How These Twin Sisters Turned a Childhood Pact into a Rapidly Growing Franchise

In the first grade, twin sisters Jamie and Jess Dunn knew the answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” They would draw pictures of themselves doing hair and made a pact to one day have the “best hair salon business in the country.” The girls have always been passionate about hairstyling and believe “everybody can be gorgeous, no matter who you are,” Jamie explained.

Fast forward to now, and the Dunns live that dream every day as owners of their successful Moxie Salon & Beauty Bar business. They started the venture in 2011 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and the business blew up within six months. The sisters were so busy and had so much interest that the fire marshall had to warn them about occupancy limits, and they moved into a bigger building across the street.

“The popularity from both customers and people who wanted to become a part of the Moxie brand was amazing. We started to really gain brand recognition, and people were inquiring about buying into it,” said Jess.

Seeing their rapid success, their uncle, who had worked in franchising for a long time, brought up the idea to Jamie and Jess. They talked it over and discussed how it would be a great way to grow the brand and fulfill the vision they had as little girls. So in 2014, the Dunns partnered with their uncle and opened the brand for franchise opportunities.

Moxie Salon & Beauty Bar has 18 locations open in New Jersey and 50 more agreements signed in the pipeline, including six out-of-state salons in New York and Connecticut. The Dunns are also interested in expanding to areas like Florida and Nashville, Tennessee, working with leads in those regions. They hope to grow the brand to every state and reach quadruple-digit locations. 

“Our goal is to be national and have Moxie locations in every state. We'd love to have 1,000 salons; that's our dream to have that many open,” said Jamie. “We want to work on being a household name everywhere, like how we are here in New Jersey. People know about coming to Moxie and getting Moxified; it’s part of their daily routine, and we become a part of their close circle.”

With the success the sisters have seen their brand take on over the last eleven years, they know that the concept will work anywhere. While the clientele is mostly women, they do cater to men, and franchise owners offer memberships for customers to take full advantage of the Moxie experience.

“When you come into our salon, it’s a haven and a happy place. Everybody looks good and feels good, and we make everybody getting Moxified feel like a celebrity by revealing the best version of themselves through hair and makeup,” said Jenn. “We literally change people's lives by showing them how to feel good about themselves. They'll leave the bad marriage, find a new boyfriend, get the job they wanted, or they have the confidence to do something new.”

And it’s not just a rewarding experience for the clients coming in for a makeover but also for the franchise owners at Moxie Salon & Beauty Bar. The Dunns said the company’s franchisees are fun, passionate people who are mission-impacted and pride themselves in the service they offer the community. 

“We like to work with those who believe in our mission and understand how much Moxie changes people's lives and how feeling good about yourself is so powerful,” said Jamie. “We really look for people who want to make an impact and that have the same vision as us. We've been very proud of our franchisees so far, and we feel they are doing a great job carrying on our mission.”