Latest / Honest Esthetician Education / The Perfect Path To Solo Esthetician Does Not Exist! Skin By Terri

Transcript

The Perfect Path To Solo Esthetician Does Not Exist! Skin By Terri · Honest Esthetician Education

• 0:08
  Hi guys, and welcome back to another episode of your Best Esthetician podcast.
• 0:12
  We have Terri with Moonlight Skin Studios today.
• 0:15
  I'm so excited to meet you in person.
• 0:17
  We have talked for months.
• 0:18
  I know.
• 0:19
  Like over the phone, all the things, and it's so nice to finally meet you in person.
• 0:23
  I know, it's so weird, like connecting with someone over the internet.
• 0:26
  So it's a great community, like having the estheticians that you can...
• 0:30
  meet online, you know?
• 0:31
  I know.
• 0:31
  And I'm so excited for people to get to know you because you are so fun.
• 0:36
  You have been just like, it's been fun to watch you grow and you are so smart, educational.
• 0:42
  I love your posts.
• 0:43
  So thank you for being on the podcast today.
• 0:45
  Thank you.
• 0:45
  This is like a dream of mine.
• 0:47
  Honestly, I've always wanted my own podcast and I just, I'm constantly listening to podcasts.
• 0:52
  Like I was listening to a podcast on the way here.
• 0:53
  So that's how I am.
• 0:55
  Oh, I know.
• 0:55
  Podcasts are so fun.
• 0:56
  I mean, it's the way that we can connect with other people.
• 0:59
  We were just talking like off camera.
• 1:01
  You feel like you know somebody, right?
• 1:03
  But let's jump right into it.
• 1:05
  How long have you been an esthetician?
• 1:08
  And when was Moonlight Skin Studios born?
• 1:10
  Yeah.
• 1:11
  So I've been an esthetician for three and a half years.
• 1:14
  June will be four.
• 1:15
  So 2021 is when I graduated aesthetic school.
• 1:18
  Moonlight Skin Studio has been open for just about a year now.
• 1:21
  So a little over year was February.
• 1:24
  And yeah, I started off.
• 1:26
  I went to school, obviously.
• 1:27
  And then I wait, do you want me to start talking about everything?
• 1:31
  Yeah.
• 1:32
  Okay.
• 1:32
  So you went to school and then what was your first step into aesthetics?
• 1:35
  So I told myself I want to find a mentor.
• 1:40
  Like that's all I wanted out of this at first was just to learn like as much as I could.
• 1:45
  Yeah.
• 1:45
  And I had this dream of like training and there's somebody that was like iconic.
• 1:48
  You know what I mean?
• 1:49
  Obviously in Orlando we're like.
• 1:51
  limited yeah but all I wanted was to work with someone that was really knowledgeable so or like work at a facility that had a lot of like knowledgeable people so in my mind I had all my like dream um jobs right like reflections dermatology like certain med spas in my area and I was like
• 2:11
  OK, I'm going to make a resume.
• 2:13
  And it's funny because I use the same resume over and over again throughout my life.
• 2:17
  I just edit it.
• 2:18
  Yeah.
• 2:19
  But anyway, so I made a resume, and I printed them out, and I got a cute outfit on.
• 2:23
  And I was like, I'm going to go to all my top spas.
• 2:27
  And this is an advice I always tell people.
• 2:29
  don't just look on Indeed.
• 2:31
  Like go out and just drop your resume off.
• 2:34
  And I learned this in the restaurant industry is like, if you have a resume and a cover letter and you like look presentable, like they might just be interested in you just for the fact that you went in and you made the initiative, right?
• 2:45
  So anyways.
• 2:46
  Absolutely.
• 2:47
  So I dropped my resume off at all these places where I was like, okay, I want to work here.
• 2:50
  I want to work here.
• 2:51
  And I like dropped, and I ended up getting my first job at a med spa with,
• 2:55
  I didn't really, it was a weird situation.
• 2:57
  Honestly, I worked there for like a few months.
• 2:59
  Like I worked with an esthetician who was renting a room at a med spa.
• 3:05
  Oh, okay.
• 3:06
  And I was so brand new.
• 3:08
  And she had like a hydrafacial.
• 3:10
  She had Procel, like all these things like PCA, Glymed.
• 3:13
  It was like really cool.
• 3:14
  But then...
• 3:15
  I kind of just wanted to be like a mentee and I ended up, she kind of wanted me to like get clients in the door and stuff.
• 3:22
  And I was like, I have no clients, you know?
• 3:25
  So anyways, um, so I did that for a few months and then I got a job at a spa and I worked and that's where I worked for like, um, a little over two years.
• 3:34
  Like, um, yeah, a little over two years.
• 3:36
  And
• 3:38
  That's so fun.
• 3:39
  So you went from a med spa to a more spa environment?
• 3:42
  So it wasn't like it was I was in a room with a woman.
• 3:46
  It was at a med spa, but it was like pretty big.
• 3:48
  Like they had other renters there.
• 3:50
  And the med spa was like, I think the med spa was just ran by the owners.
• 3:53
  And like they were kind of in the back doing the injections and stuff.
• 3:57
  And I wasn't it wasn't really like a personal relationship with them.
• 3:59
  Just the woman I was working with.
• 4:00
  OK. Yeah.
• 4:02
  Wait, was that the first job?
• 4:03
  The first job.
• 4:03
  And then the spa that I worked at.
• 4:06
  I guess you could consider it a med spa.
• 4:07
  We did microneedling and hydrafacial stuff.
• 4:09
  But it was also like a boutique, just local spa.
• 4:12
  Like there was like a couple rooms.
• 4:14
  There was a massage therapist, mostly skin care.
• 4:18
  So that's really like my first real job, I say, because like the first one was just for a few months.
• 4:22
  Gotcha.
• 4:23
  You were like, maybe this isn't for me.
• 4:25
  And you found something else.
• 4:26
  Yeah.
• 4:26
  Well, yeah, because I had no clients.
• 4:28
  And I think she was wanting.
