Sola Salons

For oncology nurse Gina Caruso, daily interactions with patients nearing the end of their lives provided incredible clarity, changing her perspective on life, risk and personal fulfillment. This is what ultimately drove her to take the leap and invest in three units with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.solafranchising.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-oncology-nurse-invested-2730686" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sola Salons</a>, the salon suites franchise with over 740 locations nationwide.After a varied career with experience in human resources, property management and nursing, Caruso was directly inspired by her patients. “When you spend a lot of time with dying people, you realize that life is very short,” she said. “There’s not a lot that you can count on outside of yourself and your family, and at the end of the day, you have to make a decision about how you want to live the rest of your life.”That realization became the driving force behind her entrepreneurial journey.Caruso’s career path has been varied, starting with a human resources role in a nonprofit organization. Over the span of about 15 years in the space, Caruso climbed the ladder quickly and ultimately came to support a whole region. When a wave of layoffs came and she was flying around the country closing facilities, she decided it was time for something new.“I just didn’t like how it felt,” she said. “My family had a business. My dad was self-employed and was thinking of expanding his business a bit, so I decided to work for him and create a benefits package and recruiting plan. He also owned some rental property, so I dabbled in that.”After her father retired and Caruso ran the business for a few years, she again realized that she did not want to commit to this specific role or industry for the rest of her career. Around the same time, she had to undergo a medical procedure and was struck by how kind the nurses were to her as she came out of anesthesia.“I thought, ‘I could do this and still help people while getting those interpersonal interactions,’” Caruso said.&nbsp;So, she pursued nursing education as she continued to work in her father’s company. After transitioning fully to nursing, Caruso gained a breadth of experience from cardiac nursing to pharmaceutical roles. As she again climbed the ladder, she found herself making decisions from a very high level that affected other people and began craving a return to more direct care.A return to clinical nursing, this time in the oncology space, provided this, and it gave Caruso additional clarity on her future. “I’ve heard a lot of people, at the end of their lives, say that they wish they had had the courage to go do something for themselves and not be stuck in one position,” she said. “When you’re faced with life and death, you realize that there are opportunities out there that, if you don’t take them, it will be too late.”As she navigated the transition back to clinical nursing, Caruso also began considering opportunities outside of health care. When she learned of&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/sola-salons/info">Sola Salons</a> through a family connection, she was immediately excited.“I thought, ‘Wow, what a great idea!’” she said. “I can create an environment where I’m giving people the structure to have their own business. I’m empowering them to take control of their lives and helping them in that way, and I’m also helping myself.”Seeing patients with terminal diagnoses and assisting the shift to hospice care on a regular basis made Caruso acutely aware of the need to take advantage of opportunities as they come. Not only did Sola represent one such opportunity, it also aligned with her prior experience in people development and property management, and it offered her an opportunity to continue helping others in a new way.“I’ve been in this nursing role for about four years, and every day, I see that we’re here for a very short period of time, and we have to do the most with what we have,” she said. “This opportunity checked all the boxes. I was in human resources, I managed and worked with people, I developed relationships through nursing, and I’ve worked as an entrepreneur in my dad’s company and property management business. And what we do at Sola is not life and death, but I love that we can still affect people’s lives. The final cherry on the top of all of this was that we don’t live forever, and if you want something, you have to go after it.”As she works to build the business for herself, in partnership with her sister, Caruso says she is just as excited about the prospect of helping others build their own businesses. Rather than “sacrificing their personal time, time with their family or well-being” working for someone else, Sola pros are able to “put all that energy into growing their business so that they can have the freedom and success for themselves.”With plans to open the first of three locations in Athens, Georgia, in about a year, Caruso is embarking on a journey she never saw for herself but is quite excited about.“I never ever thought I would open a franchise,” she said. “It always just seemed like something that other people would do. I didn’t even know this type of industry was out there. While it’s scary, the support from the Sola team has made the process incredibly doable.”For Caruso, the leap to entrepreneurship isn’t just about building a business. It’s about honoring the wisdom of those who have shown her that life is too short to wait.“I’m a relationship builder, and I enjoy people. Right now, I don’t always see people at their best. Often, I see them at their absolute worst,” she said. “I am convinced that this next role is about helping people, too, but in the form of giving them the tools and support they need to become as successful as possible. That will be very fulfilling to me, and I’m really looking forward to that.”To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/sola-salons">https://1851franchise.com/sola-salons</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Photo of Sola Salons franchisee Gina Caruso

Why an Oncology Nurse Invested in a Sola Salons Franchise

1851 Franchise

Inspired by the wisdom offered by her cancer patients, Gina Caruso decided to take the leap and chase her dreams, building something for herself and supporting others with the salon suite franchise.

This brand page has been paid for by SOLA SALONS. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

Why This Oncology Nurse Invested in a Sola Salons Franchise

why-oncology-nurse-invested

FRANCHISE INFORMATION

Own a Sola Salons

Brand Growth

Franchising with Sola Salons

A Six-Stage Process

Franchisee Highlight

Learn

Visit Website

SOLA SALONS

Facebook

LinkedIn

Instagram

YouTube

SOCIAL MEDIA

Sola Salons Announces Franchise Expansion in Port Orange, Florida; Lakeland, Florida; Greenville, South Carolina

Sola Salons Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

Inside the 2025 Sola Salons Franchise Disclosure Document: What Aspiring Owners Need to Know

SOLA SALONS MOST READ STORIES

1851 LOGIN

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

ABOUT SOLA SALONS

CONTACT SOLA SALONS

facebook

instagram

linkedin

youtube

First Name

Last Name

Email

Phone

State Of Interest

Country Of Interest

City

Liquid Capital Available

Check one

I'm Interested in Multi-Unit Ownership

Are you opting in to receive emails from Sola Salon Studios?

Own a Sola Salons Franchise

Design with Sola Salons logo and photo of Steve Breuner

Why a Supercuts Area Developer Bet Big on Sola Salons

why-a-supercuts-area-developer-bet-big-on-sola-salons

Photo of exterior of Sola Salons location with brick front and blue sign

Why This Former Silicon Valley Engineer Invested in Sola Salons

silicon-valley-engineer-franchisee

Image of Tanner Holmes , sola salons franchisee

Why This Former European Wax Center Franchisee Followed His Top Talent to a New, More Scalable Business Model

ewc-franchisee-sola-salons

Sola Salons Marks Major Milestones in Q3: 21,000 Pros, New Tech Innovations and a National Philanthropic Partnership

sola-salons-marks-major-milestones-in-q3-21000-pros-new-tech-innovations-and-a-national-philanthropic-partnership

Why This Oncology Nurse Invested in a Sola Salons Franchise

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS