We are spotlighting the winners of Beauty Launchpad's 25 Under 50K contest for 2025, sponsored by SalonCentric.
Here, you will get to know Mia Malchow (@miasarenabeauty), an educator and salon owner of Electric Leopard Hair Studio in Cocoa, FL who specializes in vivids and color corrections.
Q&A with Mia
Beauty Launchpad (BLP): What is a fun fact about you?
Mia Malchow (MM): I didn’t have a peanut butter & jelly sandwich until I was 28 years old. When I finally had one, my husband sang me happy birthday to commemorate the moment. It, in fact, was not my birthday.
BLP: How did you get your start in the industry?
MM: That’s a loaded question! I was nine years old the first time I cut hair. I knew at a young age that hair was a passion of mine. When I was in high school, I was always drawn to hair color and would often do my friends' hair for fun.
BLP: What is your proudest accomplishment/achievement in the industry so far?
MM: It might sound cliché, but my proudest moments happen each and every day when I get to create fully custom art that represents each individual in my chair, helping them feel more authentically themselves and confident in their hair. The first look when clients see their new hair and feel the surge of confidence and excitement is really what my career is all about.
BLP: What is your current favorite hair trend?
MM: I am so excited that alternative, scene girl hair is back. Racoon stripes, all the layers — it all just makes my nostalgic heart so full!
BLP: What is a tip you have for your fellow beauty pros who are looking to grow their following on socials?
MM: Keep showing up. The algorithm is always going to have its ebbs and flows, but posting consistently really does help! Also, it’s 2025, who cares if you’re cringe. Post it anyway!
BLP: What advice would you give to the younger version of yourself just starting out in the industry, looking back on your whole career?
MM: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. To be innovative, you have to explore, be curious and learn. It’s okay to not be perfect at something new. Keep going, keep trying new things and don’t stop chasing your dreams!
BLP: What is a tip/technique you’ve learned that’s helped you be more efficient/successful in your services or business?
MM: Nothing has brought me more success than knowing that every person is not my client, knowing when to let clients go or to refer them elsewhere and who specifically *is* my target market. If you don’t take the time to understand your business, you won’t understand who your dream clients are. For example, when I decided I wanted to shift my whole book to vivids, I started taking model calls. I had a vision of what I wanted my business to look like, so I started posting model calls for full creative freedom, until I could fill my feed with vivid work. Then, naturally, I started booking more of those services and attracting more of those clients. Now, the only natural colored clients that I have are my OGs who I adore because my book is full of projects I want and that fill my cup.
BLP: Who is someone you consider a mentor/role model in the industry?
MM: @KimberlyTayHair has been such a role model to me! Kimberly is so talented and creative. She has really inspired me to explore editorial photography and to create art that resonates with me. She taught me that I don’t have to be “just” a hairstylist. I can be a photographer, an artist and a stylist. I can do it all, and that art really has no limits.
BLP: What is a practice/ritual you have to care for your mental health and set boundaries between your work and personal life?
MM: My faith plays a huge role in this for me. Without the balance of church, rest and letting go and communing with God, I know I wouldn’t have as much of myself to pour into others. It’s so important to have elements of community in your life, even if you’re not religious. We need to look outside ourselves and rely on one another. Life is too hard to do alone.
BLP: What do you think needs to change in the industry to help beauty pros continue to grow and thrive?
MM: To stop looking at other stylists as competition. They’re peers, and we can learn so much from one another. Collaboration and community are far more enriching than the pressure we feel to out do one another.
BLP: What is a career goal you have for yourself?
MM: I want to be an accomplished photographer, and one day hope to do Avant Garde work and even be recognized in "Vogue."
