GH's Elizabeth Hendrickson took a huge risk -- and it's totally paying off

New General Hospital star Elizabeth Hendrickson (Margaux Dawson; ex-Chloe Mitchell, The Young and the Restless; ex-Maggie and Frankie Stone, All My Children) went after the job she wanted despite naysayers advising her otherwise. Find out why her bold career move was not only successful but also empowering.

Daytime star Elizabeth Hendrickson has spent nearly two decades strutting her stuff on soap operas. First, she took on Pine Valley twins Frankie and Maggie on All My Children. Then she wowed as The Young and the Restless' Chloe Mitchell. And now she's taking a pretty impressive stab at Port Charles District Attorney Margaux Dawson on General Hospital. But she says the somewhat unknown side business she started a year ago is actually one of her greatest career achievements.

Many fans might not know it, but Hendrickson opened a salon in Venice Beach called Ellie and Sass that is doing spectacularly well.

"I'm there a lot, and we do things like eyelash extensions and facials and nails. So, I'm there holding down the fort on a regular basis, and I really love it," the actress gushes. "I get to hang out with amazing women all day, and I always have my nails done and lashes and everything. Just kidding -- I wish I had time to do all of that! It's always so embarrassing when you tell somebody you own a nail salon and then they look down at your fingernails and they do not represent well! [Laughs] But that just goes to show how busy we are. I'm really enjoying it."

Of course, the adventure hasn't come without its ups and downs. And the New York native confesses that becoming a business owner has exceeded the expectations she had before jumping into such a role.

"I would say it's everything I expected and more because I've been learning so much," she explains. "I've been acting for seventeen years, so to do something that I've never done before, it has allowed me to learn so much about myself. It's refreshing and it's a great challenge; there is a different lesson in it every single day."

She continues: "It's also really empowering to say that you want to do something and then you see it done. I'm really proud of myself for stepping outside of my comfort zone when people told me it was a risk. But I believed in it, and it's paying off, and I'm really happy about it."

Another exciting benefit of opening Ellie and Sass is the opportunity it allows Hendrickson to connect with soap viewers -- on an entirely different level than both she and the fans are used to.

"Some of our first couple customers were fans, and sometimes fans on social media say, 'Oh, I want to come there when I'm in town!' And they have!" she reports. "And then there are some people who are in there who don't realize that it's my salon, and I've had a few people say, 'You know, you look so much like this girl who's on my favorite soap opera.' And I'm like, 'It's probably me!' [Laughs] So things like that do happen here and there."

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For more information on Ellie and Sass, check out the salon's official website here.

What do you think about Hendrickson opening a salon? Do you think her journey could inspire you to follow your own career dreams? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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