Natalie Haslund, Fin Salon, Lumsden
By: Cassi Smith
When you live in a small town, you know most people play more than one role. Teacher, employer, coach – a small population typically demands a certain amount of shared responsibility. And Natalie Haslund, owner of Fin Salon, is proud to do just that.
Owner and operator of her local salon, Natalie is also General Manager of the town’s hockey rink and a manager at the Lumsden Hotel and Steakpit, she has been president of the minor hockey board, and recently added her favourite title to the list: sponsor. “My biggest success so far is that I can support people in the community,” says Natalie. “I’ve been able to sponsor the Monarchs, our senior men’s hockey team; the U22 Lynx, Lumberjaxx, donate gifts, and sponsor a few events around town. For me, it gives me a sense and purpose and community.”
Natalie, who accessed CCDF’s Women’s Micro-Loan and Grant Program, actually began her career in Agriculture financing. However, she soon realized her dream was moving in another direction. “I grew up in a salon with my mom,” says Natalie, who unfortunately lost her mother to Cancer two years ago. “She was a stylist, so when I had the opportunity to buy a salon and continue my mom’s dream, that’s what I did.”
Fin Salon, located in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, and servicing surrounding areas, offers much more than your typical esthetic services. “We are not just strictly hair,” explains Natalie, “we have hair stylists, a registered massage therapist, two nail techs – one who does lashes; we do sugaring, waxing, spray tanning, scalp micro pigmentation, and more. We have changed the model – a beauty salon is what we classify ourselves as.”
Natalie’s unique business model is impressive and something she credits to her relationship with CCDF. “A lot of us entrepreneurs, we have great ideas but we’re not great at the paperwork side of things,” she says. “So, it was great to walk through all of that with CCDF. They introduced me to someone who helped write my business plan and it really brought a lot of things to life. They just kept feeding my brain more ideas of what I could do. It felt really rewarding to have somebody who has your back and believes in you.”
Believing in your business plan is just the start of what CCDF offers. “I attended their marketing using AI class a few months ago and I took some of their business classes last spring,” says Natalie. “Those were both great programs and there’s a network of people you can get to know just by attending the courses. The Métis business circle is small, but we help each other out, too.” Natalie adds that CCDF’s support after accessing their services is truly what sets them apart. “They stay in touch. Isabel even came out to the salon, got to know us, and saw the business firsthand. She took photos and posted about the salon. Those are the things that really make you feel valued.”
Today, as Natalie’s business thrives and her mother’s dream lives on, she says she looks forward to replicating her business model in other small communities. “I would love to purchase another salon and grow the Fin name,” says Natalie. “I grew up speaking French and in French, ‘fin’ means ‘the end’ – but I look at it as ‘the finishing touch’.” And for Natalie, Fin is certainly just the beginning.
