What I've Learned in
One Year as a Small Business Owner
Written by Lauren Arent (Lo Clark)
Owner of Bewitched Esthetics & Licensed Esthetician since 2013
April 3rd, 2023
Hello my darlings,
HAPPY ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY TO BEWITCHED ESTHETICS!
The swell of pride I feel in my heart meeting this moment in my life is so emotionally charged. Especially with how much happened to me along the way. My goodness. This article today is going to have a little more of a personal flavor to it. I want to share a little about my journey to get here, the struggles I endured and what I have learned along the way. I am going to share a little vulnerability here, so new business owners: I hope you can learn something from me and maybe take a little courage with you.
Before
My time before Bewitched was a time full of learning. I did not go to business school so what I learned came purely from experience. Most estheticians will tell you, beauty school might teach you about the industry but it chews you up and spits you out soaking wet. By that I mean, baby esties have no idea what it is like to function in a workplace and working with clients takes practice. At my first interview I was so terrified, I tried to walk out directly after assuming there was no way I got the job.
I’ve only worked for two companies in my 10 years of experience. The first one was Elite Salons when I was 21 years old. They unwittingly gave me so much experience because for most of it, I was the only esthetician working in a hair salon. There was no esthetics program, no guidance. I took what little there was and built it from the foundation up essentially. It took me a long time to learn in this way. It wasn’t until I started working at The BrickHouse Massage & Coffee that I had mentors to guide me and build me into the esthetician I am today.
It was here that I started my journey with Eminence Organic Skincare and this is where I found my home. I fell in love with organic skincare and began to shape my work into the holistic grounded practice it is today.
I facilitated the connection to Elite Salons in early 2018 and then opened my own account when I opened my own practice. I’ve never regretted working with the #1 professional skincare line. I am so thankful for their business ethics and incredible education. Honestly, I am only here today because of my drive to continue educating myself. To this day, one of my most incredible mentors is my Eminence rep.
During
2022 was a big year for me. I opened a business in April, got married in October, and paid them both off in December. This is more honesty than I am used to sharing but I am very proud of these facts. If you have ever opened a business, planned a wedding or paid off a big loan, you will know the pride that inevitably comes along with these things.
Another fun thing that comes along with planning weddings and opening businesses is stress. I was and am not immune to the incredible stress. During…well during I thought I was crushing it. Unfortunately, my body and mind may have been suppressing the stress which fell into adrenal fatigue. I won’t go into too much detail, but let’s just say, I am still healing from burning the candle at both ends.
So a little friendly advice? Get into counseling (even if it’s just to have someone to vent to), journal, move your body with appropriate exercise (as in don’t over-do it), meditate, and indulge in regular self care. This could be a HUGE time saver in the long run. You can’t run a business if you’re burnt out.
Ethics of Esthetics
Let me tell you, small business ownership is not for everyone. You are always on the clock. Yes, there is a whole lot of freedom that comes with having your own business but it doesn’t replace the shackles of being an employee. When you get off the clock, work stops. It’s not the same with running a small business. I always have clients messaging me, have social media content to work on, something to update on the website, a new tax to pay, supplies to order, etc. I went from being an employee who came to work, performed her services and went home. Things are different now, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I enjoy my work immensely and I am lucky enough to have a husband who reminds me to put down my work when I need to.
Small business ownership holds so much opportunity for an individual with the right amount of discipline. Your business is a bonsai tree and can only flourish if you care for it and nurture it. It is not a cactus that can survive without attention for a long period of time.
Always Be Learning
Being an esthetician and a small business owner have one thing in common: always continue learning. One of the things I am most proud of is my drive to learn how to do things myself. I built my website from scratch which #1. taught me an incredibly useful life skill and #2. keeps me from being dependent on an expert whenever I need something done for my business, saving me time AND money!
Some more friendly advice? If faced with the choice, always try to learn how to do it yourself. When it comes down to the return on your investment however, know when to hire help. In my first year of business, I saved a lot of money doing things on my own. However, as my business grows, I hope there will be a time when my time will be lucrative enough that I can hire the help I need without negatively impacting my bottom line.
Same applies to esthetics. Always stay on top in the industry by learning new skills and enhancing the skills you already have. This will set you apart from the rest. I started out mainly focusing on eyelash extensions but my clientele grew rather slow in the beginning. Having a wider range of services I was invested in allowed me to expand my reach and really flourish.
Most Importantly
Invest in your client relationships. These are the people who will keep you coming back to the table day after day. I work my hardest and always strive to be my best for my clients. This doesn’t stop with my beauty services. If you truly want to help people, and not just use them as a source of income, you will nourish the relationships you have.
Maybe this is because of my belief in a holistic life (which essentially means looking at life and health as a whole) that I see this. People can go to hundreds of different salons and spas in the area, they come back to see you. You are the best branding tool in your kit. Be yourself and your client family will find you.
My full logo says: Skin & Soul beneath the name. This is because esthetics is about the skin but it’s also about the soul: the people and who they are. Most small businesses depend on their client family, so keep this in mind when you do everything in business. Would you rather sell one product a client may not even need, just to make a sale? Or take the time to get to know a client, what they need and what they want, and sell them products for life because of the bond of trust you created? I work hard to earn loyalty for life. Fact: Some of my original clients came to my wedding because of the incredible bond we formed, even though I haven’t lived in Spokane for almost five years!
I am so thankful for all of my clients, especially the ones who take the time to invest in me by reading these blogs. Each time you start something new, you feel like an amateur and maybe sometimes a fool. But you can only grow from these feelings, become an expert or a professional by taking a chance and starting with the first few steps right? I mean I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that very first step.
I hope sharing some of my personal life can be insightful to others starting out on the same path as myself. I also hope my clients reading this might feel a little closer to me, knowing a little about my love and work ethics as it relates to them.
Cheers to ONE YEAR OF BUSINESS everyone!!
2 Comments
Amber
I love your insight and wisdom! Thank you for sharing and for being vulnerable!
laurenclark020
Thank you Amber for being such a wonderful client! I appreciate your support more than you know!