Every Great Story

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Growing Beauty Professionals into Future Industry Leaders

The Women Behind SOHO | Read More Omaha Fashion Week | Read More The SOHO Vision | Read more

The women behind SOHO Hair Academy are a mother-daughter duo that own and operate two successful Omaha salon brands, Trios and XOXO. Winning several years for Best of Omaha, 2021 Salon of the Year, Entrepreneur Magazine Top Company Culture Award and as a Top 100 L’Oreal Salon, Somer and Ryan are passionate about building opportunities for others in the industry. Somer began her cosmetology journey in 2000 at the age of 23. Facing limited options as a rebellious single mother she needed to find a way to support her daughter and eliminate the need for government assistance. Somer was mentored personally and professionally to improve her communication, skills, leadership, conflict resolution and integrity. Through cosmetology, Somer found her passion for education and mentoring others. Ryan was five years old when Somer changed career paths to join the beauty industry. She watched her struggle as a young, single mom, growing a business behind the chair, taking the risk to become an entrepreneur and eventually opening Trios Salon in 2005. Somer and her husband have six children that have witnessed every moment of this journey. They know the reward and the struggle of being a small business owner, mentor and leader. They have celebrated milestones and watched the tears flow. As she and her husband homeschooled they have included them in the dreaming and innovating along with the serving, cleaning and repairs to give them an education beyond a textbook. The mother-daughter duo have worked side by side since 2015 growing Trios Salon into a successful 52 chair luxury brand. In 2021 together they became business partners and brought to life a new boutique salon concept to the Omaha market, XOXO Salon. They are proud to introduce SOHO Hair Academy, a reimagined cosmetology program designed to grow new leaders for the beauty industry. The Academy will expand education beyond the Historical State Board curriculum and bring an unprecedented level of business acumen to inspire a new generation of beauty professionals to become local business employers and leaders. It is time to heal the stigma that beauty professionals do not make a livable wage working together. At the heart of SOHO Hair Academy is love Somer and Ryan had to do something as they watched the beauty community struggle to sustain and redefine itself. At the heart of SOHO Hair Academy is love. Love for this industry is the magic that unites, grows, heals and cures. SOHO Academy is committed to putting differences aside, advocating for each other’s basic human rights, and becoming better allies. Sharing their success and experience in the industry through a new cosmetology program will shift the statistics. Somer and Ryan believe; The future leaders of the beauty industry start at SOHO Academy. Thank you! We hope that you learned something about our salons, our industry and our mission. We are up to big things and are grateful to have the privilege of loving others through the beauty of hair!

SOHO Hair Academy Start Dates

SOHO Hair Academy is thrilled to offer more start dates than any other cosmetology school in the Omaha Metro! We highly encourage early enrollment.

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Iowa

• February 17, 2025
• June 2, 2025
• July 21, 2025
• September 8, 2025
• October 20, 2025

Nebraska

• September 29, 2025
• January 5th, 2026

Enrollment Information

Ready to take a bold step towards your future? Come join us at SOHO Hair Academy! We have two convenient locations and offer 1800-hour programs that will get you all set for an exciting career in cosmetology, no matter which state you choose to work in.

• Fill out Enrollment Application
• Schedule an Enrollment Interview
• Provide Proof of High School Graduation or G.E.D.
• Provide Proof of Age
• Pay Applicable Fees

Iowa Application Nebraska Application

The Women Behind SOHO

Welcome to the incredible world of SOHO Hair Academy, where dreams take flight and passion leads the way! Meet the dynamic mother-daughter duo, Somer and Ryan, whose inspiring journey of resilience and determination has transformed the landscape of the beauty industry. Their salon, Trios, stands as a beacon of excellence, winning accolades such as Best of Omaha, 2024 Top 200 Salon and 2021 Salon of the Year from Salon Today, and the Entrepreneur Magazine Top Company Culture Award. With their combined expertise and unwavering dedication, they have created a luxurious 52-chair salon that embodies elegance and sophistication. Driven by a desire to revolutionize the beauty industry, Somer and Ryan have introduced SOHO Hair Academy, a visionary cosmetology program that goes beyond traditional education. By infusing business acumen and leadership skills into the curriculum, they are nurturing a new generation of beauty professionals who are not just stylists but visionary leaders and entrepreneurs. At the heart of SOHO Hair Academy is love At SOHO Hair Academy, love is at the heart of everything they do. It is this love that propels them to break barriers, advocate for change, and uplift others in the industry. Through their transformative program, they are paving the way for aspiring stylists to master their craft, realize their full potential, and become trailblazers in the beauty world. Join us on this extraordinary journey of growth, empowerment, and transformation at SOHO Hair Academy. Let Somer and Ryan inspire you to reach new heights, chase your dreams, and create a legacy that shines bright in the beauty industry. Welcome to a world where passion meets purpose, and where every dream is within reach.

