Most 11-year-olds spend their time playing video games or online trying to go viral, but not Vince Weishaus. Instead, he runs his own salon, Vincent Charles Salon, out of his parent’s basement in Bloomfield Hills.
Of course, he can’t charge for the services offered and most of his clientele is family and friends, but he is already a lot further along than most adults with similar dreams.
An early start
Vince has been practicing hair styling for quite some time. “When I was 2, I started practicing on dolls,” he says.
“He basically showed interest at a super young age,” his mom, Emily, adds. “At family gatherings he would do everyone’s hair or at his sister’s hockey games, he would always braid my hair and put it in a bun.”
His parents always embraced this interest and let him be whomever he wanted to be. “They’re very supportive,” Vince says. “They supported the idea and totally surprised me with it.” Now, he gets mannequins from wholesale shops, like Marlo Beauty Supply, so he can practice cutting and coloring techniques.
A salon was something Vince said he always wanted, but he never thought it would happen this soon but, as fate would have it, the Weishaus’ previous neighbor was moving to California and wanted Vince to have all of her stuff—including the sink, chair and all of her haircare products.
His parents kept everything hidden in a storage room and led Vince into the room once it was finished. “He burst into tears when he walked in,” Emily says.
A bright future
Vince takes his craft very seriously and even tags along on his family’s hair appointments. “I go to my family and friends’ hair appointments and also get tips from my hair stylist, Chelsea from Luigi Bruni Salon in Birmingham.”
He knows how to cut, color, braid, curl and straighten hair.
“He worked a lot on his mannequins because then you can dye their hair,” his mom says. “He would work so much with those that it turned into more and more people trusting him.”
“I love that I can make somebody happy when they come to my house and use the salon,” Vince adds. In the future, he hopes to one day become a celebrity hair stylist.
“He is a very happy, confident kid and I feel like that has a lot to do with letting him be who he is,” Emily says.
Advice for kid entrepreneurs
Vince is busy building his business and offers these tips to other kids who are toying with the idea of building a business.
- Be yourself and do whatever you love
- Keep on trying and never give up
- Take as many opportunities as you can get