• 4:29
  I felt like I was so.
• 4:30
  Oh, OK. Gotcha.
• 4:31
  Yeah.
• 4:31
  But I get it.
• 4:32
  I get it.
• 4:33
  Yeah.
• 4:34
  So for when you went off and you got this second job, what were the main things that you learned that you were like so excited about as a newer esthetician?
• 4:42
  Well, that kind of went by the wayside as well.
• 4:45
  Like, I got this job from a friend who her sister was an esthetician and owned this spa.
• 4:50
  Uh-huh.
• 4:51
  And I was like, okay, cool.
• 4:54
  I'm going to work with this experienced esthetician.
• 4:56
  I'm going to learn.
• 4:57
  And so I got the job in November, and she sold the spa in January.
• 5:02
  Or it was sold officially in February 1st.
• 5:05
  Okay.
• 5:05
  So I was with her for, like, two months.
• 5:07
  And she was pregnant with her second child, like, running the business, had another...
• 5:12
  you know, younger child.
• 5:14
  So she ended up selling the spa.
• 5:16
  So I was essentially left on my own again.
• 5:18
  Oh my gosh.
• 5:19
  The people that bought the spa were owned a marketing company, which was really great because, you know, they're really good with the marketing and they, you know, they, they purchased this business like as an investment and they thought like, okay, this would be like a great business plan, whatever.
• 5:34
  So, but I was the only esthetician.
• 5:36
  Yeah.
• 5:37
  And I had only been an esthetician for like a couple of months at this point.
• 5:41
  So I was like,
• 5:42
  okay so I'm on my own again so it was kind of like we grew the spa together yeah and like I helped them with the skincare side of things because when they bought the spa they had no idea about any part of like skincare like uh the owner she would always joke she's like I used Neutrogena makeup wipes before I owned the spa oh my gosh but like it was kind of like me me helping and guiding them on like
• 6:05
  okay like this is what's in a facial this are these are like the supplies you need and them kind of like learning and we kind of like grew together so I feel like I've been on my own I was about to say but with the support of the owners of the spot I was there for a couple years and like they were really supportive and they kind of just like anything I would say like hey like this would be what we need like they would do their research or whatever but like they trusted me so I feel like
• 6:30
  Being there for a couple of years, I just kind of grew and I had to reach.
• 6:34
  I had to outsource for education.
• 6:35
  I had to like look for people like you, look for other estheticians, podcasts, etc.
• 6:42
  Like, that's how I learned and then continued education, trade shows, you know.
• 6:46
  So yeah, it's so interesting because I feel like you had the support of
• 6:51
  other people kind of you know obviously when you're when you're brand new it's like obviously a lot of expenses so it sounds like you got to like kind of build your own business but like have the support of a company which is really cool i mean it's i'm like oh wow she's basically like building her own business these few years before she went solo i mean they were like
• 7:08
  like the business people like they handled all that but like I was like okay I wanted to learn but also you know execute at the same time so but the cool thing was I worked for a spa so it was like I worked at the Rose like or that was the name of the spa but all these like all the clients I would get is because I was at this spa in a certain location so like it was just nice to get my hands on people and I think it's really important to like work for someone else before
• 7:39
  like I all I wanted was to work for someone oh yeah and then I ended up going on my own but yeah so like they did support me and like they like did all the marketing and they like you know it was kind of like let's do this and you know so I had that support and then we eventually got other estheticians to work there so wow I know it's so funny when you go I always tell people work for other people as well because they're all these little things that you're trying to figure out in the beginning are like oh my gosh it's
• 8:05
  I mean, it can unfortunately be a recipe for disaster.
• 8:08
  So that's so nice that you're able to have that support.
• 8:10
  I mean, with marketing, because that's huge.
• 8:12
  I mean, how do you market yourself now?
• 8:14
  Like on Moonlight Skin Studios?
• 8:18
  I have my, well, I made sure I have a website, a Google page.
• 8:22
  Google's like super important.
• 8:23
  And then social media, mostly just like Instagram.
• 8:26
  But that's really how I market myself.
• 8:29
  And I feel like you can get a lot of clients through social media.
• 8:32
  But also a lot of my clients are referrals too.
• 8:36
  And those are the best clients.
• 8:37
  And you know that like when your friend is like, hey, and like I have a couple friends that are hairstylists and stuff.
• 8:42
  So like they'll send me clients.
• 8:43
  So it's really like word of mouth.
• 8:45
  But and then a lot of it is social media.
• 8:48
  I do.
• 8:49
  I've run ads on Instagram, which I think like helped a lot.
• 8:52
  So that's helped me with advertising, but I haven't paid for any other types of ads.
• 8:56
  Yeah.
• 8:56
  I mean, I I'm all about like organic social media growth.
• 9:00
  I mean, that's how I built my business and
• 9:02
  Of course, you have to be intentional with things.
• 9:04
  You can't just like post and expect to get like thousands of leads in the door.
• 9:09
  But like truthfully, like organic marketing is so nice with like, I think referrals are organic marketing as well because it's like people organically talking about how much they love you and then they come into your practice.
• 9:19
  But when you first went solo, so you were you what were you like main what was your thought process on going solo since you did work for somebody else?
• 9:28
  Um, I think the main driver for me was wanting to make decisions that I thought would be best for clientele.
• 9:36
  Um, it wasn't necessarily for money.
• 9:38
  Like if I was honestly, if I got that mentorship that I wanted and I got to work in this like dream spa location, like that I had in my mind, you know, like working for some famous esthetician, like.
• 9:50
  I would probably still be there.
• 9:51
  Like, I don't think I had a lot of plans to just like go out on my own.
• 9:55
  And I always told myself, I want to open a spa.
• 9:57
  If I go out, I'm going to open like a real storefront.
• 10:00
  I'm not going to do it until I have like the income for that.
• 10:02
  Yeah.
• 10:04
  But going off my own, I guess I just kind of felt like I couldn't like grow anymore.
• 10:08
  And I felt like I was kind of like maxed out.
