Meet Deena Von Yokes: Salon Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Deena Von Yokes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Deena, how do you think about risk?
In hindsight, starting my own business didn’t feel very risky; it felt vital. What worked in my favor is I was never great with authority or having someone tell me what to do, so in my case risk was never a factor when getting started. I had my ideas and my drive once I connected with what my passion was. My passion has always been to help others. Once I had that realization, I simply decided to go all-in with collecting knowledge and skills. In addition, I never lose sight of how I started with little to no money, no means, and no skills; all I had was pure desire. Once you commit, there’s no other option but to go for it when it came to the risk-factor. At this point in time, I went on a quest to sharpen my skills and continue to seek knowledge. I made an even bigger commitment when sharing my knowledge and experience that I had learned throughout this journey to others. My secret sauce is picking one thing and getting started by taking five steps a day towards the goal that I wanted to create. Once I was lasered in, I didn’t think of it as a risk. The drive and passion that I have is so strong that I didn’t really consider there being any risks at all because whatever risk I could have encountered, I would have gotten through. There wasn’t any risk in my eyes because it was always my goal to get to where I am. At the end of the day, I thought of it as doing what I can with where I was at the time. I didn’t fear risk I thought of them as goals. I would find my goals, I would consider problems around it and work on the solution. As I got new information through this process by learning and growing I would make adjustments accordingly. I think the fear of the risks along the way is a mindset that holds most people back. 80% is you working through your fears 20% is outside obstacles that need to be overcome. Taking risks is committing to whatever goals you have and then as you go along you continue solving the problems around it. Therefore if I can offer advice on risks it would be to not see them as “risks” but as goals that you are going to overcome and once you overcome them it’ll be the greatest success because it will prove how far you have come and all the knowledge you have gained! All in all, my pure determination made me blind to seeing anything in life and my career as a risk.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The success of my brand, I believe, first came from a pure determination to make something of myself. When discussing my dreams, I was told many times my ideas weren’t possible; I knew even back then that that was someone else’s limitations, not my own. I visualized independence and financial freedom at the age of 17. Every time I ran into problems, I refused to give up and would always try something else or look at issues from a different perspective. I also have the philosophy that for any business to stay successful and on the cutting edge, they have to be open to what’s next and be able to adapt. What I also believe is very important is to continue taking business classes and seeking out education to sharpen my skills in hair, public speaking, anything to stay inspired, and knowledgeable. I believe it’s super important to give back to the community around you. With that said, I’ve gotten very involved in many local charities—Art Of Fashion, Children’s Hospital, National Charity League, to name a few. There are many facets to building a brand! To conclude, what is most important is the reputation of your business. When making an excellent reputation, you need to be very consistent and knowledgeable of your skills and conducting a professional business around that. Specializing in being known for something specific is vital. In our case, my salon gained a reputation all on its own and we were branded, “The Blonde Salon.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend that was visiting my area I would definitely take her for a spa day at Rancho Valencia near my salon! I’ve had the best treatments and I always walk away feeling my best. One of my pieces of advice when it comes to running a successful business is self-care, thus I will always take time for myself and I would love to treat my friend to the same experience! Once we’ve had a nice spa experience, a walk on the beach is always a necessity. Living in Southern California, the beach is a place where I am able to completely de-stress. When I need to clear my head the beach is definitely one of my go-to’s and usually, anyone visiting San Diego loves to take a stroll on the beach! Lastly, a stop at my favorite restaurant Dolce is always a must. I always recommend this restaurant when anyone is visiting. I love all their salads because everything‘s been locally grown and you can’t beat that!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate a Shoutout to Anthony Robbins. During some of my darkest, craziest, and most confusing moments, I honestly had to return to some of the things that I learned from him. In these times, I took a look at my ”stinking thinking” my mom called it. There are truly so many things I do today that I learned in my 20s from Tony. One of the biggest ones was to do five things every day to work towards something and create what you want one step at a time. I now say one brick at a time and eventually, you get the wall. If you don’t start and you don’t take the step, you’ll never get that wall. It’s all about setting your goals and accomplishing them with a plan.

Website: https://www.studiosavvysalon.com/
Instagram: studiosavvysalon