Omaha Fashion Week

Beauty Alliance

The Omaha Fashion Week Beauty Alliance allows aspiring students and established professionals to explore their creativity and expand their portfolio by executing unique hair and makeup looks that they might not have the opportunity to do in schools or on everyday clients.

SOHO Hair Academy is proud to be the partner and director of the Omaha Fashion Week Beauty Alliance. SOHO Academy’s Founder Somer Krueger began developing and directing the Omaha Fashion Week Beauty Alliance in 2017. The OFW Beauty Alliance provides complimentary hair and makeup services to the fashion Designers that have been chosen to showcase at Omaha Fashion Week.

Growing Beauty Professionals into Future Industry Leaders

Omaha Fashion Week is the nation’s 4th largest fashion week and the only fashion week with a dedicated facility that creates an opportunity for designers to show without fees. The vision for the Beauty Alliance was to incubate the newest talent in the beauty industry and showcase THE BEAUTY ARTS to the community as a viable career path. Somer and her team create a safe space that is well organized for models to have their hair and makeup done.

The Omaha Fashion Week Beauty Alliance brings students and professionals together from across the midwest each season to create the runway looks for emerging, featured and famous national headlining fashion designers. Students and Alumni from SOHO Academy will have the premier opportunity each season to produce hair and makeup for the runway.

Through this amazing event they have been able to inspire many new students to attend cosmetology school, show parents the beauty of the fashion community and create an alliance with salon owners in the metro area. SOHO Hair Academy is working to grow beauty professionals into future industry leaders!

Trios Salon has used the opportunity of the Omaha Fashion Week Beauty Alliance as a first impression to work with students and have attracted 90%+ of their new hires through this program! They donate time and resources to this cause because it makes a difference for the industry, community and helps grow their business.

Michael Pysh Photographer

(Her)Story

Somer's (her)story is truly inspiring and shows the power of perseverance and self-belief. Despite facing stereotypes and discrimination as a woman, she managed to build her business while also taking care of her growing family. Starting her cosmetology journey as a single mother at the age of 23 she faced limited options. Somer needed to find a way to support Ryan, her five year old daughter and eliminate the need for staying on government assistance. Balancing cosmetology school and working to support the two of them, Somer failed to make ends meet. She had her car repossessed, her credit card balances grew, and the bank accounts became overdrawn.

Amid these challenges, Somer found her passion and support in the beauty community. Educators, administrators, salon owners and peers guided her personally and professionally to improve her skills in leadership, conflict resolution and communication. Once she could put her talents to work on guests behind the chair, Somer found a way out of the financial mess she had created through hard work. She saw a path to abundance and shared everything she learned with those around her. It was in this transformation that Somer discovered her passion for education and mentoring others.

Somer grew her personal business behind the chair and began mentoring new graduates as they entered the industry. The fulfillment of helping others achieve their dreams motivated Somer and her husband to beginTrios Salonin 2005. With their young daughters and toddler son watching, Somer took a leap of faith to establish a salon where aspiring stylists could grow alongside her.

Launching an employee-based cosmetology salon with no startup money, only two employees and three small children with another due any day was a tremendous risk for Somer and her family. Slowly training one employee at a time, Somer was able to build a team of stylists for Trios. There was a great deal of trial and error because there wasn’t a business book on how to be a successful salon owner. Every dollar earned was reinvested in the business to support wages and expenses resulting in financial strain for the family.

After finding a financial, coaching and tracking system, they successfully expanded the nine-chair salon to a thirteen-chair salon. By training and educating graduates from the local cosmetology schools, they developed an award winning culture as recognized by Entrepreneur magazine. Trios then outgrew the thirteen-chair salon and decided to build a dream salon solely dedicated to hair services leading to the expansion of Trios Salon to 27 stations. As a result, Trios became the largest hair only salon in Omaha Nebraska.

