From the Chair to the Client: How Karina and I Found Each Other Before We Ever Worked Together
(Part 1 of 4 — The Willow's Cove Salon Website Series)
Some of my favorite client relationships didn't start with a proposal. They started long before that, in a room full of people, where someone's character showed up before their business card ever did.
That's exactly how it happened with Karina Mauro, founder of Willow's Cove Salon in Mineola, Long Island.
The Room Where It Started
I was on the board of LABNNY, the Latina Business Network of New York, and like any organization doing meaningful work, our fundraiser events ran on a mix of strategy, community, and people who showed up with their whole hearts. Karina was one of those people.
She's a hairdresser with over 27 years of experience, and she would come to our events and donate her time styling hair for board members, speakers, and whoever needed to feel put together and confident before stepping in front of a room. No fanfare. No pitch. Just her chair, her hands, and her gift.
That's how I first saw Karina. Not as a prospective client, but as someone who leads with generosity. And that tells you everything about who she is. She was also a light when I needed it most, without even knowing I needed her to be.
I was going through a tough time and found myself at an event where she happened to be. I don't know if I was doing a bad job hiding my emotions that night, but what I do know is that she didn't ask a lot of questions. The only thing she asked was, "Can I go with you to the bar? I just want to be there for you." That moment has stayed with me, and I will always be grateful for it.
Crossing Paths Again and Again
The beauty of community is that it keeps bringing the right people back to the same table. After those early LABNNY encounters, Karina and I would cross paths at other events. A conversation here, a follow there. The kind of organic relationship that builds quietly before it ever becomes anything official.
A few weeks later, she enrolled in my masterclass, and that's when things started to take shape.
She Came to Learn. She Left with a Plan.
My AI Event Marketing Masterclass is designed for business owners who want to understand what a real digital strategy looks like. Not just the tools, but how your website, your email marketing, and AI can all work together to support an event before, during, and after it happens. And when I say event, I mean all of it: networking events, fundraisers, online events. I have deep experience across all of them, and I packed everything I know into this masterclass.
Karina showed up ready. She engaged, she asked great questions, and she used the spreadsheet system the course comes with to start planning her event on the digital side. After the masterclass, she invested in the full course, which included a bonus one-on-one session with me to cover anything specific to her business.
That hour together? That's where things shifted.
It wasn't just Q&A. It was the moment she realized that what she had online didn't match what she had built in real life. Her reputation was strong. Her community roots were deep. Her expertise was undeniable. But her digital presence wasn't telling any of that story.
The Decision That Changed Everything
Before (Not my work)
After - View the live website HERE
A few weeks after that session, Karina committed to rebuilding her website with Link Up Level Up. Not because I pitched her. Because she had already seen how I think, how I teach, and how I show up, and she trusted that I would bring that same level of care to her brand.
That's the part they don't teach you about client acquisition: sometimes the best sales process is just being genuinely helpful before anyone pulls out a contract.
I was actually listening to Simon Sinek's podcast, "A Bit of Optimism," while finishing up this blog. This particular episode had a title that stopped me immediately, because it was all about what AI can and cannot do. One of the first things he said was, "AI can't replace kindness." And I felt that deeply. As much as I love AI and use it every single day in my work, real human kindness and empathy cannot be duplicated. What Karina showed me at that event, and what I hope I showed her in return through how I work, is proof of that.
When she said yes, we didn't just jump into design.
We started with strategy, research, and a content day where I went out to Mineola to capture the one thing her existing website was completely missing: the feeling of walking into Willow's Cove Salon.
Before You Go: A Note for You
If you read this and saw yourself in Karina's story, I want you to sit with one question before Part 2 drops next week: Does your online presence match the reputation you have built offline?
Not the logo. Not the colors. The story. The trust. The years of experience. The community you have poured into. If someone landed on your website today for the first time, would they feel all of that?
That's exactly what we're going to dig into in this series. And if you want a starting point before then, grab my free 2026 Website Experience Blueprint at linkuplevelup.com. It walks you through the 10 things every website needs to pass what I call the Champagne Test, and you can run through it on your own site in under an hour.
Coming Up in This Series
This blog is Part 1 of a 4-part series where I'm taking you inside the full build of the Willow's Cove Salon website, from the very first conversation to the launch and everything that was set up for her long-term growth.
Part 2 — The Strategy Before the Site: What we decided before a single page was built, including market research, brand positioning, and why "laid-back luxury" was the right call.
Part 3 — The Build: The content day, the copywriting, the SEO, and what Digital Hospitality actually looks like in execution.
Part 4 — The Launch and What's Set Up for Growth: Google Analytics, professional email setup, and what happens when a website is built to grow with you.
If you're a business owner who feels like Karina did, great at what you do, but your website isn't keeping up, I'd love to talk. Visit linkuplevelup.com or send me a DM. A conversation costs nothing!
A look at the work — branding and website projects by Link Up Level Up
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