The World is Your Oyster: Part 1

How to succeed as an esthetician by being a self-starter, visualizing your dreams, and doing the hard work

My path to self employment began by waxing friends on thrift store sheets at my house-- sometimes while our young babies crawled around the room. 15 years later, I own a three-treatment room facial spa and teach facial massage to fellow estheticians. But more importantly, I absolutely love what I do. So how did I get from point A to point B? While there are many ways to achieve your goals and I don't believe any are necessarily right or wrong, this has been my approach that has brought me to a place of making the money I want while creating meaningful experiences with clients and students.

Part One: Be a Self Starter

Whether you are solo or work for someone else, you are the only one that's truly ever going to take care of you. Don't wait for others to bring things to you. Don't wait for employers to provide trainings. Don't wait for products lines to give you adequate training on their products. Don't wait for clients to find you when you're not putting yourself out there. Be inquisitive. Seek knowledge. Follow anything that interests you or sparks your curiosity. And then learn all about it. The thing that blows me away, as a millennial that remembers life before the internet, is that we have unlimited information at our fingertips. This was not possible 30 years ago. You can learn to do almost anything from Youtube videos. I could be an auto mechanic, a plumber, a dog trainer, or a self-taught meterologist. If I committed my time and watched enough videos, I guarantee I could excel at those crafts with absolutely no formal training and never paying a penny for education. Anything you could possibly want to know is a tap away. And yet, people don't seek it out. This absolutely boggles my mind.

So,

• listen to podcasts

• read books

• read scientific studies on topics that interest you

• watch Youtube videos

• take advantage of the endless FREE media and information available to you

• get your insurance through ASCP and watch every single educational video they offer

• trade with other estheticians and massage therapists

• find free online webinars

• read industry magazines-- Dermascope, Les Nouvelles Esthetiques, American Spa, Skin Deep (free with ASCP insurance)

Use your time wisely

We can all do with less scrolling, less social media. The irony is that our phones can be our greatest source of information or our biggest waste of time. It's up to you to choose wisely.

Instead,

• listen to audiobooks and podcasts while getting ready, cooking, eating, driving

• practice what you preach- get off the phone and practice the skin and lifestyle tips you give your clients. Go out for a walk, do some yoga, work out, meditate, do a face mask, take a bath, do breathwork, scalp massage... all of this helps you be an incredible esthetician.

  
  

Read, read read

• carry a book around and look at it any time you would glance at your phone- pumping gas, between clients, standing in line.

• put books in your bathroom for toilet time

Have you ever read a book that is so good, you can't put it down? Treat your work and passion for knowledge the same way- imagine that you simply can't get enough and you need to chip away at it any chance you get. Who do you think comes out ahead, the scroller, or the avid knowledge seeker?

Keep this in mind: If you read for just 20 minutes a day, you will have read an average of 18-30 books in a year.

When you wait for things to be delivered to you without actionable steps of your own, you are not in control of your path.

Invest in your own training

Keep this same "no one is coming to save you" mentality and go after the trainings that interest you. I know the cost can sometimes be intimidating, but I guarantee you, what you will learn will not only put you on the fast track to success, it makes you far more desirable to employers, if that's the boat you're in. When I run an ad for an esthetician, I would say 3% of all applicants have ever attended any advanced trainings. Work experience and continuing education are two completely separate things, and the latter is indicative of the type of esthetician you are. This speaks volumes to your clients and your potential employers.

Treat unbooked appointment slots just like work

If you have a gap in between appointments, how do you use it? If you're trying to grow your clientele, learn to treat this just like work time.

Use this time to:

• create social media content

• learn about ingredients and products

• bring in models to film videos

• offer free or discounted services to people of your choice

• trade services with hairstylists, massage therapists, and other wellness practitioners to create a network

• request zoom trainings or discovery calls with product reps

• make flash cards to memorize ingredient or skin facts

• practice speaking on video to get used to speaking confidently

• join Facebook groups and use the search option within the group to explore topics of interest

• make sure your room is spotless, because this reflects back on you

• send existing clients a special thank you note

• keep detailed client notes after each treatment and lay out what you'd like to do in the next treatment (your future self will thank you)

  
  

Fake it (i.e. actually just do it) til you make it

What is your goal? What is your dream? Is it to be able to speak confidently about ingredients and how they work in the skin? To have your products flying off the shelves? Is it to one day be self employed if you aren't already? Do the things that your future self would do, now. Hone in on what you need to master to acheive that goal and do it. If it's to have more sales, read books and listen to podcasts on sales strategy. Not just for a day. For days and weeks and months. (Again- would you rather read books or scroll on your phone? Who comes out ahead?). Want to really learn ingredients? Listen to every episode of a cosmetic chemistry podcast before you get to say "BUT" about why you're not moving in the right direction with your knowledge. Remember, doing the work is up to you. If you want to be self employed, market yourself as YOU. Have an Instagram with your name and share your passion for your craft. See if your employer will let you write blog posts for their website (who doesn't want free content? And, this positions you as an expert because you are driven to share). Start your own substack. Go to local events and market yourself. Talk to people even if it's outside your comfort zone. Network with massage therapists. Don't limit yourself if you work for someone else. The only thing that working for someone else means is that's how people book with you. You are an individual, and you can be a highly saught after one. Don't let where you work dull your shine. Be the esthetician everyone is running to at that establishment because they heard about you somewhere else.

If you don't ask, the answer is always no

Back in my early years of esthetics, I had a small, unknown blog called The Fearless Face. I think mostly my friends followed it. But I loved doing it and it gave me a sense of purpose. At the time, red light devices were still fairly unheard of- but I had been longing to have one ever since school. I found a handheld device online and reached out to the compnay, asking if they might send me one in hopes of reviewing it on my blog. (My small blog that had no real following, remember). And you know what? They sent me one! My bold ask was boldy rewarded.

You too have the capability to reach out to anyone or any company that interests you, and explore collaborations. What can you offer? What can they offer? The worst that can happen is nothing.

You are the common denominator

To wrap this up (for now- stay tuned for Part Two), I want your biggest takeaway to be that it's up to you. How much do you want it? What are you willing to do? I am purposefully not giving you a list of resources in this post. I cannot hand you what books to read, what podcasts to listen to, and what classes to take. These are of your making and come from your own drive and motivation. The things that inspire me may be completely different for you. So, search things. Follow rabbit holes. End up on reddit and in Facebook groups. Explore, explore, explore. There is no limit to the resources available to you. It's up to you to step forward.

Final tip: remove the word "but" from your vocabulary.