our education which sits along side it. We now proudly have over 60 salons/stockists across Australia (and counting!) and we are stocked in over 400 salons in the United States, through our distributor, Salt Strands Salon. With our business growth, I now see my role as a business owner as one of leadership; helping not just the people within my business thrive but supporting other business owners and stylists, and to do so with integrity, honesty and transparency. This is something much larger than just me.

YLE has a unique approach to education to ensure sustainability in the industry for hair extensions, yet also support stylists in the process. Can you tell us about that?

I take the education and training aspect of the business extremely seriously, and it’s a big part of my role. I am so passionate about working with other stylists who share our values and passions and who can uphold the standard needed to provide an elevated customer experience. Our two-day YLE Course provides an intensive, hands-on experience that will change the way attendees see themselves as stylists. Our exclusive education experience dives deep into what is involved in order to take salon businesses and profitability to the next level. We want to inspire hairdressers by sharing the exact steps used to change our industry standard, one that is setting a new benchmark. We also share marketing strategies and the skills needed to build a business that attracts your dream clientele and everything inbetween. We’ve recently had the pleasure of having Sam James, Owner & Creative Director of Adelaide’s SJ Establishment salon align with YLE with some absolutely positive feedback. “I love supporting local South Australia businesses, so I trialled the YLE wefts in my own hair, after never being fully satisfied with many others. After 2 days I felt the quality and saw the incredibly natural result and wanted them for all of our clients.”

You’ve won various industry & business awards, all recognising business & innovation achievements. What have these meant to you?

Entering awards has been relatively new to us, but we see it as a chance to not only showcase and back our business, but also to highlight success within the hairdressing industry through business development and innovation. Most recently, I was awarded a place on the Inside Small Business Magazine’s 2022 Top 50 Small Business Leaders in Australia which was an absolutely huge honour as this list recognises small business owners who epitomise the resilience, innovation and agility needed to thrive as a small business in today’s challenging economic climate. Yovanka Loria Extensions is also a 2022 AHIAs - Business Finalist for Best Business Performance which we are extremely excited about! In 2021, I was grateful to win SA Woman’s ‘The Innovator’ Award recognised as the embodiment of a woman who has created a business that shows innovation within our existing industry.

And finally, what has being a business owner taught you?

It’s a rollercoaster ride – you have to be prepared for all the challenges you will face. Things change so quickly and you have to keep up with the twists and turns. Although I am a mentor and business owner, I’m continually growing and learning myself. These are the main things I learned since starting a business: 1. Don’t try and do everything yourself 2. Surround yourself with mentors 3. Find like-minded people, not like-skilled people 4. The odds are stacked against you, and that’s ok 5. Ignore the naysayers - everyone will have an opinion 6. Learn to say no and surround yourself with the right people 7. Be prepared to sacrifice 8. Know your numbers 9. Focus on the customers, engage with your audience 10. Develop a powerful message