We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Noelle Richards. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Noelle below.
Hi Noelle, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Finding my purpose came to me in 3rd grade when I told the nuns at my school that I was going to be the Pope when I got older. That was quickly shattered after they told me that was not possible because I am a female. So, in essence, they lied to me because they told us as kids, we could be anything we wanted to be. They never said anything about their being restrictions. In hindsight, after that experience it’s safe to say that I knew I was created to help people.
As I got older and wiser, I recognized my purpose came from my own personal experiences and struggles. Some of my experiences included my 4th grade my teacher sometimes have me massage her shoulders and then tell me I had good pressure. Being relocated to Georgia by my parents only to be raised by a single mother because my father moved back to New York shortly after. Due to that I was not able to have any sense of family cohesion because I grew up as an only child away from my family and siblings. My mother struggled as single parent with no support and made a lot of sacrifices which meant she couldn’t afford to do a lot of things. I struggled a lot academically and in sports because I was bullied a lot as a child; and that contributed to me becoming shy and not wanting to be seen or heard by my peers and teachers. Some kids are unwarrantedly cruel, and I was on the receiving end of that cruelty. The bullying stopped in 6th or 7th grade when I snapped in math class and made a promise to my classmate, that bullied me, that I was going to do something to her, and I was dead serious. I was suspended from school the same day for a week because the staff said I made “terroristic threats”. My classmates and teachers were shocked after that incident because I was always a quiet child who never got in trouble for behavioral issues. The main point from that experience was I was heard and seen because after that nobody ever bullied me again.
Through my experiences, I am grateful to recognize that they have helped shape me into who I am at this current moment. It has enabled me to have a better understanding of my purpose while allowing me the ability to help connect with others to know that they are not alone.
I know that my soul’s purpose has always been that of helping and healing others. My business was created to help provide and establish self-care practices for my clients to help them to be more focused on the healing that needs to happen within. I have a created and provided a space that allows my clients to feel safe and secure in everything they share with me. I am a listening ear when they are in need to release emotionally and mentally. I provide sound advice and direction when they ask. I transmute their energy when they feel unbalanced, sad, mad or any emotion they convey. My purpose is to help create balance and heal where there is a need for it. My philosophy is although we are born alone, we were not created to navigate this life alone.
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 currently 31 years young. I have 3 years of educational background in psychology which I plan to return to school to finish my degrees so that I can incorporate mental health in my business. The reason I did not finish school is because in 2015 my mom told me she would like to see me have my piece of paper, degree, in my hand before she dies. Why on earth would she say that, is beyond me. That was triggering for me. It led me to believe that she was dying soon, and I needed to reconfigure my life plans immediately. She’s still here.
In 2017 I enrolled at Atlanta Institute of Aesthetics after having the conversation with my then esthetician as to how she came into this career, what school she went to, how was the money, and etcetera. During that period of my life, I spent a lot of my time being a forward thinker. While I was in school, I asked a lot of questions that estheticians who have gone through various continuing education trainings would ask. These questions created a space for some of my classmates to ask me questions about what I think when it came to services, products, treatment plans, and client recommendations. I worked at the Body Shop so I could learn how to sell products to clients during my internship. Shortly after I obtained a job at one of the waxing salon chains I was getting waxed at prior to starting school. I started off as a receptionist, because I thought it would be easier for me to transition to a waxer from a receptionist once I was done. As I thought it and spoke it, So mote it be, because that’s exactly what happened.
In 2019, a year after my graduation from esthetics, I went back to the same school for massage therapy due to the great feedback and recommendations from some of my peers and teachers. I graduated school in 2020 so as of now I am certified massage therapist. I have not taken my state board exam yet due to personal matters. However, I feel that matter will resolve itself this year and I will be able to take my test and be a licensed massage therapist before the year is over.
As far as my career goes, I am currently working as a customer support agent while I work to reestablish my clientele. I originally started my business in 2020 by performing mobile waxing services after clients started reaching out to me. From then a lot of my clients came from word of mouth. This allowed me to expand from only mobile waxing to facials and body work services. Unfortunately, in 2021, while working at a spa, I fractured my hand that left me unable to work for 6 weeks. A year later I was involved a 4-car accident in which my vehicle was sandwiched. That accident put me on a medical leave of absence from my job for 3 months and left me unable to provide mobile services for about 8 months. Due to those incidents, I saw a decline in my clientele which is why I have been working to reestablish what I lost while also gaining more.
