We recently connected with Delaney Daveler and have shared our conversation below.
Delaney, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Honestly, this took me a little longer than I would like to admit. When I was younger I always had this “only-child” level of confidence behind me – then high school kicked me on my butt! I have always tried to remain true to me. I never cared what anyone was going to say about my outfit choice or if I wanted to wear my Hannah Montana clip-in hair extensions I just got for Christmas! It’s really hard to not to care what people think sometimes, but when you let go of trying to be everyone’s cup of tea, it does help! There’s always people that will make fun of you, but most of them are projecting their insecurities onto you!
The other thing that really helped me develop into who I am today is learning that we are not competing as women. Humans in general, but more so women. When you start lifting other women up, I swear your own confidence grows. Working with women on a daily basis to help them feel confident has only helped my self-esteem grow along side them.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I have always loved makeup! As a child my mom was a director of sales for Avon and my aunt worked for Chanel, so it was hard not to fall in love. As I got older I loved playing with makeup and seeing how I could blend the different colors, and experimenting with different looks. I remember doing this crazy blue eyeshadow one time and then going to the local diner for dinner with my family. The waitress wasn’t concerned about taking our order, she just wanted to know what eyeshadow I had on!
At this time, 2016, I started my makeup Instagram along with a Youtube channel and things took off! As I entered college I knew the traditional 9-5 was not for me. I needed to be creative. So I decided I would get my associates and head onto beauty school. After making a few connections in school, I started working at a local salon. I became really close with my old bosses and learned a lot about running a salon from them. As time went on I ended up branching out on my own and got my studio space in February of 2021. Looks by Delaney The Studio is coming up on being 4 years old and I couldn’t be more appreciative for the love and support from everyone. From the brides I’ve helped over the years to the clients I see weekly, they’ve grown to be my friends and I couldn’t do it without their support.
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?
I think one quality that has been helpful in my journey would be my outgoing nature. Being in a salon early on in my career was one really great way of making connections. Putting myself out there and chatting with other stylists clients really helped me come into my own when it came to interacting with my own clients. You’re not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but you never know if you’ll click with someone until you try.
Another skill that has helped me over the years in my organization and time managment skill. Running your own business is not easy. There’s a lot to keep track of. Taxes, inventory, running promotions, posting on social media, responding to texts and emails – long story short, it’s a lot. Being able to properly manage my time has been a life savior over the years. Not only with booking appointments, but completing tasks on my days off or down time too. Setting timers for yourself or writing out daily to do lists have really helped me stay on top of things.
This one definitely took me some time to develop but it has become one of the most helpful qualities – patience. Growing a clientele doesn’t happen over night. You have to remain consistent and over time, more and more people will keep coming back. Life happens and sometimes you don’t see someone for a while, but just be patient and they will come back to see you!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
This feeling happens more than I would like to admit, but I have found some ways of coping with being overwhelmed over the years. Let’s say I’m feeling really overwhelmed with tasks and to-do’s, this is when I’ll do a brain dump and write everything down. Getting it out of your head and onto paper helps take away some anxiety. Then I will rewrite that list into the levels of importance. This way I’m still being reminded “okay you have to send this email” but it doesn’t need to be done this very second. This has been incredibly helpful since starting my own business.
On the flip side, sometimes “overwhelmed” likes to show up as self doubt. At times you think of all the things you have to do, or the clients you haven’t seen in a bit and get down on yourself. Start to question if it’s all worth it. At these times I remind myself of all the hard work I’ve put in, relationships I’ve built, and the true freedom you feel from being your own boss. We all doubt ourselves at times, but you just need to remind yourself of why you did it in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.looksbydelaney.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/looks_by_delaney/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/looksbydelaney
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LooksbyDelaney
- Other: Booking + Online Shop Link : https://looks-by-delaney.square.site/s/appointments
Image Credits
Shelah Riley Photography
Garnet Dahlia Photography
Kelsie Grove Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