• 10:12
  Yeah.
• 10:13
  And I was seeking more and I wanted more control, I guess.
• 10:17
  Yeah.
• 10:18
  I wanted to make the decisions, which I think maybe a lot of estheticians are control freaks.
• 10:21
  Yeah.
• 10:22
  No, definitely.
• 10:23
  And ADHD.
• 10:24
  Yeah.
• 10:24
  No.
• 10:25
  That's me.
• 10:25
  I know.
• 10:26
  Yes.
• 10:27
  I'm always like all over the place.
• 10:28
  It's like you have a plan, you have a vision, but oh my gosh.
• 10:30
  It's awesome.
• 10:31
  It's all in here.
• 10:32
  Yeah, it's like everywhere, especially like when you go solo and you're like, oh my gosh, like I need to put all my thoughts together.
• 10:38
  It's like a lot.
• 10:39
  But I think that's so cool.
• 10:41
  I mean, it's like an entrepreneur mindset.
• 10:43
  And just like, I mean, there is a certain point where I didn't even think that.
• 10:47
  I'm like, I always want to work for somebody else.
• 10:50
  And then I got to a point in my career where I was like.
• 10:52
  oh, I'm like never going to be quote unquote happy because they don't have the same values as me.
• 10:57
  Like they're not pushing you to another level where you wish that you could be.
• 11:01
  And it's funny how that we go into like being, becoming an esthetician and we have all these dreams, hopes and we were like, oh wow, it's funny how my journey ended up somewhere else.
• 11:10
  Yeah.
• 11:10
  And like you it's almost like the veil gets taken down.
• 11:14
  Yeah.
• 11:14
  You you have all these thoughts about it and the more you learn and then you realize like how other people run their business.
• 11:21
  And I've heard horror stories about med spas and stuff.
• 11:24
  So like you really got to like keep your head down and like find what's right for you or just like what you think is like.
• 11:33
  honest and good in whatever your values are, you know?
• 11:36
  Yeah, no, absolutely.
• 11:37
  I remember when I worked at like several med spas and I don't know, there's something like about med spas that you don't get the, I mean, in my opinion, you don't get that one-on-one.
• 11:47
  Like it's so different when you're solo and being able to build your business.
• 11:51
  And you like, I feel like the relationships that I have now with my clients are so deep and I can't even imagine working for somebody else now because I could never get that at a med spa.
• 12:01
  Exactly.
• 12:02
  And med spas are like a whole nother story.
• 12:04
  Like the spa I was working at was a spa.
• 12:06
  Yeah.
• 12:07
  Which had like some medical like aesthetics.
• 12:10
  But I felt like a lot of my clientele were just going to the spa.
• 12:14
  Yeah.
• 12:15
  I had like some loyal people that like really came for me and,
• 12:18
  But like I wanted to build a business that was built around like my thought process.
• 12:23
  And like I wanted clients to come seek me out because of my expertise or because they liked my, you know, style when I'm working, you know, facial style, whatever.
• 12:31
  So I think that was a big driver as well.
• 12:34
  Because when you work for a spa, like at the end of the day, like it's their name on it.
• 12:38
  And like.
• 12:38
  your especially if you have like memberships and stuff like these people are just coming because it's the spa that's a nice it's a great place but like it's just close to them or whatever they're not coming because it's like skin by victoria or whatever like terry you know it's out of convenience and price a lot of the time and you're like dang it like come for me did you what was like the scariest part of you going solo did you have a base of clients that you started
• 13:02
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• 13:14
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• 13:16
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• 13:25
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• 13:38
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• 13:41
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• 13:44
  I mean, I had a few, like I didn't like tell every, all my clients, like I didn't take a ton of clients.
• 13:50
  Like I told, like I had a few like very loyal people that I knew would follow me.
• 13:54
  And like, I just knew if people followed me on social, they would find my socials and stuff.
• 13:58
  So that was scary.
• 14:00
  But at the same time, I was going from working 20 minutes away from like my home and my community.
• 14:07
  I was in a whole nother city.
• 14:08
  And like, I had clients that,
• 14:09
  had never seen me before that I've known for years because they're like, Oh, it was just like a little bit far, you know?
• 14:14
  So being back in my community, which is where I worked, like I worked, I was a bartender and a server.
• 14:20
  Like I had been in this community for a long time.
• 14:22
  So now like all these, I have like more new clients than I do old clients, which is nice.
• 14:27
  But my biggest fear was like not being able to pay my bills and pay my rent.
• 14:31
  And like right off the bat, like the first month I was like,
• 14:34
  oh, like this is doable.
• 14:36
  I can do this.
• 14:37
  It's just like once you see the money coming in, you're like, okay, like I'm fine.
• 14:41
  We're going to be floating.
• 14:42
  Yeah, we're not going to drown.
• 14:43
  No, that's so true.
• 14:44
  When you're like first starting, you're like, okay, here we go.
• 14:47
  Let's see how this first month plays out.
• 14:50
  And it's really interesting that you say that like yours was a float because in the beginning, mine was like, how am I going to stay afloat?
• 14:56
  Like I knew nobody when I first started my business and I fought tooth and nail to get clients in the door.
• 15:02
  How do you feel like was...
• 15:04
  Like, how did you make that transition so easy for you?
• 15:06
  I don't know.
• 15:07
  Like, I think, you know, working somewhere for a couple of years, like establishing and and I started a new, you know, a new moonlight page or whatever, like social media page.
• 15:17
  But I think just like.
• 15:20
  Working in the hospitality industry, you meet a lot of people.
• 15:24
  So I feel like just having connections and then my clients that did find me on social media and did follow me, I felt like they had a community.
• 15:33
  And then also where I moved, I felt like the community there is really good.
• 15:38
  I don't know.
• 15:38
  I think I just.
• 15:40
  Also, I feel like your prices have a lot to do with it.
• 15:42
  Like what you offer, you know, like I feel like a lot of estheticians will go out and they like and I do, too.
• 15:49
  But like you worry about how much you're charging and stuff.
