Hannah Gore, owner of On The Avenue salon, came to Waco in 2010 as a Baylor student and hasn’t left. See how Baylor brought her heart from Katy, TX to Waco, TX!
Q: What was your major at Baylor?
A: “I was an entrepreneurship major, so I have a BA in Business Administration. However, I started out as a fashion major. I ultimately decided that I wanted something a little bit more broad over something more specific to an industry. At that time I wasn’t 100% sure if I wanted to go into fashion and move to a big city, so I decided to switch to business because I figured if fashion is what I wanted to do I could still go that route."
Q: Did you always know that you wanted to start a business or go into a company that was already established?
A: “I wasn’t totally positive when I switched majors, so I took a few different business classes to see what I enjoyed. I ended up really liking the entrepreneurship ones. It was always something that was on the back of my mind, but I wasn’t 100% sure if I wanted it to be a hair salon. I think that it was always a plan A,B,C type of thing."
Q: What was the drive or passion to start something?
A: “It was always within me. People ask me where my inspiration and passion came from. Honestly, it came from me. I have always been really independent and a self-starter, so I would definitely say that my drive came from within. I wanted to do something purposeful and something that was going to give me the life that I wanted, but also help others. I love helping other people grow and be their best selves. I always need to keep busy, so if I am not doing something I will ask people what I can do. I started cosmetology school when I was 16 because I did a high school program, so I’ve been in the industry for a really long time. I think when it came down to it, it was a no-brainer to open a salon and see where that took me."
Q: Did you ever have thoughts of giving up or doing something else?
A: “Yes, absolutely. I would say that's the life of being a business owner. It’s like riding a roller coaster. You have all the ups and downs. Those days where you are on top of the world and have the best job in the world and then the days where you are ready to throw in the towel. These ups and downs cause it to be very emotional. As I’ve gotten older I've gotten a lot more aware that we are not business robots, we are people. There were definitely days and times when I felt like that for sure, but I had a lot of good mentors and people that would tell me to keep going and that it’s would be worth it in the end."
Q: You mentioned mentors, did you have a mentor in the Business department at Baylor?
A: “Maybe not anyone specific, but I did have a lot of really great professors. I remember I took an intro entrepreneurship class with Marlene Reed and she was awesome. I enjoyed her class a lot. I took Dr. Janet H. Bagby's business claiming class and, of course, everyone knows BUS 101 with Dr. Blaine McCormick. Surprisingly, that class really taught me a lot. I was at Baylor from 2010-2014 when the hands on classes were just getting started. It was just on the up and up because so many people in the major were excited with what was going on. It made for some really cool people in my classes. It was also the same time that Downtown Waco was starting to take off and it was really cool to see. It lit a fire in me to stay in downtown Waco."
Q: What has your biggest challenge been and how has COVID affected that?
A: “COVID in itself as a business owner was very scary. It helped me to be less afraid of the unknown and have faith that things will work out. We can look at the history of the US over the past 100 years and after coming out of a horrible depression where technology wasn’t nearly where it is now and ultimately the world returned and continued to progress. It’s all about having a little bit of faith in the world and humanity that we will keep on. Despite what COVID did to people, I feel very blessed for being extremely disciplined in the first five years of owning On the Avenue by not being a crazy spender and making sure we were on our growth path for a rainy day. When that rainy day came, it came in the form of being closed for two months. I was able to confidently tell my staff that we were going to survive it and I did everything to make sure that they had a job to come back to. I was very unintentionally prepared, so it was less of a challenge. I have more challenges on a day-to-day basis because of employees and customers. I feel like every business owner, in their own way, suffers from severe people pleasing, especially being a hairstylist. Dealing with tons of different people, trying to make them all happy, knowing that it’s impossible. I’ve learned that if things are going around 80% we are good. Things aren’t going to be 100% all the time and you have to be okay with things going 80%. It takes pressure off of yourself as well to not have to be perfect 100% of the time."
Q: What do you want parents to know if they have an Entrepreneurship student at Baylor?
A: "I immersed myself not just into Baylor, but I really immersed myself in the people of Waco. It was a great opportunity to obtain clients from here. I would suggest getting involved and doing something that is in Waco and not just Baylor. Whether that is going to a gym that is not the SLC, or the Chamber of Commerce. Stepping outside of the Baylor "bubble" if you are looking to go into business. I would also stay here over the summers and not go to summer school but just work. If I'm being honest, the entrepreneurship program at Baylor is awesome. It will give you all the tools you need to figure out if your idea is something that is plausible. One thing that the business school taught me is when to know if an opportunity is a good one. Saying yes, even when you are scared, is something that has had the biggest payoff for me. You have to jump at opportunities when they happen. The program helps you understand how to look at the longterm. Also, don’t just do entrepreneurship, pick up a minor. I would recommend marketing or management because it is really hard to do it all by yourself if you don't have those higher level classes. Even if you don’t minor, I think that taking those additional classes is really helpful and important."
Thank you, Hannah Gore, for sitting down with us and showcasing the road to opening On the Avenue! Make sure to recommend this wonderful salon to your students when they're looking for all of their hair needs.
Written by Sarah Mumma, BU '25 and Baylor Parent Engagement Intern
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