Meet Lisa Cohn

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Cohn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.

Hi Lisa, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I signed my first lease on an esthetician suite exactly three years ago from the date of writing this. Once the excitement and adrenaline of this new adventure faded, imposter syndrome hit me like a brick.

Owning and operating a business is not something I ever imagined for myself. The fear of failure, the self-accountability, the initial slow growth, all of this led to a negative inner voice. “Maybe you’re not good enough” played over in my head at every new hurdle.

Overcoming imposter syndrome was something I actively had to practice. If a negative thought crossed my mind I would force myself to say the opposite out loud. I am good enough, I do know what I’m doing, I will make this work. I made it a point to celebrate the little wins. I let imposter syndrome shape my thoughts in the beginning, and I had to put in the work to undo the damage.

Celebrating every win helped me the most. Focusing on the positives, and highlighting what is working in my business, really helped me zero in on opportunities for growth. After the negative self talk started to dissipate, I was able to view what was not working in my business with a neutral lens and address the issues head-on. With renewed confidence I was able to look at my clientele and assess their wants and needs in the skincare industry. I set onto a path to niche down my services to serve my target clientele, to improve on retail sales, and differentiate my treatments from others in my oversaturated field. My business was finally able to grow. I hardly ever suffer from imposter syndrome and my business is thriving as a result.

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 am an esthetician specializing in hyperpigmentation and acne. Skin Odyssey LA, my business, has recently moved to Valley Glen, CA. My Korean skincare treatments are unlike anything else on the market. They are quick, gentle, and results driven.

New clients can try my treatments with the new client facial for $99.

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?

Understanding your dream client hell has been the most important skill in my business journey.

The greater Los Angeles area is oversaturated with estheticians, spas, and medispas. Clients have dozens of options to choose from for their skincare needs. When first opening my business I took a cookie cutter approach, offering opening special discounts and using a mainstream line of skincare. This did not attract my dream clientele, and instead attracted a clientele looking for the best deal.

I had to sit down and draw out a profile for who my dream client is. Someone who is determined to better their skin, someone loyal, someone wanting to see real results. I realized that both my pricing model and my initial treatments did not cater to this client. I researched different treatments and skincare lines that differentiated me from the competition. I fully restructured my advertising, pricing, and service offerings with this dream client in mind. Within a couple of months my business was more aligned with my goals. If I started my business from scratch today, I would start with this dream client roadmap instead of trying to catch such a wide net.

A quality that aids in my day-to-day operations is flexibility. Being in such a customer service focused industry it is important to provide a good experience for your clients, even if they need to reschedule. A good cancellation policy will save you from the chronic rescheduler, but understanding that your clients may have an emergency pop up and being flexible will go far. I’ve seen estheticians complain and take it personal when a client reschedules. You have to remember that booking and rescheduling shouldn’t be stressful.

Another quality that has gotten me where I am today is truly loving what I do. I love the science of skin, I love connecting with my community, I love taking inventory, I love it all.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking to grow my local network. If you offer client based services in the SFV area, hit me up!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vagaro.com/skinodysseyla
• Instagram: @skinodysseyla
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkinOdysseyLA

Image Credits

@skinodysseyla on Instagram