When I sat down with Nina, I knew within the first few minutes that this conversation was going to be different. She wasn’t there to talk tactics and funnels. She was there to talk about the thing that actually moves the needle in business: relationships. And by the end of our conversation, I understood exactly why.

Nina Lancin built her reputation by turning vision into reality, but she didn’t start out with all the answers. When she opened her very first business, she was figuring it out as she went, just like every entrepreneur listening to this. She faced setbacks, made mistakes, and had to climb out of some genuinely difficult situations. Instead of letting those challenges define her, she used them to become the entrepreneur she is today.

Nina is the owner of multiple successful businesses in the beauty industry. She founded a hair salon and blowout bar in New Jersey, where all of her businesses are based, and she has been a salon owner for 15 years, with her current location running strong for the past 12. She also launched a hair smoothing product line and reimagined what salon suites could be through Aries Salon Studios, combining affordable luxury with exceptional hospitality and thoughtful design. Her mission comes down to elevating the beauty industry through education, innovation, and unforgettable client experiences.

It All Started With Deposit Slips

I asked Nina what made her decide to become an entrepreneur in the first place, and her answer took me back. Her dad was a businessman for as long as she could remember, and in her mind, business always equaled generosity, freedom, and resourcefulness.

One of her earliest memories was from right after her family came to America. Her parents would walk to the bank, since they didn’t have a car, to open an account. Nina would take the free deposit slips home and play with them the way other kids played with dolls, pretending to transfer money back and forth. While other kids were drawn to gossip at family gatherings, Nina’s ears were tuned to conversations about money and business. That fascination never left her.

Why Trust Is the Real Currency

One of the most powerful parts of our conversation centered on pricing transparency, and honestly, it hit close to home for me. I shared a story about getting Botox done and being charged more than I expected at checkout, with no warning beforehand. It didn’t feel right, and it left me a little burned by the experience.

Nina explained why she believes so strongly in setting clear expectations upfront. She pointed out that in any relationship, whether professional or personal, people want honesty and respect. When a business advertises one price and then charges more at checkout because of some variable the client wasn’t told about, it breaks the foundation of trust before the relationship even has a chance to build.

That’s part of why Nina became a huge proponent of including gratuity directly in service pricing rather than leaving it up to guesswork. She’s coached several stylists, both inside her Aries Salon Studios and outside of it, who adopted this model. The results speak for themselves: they’re more booked, they have more predictable income, and they make more money. She compared it to how attorneys, plumbers, and electricians operate. Nobody negotiates a lawyer’s fee based on how generous they’re feeling that day, and beauty professionals deserve that same clarity and respect.

Raising Prices Without the Guilt

We also talked about something a lot of business owners struggle with quietly: the guilt of raising prices. Nina was refreshingly direct about her philosophy here. She raises prices based on merit, not because a competitor changed theirs.

She broke down everything that goes into a single fifteen minute haircut: thousands of dollars in ongoing education, thousands of hours of standing and working behind the chair, rising payroll taxes, and the basic cost of living. She wants her team to be able to do more than just get by. They deserve to actually live a life. For Nina, charging what her team is worth isn’t something to apologize for. It’s a reflection of the value being delivered.

What Actually Makes a Business Different

Years ago, when a Supercuts moved in right across the street from her salon, Nina started every team meeting with the same question: what makes us different? Her answer has never changed. It’s heart.

She talked about how her focus was never just on making clients look better, but on making them feel better than when they walked in. That meant paying attention to how people were treated from the very first phone call, how they were greeted when they walked through the door, and how the team went out of their way to accommodate real needs. She shared her own frustrating experiences walking into beautiful, expensive spaces and being ignored, and how that taught her that ambiance means nothing without genuine care behind it.

She also shared a story about a moving company owner whose wife sits down with clients going through major life transitions, like divorce or loss, and offers them a moment of real human connection before the boxes even get packed. That story stuck with both of us. It’s proof that the businesses people remember and return to are the ones that treat every interaction as an opportunity to care for the whole person, not just complete a transaction.

What’s Next for Nina

Looking ahead, Nina is developing something entirely new: a health forward co-working space and boutique members club. The idea challenges a status quo she has never been afraid to push back against. Most people spend six to ten hours a day working and are then expected to find the time and energy to take care of themselves afterward. For many people, especially parents, that time never actually comes.

Instead of asking people to squeeze wellness into an already full day, Nina wants to design a space where taking care of yourself is simply woven into the rhythm of the workday itself. It’s a project she describes as coming straight from her heart, built on the belief that health truly is where productivity comes from.

Her Advice for Anyone Chasing a Dream

When I asked Nina what she would want to leave with anyone listening, her answer was simple: don’t stop. She’s been at the bottom more than once in her career, and she believes that if she had stopped in those moments, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Her message to anyone facing a moment where the way forward isn’t clear is that there is always a way out if you just keep going.

Nina’s story is a reminder that the businesses built to last aren’t built on tactics alone. They’re built on relationships, honesty, and genuinely caring about the people on the other side of every transaction.

About me:

I am currently a Master Facilitator for The Elliott Group in addition to being on the board of advisors for our Cultural Transformation Department in ELLIOTT ARMY.

With over 14 years of client service experience, I have held substantial leadership roles in the automotive industry. I’m also an accredited coach, a speaker, a triathlon finisher, and a wife. To contact me for engagements, you can reach me at[email protected].

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