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MEET THE FOUNDER
ANGELA FRISONE
GLOSS was never supposed to happen.
Before beauty, I spent 12 years working in HR software and business consulting. Then COVID happened, the startup I worked for eliminated my position, and—like a lot of people—I suddenly had a lot more time at home.
Somewhere between watching way too much news and ordering entirely too many beauty supplies online, I discovered that I genuinely loved doing nails.
And because I have never been particularly good at doing anything halfway, I started calling schools.
A class was starting in three days.
Perfect.
I paid $6,500 cash, walked into class on day one, and learned that the average manicurist made about $8–$10 an hour.
WHAT?!
I had just paid $6,500 to make $8 an hour?
That moment probably explains GLOSS better than anything else.
I finished school, passed my boards, and became the only person in
my class—and the class behind mine—to actually start doing nails professionally.
Using the business skills I had spent 12 years developing, I built a tiny nail suite inside my home. Within months, I had nearly 60 hours a week of clients.
But I still wanted to know more.
So I worked with clients from 8 AM to 5 PM, drove an hour to esthetics school from 6–9 PM, and got home around 10 PM—four nights a week for nine months.
It was exhausting.
It was also worth it.
Eventually, GLOSS started taking over my little Cape house. Two of the four rooms downstairs became salon space. I had a reception area, retail, a nail room with two sinks, a treatment room, and a bathroom.
And it was still just me.
But something kept bothering me.
Why was I working constantly while so many talented people I had gone to school with weren't even working in the industry?
The answer became clear: beauty school teaches you how to perform a service. It doesn't necessarily teach you how to build a career.
To succeed independently, a beauty professional suddenly has to become a marketer, salesperson, receptionist, accountant, website developer, photographer, content creator, customer-service expert—and somehow still be exceptional at nails or skin.
Most people didn't go to beauty school because they wanted ten different jobs.
They wanted to become incredible beauty professionals.
That realization became the reason for GLOSS.
As my own clientele grew and I started turning people away, I realized I could build something bigger: a business where talented professionals could focus on mastering their craft, build financially successful careers, and have the support, education, marketing and opportunities they needed to grow.
So I did what every perfectly rational entrepreneur does.
I refinanced my house.
Maxed out credit cards.
Talked to countless lenders who told me no.
Negotiated with the SBA.
Took business classes.
Negotiated a commercial lease.
And designed an entire salon on construction paper over and over again until every inch worked.
Within three months, we completed a full renovation while I continued seeing my existing clients.
Every wall, sink, piece of equipment, paint color, layout decision, great idea—and occasionally terrible idea—came through me.
But the building wasn't the important part.
I needed a team.
I went directly to beauty schools and started talking about what I wanted to build. I found an incredible group of people who believed in the mission before GLOSS had proven anything.
The early days were wild. We learned. We adjusted. We developed protocols. We made mistakes. We fixed them.
But two things were never missing: culture and passion.
Today, GLOSS has grown into something much bigger than the little salon inside my house.
Our mission is to give everyday clients the level of service, expertise and experience traditionally reserved for the ultra-wealthy—without cutting corners—and to create a workplace where talented beauty professionals can build real, financially rewarding careers.
That philosophy has helped us build a brand that some of the most talented professionals in our area want to be part of, allowing us to bring an exceptional level of nail and skincare services to East Hampstead.
And we're still growing.
I'm still learning how to be a better leader, businesswoman, mother and soon-to-be wife. Building a company and caring deeply about the people inside it isn't always easy—but I wouldn't want to build it any other way.
As GLOSS evolves, we'll keep creating opportunities. We'll duplicate what works. We'll eliminate what doesn't. We'll continue learning, investing and raising the standard.
But there are a few things we will never compromise:
The quality of our work.
The experience we give our clients.
And the well-being and future of the professionals who make GLOSS possible.
That's why GLOSS exists.
And we're just getting started.