The Trip Advanced Training Studio

Tammy-Rae Raby, owner of The Trip, has a personal mantra that has kept her focused on her business goals:

"Envision it, dream it, see it...and make it happen."

After 18 years in the hair industry Tammy-Rae wanted a chance to explore her artistic talent. With this in mind she created The Trip Advanced Training Studio, a salon that provides advanced training to hair stylists as well as salon services by apprentices and certified stylists. Located in the Nicholson Centre, the large studio has a hip, industrial feel with black, pink and leopard print accents; it's the kind of place that exudes energy.

Tammy-Rae opened The Trip in November 2007, but took a number of small steps in order to realize her dream. Knowing that she wanted to have control over her work and creative environment, but didn't want to work from home, Tammy-Rae first started by renting a chair in a salon. This allowed her to start small, running a business within an already established business.

After working through the business planning process with Community Futures, Tammy-Rae then opened The Trip Advanced Training Studio. She explains that having an established clientele allowed her to focus her energies on training her apprentices and bringing advanced stylist workshops to Prince George. Tammy-Rae also makes the studio available for model calls and participates in a number of hair shows each year.

While she loves the artistic side of the business, Tammy-Rae has found the business side frustrating at times. She explains that to own a hair studio "you have to know so much more than just how to style hair" and recommends that new entrepreneurs take advantage of business courses and training to educated themselves on how to run a business.

Now that The Trip is established, Tammy-Rae is ready to take on a new challenge. She's renovating the studio to create additional space for more stylists in training and is expanding her courses to include more entry level training.

The Trip
1787 Nicholson Street South
Prince George
(250) 561-2323