• 15:51
  And that's where you get into like, am I making enough money?
• 15:54
  I feel like does that make sense?
• 15:55
  Definitely.
• 15:56
  So I feel like if you price yourself right and you like kind of you have a.
• 16:00
  a good amount of clientele to at least start with.
• 16:04
  Yeah.
• 16:04
  I remember I was talking to another esthetician, and she was like, if you have like 20 clients, I think you'll be good.
• 16:10
  You know, 20 clients a month.
• 16:11
  Yeah.
• 16:12
  And I was like.
• 16:14
  I have eight.
• 16:15
  I know you're like, hold on, my standards are not being met right now.
• 16:19
  No, I think that's a very valid point.
• 16:21
  And were you a bartender and server at the time of you opening up your own business?
• 16:25
  No, so I was a bartender for the first year of being an esthetician.
• 16:31
  I was doing, I was bartending Fridays and Saturday nights, but that was just like exhausting, but you know, it supplemented my income, but then eventually I was able to like, not do that and work at the spa.
• 16:41
  Um, they ended up actually, they were, they were wanting me to stop bartending.
• 16:45
  So they ended up paying me money to help them with other things.
• 16:47
  So that was cool.
• 16:48
  Cause I was able to stop bartending cause they wanted me to be like fully into the, you know, my job and the spa, which was so amazing to get out of that.
• 16:56
  Um, so no, I hadn't bartended for over a year since I started.
• 16:59
  And I was just kind of like, I can do this.
• 17:01
  Like I believe in myself and if I don't, I'll, I'll do Instacart or I can always bartend.
• 17:07
  You know what I mean?
• 17:07
  No, it's so true.
• 17:08
  I mean, it's so interesting because I talk to so many different estheticians and everybody has such different experiences.
• 17:15
  I'll talk to some estheticians where they're like, yeah, the first few months I had no clients in the door and I didn't know what I was doing.
• 17:20
  And then you talk to amazing people like you too.
• 17:23
  And you're like, oh my gosh, like it just happened for her.
• 17:25
  Like the first month, which is insane.
• 17:27
  I mean, not that you were like flowing with clients, but you made enough to like, oh, wow, this is doable for my business.
• 17:33
  So yeah.
• 17:34
  it's really fun to like see other estheticians and like figure out what is like, because there's no secret sauce.
• 17:40
  No, there's no secret sauce.
• 17:41
  It's like you have to have.
• 17:42
  I'm still figuring it out.
• 17:43
  Yeah, no, it's like you have to have ambition.
• 17:44
  You have to have that entrepreneur mindset of like, this is all or nothing.
• 17:50
  Like truthfully, like it's not like you just go solo and it's all butterflies and rainbows.
• 17:56
  There's so much figuring out to do.
• 17:58
  And I think that's so
• 18:00
  You are like, I don't know, like things just seem like everything I hear about you, I'm like, oh, wow, things happen.
• 18:05
  So like you, you're such a hard worker, but also like it's very organic because you're just being authentic.
• 18:10
  It's who you are.
• 18:11
  Yeah, I feel like that's a big thing, too.
• 18:13
  Just like doing what is right.
• 18:15
  And I always had that like whether it was I was serving tables or whatever, like I always had like a good like.
• 18:21
  work mentality to like do everything the right way so I didn't want to like cut corners or whatever and yeah just like I felt like I just kind of went into I'm that type of person where I make a decision I just do it and I figure it out as I go so I felt like that's just kind of how I got like started with the business and
• 18:40
  um, you know, it's definitely doable, but I think that I couldn't imagine doing that right out of school.
• 18:45
  Like not only are you still like learning, but you're like having to run a business and be an esthetician.
• 18:52
  Like when I was at the spa, like I was just an esthetician.
• 18:55
  Yeah.
• 18:55
  You know, that was my full-time job was just to do the facials.
• 18:58
  Yeah.
• 18:58
  But now it's like, oh, I got to do this.
• 19:00
  I got to do that.
• 19:01
  Like, cause you're like, you have the whole business, not just facials, you know, especially when you go solo, you're like, oh my gosh, I have to,
• 19:07
  literally I have to do laundry I have to take facials I have to clean up I have to like there's so yeah literally like I have to send my follow-up texts like where am I scheduled do I have time to like eat you know yes like no literally yeah like 5 p.m every day no seriously um no but like it's it's crazy when you open up your business it's all or nothing right and you know that um so I want to hear about Moonlight Skin Studios what is the reasoning behind your name it's such a pretty name
• 19:34
  Oh, thanks.
• 19:35
  It's kind of it's kind of a sad story, actually.
• 19:39
  So Moonlight.
• 19:40
  So my sister had passed away like eight years ago and her name was Mitzi and her family nickname are we all called her Moon Mitzi Moonlight and like my grandma, my mom, it would be her name.
• 19:52
  Like they would call her Moonlight.
• 19:54
  And she always made everybody feel beautiful.
• 19:56
  Like I feel like that's like the number one thing people said about her.
• 19:58
  So I wanted something for my business and I didn't want to have Terry like
• 20:04
  Terry, I use, I, at first, when I first started, when I first graduated, I was like, oh, Terry Renee skin.
• 20:08
  But then I was like, I don't want my name attached to it.
• 20:10
  Cause that's a business I can grow.
• 20:11
  Right.
• 20:11
  When my name's not attached to it.
• 20:13
  And so I was like, I want something that's not my name.
• 20:16
  So I was like, you know what?
• 20:17
  Oh, moonlight.
• 20:18
  Like that would be great.
• 20:19
  Like just honoring my sister.
• 20:20
  So I kind of named it after her.
• 20:22
  So it's moonlight skin studio.
• 20:24
  That is such a beautiful story.
• 20:26
  I mean, thank you so much for sharing that, especially on a podcast.
• 20:28
  I know.
• 20:29
  Sorry.
• 20:30
  No, seriously.
• 20:31
  Like, I mean, it's it's all about like that vulnerability.
• 20:34
  And I really appreciate you being open about that because that is so beautiful.
