Growing up in a household with five girls and a stylishly trendy mother who loved to dress them up was an early influence on Tracey Gobla. As a teenager, she was in awe of the family hairdresser and her salon. By age 15, she found herself working weekends dropping rollers from roller sets for a quarter. At this very young age, Gobla knew that hair was a career she wanted, so she started cosmetology school through a high school program. 

After many years as a designer, manager, and industry leader, Gobla is today the owner of Navii Salon Spa in Schererville, Indiana. In her expansive career, she has worked and trained throughout the country, and her editorial work has won numerous awards and featured in top industry publications. After more than 50 years in the beauty industry, this busy salon owner is still actively involved in training her staff while continuing to service a loyal clientele.

The Evolution of Business

Gobla began as an employee and worked her way up to manager, and eventually, she bought the company. Through the years, her salon had three name changes that coincided with business strategies and three location transitions. There have been many evolutions in her business, which she has embraced.

One of the earliest turning points in her career and the history of the company she now owns was a bold move that changed how the salon operated. 

“When I started, working in a salon wasn't about haircutting. It still included shampoos, sets, and weekly clients that filled our schedule. We wanted to be a more creative team and company, so we canceled most of our bookings and told clients they could not have standing appointments anymore. We’d only let them book maybe four appointments out,” mentioned Gobla. 

Although the move was unheard of at the time, it was a vital change for the salon, which embraced the evolving attitude about beauty and hair fashion. Opening up its schedule and expanding the clientele in new directions made the salon more timely and provided a creative outlet for the team. It was no longer “your mother’s roller set” but a new sense of style and creative freedom that the salon industry drove.

Education First

The ’70s were a wonderful time in hairdressing, with strong influences that included the precision haircuts of Vidal Sassoon and the creativity of Geri Cusenza and John Sebastian. Gobla admits that she always wanted to attend every available educational event. 

“We did a lot of in-salon education, and in the early days, it was all about the haircut. We began with a strong foundation for a strong haircut and then moved on to color, styling, and updos. Around this time, David Raccuglia, the founder of American Crew, became available to us for education. We were fortunate to have him instruct my entire team in traditional men’s clipper work. We currently offer barber cuts in our salon because of our training with David.” 

Throughout her professional journey Gobla also honed her business skills through programs such as Neil Ducoff’s Strategies, Summit, and Dave Ramsey. During the pandemic, she took advantage of the downtime and hired Ronit Enos of Salon Cadence. She continues to invest time and expense in herself and her business through education. Today, she is still very involved in education on every level, from managing her salon to doing hair.

Embracing Change 

In 2019, Gobla felt the need to rethink her long-time salon management software and got involved with Aura Salonware, which she described as a grassroots salon technology company. When asked what she found most valuable with her choice, Gobla stated, “For me, it’s the connection. Since day one, I’ve had a voice, and I cannot tell you how important that has been to me. It has helped me grow in many areas. I can present ideas to them, and it really helps. Today, I’m semi-desk-free, and Aura helps make this work.”

During the location change that same year, Gobla transitioned the business into a salon/spa combination. She bought a building, built out the salon and spa sections, and even hired someone to manage the spa side of the business. And then COVID hit.

“The pandemic hit us hard,” Gobla explained. “But, in the aftermath and the events that followed, I sensed an opportunity to change things up a bit so that I could put more of my energy into hair,” she added.

“When we reopened after COVID, I couldn’t coax any of my spa team to return, so my spa remained closed for two years. Eventually, I made the decision to separate my spa from the salon so I could lease out the rooms. I also downsized the salon square footage opposite the spa, removing extra office workstations, and partitioned this area off to rededicate it for lease to an established bridal studio.” 

As Gobla continues to grow her team, she wants to create a strong core group with more stylists, recruiting one person at a time to ensure they are the right fit. She prefers hiring directly from her local cosmetology schools and helps develop their skills through her intensive training program.

“I now consider us a boutique salon and I’m really loving the energy of Navii. This is kind of cliché, but we are our own family, and I love who I work with. We have changed a lot over the years from a large staff to a smaller team concentrating on all things hair.”

Looking Forward

Despite industry trends with the owner stepping out from behind the chair, Globa continues to do hair two and a half days a week. She also helps clients resolve hair-loss issues through treatments and analysis and is highly involved with the international independent salon owner organization Intercoiffure Canada America.

“I look forward to and appreciate the involvement of my staff in the day-to-day operation of my company. I correspond regularly with other salon owners doing something similar with the structuring of their salons. I love working in the salon with my team and look forward to the next chapter.” 

Check out more profiles on salontoday.com, including Sherry Bennett, Jeremy Pugh and Virginia Meyer.