Whenever her kids' bangs began to fall into their eyes, Paula Thurman couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety. She knew a trip to the hairdresser was in store, which meant an hour of squirming, whining, and complaining about itchy bits of fallen hair. But it was on one such trip that inspiration struck. As Paula told reporters from the Kansas City Business Journal, “as soon as I walked into the salon, a fire went off in me, and I knew it. I saw it and thought, ‘I can do this.’” Although she had no experience running a salon or business, Paula had plenty experience keeping kids happy. She decided to combine that with keen motherly intuition and lessons learned from a few business classes to design a special salon for energetic youngsters—Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids was born.

Today, Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids has sprouted locations across Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Iowa, and into New Mexico. Amid the salons' mad splashes of color, cheerful stylists snip up new styles and arrange locks into playful pigtails and beehives that are perfectly sized to hide uneaten vegetables. While they work, their young clients sit in chairs shaped like race cars, watching movies or playing video games. As kids are getting cuts, moms can shop for a toy, bow, or bottle of root-beer-scented shampoo for their wee ones in the onsite boutique.