In this episode of the Built to Shine Podcast, host Vanessa Yakobson sits down with Pragati and Rahul Patel to talk about what it really takes to build a small business from the ground up. Pragati, a nurse by trade, and Rahul, who works alongside her as her back-of-house partner, share insights on building a thriving team culture, navigating the challenges of being a husband-and-wife entrepreneurial team, and staying resilient when facing unexpected obstacles.

When Pragati and Rahul Patel opened Blo Blow Dry Bar in Chapel Hill, they thought clients would just start walking through the door. Three and a half years later, they’ve navigated a slow start, learned hard lessons about staffing and leadership, brought their first baby, and watched six feet of floodwater destroy the bar they’d worked so hard to build.

In this episode of the Built to Shine Podcast, host Vanessa Yakobson sits down with the husband-and-wife team to talk about what it really takes to build a small business from the ground up. Pragati, a nurse by trade, and Rahul, who works alongside her as her back-of-house partner, share insights on building a thriving team culture, navigating the challenges of being a husband-and-wife entrepreneurial team, and staying resilient when facing unexpected obstacles.

What You'll Learn

Why “wanting to be the cool boss” backfires
How to hire for culture, not just capacity
When to bring on a manager
The real cost of keeping a toxic top performer
How to turn revenue goals into daily staffing decisions
What working as a husband-and-wife actually looks like

Episode Resources

Pragati Patel on Instagram
Vanessa Yakobson on LinkedIn
Blo Blow Dry Bar Official Website
Blo Franchise Opportunities