• 20:38
  I mean, what better way to honor your business and honor her and just make I mean, when you were saying making people feel beautiful, I'm like.
• 20:46
  I almost cried.
• 20:46
  I was like, oh my gosh, that is so sweet.
• 20:48
  So thank you for sharing that.
• 20:50
  I think that's beautiful.
• 20:51
  And I love how you have the, the little moon in your room.
• 20:54
  That's so pretty.
• 20:56
  I was like, I need something.
• 20:57
  I need like a circle or an actual moon or something, but I, I'm, I'm like a simplistic person.
• 21:01
  So I like everything to be kind of clean, you know?
• 21:04
  Oh yeah.
• 21:04
  No, you are like, so number one, you're wise.
• 21:07
  You are like very crisp and clean.
• 21:09
  I can tell that you're like,
• 21:11
  just put together is what I'm saying.
• 21:13
  Oh, thanks.
• 21:14
  Of course, but as far as your room goes, how did you brand yourself with your room?
• 21:18
  I think that's like a fun topic to talk about because I mean, for me, when I first started Skin By You, I was like, okay, it has to be desert themed.
• 21:25
  Like I want people to feel like they're in the desert and laying down on the sunset.
• 21:28
  Like what was your thought process with decorating your room?
• 21:32
  I felt like just like natural earth tones, like, like the moon, natural organic things.
• 21:37
  So I wanted things to be clean, not too busy.
• 21:40
  Yeah.
• 21:41
  And I wear a lot of blacks and whites.
• 21:43
  Like I wear black, white and denim, like pretty much every year.
• 21:46
  Yeah, exactly.
• 21:47
  So I wanted like blacks, whites.
• 21:49
  And then like, I literally, the other day I was like, is this millennial gray?
• 21:52
  Like, did I do that?
• 21:54
  So I just wanted like, it's like mostly like, I just thought about stones, like,
• 21:59
  you know I got like a faces that were natural looking stones yeah just playing on different tones of like grays and blacks and yeah yeah that's so beautiful have you found that bringing that marketing into your business people take pictures of your room or because that was for me in the beginning I had a lot of people that just posted pictures and that's how I got the name out of my business have you
• 22:20
  Felt that way too.
• 22:21
  I have, that's what I was thinking.
• 22:23
  Like, I think when you look in the mirror in my room, like you can see the moon.
• 22:26
  I don't know if a lot of people like post it.
• 22:27
  Cause I don't have like a photo op.
• 22:29
  Like I've thought about getting like a neon sign or something cute, but I don't know.
• 22:33
  Like, I think I just wanted the vibe to be really good and look high end.
• 22:38
  Yeah.
• 22:38
  That was what I was worried about was like, I want this to look like more expensive than it actually is.
• 22:44
  I want it to look clean.
• 22:45
  I want it to look like.
• 22:47
  luxurious because that's the vibe I was going for like I wanted to like set myself apart like I didn't want to just get like the cheap stuff you know like I wanted to make sure I got what I wanted and made sure it looked nice at least you know no it looks so pretty online I mean that was my first thought process I was like oh wow her room is so catchy because it has like that accent of the moon in there and I just I think it's really important when you're designing your room and like
• 23:10
  I'm all about, as you know, building a premium, just luxurious brand.
• 23:15
  And I think that it's really important for things to be clean and not overwhelming.
• 23:19
  Like when you have like so many distractions in your room, it's like, oh my gosh, like, hold up.
• 23:25
  I can't like...
• 23:26
  It just doesn't feel like you can breathe in a sense.
• 23:29
  I mean, it's it's just that's my my thought process.
• 23:33
  Now, as far as the services go, you market yourself as like luxury and holistic.
• 23:39
  How would you say when you're describing your services that what type of provider that you are?
• 23:44
  That's how I see you.
• 23:45
  So how do you market yourself?
• 23:47
  So I, I, my slogan, I guess, is like luxury and results driven skincare.
• 23:52
  Cause I don't want people to feel like, oh, it's just relaxation or it's just like results.
• 23:59
  Like I kind of want to be a little bit in between.
• 24:00
  So like, I try to like integrate that massage and like that, like relaxation and like,
• 24:06
  high-end products, high-end services, but they can also come in there and get, like, a killer peel or, like, deal with their acne or whatever, you know what I mean?
• 24:15
  So, and I guess I consider myself, like, a facialist.
• 24:19
  Like, I don't know.
• 24:20
  Like, I don't brand myself as, like...
• 24:22
  an expert in acne or anything but I I do like you know I use those the face reality acne expert like on my Instagram and stuff but I guess I just kind of think about like an overall like it's like I try to think like oh my gosh if people say like Terry gives like the best facials you know what I mean and I want it to be like
• 24:43
  I don't know, like a little exclusive, I guess.
• 24:45
  Like I didn't want to just be like run of the mill.
• 24:47
  Like, here you go.
• 24:48
  Like, here's a, you know, $100 facial, whatever.
• 24:51
  Oh, yeah, I know.
• 24:52
  There's, I mean, I think it's really cool how you've been able to just like be a luxury provider, but you're like results driven is like exactly what I'm hearing.
• 25:01
  And I love your branding.
• 25:02
  I love everything that you're doing.
• 25:05
  So for the services that you offer, I know that you just brought on Hydra Facial about $6.
• 25:10
  three months October yeah oh my gosh it's like I launched November yeah crazy um how has that been bringing that service has it transformed your business I mean it's been really amazing I'm like not like a super salesy person yeah I know like we always talk about like talk about it more you know but I had clients that were getting it already before yeah and I knew it was gonna just like kind of
• 25:34
  even set the bar even higher for my business.
• 25:36
  Yeah.
• 25:36
  But yeah, I mean, it's going well.
• 25:38
  I feel like like I'm not like hardcore, like pushing out like hydro facials like all day, every day, which I want to like get grow more and more.
• 25:47
  But yeah, I think that actually like last month I had like a I I thought it was going to be like my highest month yet.
• 25:54
  And it's because I was like really pushing the hydro facial.
