Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Saunders.
Rhonda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Becoming an entrepreneur was the best decision I could have ever made. Synergy Suites has not only inspired me to be a thriving individual, but it also gives me the flexibility to be able to pursue my true passion as an actress and fan of the arts I met my husband, Montana Humphries, in 2012 at the gym, and at the time, he was partners at another salon. I was living in Buckhead and working full time at a start-up beverage company, with marketing and administrative responsibilities. I didn’t have a college degree, so to get the job, I lied on my resume, saying I knew how to do tasks such as using Excel. Lol, I just learned as I went along. YouTube became my best friend, and I asked SO MANY questions. I just wanted to learn the ins and outs of how to build a company from the ground up. Little did I know, working for that beverage company would prepare me for Synergy Suites. 🙂
In 2016, my husband decided he wanted to branch off and build his salon with a much elevated vision of luxury salon suites. He told me his vision, and we came together to bring it to life! I know what your thinking, but mixing business and pleasure has been a science of its own. We have created a method that works for us, and it creates magic!
During the first year of opening Synergy Suites, it was featured on BET’s hit show “Ink Paper Scissors,” instantly making it an Atlanta landmark where you can see some of your favorite socialites, artists and athletes such as Grant Hill, Redman, Lil Duval, and the cast from tv shows such as Atlantas Love & Hip Hop and Basketball Wives.
Some on Atlanta’s top cosmetologists have started at Synergy Suites, and some have been there since the doors have opened. We are the proud home for many young entrepreneurs in Atlanta, creating a platform for new and veteran business owners to grow as a company, sometimes even resulting in them getting their own salon after their lease is over.
In 2019 I decided to dive head first back into my acting career. I applied the same marketing strategies that I’ve learned with Synergy Suites, and applied them to myself, as an artist. I’m beyond grateful to have already had the privilege to work on some amazing projects, such as Tales on BET, Bigger, and Fruits of the Heart, which will premiere in 2021. I used basic marketing strategies, to launch my career, and stayed consistent and had to take myself serious before I expected the world to. I fell in love with the arts back in 2009 when I worked as a background actor on Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married, and the beautiful Taraji Henson inspired me to want to become an actress.
Today, I share some of my trials and tribulations and other experiences through a lifestyle blog for women, called Jane Though. I am catering to the everyday woman, who wants to live life intentionally, and boundary free. Being a bilingual army brat, growing up in Germany as a young girl, and traveling the world, Ive never had one specific place that I’ve ever called home. So, I like to think of myself as a universal woman, and I want to encourage others to tap into that divine femininity and become limitless.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not still easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Getting to where I am today, of course, hasn’t been smooth, but who’s journey has? I believe when you are an entrepreneur, you should expect turbulence. How far you get on your trip depends on how you handle situations, and how consistent you are. The most important part of the day for me is my mornings because if I don’t start my day setting goals, then I have no way of measuring my progress at the end of it. When you become a doer, and you stop “waiting”, in my opinion, progress is made. One of my favorite quotes I like to by is “go before your ready “.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Synergy Suites is a unisex salon for everything cosmetology and beauty. We lease salon suites to new entrepreneurs and those who are at a point in their careers, where the next step is getting their own salon. We are the next step you take before you leap. We want people to succeed. When tenants reach milestones in their career, so does Synergy Suites. “If One Eat, We All Eat”, as my husband likes to say.
Synergy Suites is different from any other salon suites because we are that last step you take before you leap. Creating an environment with a balance of just enough structure and freedom.
What were you like growing up?
I was an army brat who was born in Oklahoma, then raised in Germany before moving to Atlanta. My mother is originally from Germany, so she taught us German growing up. It was essentially the first language I learned and when we moved to Georgia, they placed me in an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) class. My English was terrible, but I had no idea lol. – Today, I’m a proud southern bell. 🙂
Growing up in Germany was so much fun. My uncles used to take us to different castles, and I used to imagine I was a princess, walking through my palace. From the never-ending sunflower fields, my family, to the markets with different foods. Germany will always be #1 in my heart.
I was the youngest of three, and because we spent most of our early years traveling, my family became all that I have. Making friends was challenging, because they were always short term, or they always began in the middle of a school year. Fun to me was asking my mom to take me to the local thrift store to buy me an old fancy wedding dress, and a wig from a beauty supply store just so my sister and me could play “pretend”. Lol. I graduated from Stock bridge High School and chose not to go straight to college afterwards. I never really enjoyed school, but I got certified as a medical assistant, as a back-up plan to have something to fall back on.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1735 Defoor Pl NW
Atlanta GA 30318 - Website: SynergySuitesSalons.com Rhonda-Saunders.com
- Email: SynergySuitesLLC@gmail.com – RhondaThough@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/synergysuites, instagram.com/RhondaThough
Image Credit:
Jason Vail Photography, Andrew Thompson Clifton
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