Page 9 - Dr Pamela Peeke

Woman of Distinction

LYNELLE LYNCH Photos By Lisa K Miller
By Robert Tussey

CEO Bellus School of Beauty Poway

Beauty schools are now colleges. And the cliché of gum- and others, Bellus and her sister schools, Bay Vista College in
popping bubble-haired Rizzo’s is long gone. I visited the Bellus National City and Je Boutique College in El Cajon, offer world
School of Beauty on Poway Road and had the pleasure of class training and services.
interviewing Lynelle Lynch, CEO, and having a guided tour of The focus here is not only on training and professionalism, she
the facility. This is serious business. also educates on the business fundamentals side of cosme-
Visits to the hairdresser are now appointments with our stylist. tology. “2005 was probably when some of the first textbooks
We gossip, catch up, compare movie and music interests while were written for cosmetologists that specifically talked about
our hair is tended to, gleefully unaware of the training and dedi- how to build your marketing skills. Industry experts will tell you
cation it took to get to the back of my chair. What I found on that 85% of your success will be your business and marketing
the day of my visit are dedicated, caring trainers and a focused skills.” Her classes show how important it is to market them-
coterie of students striving for selves and create their own
perfection in their craft. level of success. “We do
The training facility at the job-interviewing, role-play-
academy is laid out specifi- ing, we do resume writing
cally for function: Cosme- with the students, and by the
tology, Esthetics, Holistic time they get done they have
Health, Spa Nail Technician, had a lot of expertise and
and Make-up Artistry. The hopefully the students take
front end of the academy is advantage of our ex-tern
the salon and is sleek and program. That’s where one
busy as the students and day for eight weeks they go
trainers ply their trade. What work in a professional salon
strikes you most upon enter- so they get to see and feel
ing is the energy and eager- what it looks like in the real
ness, from the front desk/ world.” San Diego Woman
receptionist to the stylists. Their Holistic Health Prac-
Lynelle was contagious in titioner course is over 1000
her vigor and enthusiasm. hours. “Becoming a top
Lynelle graduated from Col- professional takes literally 9
orado State University with hundreds, if not thousands,
a major in chemistry and mi- of hours. Yet the Bellus
nor in fashion merchandis- Academy, with their ad-
ing. She has been the COO vanced training allows the
of the Greater San Diego students to gain the required
Chamber of Commerce and advanced training (and busi-
was on the boards of twelve ness skills) to be successful
charities and chaired or right after graduation. The
coordinated many small and advanced training takes the
large charity events. She is place of years of advanced
a former Miss Colorado and education and experience.
spent her first sixteen years The HHP Program is one
after graduating with Saks thousand hours and can be
Fifth Avenue. Her resume is completed in ten months.”
filled with many prestigious The Holistic Health Practitio-
accomplishments but she ner is the premier certifica-
states simply, “My passion is tion.
in marketing and making a While the changes in the spa
difference.” Her passion led them to win the School of the Year and salon industries have been remarkable in the last decade,
award from Modern Salons First Chair. the demand for qualified technicians has never been greater.
The school is a multi-faceted amalgam of training and certifica- However, those demands are broader and require more of the
tion in all elements of the cosmetology arena. The students ar- graduate. To market yourself today the industry demands that
rive en masse and work long hours learning and applying their technicians must have multiple licenses or advanced train-
trade. The goal here is to graduate world class technicians and ing. To market oneself successfully the student of today needs
grow the business: San Diego ranked third (in a recent sur- expanded skillsets and business acumen.
vey) for number of spas in a city. In the company of La Costa
Issue 2, 2009