After quickly growing a small side hustle into a thriving multi-location business, Erika Stephenson needed a platform that could scale with her success.
When Erika Stephenson opened Lola Rosa Head Spa in Maryland, she was just looking for a weekend activity to keep herself busy outside of her 9 to 5. Now, two years later, she’s running three booming locations, managing a ten-person team, and somehow still working her full-time job in public education. (Superhuman. We know.)
We recently sat down with Erika to hear how her Japanese-inspired head spa became a local sensation, what it’s really like managing rapid growth, and how Mangomint became her secret weapon for scaling without burning out.
From “I can do that” to booked out for months
Lola Rosa is the first head spa of its kind in the DMV area, but Erika didn’t set out with plans to dominate the market.
“I was just looking for something to do,” she laughs. Inspired by soothing halo water treatment videos on Instagram and backed by her cosmetology license, she stepped out on faith. One client turned into ten. Afternoons turned into back-to-back weekends. And before her one-year anniversary, Erika had three fully booked locations.
“In four months, we had a second location. In ten months, we had a third. It skyrocketed.”
What started as a weekend side hustle became a full-blown business.
Outgrowing her old system and finding a better way
As the business expanded, her old software started showing its limits with scheduling, staffing, and communication capabilities.
With multiple locations and a full team, I needed a system that could actually keep up. I literally Googled ‘software system for multiple locations,’ and Mangomint was the first one that popped up.”
She immediately fell in love with Mangomint's interface after watching our video tutorial. So much so, she didn't bother looking at anything else. “It just felt right,” she said. “I felt safe with you guys. Like my business was in good hands.”
Staying connected seamlessly
Erika manages three different Lola Rosa locations and a ten-person team on top of her full-time job in the public school system. As superhuman as she is, it's impossible to keep track of every communication thread if your system isn't set up for easy scalability.
With Connect, Mangomint's all-in-one communication suite, every phone call, text message, and web chat stays neatly organized and accessible, without Erika ever skipping a beat.
“We call it our virtual assistant. It handles things that used to take up so much of our time: form reminders, client follow-ups, even texting. My team can now focus on what they do best because Mangomint handles the rest.”
Before Connect, clients would get messages from three different numbers: the landline, the spa phone, and sometimes a stylist’s personal cell. Now? One fully synced, branded line for all communications
“Clients just know it’s us now. It feels more personal and professional.”
She loves that web chat works around the clock, letting visitors leave their contact information for Erika to follow up when she's available.
“If someone’s on the site at 3 a.m., they can send a message. When I wake up, it’s sitting right in my inbox.”
With the help of our in-house “Flows fairy” (hi Meredith!), Erika has automated:
A new client offer ($20 off their first visit)
A birthday flow with cheeky, celebratory messages
Follow-ups based on services and interest forms
Location-specific messages, like door codes for certain suites
…and more on the way
“Since setting up the new flows, our books have been packed. Even if a flow only brings in two clients, that’s $350 in revenue. It adds up.”
She’s already seeing the ROI and can’t wait to see what happens after a full year of them running behind the scenes.
Payroll, but make it painless
When we asked Erika how she felt about Mangomint’s payroll, her response was instant:
“Click, click, click. Done. Then I can go get drinks with my husband.”
It’s really that simple, but always remember to do it in that order: first payroll, THEN tequila.
A smooth transition makes all the difference
For anyone on the fence about switching software, Erika gets it. She was hesitant too.
“I put it off for so long because I was scared. The data transfer, gift cards, client history—it felt overwhelming. But the onboarding experience with Mangomint was seamless. There wasn’t even a struggle day.”
Ready to run your business like Erika?
Try Mangomint free to see how good it feels to have your software actually work for you. Start your free trial.
Josephine Hulburd Schultz is the Marketing Manager at Mangomint. With a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, she focuses on transparent and impactful marketing that empowers salon and spa owners to grow their businesses and succeed. Fun fact: Josephine is obsessed with testing out new curly hair products and trying out unique nail art.
