Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisha Ogdahl.
Hi Elisha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story really begins with my parents. I grew up watching two entrepreneurs work incredibly hard to give my brother and me opportunities they never had. I was fortunate to grow up in a family where I was encouraged to pursue whatever interested me, but I also saw firsthand the realities of owning a business—the freedom, the rewards, the stress, the mistakes, and the consequences of making the wrong decisions. I learned very early that success doesn’t happen by accident.
My parents also taught me work ethic through the way they raised me. As a competitive figure skater, I was often up at 5 a.m., driving an hour each way to train before and after school, while also doing ballet and competitive dance. Looking back, I realize that those years taught me some of the most important lessons I would eventually need as a business owner: discipline, perseverance, consistency, and the ability to keep showing up even when you are tired or uncomfortable.
My love for the beauty industry started when I was a little girl. One year, my dad sent my mom to one of the top salons in Portland for a birthday makeover, and I was lucky enough to tag along. I spent nearly five hours watching the stylists work, completely fascinated by the creativity, transformation, and energy of the salon. I remember thinking, “This is what I want to do.”
My mom was also a huge influence on me. She was incredibly talented and had a gift for making everything around her beautiful—from her gardens and plants to her cooking and, of course, her hair. I watched her color and perm her own hair, and whenever I could get my hands on a pair of scissors, I would attempt some rather ambitious haircuts on myself, much to her dismay. In middle school and high school, I would set up my own little “salon” in my bedroom and do hair and makeup for my friends. Because I was also a performer through skating and dance, I was constantly surrounded by beauty, fashion, performance, and creativity.
By the time I graduated high school, I told my counselor that I wanted to go to beauty school and eventually open my own salon.
Life, however, had other plans first.
When I was 18, just as I was graduating high school, my parents lost everything financially. I spent the last couple of years of high school living with friends and my grandparents and learned at a very young age what it meant to be responsible for myself and make good decisions. I wanted desperately to make my family proud, and I stayed focused on skating while beginning to work as a skating coach at the Lloyd Center ice rink. I worked spring breaks at skate school and behind the skate counter, and at the time, another dream of mine was to become a professional figure skating performer.
I had actually been accepted once before to attend beauty school, but I turned it down because I wanted to finish high school. After graduation, I was accepted again, but I couldn’t afford to pay for school myself. So instead, I accepted an opportunity to join Disney on Ice and toured with the Midwest production of Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Adventures. I spent the next couple of years performing, eventually putting beauty school on the back burner.
Those experiences ended up preparing me for my future in ways I couldn’t have understood at the time.
When I returned home, I became a beauty consultant and makeup artist for Clinique at Nordstrom Washington Square. That job completely changed the way I thought about sales. Clinique invested heavily in education, and I loved learning. I realized that successful selling wasn’t really about selling a product—it was about understanding a person’s needs, educating them, and offering a solution. That philosophy has stayed with me throughout my entire career.
I also spent time working as a personal banker for Wells Fargo, which gave me another perspective on business and finances. Around that same time, I was encouraged to participate in the Mrs. Oregon pageant. I didn’t win, but the experience taught me how to stand in front of a room full of people, speak confidently, handle being uncomfortable, think about my image, and connect with people from all different backgrounds. At 21, those lessons helped me grow tremendously as a young woman.
Eventually, I moved to Salem to continue my relationship with my now-husband, Toby, and I found myself at a crossroads. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know how I was going to make it financially work.
One day I finally sat down with Toby and said, “I’m doing it. I’m going to beauty school.”
He was skeptical about the career choice, but he told me, “Go. I’ll support you. I just want to see you finish.”
I started beauty school a few weeks later and finished in just eight months.
The timing was almost unbelievable. Toby’s parents owned a wonderful building in downtown Salem with three small boutique salon spaces upstairs, and one of them was becoming available. Without really knowing what I was doing, I said, “I’ll take it.”
In July 2008, I opened Studio E Hair Salon.
I was simultaneously managing a Clarins cosmetic counter at Macy’s, which gave me financial stability while I built my salon. I quickly realized that makeup and hair went hand in hand, and I began bringing clients I met through Macy’s into my salon. Some of the women I met nearly two decades ago are still clients today.
I also rented chairs to other stylists to help cover my overhead and create a little financial cushion. I was always very conscious of the numbers because of what I had watched my parents experience growing up. I understood that a few small mistakes in profit and loss could eventually become very big problems.
So I worked. A lot.
I was working seven days a week when, in December of that same year, Toby and I welcomed our oldest son, Jagger. I literally worked until the day he was born. Two weeks later, I loaded my newborn into the car and went back to taking clients. Seven weeks later, I returned to Macy’s part-time while continuing to build my salon.
I raised Jagger in the salon.
At the same time, I was constantly taking classes, pursuing education, learning the business, and trying to become better at my craft.
