Life’s challenges often test us in ways we never expect, but Jessie Altgilbers has proven that resilience and determination can turn even the toughest obstacles into stepping stones toward success. From navigating an abusive marriage while raising children to building a thriving entrepreneurial empire, Jessie’s journey is nothing short of inspiring.
Starting at just 18 years old, Jessie launched her first business with little more than determination and a vision. Over the years, she transformed a small-town salon into a multi-faceted business empire, adding real estate ventures and a luxury hair extension brand to her portfolio. Throughout it all, Jessie remained committed to creating a better life for herself and her children, using every setback as motivation to keep pushing forward.
Jessie’s story is a powerful reminder that no matter the challenges we face, perseverance, hard work, and a refusal to give up can lead to incredible achievements. She’s an inspiring example for women everywhere, showing that with passion and dedication, anything is possible.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur at such a young age, and how did you navigate the challenges early on?
I remember at 14 asking a friend that owned a small family owned business for a job. I was involved in horseback riding, piano, and snowboarding and attended online school which I completed quickly in the day. He said, “when do you turn 15?” I replied, “tomorrow.” He said, “come back tomorrow.” I started as a waitress at The Creamery in Fountain City, TN that day. I dual enrolled in college and high school at the same time and just never felt like the jobs that the school led to would be fulfilling for me. I quit nursing school and my dad said, ok you can take a break but you will have to continue after esthetician school so you have a “real” job to fall back on. I completed esthetics, started nursing for the second time, and quit again to go to cosmetology school as I was fascinated by the work I saw and the hair shows I attended with my then employer Deanna Trent, who was so inspiring at a young age. I wanted a place that was more spa-like than a walk-in atmosphere and so I left Deanna Trent’s salon and moved into a suite, which did not work out well due to the owner having personal substance issues, and this led to me looking for residential/commercial properties that I could start my own business and create the vision in my head. At the time tea rooms and the shabby chic style were popular, so that is what my salon was based off of. We served drinks such as hot cocoa and coffee and I loved being able to deliver a wonderful experience to my guests. If something was not working, I changed it.
How did you manage to juggle so many different ventures, and what kept you motivated?
As my now father-in-law says, 8 to faint. We worked around the clock and when a new idea arose, I was not afraid to try it. Necessity is the mother of invention and so when I was faced with huge attorney fees to fight for as much time as possible with my children and left with no money, clothes, or home after I left my abusive marriage, I knew the 9-5, 2-day workweek I was used to would not cut it. So, I started looking for cheap homes I could flip to make bulk profit and I did and it worked. On a trip to Nashville, we stayed at a really neat townhouse that had shared spaces and private rooms. I knew the layout of my salon was perfect for this concept so I immediately took out equity in my building, as I had been paying mortgage payments for 15 years, so quite a lot was built up. I didn’t know what I was doing, had never had a rental property before on my own and just started. I failed forward, motivated by the need to succeed for my children to provide them the best life possible.
How did you find the strength to keep moving forward and build your career amidst such personal struggles?
Allowing my children to visit someone who almost took my life several times was the scariest feeling. I prayed and while they were gone, I hustled. I threw myself into work harder than I ever had before. I found comfort in helping others love their look and life a little more and made work my distraction while my kids were at their dads 2 days a week.
What was the turning point for you when you decided to transform your salon into an Airbnb and explore other business opportunities? How did you decide that was the right direction for you at the time?
I think it is always important to do your numbers in any business so you know where you need to focus for growth. I added up the numbers and knew my business would thrive at another location and if this worked, would greatly contribute to helping the kids have a future. Everything fell into place. The loan wasn’t hard, the move was easy, and so I just decided to go with it.
Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship can be tough. How did you make sure to prioritize both your children and your businesses without sacrificing one for the other?
I had the privilege of making my own schedule so I could be totally devoted when the kids were gone to work and totally devoted to the kids when they were home. Everything fell into place because I chose a career where I could make my own schedule.
What advice do you have for others who might be going through difficult personal situations but want to pursue their dreams or start their own business?
If you have a 9-5, diversify your income. Pick another money-making hobby or avenue and devote 1 power hour a day to it. Or if you can make your own schedule, set boundaries for work and home and stick to your allotted time. Figure out what you want, and say no to everything that is not that. If you want a successful income stream but you don’t have the money to invest/commit, can you say no to something and save to where you can reach your goals? Can you drop your daily/weekly Starbucks or subscriptions and put that in a fund to grow your portfolio? Taking action steps and not just daydreaming is the key. It is hard, and you have to do it not just tired but exhausted some days. If you have things to overcome, remember no one can stop you.
How has overcoming obstacles in your personal life shaped your view of success, and what does success mean to you now, compared to when you first started out?
When I first started, success to me was to pay for my basics on my own. To take care of my children and not beg for their child support not be paid on time. Success now means examples in leadership I set for my children, slow mornings, giving back, strong relationships, growing people in my business, sharing my story to inspire and help others, and traveling!
What was the hardest part of leaving an abusive marriage, and how did you push through that to create the life you have today?
The hardest part of leaving an abusive marriage is that there is always good in bad. All my best adventures and memories were tied up with people who hurt me the most. I have accepted the person I married does not exist but was a projection of what they wanted me to see and that was hard to accept. I went to therapy. I followed his advice and did not ignore red flags when they would surface in my life. He told me to stay single for 3 months for every year I was married, or not get serious at least during that time. The first marriage was so bad that I vowed never to marry again. I had lost everything, everyone, and I did not trust anyone or anything. I never gave up hope that there were good people in the world, I just didn’t feel like there were many left. I developed strong personal boundaries and found people that aligned with those and let myself be vulnerable when I felt it was worth it or time.