Somer and her husband now have six children who have witnessed every moment of this journey. They know the rewards and struggles of being small business owners, mentors and leaders. They have celebrated milestones and witnessed the flowing tears. While homeschooling, they have involved their children in dreaming and innovating, as well as in serving, cleaning and making repairs, to provide them with an education beyond textbooks.

Ryan, who witnessed her mother's unwavering commitment to success from a young age, learned invaluable lessons in resilience and entrepreneurship. Since 2015, the mother-daughter duo have worked side by side, transforming their struggles into success by growing Trios Salon once again to a 52-chair luxury salon brand that is recognized as the Best in Omaha. Ryan’s exceptional communication skills and attentiveness greatly enhance the guest experience and support the salon team. She has a special ability for recognizing the beauty in others and inspiring them to reach their full potential. Together, Somer and Ryan have a shared vision of empowering others in the beauty industry.

Jasmyn worked for several years serving the team and guests at Trios Salon before she and her husband launchedAmateur Coffee, Omaha’s dreamy little vegan coffee parlor, and specialty roasting company with a powerful zero-waste initiative. Jasmyn is enthusiastic about art and design. Her homeschool senior project was to design a business plan and marketing strategy for any business she wanted. Serendipitously, she chose a coffee shop. They opened their shop “out of crazy love for our industry and our community with less than ideal equipment because we ran out of money. We just had to make it work.” She is a brilliant entrepreneur and has a deep passion for activism, aiming to leave the world better than she found it.

The beauty industry changes quickly. Somer had been tirelessly training new graduates at Trios who had been hired from local cosmetology schools after the pandemic. She realized that in order for the industry to evolve to keep up with the ever-changing trends and create safe spaces for people we needed to start by focusing on the education of students from day one. SOHO Hair Academy was a vision for the future where new leaders for the Beauty Industry would encounter masterclass educators who deliver education beyond the Historical State Board curriculum and bring an unprecedented level of modern business acumen to inspire a new generation of beauty professionals. Somer and Ryan are prioritizing creating a safe space for students.

Women like Somer, Ryan, Jasmyn, and their families exemplify the true essence of perseverance, resilience, and empowerment. Their journey from overcoming personal challenges to creating thriving businesses that not only excel in their industries but also make a positive impact on their communities is a true testament to the strength and vision of women everywhere. As they continue to inspire others with their stories and achievements, they pave the way for endless possibilities, empowering women to dream big, work hard, and create a lasting legacy of hope, growth, and empowerment.

TheOmahaSalon Owners Alliance

The beauty industry is currently at a crossroads, facing a crisis driven by external corporate influence. The rise of single-use suite spaces, promoted by real estate developers, has led to a fragmentation within the industry. These spaces, while overpriced and underutilized, have enticed professionals in metro areas away from traditional salons, resulting in a loss of community and support.

The Beauty Industry is Being Led by Outsiders

As licensees navigate the intricacies of business ownership - including tax responsibilities and managing marketing and communication - their creative endeavors and client relationships often take a back seat, leading to a compromised work-life balance.

Licensed cosmetologists are struggling with low wages, worsened by the proliferation of corporate hourly franchise salons that fail to offer sustainable incomes. This financial pressure is pushing many stylists to their limits, forcing some to default on student loans or seek alternative employment opportunities. Corporate franchise groups are advocating against professionals by lobbying for deregulation at the state level and extreme reductions in required education, leaving the industry vulnerable.

Amid these challenges, there is a growing call for change throughout the industry. It is time to reassess business practices, renew the focus on building communities, and empower beauty professionals. In response to these industry shifts, Somer Krueger established the Omaha Salon Owners Alliance in January 2019 to connect local salon owners without corporate franchise ties. The majority of these owners are professionally licensed and have established salon businesses to mentor and cultivate new professionals. Employee-based salon owners offer the community security, employee benefits, local ownership, unique customized business models, and support for sustainability within the industry.

As an owners' alliance, we have the ability to connect, support, and enhance the demand for employment opportunities for licensed professionals in our salon establishments through a shared vision. We believe there is space for everyone and that our true competition lies in the challenges facing our industry together. The ongoing decline of the beauty community can be reversed through shared information, innovative ideas for the next generation, and encouragement during challenging times. The future of the industry depends on addressing these issues and fostering a more fair and supportive environment for all involved.

