Will JonesHow one designer’s cross-cultural perspective and full-spectrum brand thinking shape beauty businesses
Photo Courtesy of @Winilaophotos
A new salon can feel established before it even settles in. The visuals are consistent, the space makes sense, and the brand carries across every touchpoint. That outcome is built through decisions about how a business should look, feel, and operate at the same time. Ariana Grillo works right in that intersection.
As Brand Manager and Designer at Lead Better Co., Grillo works across five beauty brands and 17 locations, each generating up to six figures in monthly revenue while maintaining client retention rates of nearly 80%.She helps shape businesses that feel distinct while still grounded in a larger operational vision. Her work spans brand strategy, marketing, interior design, and location development for the beauty industry, a rare combination that gives her an unusually complete view of how a brand is actually experienced in real life.
A Design Career Shaped by Versatility and Intention
Grillo’s path into beauty was never limited to one discipline. She was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and then educated in Mexico City in industrial design. She built her early experience in commercial retail environments, designing storefronts, displays, and interior concepts. Time spent studying in North Carolina, Barcelona, and New York widened that frame even further. By the time her career moved deeper into beauty, she had already developed a habit of seeing design as something much bigger than the surface.
Building Brands That Feel Bigger Than Their Footprint
Much of Grillo’s value comes from the way she collaborates with independent businesses. Lead Better Co. partners with local owners rather than following a franchise model, which means each concept needs its own personality. That structure leaves more room for place, tone, and community identity, though it also asks for a sharper level of strategic discipline behind the scenes.
That’s where Grillo’s approach to small business brand development and independent salon growth becomes especially useful. She helps create brands that carry the visual confidence of larger companies while staying rooted in the character of the neighborhoods they serve. That work shows up in recent salon experience openings like The Iris Salon in Ventura.
From Interiors to Opening Day
One of the more interesting parts of Grillo’s role is how completely she follows the brand arc. She’s not stepping in for one campaign or launch window. Her work runs from concept through execution, touching visual identity, marketing, merchandise, interior design, and rollout.
It also reflects a larger belief in design as a business tool. For Grillo, the visual side of a beauty brand is tied directly to trust, retention, and recognition. A strong layout can change how a client moves through a space. A more thoughtful tone on social media can alter how a brand feels before an appointment is even booked.
Why Her Work Resonates Now
Beauty clients have become more attentive to experience, and owners are now more aware of how much a brand has to hold at once. Grillo treats those pressures as part of the design process.
Her career offers a useful read on where the beauty world is heading. Strong brands come together through decisions that connect identity, operations, atmosphere, and audience. Ariana Grillo’s focus lives in that connection, and the brands she helps shape carry the evidence of it.