What sacrifices did you have to make while building your businesses? Looking back, what do you wish you could have told yourself during those early, challenging days?
There was no leisure time, everything was either devoted time for my children or time for bettering our lives. I was either working, diversifying income, making time to mentally recover from what I went through, or spending time with them. I don’t regret it and I wish I could go back and tell myself, “You’ve got this! Just wait. It will all be worth it.”
What message would you want to send to women who may be facing similar struggles—whether it’s in an abusive relationship, balancing family and career, or trying to make it as an entrepreneur?
If you are in an abusive relationship, leave. If you are trying to build success as an entrepreneur, then work hard and fail forward. Use your breakdowns to create breakthroughs and just don’t quit. Balancing work and family is something that is always difficult but worth it. Especially as children are growing and creating lives and schedules of their own, we have to meet them and dedicate and spend time with them to forge those strong family relationships.
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned about managing multiple businesses and staying focused on your goals?
You’ve had a diverse entrepreneurial journey, from running a salon to flipping houses and now launching a luxury hair extension brand. What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned about managing multiple businesses and staying focused on your goals?
What made you decide to open a luxury hair extension brand and salon in the Great Smoky Mountains, and what sets your salon apart from others in the industry?
We apprentice new stylists for 1-3 months based on experience and they go through Eufora’s new stylist journey where they receive a certificate of completion. We also go over shampoo rituals and sink and what is expected on every guest, every time. Then, when they hit milestones we do celebrations quarterly and also incentives. They receive commission on services and a sliding scale commission on retail products. We never cap out and realize everyone needs a strong culture, which we have, and everyone needs to buy into the vision. Travel and education are paid for, and when the stylist hits a certain level of service/retail sale, they get paid phone, PTO, a vacation villa trip yearly, and more.
You’re Eufora exclusive and proudly support a women-owned, family-run business. How does this partnership align with your values, and what makes Eufora a perfect fit for your brand?
Eufora is invested in sourcing only the best for their products. We are invested in using only the best for our guests. They believe in bringing salons back to the industry, making beauty professionals professional again and have created several business classes that are constructive for any salon owner! They are clean, family-owned, and are very big networkers bringing a divided industry closer with the sharing is caring mentality. The educators I have met from there are eager to share their systems and value they have found. They also have an amazing rewards system for salons where you can use your points you accrue towards education, backbar products, etc.
After 18 years in the booth rental business, what challenges did you face when shifting to a salon and product brand, and how did you ensure that the transition was successful?
After I opened, I had an entire team of 5 fall away for different reasons, some health, some did not buy into the vision, etc. It crushed me. Here I am, working so hard, spending all of my money I’ve saved on this business, and it falls apart within 5 months. So, I kept going. I have wanted to quit more times than I can imagine, but something in me just says no, not yet.
The transition from salon owner to Airbnb host and real estate investor is a big change. What skills from your previous businesses helped you navigate this shift, and what challenges did you face in the real estate market?
The housing market has really changed since I flipped that first house. I used my resources and asked a lot of questions. One of my friends knew someone who could help me because she worked for a bank. She helped me to find financing. Now, with interest rates and prices skyrocketing, we felt it was a great time to sell the Airbnb since it was generating good revenue. So we did. I thought about it, prayed about it, and acted. We listed the property and it sold in 3 days. So now what? How much would I pay in taxes? We ended up doing a 1031 exchange and saved around $40k by utilizing this option. Now, I like to live simple and use my assets to make money. I am learning to trade, invest, and use my assets to the full. We actually use the beach condo we bought by seeing the first salon as a vacation incentive program for our stylists at Alter Ego Hair Co.
How do you ensure that your team feels valued, and how do you encourage collaboration and growth?
My team feels valued because we support them and because we make things fun. I listen to what they need/want and try to make it happen within reason. We don’t hire just to hire, and if something is harmful to the team, we are quick to correct it. We give examples and run team competitions to promote fundraising and helping those who do not do enough on their own to hit their goals. We care about each other’s success. We encourage growth by incorporating personal development into our team meetings and ways they can reach their financial goals. I also work personally with them to reach their personal goals such as buying houses, cars, etc.
How do you balance high standards of service and quality with the need to stay competitive in the market?
We don’t compromise, we do not sell just to sell and profit. We customize every experience and are client-focused. Our vision is to increase revenue while enhancing client and stylist experience.
With your experience in both the beauty industry and real estate, how do you foresee the intersection of these two fields? Do you have plans to expand into other sectors in the future?
I am using the income produced with the beauty industry to build my assets in the real estate world. They are working hand in hand and I think with the experience I have gained through growing several teams and failure not being an option that these businesses will only continue to grow in one way or another.
What are your long-term goals for your business? How do you plan to continue empowering women, both through your brand and the new commission-based team structure?
I look forward to educating and traveling and expanding my business and hopefully partnering with Eufora as an educator and help to launch salons and teach them what I know so it is easier for them! I also think if I can do it, anyone can. We plan on giving back to women trying to get back on their feet by offering a free makeover before their job interview. We also encourage saving and using that money to grow and invest. As far as the salon, we don’t know what the future holds but we are continuing to grow at the present!
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