Meet Kylie Thompson

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

Hi Kylie, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Moving from Wisconsin to Colorado – where I knew no one – to open TANCO. Sunless certainly required a lot of resilience, but to be honest I think I just knew that my dream of making people feel confident in their own skin was stronger than the fear I had (and sometimes still have) of failure. For me, it’s always been about empowerment and lifting people up to love themselves and make themselves feel beautiful. This was my driving force and what made me look past any setbacks and obstacles.

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?

I have been a full-time professional spray tan artist since 2020! First through OG Sunless in Green Bay, Wisconsin, from 2020-2022, and now in Westminster, Colorado with my studio TANCO. Sunless that I opened in November of 2022!

What I think it most exciting about what I do is how often I get to connect with a client and help uplift them to see their inner and outer beauty! When you work in the beauty industry, it can often be construed that what you do is superficial, but at TANCO, Sunless, I think it’s anything but! From the moment a client comes in, I work diligently to make sure they feel welcomed, comfortable, and ready to glow from the inside out! Throughout the appointment making a connection is what means the most to me. After all, a client typically is booking an appointment before a major life event – graduation, wedding, engagement, baby shower, job interviews, and more! So making sure to connect with a client will build trust and comradery together, while making sure their tan is exactly what they want before their event.

As TANCO. Sunless begins to grow since its conception in November of 2022, I am most looking forward to dropping a merchandise line this fall, as well as beginning the processes of looking into a Brick and Mortar to hopefully open in the next few years!

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?

When I reflect on my life prior to opening TANCO. Sunless, I wholeheartedly believe that every experience has shaped me to be ready to own a business. This makes me inclined to tell those wanting to open their own business that everything will happen as it needs to, and in its own time! For example, I went to college and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Communication, but immediately went into the financial industry full time post-grad. When I was working in finance, I felt distraught because I wasn’t “using my degree”. But now as a business owner I have the know-how to market my small business without needing to hire outside help, and through my time in finance I learned valuable knowledge in regard to credit, money management, and more! Prior to that experience, I was a waitress for almost ten years. There are many moments in my time owning TANCO. Sunless that I feel this is some of my most valuable work. Through working in the service industry, I learned patience, people skills, how to work under pressure, time management, and so many other skills that have transferred seamlessly into what I do now.

I say all of this to say that every job I had – no matter how seemingly insignificant at the time – built me to feel ready and prepared for business ownership. I did not trust the timing of things most times, but as I reflect, I see the value in opening TANCO, Sunless in 2022 instead of upon my college graduation in 2019.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I always enjoy collaborating with other specialists in the bridal industry! I love making strong connections with hair stylists, makeup artists, wedding planners, and more to build a community from Denver to Boulder to have recommendations for my brides, and to be recommended by others in a similar industry. I am always looking for others to collaborate with and can be reached via email at tancosunless@gmail.com

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Maddy B. Photography took all photos aside from the official logo

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