Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelle Neff.
Hi Chelle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started doing hair when I was 18, through a cosmetology program at my high school. I grew up in small-town Texas, first in Throckmorton and later in Abilene, and I honestly had no idea at the time that doing hair would eventually lead me to becoming a business owner.
After moving to Austin, I worked behind the chair and eventually decided to open my own salon. I opened Urban Betty in 2005 when I was 27 years old. Like many entrepreneurs, I started out knowing my craft but not necessarily how to run a business. I learned most of it the hard way, through mistakes, growing pains, and a lot of trial and error.
One of the biggest turning points came around 2014, when I started working with a business coach and began treating Urban Betty like a company rather than just a busy salon. We created systems, introduced a level-based compensation structure, became much more intentional about our numbers, and started building a leadership team around me. That shift completely changed the trajectory of the business.
Over the years, Urban Betty has grown from one location into three Austin-area locations with a team of around 90 people. We’ve been recognized by Salon Today 200 for many years, made the Inc. 5000 list for four years in a row, and have been fortunate to receive several local awards, including Best Salon in Austin.
There have definitely been some difficult chapters along the way. We survived the pandemic, expanded into Round Rock, navigated rising costs and shrinking margins, and learned to keep evolving as the company grew beyond anything I had originally imagined.
Probably the biggest evolution for me personally has been learning that building a successful company doesn’t mean I have to do everything forever. I stopped working behind the chair in 2017, gradually moved myself out of the day-to-day operations, and, in 2026, promoted our longtime team member, Hallie Spurlin, to CEO. Hallie originally started with Urban Betty at the front desk, so watching her grow into the person leading the company has been one of the most rewarding parts of this entire journey.
Today, I’m moving into more of a founder role and focusing on the things I love most, including mentoring other business owners, speaking, writing, and sharing everything I’ve learned about growing a company without completely losing yourself in the process.
When I opened Urban Betty more than 20 years ago, I never could have imagined what it would become. I think the biggest lesson has been that entrepreneurship is really just a series of seasons. You build something, it changes, you change, and then you have to be willing to let go of the version of yourself that got you there so you can grow into whatever comes next.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not a smooth road. I think any business owner who says it has been smooth is probably leaving out a few chapters.
One of my earliest struggles was simply learning how to be a business owner. I knew how to do hair, but I didn’t know how to read a P&L, build systems, manage people, or create a company that could grow without me doing everything. For years, I was essentially learning by making mistakes in real time.
There were also some really painful team transitions along the way. At one point, a walkout forced me to completely rethink our structure, including moving away from the hybrid model we had been using. At the time, it felt devastating, but looking back, it pushed me to create a stronger business model and better systems.
The pandemic was another huge challenge. We were closed for two months, and like so many businesses, we had no idea what would happen next. I was responsible for a large team and felt enormous pressure to take care of everyone while also ensuring the company survived. That season completely changed how I thought about cash, profitability, and financial discipline.
More recently, growth itself has been a struggle in a different way. Opening our Round Rock location was exciting, but expansion comes with a lot of financial pressure. Our profit margins tightened, expenses increased, and I had to confront the fact that revenue growth does not always mean the business is healthier.
I think one of the hardest struggles, though, has been internal. I spent so many years tying my identity to Urban Betty that learning to step back has been surprisingly emotional. Letting go of control, trusting other people to lead, and realizing that my value is not measured by how involved I am in every decision has probably been one of the biggest personal growth experiences of my life.
But every difficult season has forced me to become a better leader. Most of the things I once viewed as failures eventually became turning points. I’ve learned that some of the best things in business come wrapped in really terrible packages, and you usually do not understand why until much later.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Urban Betty is a salon and spa company based in the Austin area with three locations and a team of around 90 people. We specialize in hair color, cuts, extensions, blonding, skincare, brows, and other beauty services, but what I’m most proud of is the company we’ve built behind the services.
From the beginning, I wanted Urban Betty to be a place where people could build an actual career, not just have a job. We’ve created a level-based growth system, an associate training program, education opportunities, leadership paths, benefits, paid time off, retirement matching, and even opportunities for team members to become shareholders in the company. Watching people grow from entry-level positions into leadership roles has probably been the most rewarding part of building Urban Betty.
I think what sets us apart is that we’ve always been very intentional about culture, education, and transparency. We track the numbers, teach our team how the business works, and invest heavily in personal and professional development. We also care deeply about creating an environment where people feel supported while still being held to high standards.
Urban Betty has been recognized by Salon Today 200 for many years, made the Inc. 5000 list four years in a row, and received several local awards, but what I’m most proud of is that the company has grown beyond me.
In 2026, I promoted our longtime team member Hallie Spurlin to CEO. She originally started with Urban Betty at the front desk, and seeing her grow into the person now leading the company feels like proof that the culture and leadership pipeline we built actually works.
Personally, my work is evolving too. I’m spending more time speaking, mentoring other business owners, writing, and sharing what I’ve learned about leadership, profitability, scaling, and letting go. I think I’m becoming known less as “the salon owner” and more as someone who is willing to talk openly about what it really takes to build a business, including the mistakes, the financial realities, the burnout, and the identity shift that comes when your company no longer needs you in the same way it once did.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My family makes me the happiest. Becoming a mom changed the way I look at pretty much everything. My son, Isaac, has taught me to slow down, be more present, and realize that so much of what I used to stress over really is not that important.
I’m also happiest when I’m creating something or helping someone grow. That can mean watching someone on my team step into a leadership role, mentoring another business owner, writing, speaking, or even just having a really honest conversation with someone who is going through something I’ve already experienced.
I love traveling, being with my husband and son, spending time with friends, and having moments where I can actually step away from work and enjoy the life I spent so many years building.
For a long time, I think achievement made me happy. Hitting the next revenue goal, opening another location, winning an award, or reaching the next milestone always felt exciting. Those things are still meaningful to me, but as I’ve gotten older, happiness has become much simpler. It is having freedom, being with the people I love, feeling healthy, laughing a lot, and knowing that the work I’ve done has made a positive impact on other people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://urbanbetty.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanbetty/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/urbanbettysalon
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/urbanbetty/
- Twitter: https://x.com/urbanbetty
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/UrbanBettySalonAustin