After my second year, I entered into a short-lived professional partnership that eventually became the beginning of Havana Salon. Although that partnership lasted only about a year, I will always be grateful for what it taught me. It opened my eyes to new education, new industry connections, Paul Mitchell, and a completely different way of thinking about the salon business.
From there, I began building Havana into something much bigger than a place where people came to get their hair done.
Education became a huge part of my identity as a business owner. I developed relationships with brands like Paul Mitchell and Hattori Hanzo, began hosting education in my salon at a time when free education wasn’t common, and eventually started creating apprenticeship and mentorship opportunities for other stylists.
As social media and the beauty industry evolved, so did Havana. We expanded our services, our education, our team, and our reach. I became very intentional about creating a salon culture where stylists could continue learning, be creative, be vulnerable, and grow without feeling like they had to fit into a box.
I think that is one of the things that has set me apart throughout my career. I’ve never wanted to be the stylist who only does one thing. I’m curious. I’m fashion-driven. I love trends, education, creativity, and transformation. I want to understand the entire industry and continue evolving with it.
Meanwhile, Toby was building his own career in management at Valley Motors. Eventually, as our family grew, we began thinking differently about what success meant to us. We wanted to build businesses that would allow us to have more control over our time and be present for our children.
That eventually led us to take over the W Wallace space in downtown Salem, where we opened a bar in 2018. We continued building both businesses and learning what it meant to operate businesses as a family.
In 2025, after years of working, saving, taking risks, and reinvesting, Toby and I were able to purchase our own commercial building.
And then came what feels like the culmination of the entire journey.
We moved Havana Salon from its original space upstairs into the main level of the building and completely transformed it. The build-out was enormous, but it was also incredibly personal. We weren’t simply renovating a salon—we were building the kind of space I had dreamed about since I was the little girl sitting in that Portland salon watching stylists work.
Today, Havana is a reflection of everything I’ve learned along the way: artistry, education, entrepreneurship, mentorship, hospitality, and community.
When I look back, I realize that every chapter prepared me for the next one. Figure skating taught me discipline. Performing taught me confidence and presentation. Clinique taught me the power of education and solution-based selling. Banking taught me to respect the numbers. Being a young mother taught me how to work through exhaustion and uncertainty. Entrepreneurship taught me how to take risks, recover from mistakes, and keep moving forward.
And my parents taught me the most important lesson of all: opportunity means very little without the willingness to work for it.
I don’t think Toby and I have ever been afraid of hard work. We’re willing to take risks, make sacrifices, start over, and outwork the circumstances in front of us. We’ve built our businesses and our life one decision at a time.
The little girl who sat in that Portland salon almost three decades ago knew exactly what she wanted to do.
It just took a few unexpected chapters to get there.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. There have been plenty of moments when the road felt anything but smooth.
I’ve experienced rejection, made mistakes, and, yes, I’ve messed up some hair. I’ve had clients who weren’t happy, business decisions that didn’t work out the way I hoped, and ventures that ultimately failed. I’ve learned that being successful doesn’t mean you stop making mistakes. It means you learn how to recover from them, take responsibility, and keep moving.
I’ve also had to learn how to build businesses while building a family. I became a mother of three, and each stage of motherhood brought its own challenges. There were years when I was trying to grow a business while raising young children, and I often felt like I was being pulled in a hundred directions at once.
Then came some of the hardest personal losses of my life. I lost my father, and within two years, my husband lost his father as well. Trying to navigate grief while continuing to run businesses, raise children, and show up for everyone who depended on us was incredibly difficult.
But one of the most challenging chapters came in 2020 and 2021.
Toby and I were both self-employed, and we had two businesses that were essentially shut down by COVID. For months, we had virtually no money coming in. We were sitting at home sick to our stomachs, confused, angry, scared, and completely helpless. It tested us personally, emotionally, as parents, and as a married couple.
Then, in the middle of all of that, we had a surprise baby.
Our youngest was born when I was 36, during a time when we already felt completely overwhelmed. We had young children at home, two businesses in crisis, and a restaurant that required an enormous amount of energy and attention. Having a baby in the middle of that season was beautiful, but it was also exhausting in a way that is difficult to explain.
There were moments when I genuinely wondered how we were going to get through it.
I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through all of these experiences is that you cannot run a business entirely from emotion.
As business owners, we become incredibly attached to what we build. We pour our time, money, identity, and heart into our businesses, so it can be very difficult to recognize when something isn’t working. But at some point, you have to be willing to step back, remove the emotion, look at the numbers, and make the logical financial decision—even when that decision is painful.
That is something I have become very good at.
I’ve learned that sometimes you have to cut the fat, change direction, let something go, or admit that a particular venture isn’t working. That’s not failure. Sometimes that’s what allows you to survive long enough to build something better.
I think a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with separating themselves emotionally from their businesses. I understand why. Your business can feel like your identity. But ultimately, business is business. You have to follow the numbers, understand your margins, make difficult decisions, and be willing to change course.