• 25:57
  So like I think having a hydro facial can set you up
• 26:00
  for that growth of income for sure.
• 26:03
  Absolutely.
• 26:04
  I know.
• 26:04
  I mean, my personal experience with Hydrafacial is that it brings a certain type of clientele.
• 26:09
  Like people literally search up Hydrafacial.
• 26:12
  They're not looking like they know.
• 26:13
  And they take you seriously.
• 26:14
  Yeah.
• 26:15
  No, it's crazy.
• 26:16
  I mean, even bringing on skin better and all these product lines, it's like people are specifically
• 26:21
  looking.
• 26:21
  I mean, it sets you apart from other people.
• 26:24
  Um, and I just think it comes with a certain clientele and people like, again, taking you like, they're like, Oh, she carries the name brand.
• 26:32
  And that's a big thing for me too.
• 26:33
  And I will say, I know I said, I didn't have a mentor, but I think my biggest mentor that I've had was my skin or my is clinical rep. Like she was amazing.
• 26:42
  And like,
• 26:43
  She literally, like the first I ever met her, like she came, she like cried in my room.
• 26:47
  And she like, cause she was an esthetician.
• 26:49
  Like she was amazing.
• 26:49
  But she told me this one thing that I'll never forget.
• 26:52
  And she said, I would never go to a spa that had a facial under $100.
• 26:58
  Yeah.
• 26:58
  Like there are people that will not go to you just because your services are cheaper.
• 27:02
  Yeah.
• 27:03
  So like that really stuck with me.
• 27:04
  So I was like, I'm never going to have a facial under $100.
• 27:07
  No, it's so true.
• 27:08
  The type of clients that you get when you constantly run discounts or you have dirt cheap prices, it's always the worst clients.
• 27:16
  And I try not to do discounts.
• 27:17
  I try to do gift with purchase or like value added on, which it's hard because my facials are all inclusive.
• 27:23
  So I have to like find something to give to them.
• 27:26
  Definitely.
• 27:26
  Extra.
• 27:27
  But yeah, I definitely think that's a big thing.
• 27:29
  Like don't discount yourself.
• 27:31
  Like get the best of the best.
• 27:33
  Yeah.
• 27:34
  do like or like at least what you can afford you know what i mean and like don't like put your prices too low like i think that is huge especially for people like because like i'm in like some esthetician you know like group chats and stuff and like they're always talking about like okay i've said that sounds to me but like people do they're like oh like that's too much like that opening order is too much or whatever it's like well like
• 27:56
  I feel like you shouldn't invest in something until you're ready for it.
• 27:59
  Or like you, you should just like put your, like get the best.
• 28:03
  And that's why I've, I've worked with is clinical for so long.
• 28:05
  And it's because it's a very reputable brand.
• 28:07
  Yeah.
• 28:08
  Other like estheticians that I look up to carry it and people know that name because it's associated with celebrities, medical spas, like things like just like skin better, you know?
• 28:19
  So I think like.
• 28:20
  you know, setting the bar higher and then the rest will come.
• 28:24
  Oh, yeah, you know, exactly.
• 28:25
  And I feel like when you go into the mindset of anything like, oh, that's too expensive.
• 28:29
  Oh, that's too much.
• 28:30
  How are you ever going to get past that point?
• 28:32
  Yeah, you're constantly like, how can you expect to make more if that's your mindset?
• 28:36
  Truthfully, like I tell my husband all the time, I'm like,
• 28:40
  okay, I believe in this product.
• 28:42
  Yes, it's a $2,500 opening order, but like, I know I can sell it.
• 28:46
  Exactly.
• 28:47
  That's what I thought about skin better too.
• 28:48
  I was like, yeah, now I have to pay monthly to carry it, but now I'm like, but it's going to be worth it.
• 28:53
  Totally.
• 28:53
  And you're like, how can you expect other people to invest in that product if you don't even believe it in yourself?
• 28:58
  It's like to make more money, you have to like, as silly as it is, you have to go into that
• 29:06
  you don't even think about that number.
• 29:07
  $2,500 is like, yeah, it's $2,500.
• 29:11
  I'm going to make that back.
• 29:12
  I'm going to make double that money.
• 29:13
  And so it's like, you see all these people that are like scared to make that move.
• 29:18
  And it's so important to have like a positive mindset when you're going into these things.
• 29:21
  I mean, the most successful estheticians that you see make those scary moves.
• 29:27
  It's like, yeah, it's scary, but it's so worth it.
• 29:29
  Yeah.
• 29:29
  And I think another thing too, is like,
• 29:31
  I might, I might, or other estheticians might have all these nice, luxurious things.
• 29:36
  Doesn't mean they're taking all that money home.
• 29:38
  You know what I mean?
• 29:38
  Yeah, exactly.
• 29:39
  Like when I went into business, my, my only thought was like, I just want to pay my bills.
• 29:44
  I just want to get by.
• 29:45
  I want to pay the rent and I want to pay my bills for home.
• 29:47
  You know what I mean?
• 29:48
  So if I do that, I'm going to be happy.
• 29:51
  Like I didn't go into it thinking like I'm going to be a millionaire.
• 29:53
  I mean, one day I would like to be.
• 29:55
  But like that was my mentality.
• 29:57
  And I feel like a lot of people go into it thinking like, oh, I'm going to make all this money because they're working for someone else and they're making them money.
• 30:04
  They're not getting that money.
• 30:05
  But at the end of the day, it's like, I mean, income wise, like I was probably making more as an esthetician, just working for someone else because now all my money goes into the business.
• 30:13
  Oh, yeah.
• 30:14
  I think it's important to just –
• 30:16
  invest in those things, like you said, and not cheap out.
• 30:19
  Definitely.
• 30:20
  And like you going into the mindset of starting your business, it's like you can't go into the mindset as like, I'm going to be rich.
• 30:29
  I'm going to make all this money.
• 30:30
  Of course, that's the end goal, of course.
• 30:32
  But like you have to know like, okay, I'm starting my business.
