Austin & Lisa Campbell
“Community involvement is very important. We strive to give back as much as possible. ”
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FOSTERING COMMUNITY
2023 Spirit of Franchising MVP Award Written by SARA WYKES
AUSTIN & LISA CAMPBELL
Franchisees
Units: 18 Sola Salon Studios Age: 43 Family: Married, 2 children Years in franchising: 17 Years in current position: 17
18 | Multi-Unit Franchisee | Issue 3, 2023
WINNER
Austin and Lisa Campbell are the 2023 Spirit of Franchising MVPs (Most Valuable Performers), awarded for extraordinary and enduring performance, growth, and community giving. We spoke with Austin Campbell only.
ustin Campbell, who has been expanding his Sola Salon Studios business—despite the challenges of recent years—is an admirable example of how to infuse advocacy into business success. During the Covid pandemic, he was forthright with officials about beauty professionals’ ability to safely operate. He also supported the creation of an educational community center for Sola professionals, relevant beauty product companies, and educators to host classes and events. “We named it the Sola Creative Space,” says Campbell, “and it’s free to the Sola community to hold networking events, art classes, business classes, and personal gatherings.” In addition, Campbell found a way to help others when he and his wife spent time at San Diego’s Ronald McDonald House. “We wanted to help other families and discovered an opportunity when we saw an empty salon space there,” says Campbell. “We renovated it and made the salon functional again, and our Sola San Diego partnered with the local Ronald McDonald House to open a studio inside.” All this aligns well with Campbell’s basic ideas on how to conduct business. “I strongly believe that a successful business should be deeply rooted in its local community and actively contribute to its growth and wellbeing,” he says. “Engaging with the community not only benefits the individuals and organizations we support, it also helps to foster strong relationships, establish trust, and build a positive reputation for our company.”
MVP QUESTIONS
How have you raised the bar in your own company? My marketing manager and I went to the Capitol in the thick of Covid-19 to peacefully lobby on behalf of the industry—fighting for our beauty professionals’ rights to be open during the pandemic and safely operate. What innovations have you created and used to build your company? We created an educational community center for Sola professionals, relevant beauty product companies, and educators to host classes