We recently connected with Haley Murphy and have shared our conversation below.
Haley, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I’ve always been a hands-on creative person. Growing up I would watch my mother create all sorts of things in her craft studio. As I got older, I realized I wasn’t happy in a job unless I was doing or creating something with my hands. I ended up going to esthetician school right out of high school and got really into doing make up. Soon after that I found spray tanning and fell in love with the idea I could paint people for a living! Not only did it give people confidence in their own skin, I found a career where I could be creative. I found my passion!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I graduated high school in 2001. I knew that college was not going to be my thing. I struggled focusing in school with reading and studying since I’m more of a hands-on creative person. I love making things, crafts, etc. My mom always taught us this growing up we were always making something with her like quilting, pottery, etc…
After high school I moved out of my hometown and I got really into doing makeup. I loved the beauty industry and makeup allowed me to be creative and do something girly and fun.
I moved around for several years working at different makeup counters and doing freelance.
I ended up moving back to my hometown and started to help my dad who is a dentist. I became an RDA (Registered Dental Assistant). This was actually supposed to be a temporary thing to help him out but 10 years later I was still doing it. He was going to be retiring soon and did not want to work for anyone else.
I always knew there was something out there for me. I just didn’t know what it was. I knew I was capable of big things and just never found my passion.
That was until I got my first spray tan!
I was invited to a fancy party and wanted to look my best. One of the girls I was going with said she was going to get a spray tan. I had never had one before so I Googled “spray tan slo” (slo stands for San Luis Obispo) and Yelp popped up. The first listing that came up on yelp I called. She had several 5 star reviews and seemed legit so decided to call her. It was a younger girl that said she does it out of her house. She gave me her address, some quick instructions for prepping and what to wear. The next day I pulled up at her house super nervous not really knowing what to expect. We went into her garage where she had a pop up tent that I stood inside butt naked and she began the spray tan. I remember hearing her kids running around upstairs and thinking to myself what am i doing?! It took about 10 mins and then I was done. She charged me $40 and I gave her $50. This moment was like a light bulb going off you. The rest of the drive home I was thinking to myself holy shit I can do that and I can do it way better than she did! The tan turned out flawless and fabulous. I felt like a million bucks at the party and the tan lasted for a week after that. This was it. I found what I wanted to do. I became obsessed.
I quickly researched equipment and products I needed to get started. I was going to need about $1,000 but at that time did not have that extra money. I ended up borrowing the money from my then boyfriend and now husband. He was hesitant to give it to me because he thought it was a waste of money and let’s face it guys know nothing about the beauty stuff! But I knew this was something that would pay off quickly and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I knew it would work and I was so excited to prove it to him and everyone else that I was going to make this happen.
From there I got busy. I practiced on friends and family and going to peoples houses all over the county and offering mobile spray tan services.
At that time we had an extra spare bedroom in the downstairs of our home with a private entrance that I converted into my tanning room. Clients were able to come to me instead of me having to drive to them and set everything up.
After doing this for about a year I realized this was more than just a side hustle. This was becoming something bigger and better. Things were going great, and I was quickly building a clientele. I decided I wanted to open my own salon. I started looking for places to rent on Craigslist and found this amazing commercial space. I remember peeking through the window like a total weirdo and seeing it for the first time. I knew this was it. It was expensive and I was so nervous because I had never rented a space like this. But I knew in my gut it was the right move for me at this time.
I was still working full time as a dental assistant and continued over the next year. I was a dental assistant by day and spray tanner by night. This allowed me to still have income coming in to help pay for the rent and still build my business. Within that year of opening up the salon I was making more money doing spray tanning than I was as a dental assistant. So, I quit my full-time job and took on spray tanning full time.
Within 3 years I created a line of tanning products that I loved and wanted to sell to other tanning professionals. I struggled finding one brand that I could use on everyone so I decided to create my own that was simple and could be used on all skin tones.
Within 4 years I decided to open my second location in Orcutt CA about 45 mins south of my SLO location.
Within 5 years I had saved up enough money and was able to buy my building in SLO that had become for sale. My salon is downstairs and upstairs I turned into an Airbnb.
Currently I’ve been working on a digital online course on how to start your own spray tanning business as well as how to spray tan yourself. This was a huge leap for me because its way out of my comfort zone (hands on)! The process has been fun, scary and challenging. But I’ve been working on it for the past few years and now I’m finally ready to launch it!
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?
Three main qualities that contribute to my success would be creativity, passion to succeed and wanting to help others. Finding spray tanning as a career was all a manifestation of these qualities I have.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
My biggest challenge I’m facing right now is having to pivot out of my comfort zone into a field I don’t understand well. Creating this online course has forced me become a tech person and that I am not. But the challenge has been super rewarding because I have proven to myself that I can do it even when I thought I couldn’t.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oats630high.com
- Instagram: @oats_slo
