We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jade Brownjohn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jade, 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?
From a young age, I have always had a passion for makeup and beauty. I had no idea that this passion would lead me to finding my purpose. My senior year of high school I struggled to figure out what I wanted to study in university. My dad could see I didn’t have any passion for any of the careers I was looking at, so he asked me, “What do you enjoy?” To which the simple answer was makeup. That simple conversation is what would lead me to finding one of my purposes—helping people feel more beautiful and confident in their own skin.
I attended Vancouver Film School in 2019, graduating with a diploma in Makeup Design for Film and Television. When I moved home to Colorado, due to covid, I attended school to get my esthetician’s license. While I was attending school I discovered how much of an impact esthetics can have for someone. I loved seeing the difference I could make through developing a skincare routine for someone or shaping someone’s eyebrows or giving them a custom lash set. When I started, they seemed like small things, but the more I worked with people, I realized they made a huge difference.
My goal when someone walks into my studio is for them to leave feeling at least 1% more confident in themselves than they did when they walked in. I want them to see what I see in them. The moment when someone opens their eyes to a new lash set and all they can say is “wow”, that’s when I feel the happiest. Or when they look at their skin after a facial, and they see that they’re glowing. Or when I wax their brows, and they get a sparkle in their eye. I love getting to watch people fall in love with themselves a little bit more all because of a little self care.
I am so grateful that I had that conversation with my dad because it lead me to my purpose. I still hope one day to work in the film industry as a makeup artist, but right now I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing—helping already beautiful people see their beauty a little more in their own eyes.
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 am a licensed esthetician and certified lash artist located in Lone Tree, Colorado. I own High Definition Esthetics where I specialize in customized lash extensions, skincare, and brows. Back in 2022, I made the decision to go solo after having the realization that I wasn’t going to be fully happy in this industry working for someone else. I wanted to have control over the products I offered and the education I received to provide my clients with the best services.
I believe what makes my job so special is the opportunities I get to learn and grow with many different demographics, products, and techniques. I knew from a young age that I didn’t want to have a career where I was doing the same thing every day. Through my business I have found variety. From the business aspect to the services to the people, there is always something different. I love working in an industry which allows me to meet people from all different walks of life. I have met so many amazing people over the past 3 years, and the bonds we have are unlike any other. My clients are my favorite part of my job, and my continuing education is a close second. I love working in an industry where there is something new to learn every day. Whether I learn something from an account I’m following on social media or through a course I’ve invested in, there is always room to grow. My favorite courses to take are advanced lash technique trainings and advanced skincare knowledge. I love knowing the best techniques to a variety of stylized lashed sets, and I want to be able to provide my clients with the right skincare for their concerns. I am always excited to see my clients and learn something new.
A year ago I became a brand ambassador for Light Heart Lash. One of the biggest struggles as a lash artist is finding products that provide a complete luxury experience. Light Heart’s products are high quality, making my job easier as a lash artist and providing my clients with the most comfortable lash experience. Being a brand ambassador for a company I love so dearly has made my work even more enjoyable. I love introducing my clients to Light Heart’s products because they always notice a difference in their lashes.
Coming soon to High Definition Esthetics! Facial, lash, and brow packages! New lash colors! Make sure to follow my Instagram to see everything going on this year!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that have had the most impact on my journey are my resilience, passion, and eagerness to learn. When I am asked to describe myself in just a few words, resilient and passionate are always included. I have always been eager to learn as well. These three qualities are what have set me up for success as a business owner.
I think a lot of people go into opening a business thinking only about the business side of things, they overlook how it will affect their personal life. I knew going in that being a business owner is a 24/7 job, but I hadn’t fully comprehended just what that meant. It wasn’t until I went through a major trauma in my personal life that I realized running a business isn’t for the faint hearted. While going through a devastating situation I had to call clients to let them I know I needed to reschedule them. I didn’t have a manager to call and simply say, “Hey due to personal reasons, I won’t be able to work for the next couple of weeks.” Instead I had to call each individual client, and tell them I needed to reschedule them for a day the following week. During this time of my life, I learned just how resilient I am. Without my resilience who knows what the future of my business would have been. I am forever grateful I made it through that time with my business still going.
On the brighter side of things, it is important to be passionate about what you are doing in your business. If you’re not passionate about your business, you will burn out rapidly. I get to wake up everyday to spend time with amazing people and do what I love! Who could ask for more? I am always telling people that even if I won the lottery, I would still run my business. That’s the energy you want to feel when you are starting in your journey as a business owner. It’s normal for some of the back end work to feel like, well, work, but the center of your business should be built on your passion. I couldn’t see myself being in any other industry.
What has been most important on my journey as a business owner is my eagerness and willingness to learn. You can’t just be willing to learn in your industry though. When you are starting with minimum income, you can’t afford to outsource—at least not in my case. That meant I needed to learn about finances and accounting, marketing and social media, website design and scheduling, and so much more. I love learning and growing, so I have embraced learning in every area necessary. There’s a lot of comfort knowing that I’m not stagnant. Starting my own business has been a gift because I have grown so much in so many areas that I never would have.
There’s so many other qualities that have had an impact on my journey, but these three stand out. Without resilience, passion, and eagerness to learn I would have struggled much more. If you’re willing to be strong, find what makes you light up, and learn about topics you never thought you’d enjoy, then you can also succeed as a business owner! Don’t get in your own way.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The number one challenge I am currently facing is maintaining a consistent social media presence. I think it is really important to be authentic, but social media is filled with “perfection.” I’ve always faced the struggle of wanting the perfect picture or video, or wanting the perfect concept for a reel. When at the end of the day, I’m not perfect, I’m me. My business is me. With this in mind, I am working towards posting more on my social medias, authentically as myself. I don’t want to worry about editing every picture because I prefer unedited, raw images. I’m not going to overthink what reels are trending, I’ll post reels that resonate with me and my clients.
My social media presence has been a constant battle for me since opening back in 2022. Becoming a brand ambassador for a company I love helped me post more, but still not consistently. This year I want to focus on creating batches of content, then scheduling them out over a week or two. This allows me to spend a few hours making videos and writing captions in one day, rather than having to take time every day to do it. Along with my timeline posts, I am also trying to get more active on my story. My goal with my story is to post 3-5 times a day. As I push myself to post more, I know I’ll start to enjoy it because it is another creative outlet for me. I have a good feeling this is the year that posting on social media becomes second nature to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://highdefinitionesthetics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highdefinitionesthetics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highdefinitionesthetics/
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