• 30:35
  I'm investing in my business.
• 30:37
  Whatever I make, I'm most likely going to invest right back into it because when you're building, you can't like you have to grow somehow.
• 30:44
  And it's like...
• 30:46
  Starting a business as an esthetician, there is a ton of overhead.
• 30:49
  I think people don't talk about that enough.
• 30:51
  It's like how much I made in a day as an esthetician.
• 30:54
  But there is so many expenses.
• 30:56
  I remember the first month that I made $10,000 and I was like, where did my money go?
• 31:03
  There's a reel about that somewhere.
• 31:05
  I made all this money.
• 31:05
  Where did it go?
• 31:06
  And it's because you're constantly like...
• 31:08
  reinvesting in your business and there's so many like expenses.
• 31:12
  It's not like yes, it's higher cost of yeah, of consumables.
• 31:19
  And I yes, and I agree.
• 31:20
  And I do say like I am a firm believer, though, that if you can give an amazing facial, it doesn't matter what devices or machines you have.
• 31:28
  Like a lot of people are so caught up in like the trendy brands and the trendy, you know, skin care ingredients, whatever.
• 31:35
  It's like,
• 31:36
  A lot of really good estheticians start off with just one line and just their hands.
• 31:41
  And that's how I started.
• 31:42
  Because I was like, I want to get a hydrofacial, but I'm not going to get a cheaper machine.
• 31:46
  I'm going to wait until I can get a real hydrofacial.
• 31:49
  And I didn't bring on microcurrent.
• 31:51
  The only thing I brought on was dermaplaning.
• 31:52
  And that's all I did starting off.
• 31:54
  I think your hands are your best asset, your best tools.
• 31:57
  And it doesn't really matter what line you're using, as long as you believe in it.
• 32:02
  And you can give a good facial and you can get results.
• 32:05
  Yes, invest in the good stuff, but also like you don't have to to have to even need to have high prices.
• 32:11
  You know, you can just give an amazing treatment.
• 32:13
  No, I completely agree.
• 32:15
  I remember like there's like two things.
• 32:17
  There's two common questions that people always ask.
• 32:19
  They're like, number one, like what should I start with?
• 32:21
  Because truthfully, every esthetician thinks that they have to have like every single line.
• 32:25
  I wish I did.
• 32:26
  Yeah.
• 32:26
  And you're like, it doesn't work that way.
• 32:28
  Like you would be broke if you did that, to be honest.
• 32:30
  And like.
• 32:31
  Yeah.
• 32:32
  going into it and being like, oh, wow, like I can't offer every single service.
• 32:36
  And I always tell people I'm like the two questions that people ask are what product line should I start with?
• 32:41
  What devices should I start with?
• 32:43
  And what should I film with?
• 32:45
  I'm like, number one, shoot with your phone.
• 32:47
  You don't need fancy gear like.
• 32:48
  That's number one.
• 32:49
  Like you literally have your iPhone, which is the easiest thing to film with.
• 32:52
  Like I know so many people that post on TikTok that just shoot with their iPhone.
• 32:56
  And number two is like you said, your hands are your literal like assets.
• 33:00
  Like it doesn't matter.
• 33:01
  You can give like an amazing experience and not just your hands.
• 33:04
  Like you can give an experience in the treatment room.
• 33:08
  Yeah.
• 33:08
  Like.
• 33:08
  starting them off, like getting to know your clients and giving them like something that you didn't advertise like online, like, Oh, I'm going to send you home with like a box of clean skin club towels because like, I just appreciate you so much.
• 33:21
  And like, I want you to go home with this.
• 33:23
  So it's like the little tiny details in the treatment room that you bring home with your clients that makes all the difference.
• 33:28
  And again, people, like you said, think that you have to have all these fancy things.
• 33:31
  And it's not like that when you're starting in the beginning, like
• 33:34
  No big esthetician had that in the beginning.
• 33:37
  No.
• 33:37
  Yeah.
• 33:37
  Especially like the ones that have grown organically.
• 33:41
  Yeah.
• 33:41
  No, it's so true.
• 33:43
  So what are your favorite treatments to perform as far as the current services that you offer?
• 33:47
  So I'm a ride or die.
• 33:50
  It's clinical girly.
• 33:51
  So like all their facials, the fire and ice, the foaming enzyme.
• 33:54
  I use the warming honey cleanser in every single treatment because people are like, I want to eat that.
• 33:58
  Yeah.
• 33:59
  So I love all that is clinical facials.
• 34:02
  Um, and then I love DMK enzyme therapy just cause like it truly works on the inside out.
• 34:07
  It gives people the most amazing glow and it helps so much with inflammation.
• 34:11
  I feel like that's a big topic of discussion nowadays, like wellness from the inside out.
• 34:16
  And then of course, hydro facial is amazing.
• 34:18
  So like, those are my, my bread and butter is like my customization custom facials.
• 34:23
  Like I don't have.
• 34:24
  when I first started, I did have like a brightening facial or anti aging facial, but I kind of changed that.
• 34:28
  Now it's like you pay one price, you get the facial and it's customized.
• 34:31
  So I feel like people just kind of like put their trust in me.
• 34:34
  So, um, and I love incorporating some like facial massage, neck and shoulder massage.
• 34:39
  So yeah, yeah.
• 34:40
  Those are like, I feel like my main three services, but I love DMK.
• 34:43
  I love Hydrofacial and just like customizing each treatment.
• 34:46
  That's the way to go.
• 34:47
  It's all about bringing the value and just like, this is what you need.
• 34:50
  This is the price that you pay.
• 34:52
  And it's like you get to customize the whole treatment.
• 34:53
  Do you have any plans on bringing on any other devices in the future?
• 34:58
  I want to bring on micro needling.
• 34:59
  I would love to bring on the skin pen when I'm ready.
• 35:02
  I told myself I'm like not investing in anything until I'm done paying my Hydrofacial off.
• 35:06
  Uh, but it's micro needling.
• 35:08
  I would love to have a, like the aerolays.
