We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Rathbun a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, 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.
When starting and maintaining a business, confidence and a high self esteem isn’t optional. As a client, if your service provider is not confident in their work and abilities, it is obvious and a big turn off. At the beginning of my Esthetics journey, I struggled with confidence deeply, but one thing that holds true about confidence;no one can tell if its real or fake. When people say fake it until you make it, they are not joking. So, that’s what I did. One day I realized that I simply wasn’t faking anymore.
Another huge thing for me was forgiveness. I had to remember I am not perfect, and when I make a mistake I have to first acknowledge it, and forgive myself. Think about how quick you are to forgive others for simple mistakes, you have to learn to give yourself the same love and acceptance as you give others.
Going off of that, you also have to learn to find balance between speaking kindly to yourself, while also holding yourself accountable. While rest is important, when you’re responsible for yourself and your business, you have to know when to hold yourself accountable and when to force yourself up. While finding this balance is hard, its necessary. When you find yourself speaking down to yourself, imagine someone saying it to one of your friends. If you get mad, chances are you shouldn’t be saying it to yourself either.
My last thing is to stop comparing yourself to others. With the growth of social media, we have constant exposure to other peoples life, and their success. It’s very easy to get lost in this. “How do they get so busy, how does she make so much money, why can”t I look like that…” etc. One thing that will always be true about social media, is that 90% of what you see is fake, or made to look better than it is. Comparison is the theft of joy, celebrate your growth without the need to compare it to others.
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?
As an Esthetician and lash tech, my main focus is growing the confidence of my clients. The main way I do this is through the beautification of the skin, hair removal, and mainly lash extensions.
Helping women feel more confident in their skin as well as making their day to day life easier is the most important thing to me in my career. Empowering my clients everyday is insanely fulfilling and rewarding. On top of this, I get to make a connection with each client that steps into my room. I enjoy keeping my space as relaxing and healing as possible. My clients are fully welcome to come lay in my bed and spill their guts about whatever is going on in their life, or take a quick lash nap. I’m always content either way.
I recently relocated to Bare Bliss Spa in Lansing, and I am so very happy with my new spot. I work alongside 3 talented and kind estheticians which have made the spa a welcoming and healing environment for both me and my clients. It’s a phenomenal space with wonderful humans and services!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities/skills I think were impactful and helpful on my journey so far is resilience, compassion and ability to adapt.
In order to build a successful business and clientele, you have no choice but to be resilient and strong. Many many obstacles will seemingly come out of nowhere, and giving up is simply not an option. If you let any minor problem or inconvenience bring you down, you WILL sink. The bright side is you can always ask for help.
Being compassionate is also another huge strength in the beauty industry. When working in a fast paced and stressful industry, empathy and compassion are necessary. Connections with others is a huge part of work, and suspending judgement for others makes you overall a more understanding and magnetic person.
The last skill I think was significant was adaptability. The beauty industry is ever changing. New trends will always appear and if you don’t adapt, you’ll be outdated. For example, when it comes to lash extensions, new styles and maps are coming out every other week. In order to stay educated and informed, I have to educate myself and adapt to new trends.
For people early in their journey, I encourage you to not judge others, and be patient with yourself.
How would you describe your ideal client?
I’m not picky when it comes to my clientele. I believe any and all people deserve the opportunity to feel pampered, relaxed, put together and confident.
However, some of my favorite characteristics I’ve noticed in clients include patience, calmness, trust and compassion. When it comes to lashes, the process is long and tedious. Having a calm client that trusts that I know what I’m doing is always a great experience!
Oh, and I absolutely don’t mind when my clients take a nap. It actually makes my job easier sometimes!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vagaro.com/us04/bareblissspa
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilygraces_lashes/
