We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ari Chibbaro. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ari below.
Ari, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
When I moved to the USA in 2004 from Bali, Indonesia, I was worried about supporting my family, orphans and people in need after I left my 15-year career in office management. Then I went to school to become an Esthetician in 2005 and worked for over 13 years at several spas. During this time, I began wondering how I could realize my childhood dream of running an orphanage. In 2018, I opened my own studio. The very next year, as we all experienced together, my business was shut down because of Covid19 for 5 months. In April of 2021, my niece delivered a message about a request for assistance from 7 existing orphanages in Java Indonesia and at the same time my brother in Bali delivered a request from 3 other existing orphanages and more than 40 individuals – total of 880 people. This began my journey to make my childhood dream come true by funding my philanthropy work through my Esthetician career and solo business at Ari Wax Skin, LLC. Since I do not run a non-profit for my philanthropy work and not apply for tax credit, I do not expect or request donations. The orphans & individuals do not know who I am; they only know my niece & my brother. To stay anonymous, I omit the address of the orphanages from my website.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I love to touch people’s skin. This is perhaps from my mother’s influence in the 70’s as a spa owner with her specialty in Javanese traditional treatment. I learned by watching her as a little girl how to prepare all the ingredients with flowers, fruits, rice, wood bark, water, etc… the fragrance of these mixtures stayed in my memory & I can recognize the smell right away. We always want to look & feel good; aroma can make us feel good and bring back good memories. I believe that whatever it takes to make me look & feel good brings joy; when I look at myself on the mirror, I see the spark of joy in my eyes. I want my treatments to bring sparks to my clients’ eyes and give them self-confidence with minimal makeup. Many of my clients express the feeling that their skin can breathe at the end of my treatments. I feel accomplished that I bring joy for them! Once I treat the skin, I often provide a touch of brow wax to frame a beautiful face. Another treatment to bring confidence and cleanliness is my body wax treatment. All of my clients understand that my treatment is a journey, with lots of patience because they often come to see me after something that triggers their skin issues. We work together and we achieve results together! Most importantly they know that their payment will go straight to my philanthropy efforts after the cost of my business expenses. They know that my schedule is limited; I want to enjoy each treatment, and I will not hire anyone in my studio because I do not pay myself a salary. I can do this because of the support I receive from my husband.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Product knowledge, management / marketing, and customer care! Understanding the products & treatments that I love for myself before I offer it to my clients, taking product manufacturer classes, participating in groups with the same interest and expertise, taking continuing education, attending conferences, and avoiding new trends or hype if they do not meet my expectations and the needs of my client base. Understanding the flow of business from back to front and how I want people to treat me when I go to their business. After all of that, experience will be the key. Seeing other people’s businesses from the outside can seem easy; many fresh graduates fall for this assumption. They rent a studio & run a business with inadequate knowledge and preparation. The public never sees many aspects in the background of a business. It helps to work somewhere first to learn about successful business practices; then take that experience and apply it to your business.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Physically I look like my mom, but the way I think is totally my dad. I listened to most of my mom’s advice. Sometimes it was annoying, but after I let it sink in for a couple of days, I understood and ended up following her advice. She knows me better than anyone; she’s not overbearing but understood when I would listen. My military dad never raised his voice or punished me. When something was not right, he would call all of us to the family room, explain who or what bothered him or mom, and ask us to fix it. He taught me how to share and care for people who need help, not to be materialistic, and to look downward rather than upward so I know how to be grateful. I became who I am now because of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ariwaxskin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ari_waxskin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariwaxskin/
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ariwaxskin
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ari-wax-skin-rockville
Image Credits
Ari Chibbaro
