Meet Kelsie Whitehead

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelsie Whitehead. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kelsie, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?

I was managing a franchise waxing studio that closed suddenly. They gave us a weeks worth of notice that we would be shuttering our doors the following Saturday. My husband and myself tried to see if we could take over the building the studio was currently in, but given the rush circumstances we were unable to. So plan b had to happen. We found a salon suite and rented 2 rooms so our waxers would have somewhere to land. Within a week I handled both closing the franchise and getting everything set up for the new salon. We shut our doors at the franchise on 9/21 and opened at our new place 9/23. My team was comprised of young women, who had no intentions of being business owners so suddenly so I was greatful that they had a place to take clients and still maintain income. We are only a month in to our new business and are thriving.

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’ve been an esthetician for 13 years now. I have worked for many franchises and even prior to opened my studio in Arizona owned my own studio in California. I always strive to make my clients feel comfortable and have them laughing during a service. Being a business owner now I am truly able to create a studio for all bodies and genders. It’s something that I’m very passionate about. . I always joke that when I started waxing I wasn’t very good but people came back for the experience with me. Esthetics is a primarily women focus career and I have really tried to adopt the philosophy of uplifting fellow esties. Kindness takes you far in this industry.
What’s next for me and Mutable Beauy Studio. I really want to expand into training new esties. There is a lot of unregulated training where you pay a ton of money and what you get isn’t always what you pay for so I want to make advanced education more accessible to those just starting out. I also want to continue to build up my amazing team so they feel confident to go on their own one day.

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?

Thoughtfulness is something I truly have kept as a skill in the forefront of all my business and personal decisions. I believe that is what has helped me build a clientele and build strong relationships in my personal and professional life. For those just starting out in this career my biggest advice is be kind to yourself and learn as much as you can. I see a lot of people starting out solo right away because they saw it work out for another person and get frustrated when it doesn’t pan out for them. Sometimes someone else’s success is just luck and you building the same level of success might take you a little longer but you’ll get there.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

The person who has been the most helpful in me over coming challenges in my life has been my husband. He is so kind and supportive. When I found out we were having to close the franchise we all worked at, without a second thought he was trying to figure out how to save my job and the girls jobs. He helped front a lot of the money so we could have a place to land when he didn’t have to do that. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. He truly balances me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Mutablebeautystudio.com
• Instagram: @mutablebeautystudio