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I left because the owner wouldn’t let us or our clients eat in the salon; he said we were attracting bugs. We either had to eat outside or in our cars – even during the winter. He also didn’t like us working late except on Fridays. If we worked past 10:30 p.m., he’d charge us $10 extra on our booth rent. I respected his rules until I found another salon.

Deborah Williams, Obsessions by Carolyns (Killeen, Texas)

I was working in a salon that was attached to the owner’s home. It was great for a while, but the owner soon began asking me for favors. She was also a heavy smoker, and my clients didn’t care to smell like smoke when they left the shop. After seven years, I got the itch and moved. My clients and I are much happier now.

Cynthia Horton, The Hair Studio, Tanning, & Nails (Stryker, Ohio)

I left my last salon after working there for nine years. I loved the owner but the salon was so busy and hectic that I left each day feeling frazzled. There were days when children would come in on inline skates, or parents would tan and leave their children for us to watch. I recently opened my own salon and things are going so well that I wish I had done it sooner.

Jackie Maddock, The Beauty Shop (Preston, Idaho)

Before I started my own business, I worked as a manicurist at a well-known salon in my area. One day it was very slow, so I cleaned my station as well as many others. This occurred several times. Instead of appreciating my hard work, my boss stopped the cleaning service for the salon and added more cleaning work for me to do. Being the hard worker that I was, I continued to do the cleaning work with no complaints. When my clients began telling me that I had become a cleaning lady instead of a manicurist, I decided to leave.

Neelam Malhotra, New City, N.Y.

The main reason I left was because the manager emphasized teamwork, but she would talk about other employees behind their backs. At first, I foolishly thought that I was her privileged confidante and that I could help her with all the salon problems, but it finally dawned on me that I, too, was being gossiped about to various coworkers. One by one, my coworkers left with bitterness, myself included.

Jill St. Claire-Wright, Angel’s Salon (Bowling Green, Ky.)