Headmaster's School of Hair Design - Lewiston

Working to create a quality program at Headmasters School of Hair Design in Lewiston, Peggy Foster contacted the Region II Idaho Small Business Development Center in 1995 for help and advice. She enrolled in the NxLevel class and completed a 10-week entrepreneurial program. The business plan she wrote for the class allowed her to make the decision to purchase the school of hair design she had been managing for 11 years.

Peggy went on to develop a school curriculum, staff manuals, school catalogs, student handbooks and policies in accordance with NACCAS and the Department of Education Standards. And while overseeing the overall operation of the school, she also continued some teaching responsibilities, served as an accreditation team member for NACCAS and visited other cosmetology schools to review compliance to attain and maintain accreditation status.

The mission of Headmasters School of Hair Design is to educate students to pass the Idaho State Board Exam and obtain jobs in their chosen field. Headmasters School of Hair Design provides financial aid and scholarships for qualified applicants and is the only school within the Northwest that has achieved the Paul Mitchell "Inner Circle" status.

Headmasters also has one of the highest, if not the highest, state board exam pass rates in Idaho. Salon managers often call to ask who is about to graduate because they like to hire Headmasters students due to theirstrong abilities. The 2,000 hours of education students receive at Headmasters include hair, skin and nail curriculum, as well as basic life skills training with an emphasis on what it takes to succeed in this business, both as a stylist and as a potential salon-owner.

Since completing her first business plan in 1995, she has continually grown her business. She even managed to keep her competitive edge when another school entered the market and is looking to expand her business within the next year.