Tricia Rivas of Trixie’s Salon Speaks at First Fridays

Trixie’s Salon is an Aveda salon in Greater Des Moines (DSM) specialized in hair, makeup and philanthropy. After successfully starting Trixie’s Salon, Tricia founded Dreamcatchers, a foundation making a difference for women in hospice care.

Starting Out

Tricia speaks about beginning the business in 2010 on the south side of Des Moines. She went on to open an uptown location and an Altoona location. She reached out to Small Business Administration for resources on starting out. Born and raised on the south side, Tricia knew she wanted her first location to be on the south side. There was no Aveda salon on the south side. She says it was the best decision and they’ve been supported by the community. As a small business, they have reached out to support their community. She says it is the job of a small business to reach out and support the community that is supporting your business.

Growing the Business

Tricia talks about things she’s learned. She talks about learning to give employees skills to get into leadership roles, as well as spending money wisely.

Dreamcatchers

After volunteering for hospice and doing respite care, Tricia started to get involved with cutting hair for the patients. The nonprofit offers haircare for patients and their caregivers, up to six free services per year.

By asking Drake University students, Tricia was able to set up her nonprofit. The students get credit for helping nonprofits get set up. Once word got out, the nonprofit was serving everyone, including homeless, veterans and others. They were getting away from their mission so went back to the board and realigned with their mission of serving those in hospice.

Dreamcatchers is always looking to partner with new salons, nail technicians or stylists. Tricia says it’s not a Trixie’s nonprofit, it’s a DSM nonprofit.

Hear the stories of other small business and startup business owners in the community in The Partnership’s Small Business Resources Hub or sign up for the NAME TBD newsletter to stay connected for information about upcoming events, other resources and the latest announcements in the small business community in DSM.