Our businesses have tested us in every possible way, but those experiences have also made us stronger entrepreneurs and, honestly, stronger people.
The difficult seasons taught me resilience. The failures taught me humility. The losses taught me perspective. Motherhood taught me endurance. COVID taught me how quickly everything can change. And the businesses that didn’t work taught me that walking away from something that isn’t financially sustainable can sometimes be the most responsible decision you can make.
The road has absolutely not been smooth.
But I don’t think I would be the business owner I am today if it had been.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My career has always lived at the intersection of artistry, education, and entrepreneurship.
I am a hairstylist, salon owner, mentor, and National Educator for John Paul Mitchell Systems—an honor I am incredibly proud of. To be trusted by a company and an industry that I have respected for so many years to educate other professionals is one of the greatest accomplishments of my career.
As an artist, I truly specialize in all things hair. I have never wanted to put myself into one category or become known for doing only one type of service. I love the entire process of transformation—from color and blonding to cutting, extensions, styling, scalp wellness, and hair loss solutions.
One area that has become particularly meaningful to me is helping clients experiencing hair loss or changes in density. I work with extensions, toppers, and other customized solutions to help women feel like themselves again. For me, that work goes far beyond hair. Hair can be deeply connected to confidence, femininity, identity, and how we see ourselves. Being able to give someone back a piece of that confidence is incredibly rewarding.
I am also very passionate about education. I believe the best artists never stop learning. Throughout my career, I have pursued education relentlessly and have tried to create the same opportunities for the stylists around me. I’ve hosted education in my salon, developed mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities, worked with major professional brands, and helped other stylists develop both their technical skills and their confidence.
Becoming a National Educator for John Paul Mitchell Systems was especially meaningful because it brought together so many parts of who I am. I love hair, but I also love teaching. I love taking something complicated and breaking it down so another stylist can understand it, apply it, and eventually make it their own.
What I am most proud of is not one particular haircut, color, or accomplishment. It is the body of work I’ve built over nearly two decades in this industry and the people I’ve been able to impact along the way.
I think what sets me apart is that I am constantly evolving. I am very fashion-driven and trend-aware, but I also believe in timeless technique, beautiful hair, and solutions that actually work for the individual sitting in my chair. I don’t believe in putting myself—or my clients—into a box.
I want to understand it all.
I want to know what is happening in the industry, what is coming next, how technology and education are changing our work, and how we can continue to give clients better experiences and better results. I am equally comfortable talking about a major color transformation, a precision haircut, extensions, hair loss, scalp wellness, or the business side of building a successful salon.
Ultimately, I think what makes me different is that I don’t see myself as simply someone who does hair.
I see myself as a problem solver, an artist, and an educator.
When someone sits in my chair, my goal is not just to give them a beautiful service. It is to understand what they need, educate them, create a solution that fits their lifestyle, and hopefully leave them feeling more confident than when they walked in.
That is what has kept me passionate about this industry for nearly 20 years—and it is why I still feel like I am just getting started.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’m probably not the best person to ask about podcasts because, honestly, I’m not sure when I would find the time to listen to one! I have three boys, all involved in sports, so my days are pretty full between work, family, and managing everyone’s schedules.
I’m also someone who learns by doing and by being around other people. A huge part of my professional growth has come from continuing education, industry educators, other business owners, and simply staying curious about what’s happening in my industry. I love learning new techniques, understanding new products and technology, and seeing how other successful people approach business.
When I do have quiet time, I tend to gravitate toward books that are practical—cookbooks, business books, or personal-development books. I’m much more interested in something I can apply to my life than reading just for the sake of reading.
And then there is probably my favorite “resource”: my kitchen.
I’m a pretty serious home cook, and I make full meals for my family five or six nights a week. Cooking is actually one of the ways I unwind and reset. There is something really satisfying about taking a bunch of individual ingredients, figuring out how they work together, and creating something great. In a strange way, I think it reflects how I approach both hair and business—you start with the individual pieces, understand what you have to work with, and figure out how to put them together into something better than where you started.
So while I may not have a long list of podcasts or a perfectly curated bookshelf, I’m constantly learning. I learn from people, experiences, mistakes, education, my clients, my team, my family, and the industries I’m part of.
I think staying curious is probably my most important resource.
Pricing:
- Signature Color Services: Starting at $275
- Haircut & Style: Starting at $85+
- Hair Extensions: Starting at $650+, depending on method, length, density, and desired result
- Hair Loss Solutions: Customized pricing for toppers, extensions, and other non-surgical hair enhancement solutions
- Customized Color & Extension Transformations: Starting at $1,500+, depending on the scope of the transformation
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.havanasalon.com
- Instagram: havana_salon_salemoregon
- Facebook: Havana Salon
- Other: tiktok havanasalonsalem