• 35:10
  That would be so cool, but that's like a dream and like, Oh, you got a while.
• 35:14
  Cause it's so expensive, but I think micro needling would definitely be next.
• 35:18
  Um, I think I'm good on like skincare, honestly, like, um, back bar and retail as far as like brands, but yeah, definitely better, uh, DMK and is clinical.
• 35:31
  Are those your main and face reality?
• 35:32
  Yes, so my main is Clinical.
• 35:35
  I sell like a lot of it is Clinical Skin Better, Glymed, DMK.
• 35:41
  And yes, some face reality.
• 35:43
  I feel like is Clinical is like my best selling brand.
• 35:46
  Yeah.
• 35:46
  But also like I sell like a lot of like comfort cream from Glymed, you know?
• 35:51
  Yeah.
• 35:51
  And so do you carry a lot of Glymed products?
• 35:54
  I carry the Skin Recovery Mist.
• 35:57
  Um, everybody talks about the CBD mist and I'm just like, not the biggest fan because I'm like, I don't, I guess when I first used it, it like really turned me red.
• 36:06
  And I'm like, I think I'm sensitive to something like the niacinamide or something.
• 36:10
  I also think it's like.
• 36:12
  For me, I'm just trying to get people to wear sunscreen and use a good cleanser and vitamin C. So I pick my battles with my clients.
• 36:20
  So I don't want to fight for someone to buy $80 mist.
• 36:23
  Oh, absolutely.
• 36:25
  And I know it's a great product.
• 36:26
  Everyone loves it.
• 36:27
  But I'm really about the skin barrier and just really calming ingredients.
• 36:32
  And I think that's just from me having more sensitive skin.
• 36:35
  So I love the Skin Recovery Mist because it's $40.
• 36:38
  It's so hydrating.
• 36:39
  And it's very calming.
• 36:40
  But I think that like is such a good point is that like you carry what you love and you're going to sell it more.
• 36:46
  It's not like you're just selling it because everybody else and their mom says like CBD Miss is amazing.
• 36:50
  I think it's so important to listen to your clients and like what you love as a provider because clients can feel it.
• 36:57
  Clients will know.
• 36:58
  And that's how you can sell better is when you truly believe in a product.
• 37:01
  And it's so funny that you said that because I'm like CBD, like CBD Miss is amazing.
• 37:06
  reduces redness like I mean it's like supposed to be hydrating soothing and like reducing redness and I'm like oh well I think it's the niacinamide it has to be the niacinamide because I've been sensitive to some niacinamide products but it's also that was like a long time ago so I probably just wasn't treating myself.
• 37:22
  We're going to spray you like one time and test it today.
• 37:26
  Yeah, but I definitely like that's why like you work with products and brands that you align with.
• 37:31
  Yeah.
• 37:32
  Or you're going to have trouble selling it.
• 37:33
  Like I have like, I think three or four SKUs from Glymed and one of them is a lip product.
• 37:38
  And I just brought on the fulvic.
• 37:40
  elixir yeah I've been like trying it out and seeing a lot of good results with it so that's the beauty of owning your own business you get to cherry pick products and like yes you're not dealing with like working with because I worked with so many estheticians and like we always fought with like well no we need to order more of this because it's selling it's like no like we need to cater to our clients and be able to sell but like they are like listen to your clients that's all you should be caring about I think that in the beginning all I cared about was like I'm like
• 38:08
  oh my gosh, well, I need to bring on this.
• 38:10
  I need to bring on that.
• 38:10
  I'm like, no, I need to test it for myself first.
• 38:12
  And number two is like, if I don't have a clientele for it, I'm not going to carry it.
• 38:17
  Yeah.
• 38:17
  And that's, I struggle with that because I'm a consumer at heart.
• 38:20
  Yeah.
• 38:21
  Like I love things.
• 38:23
  And so.
• 38:24
  I have to tell myself, you don't need this.
• 38:25
  They can order it online or you can drop ship it to them.
• 38:28
  Like you don't have to carry it in the spa.
• 38:29
  And like, that's a cool thing about a lot of brands with drop shipping, which is really convenient and nice because having a retail shelf is a lot of overhead.
• 38:37
  Oh yeah.
• 38:38
  Especially as a sole.
• 38:39
  esthetician that's what I love about like skin better I know BiMed does too but I like I focus on skin better but the fact that we can like we don't have to carry every single product but I have so many clients that will literally go buy like um there was in the beginning I was like oh I don't carry lines because I'm like it's such a niche product that
• 38:57
  I didn't have a clientele for.
• 38:58
  And I have this one client to this day, buys from my link every single day for the lines.
• 39:03
  And I'm like, okay, wow.
• 39:04
  There's so many ways that we can think outside of the box of to making money, but without actually spending thousands of dollars.
• 39:12
  You can do it.
• 39:13
  There's no reason to carry every single product, every single line.
• 39:17
  Yeah.
• 39:18
  But yeah, thank you so much for sharing that.
• 39:21
  My last question is going to be, if you had one piece of advice for an esthetician, a newer esthetician, what would it be?
• 39:29
  Um, keep your head down.
• 39:31
  Don't follow a bunch of trends and don't do something just because someone else is doing it.
• 39:35
  So do everything with honesty and integrity.
• 39:39
  Like make sure what you're doing is the right thing and you're not just doing it for like a quick cash grab or satisfaction and just like stay in your lane.
• 39:48
  Yeah.
• 39:48
  You know, that's such good advice.
• 39:50
  Thank you so much.
• 39:51
  And where can people find you on Instagram, socials?
• 39:55
  So I interact with a lot of other estheticians and just like random things on Skin by Terry.
• 40:01
  My business page is Moonlight Skin Studio if you're a client.
• 40:04
  But yeah, you can find me on Skin by Terry or Moonlight Skin, Moonlight.Skin Studio.
• 40:10
  Awesome.
• 40:10
  Well, thank you so much for joining the podcast today, of course.
• 40:14
  And make sure as always that you like, comment and subscribe and we will see you in the next episode.