TheSOHOVision

SOHO Hair Academy is focused on the future. Our standards for advancement, passionate and experienced Educators, and supportive culture that values growth, community, and personal integrity are keys to success. The beauty industry changes fast. You don’t need a beauty school with decades of history, you deserve a hair academy with VISION!

Welcome to this Magical Moment

Here, we believe in the power of growth, community, and personal integrity. We are more than just a school - we are a movement towards a brighter future for beauty professionals. Join us on this transformative journey, where love is the driving force that unites us all. Together, we will break barriers, redefine standards, and create a legacy of empowerment and excellence.

This is not just a program; this is a vision, a calling to shape the next generation of bold beauty leaders with purpose and compassion.

• Supportive culture valuing growth, community, and personal integrity
• Personal, career, and business coaching
• Current digital curriculum with practical techniques
• Extensive recycling and zero-waste effort
• Inspiring students to be future beauty professional leaders
• Creating a safe space
• Standards for experienced Educators
• National network of opportunities
• Beyond State Board curriculum education
• Bringing business acumen to inspire new beauty professionals
• Advocating for sustainable wages in the beauty industry
• Emphasizing love as the core value uniting and healing the community
• Commitment to unity, advocacy, and becoming better allies

Meet Your

SOHO Academy Team

Somer President Ryan Admissions Courtney Financial Aid Andrea NE Campus Manager Carol Iowa Director of Education/Instructor David Nebraska Director of Education/Instructor Mason Associate Director of Student Services/Instructor Chrissy Instructor Jason Instructor Lucas Instructor Kaity Instructor Julie Instructor Dahlia Instructor Maria Instructor Taylor Instructor Aidan Inventory Manager Kiara Master Class Educator Giselle Master Class Educator

Meet the Students of

SOHO Academy

Sophia McKenna Jenni Jalanda Gena Shyanne Izze Cindy Madison Emma F Alice Taejhamel Monyca Lexus Bailee Aaliyah Jersey Gracie Macy Kaitlin Carlie Callie Priscilla Allie Bella Heidi Whitlee Kelsie Brianne Rachel Hannah Morgan Teagan Maddy May Sophie Reegan Brooke E Elly Presley C Presley V Lexi Jenna Aspen Molly Makenzie Avalon Brooke C Blaze Kendall Red Ava Cat Mo Liz Lexi Jess

Our Frequently Asked Questions

Do you only offer a Cosmetology Program?

You got it! At SOHO Hair Academy, we’re all about mastering the art of Cosmetology.

Our Council Bluffs campus offers a Barbering and Cosmetology curriculum that prepares students for the new Iowa Barbering and Cosmetology Arts and Sciences license. In 2024, legislation merged the Barber and Cosmetology State Boards.

Our Omaha campus offers a Cosmetology curriculum that prepares students for the Nebraska Cosmetology License.

SOHO Hair Academy does not offer Esthetics, Nail, Massage or Instructor programs.

Is Financial Aid Available?

Yes! At our Council Bluffs Campus, we offer Federal Financial Aid options for eligible students. Apply using FAFSA, the Free Application at studentaid.gov. Our school code 007611.

At our Omaha Campus, we do not currently offer Federal financial aid. We offer payment plans, and provide guidance and resources to help students with financing options.

Our staff is ready to help you discover the different options available. Contact us for more details on how we can guide you through the financial aspects of your education.

Do I need to attend evening or weekend classes to complete my program ?

We’re shaking things up from the usual cosmetology school timetable! Our program runs during the day, from Monday to Friday, because we know your time is precious. You’re making big moves to chase your dreams, and we’re here to make it as smooth as possible. By keeping your evenings and weekends free, we help you balance school with everything else you’ve got going on, letting you zero in on your passion without missing out on life.

Can I attend school part-time?

No, however, we understand how important your time is, so we have structured our program to run from Monday thru Friday during the day. This means you’ll have your evenings and weekends free. And with your off-class time, you have the freedom to work or chill with friends.

How long does it take to finish the 1800-hour program?

Our 1800-hour program takes approximately 13 months to complete. But we get it—sometimes life throws curveballs like getting sick, family emergencies, or other personal stuff. If this happens, your program will take longer to finish.

Will you help me find employment after graduation?

Definitely! We’re all about making sure you hit the ground running after you graduate. We’ve got your back with loads of options, such as taking you on salon tours, hosting career fairs

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