In 2023 I got my LLC for Noelle’s Healing Table and have spent a lot of time figuring out what does and doesn’t work in operating my business. I created appointment reminders, birthday specials, and post appointment thank you messages that gives you the option to leave a review of your visit. In April 2023 I promoted the return of my mobile waxing services and included a free express vajacial, priced at $30, with every Brazilian or bikini wax. In addition, I promoted facial specials that sometimes-included free skin care products to my business and personal pages on Facebook and Instagram and even groups that I was in. I would use trending audio and hashtags but none of those seemed to work, so I stopped promoting reduced prices. I currently provide waxing, facials, and body work therapies and will be offering lash services at some point in 2024.
With my rebuilding of clientele, I am also working on rebranding my business. I recently redecorated my in-home spa suite, updated traveling and non-traveling facials, and now I am working on marketing and content creation. Right now, I’m in a research phase when it comes to all aspects of business. The most challenging part for me has been marketing and content creation. It’s challenging because I haven’t figured out how to create engaging content and speak publicly through live streams and reels. Not only that, but I sometimes do not like to be on social media. So, clearly a lot of work for me to do.
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?
It is hard for me to say which three skills or qualities I would focus on and matter the most to me. My reasoning for saying this is because I have developed so many skills and qualities up to this point in my life. Not only that, I feel they all equally play a role in my journey to becoming a successful business owner.
When it comes to providing facials, I must be able to think critically and solve the problem my clients are wanting to correct. Whether it be maintaining and keeping their skin balanced and hydrated, addressing discoloration, congestion, active acne and etcetera. That comes with understanding their daily activities, skin care routines, what their goal is and more. I must know the type of client I am dealing with as well. Is this type of client that can handle a multistep skin care routine daily or weekly or is this the type of client I must simplify their routine? I must be able to be personable with my clients so that they feel comfortable and confident in me and my work to help them achieve their desired results. I must have some sort of empathy and compassion along their skin care journey, because I don’t know what type of emotional and mental exhaustion they may be facing. I must be honest not only with myself but with my clients if I made an error and need to adjust accordingly. That in turn makes a path for me being as flexible as my schedule allows. Life happens and I understand that. If my client is running late or needs to reschedule, I will do my best to still provide their service if there is allotted time for them. It’s the same thing with me if I am running behind due to a prior service or an emergency, I let them know immediately and their usually very understanding of that.
My advice to those starting out in their journey is to understand that being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. Honestly, anyone can own a business. However, the question is what type of owner will you be? Will you be the type who is able to maintain and grow your business or will you just quit because it’s not working out the way you want it to the first time. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were the pyramids or any statue or monument. I am technically in year 4 of my business and I have come a long way from where I started even with the loss of clientele. In this last year I had to learn to give myself grace and keep pushing, which is why I am in the rebranding stage. Join groups on Facebook related to business in your city and your career path. Be sure to ask questions, even if they aren’t answered immediately, because it happens. You can search for similar questions that have been asked within the group and gain information from there. Look for free webinars and learn as much as you possibly can. Whatever you do just don’t stop. If you ever feel like giving up I highly encourage you to listen to 6lack Never Know.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I am currently reading a book called” Awakening your Ikigai” by Ken Mogi. It goes into detail about various Japanese artisans and their reasoning for getting up in the morning. It talks about the Five Pillars of Ikigai to help you make the most of each day and be your authentic self. The first pillar in the book is Starting small: Focus on the details. This book has been impactful when it came to me making the decision to rebrand my business and be more active in Facebook groups related to my path. It has helped me rediscover not only my purpose in my business but my purpose in myself as well. Another book that I have read was called “The Little Book of Self-Care for Scorpio” by Constance Stellas. I originally chose this book because I am a Scorpio. However, I went back and purchased the bigger book that included all the zodiac signs. This book introduced me to the 7 forms of self-care while breaking down activities for each sign. Unbeknownst to me, prior to reading this book I had already partaken in some of the self-care activities and have enjoyed them. Not only that it has allowed me to share what I’ve learned with my clients so that they find different ways to further practice their self-care. These two books have given me new purpose and motivation within my business and myself as I continue through this journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vagaro.com/Noelleshealingtable
- Instagram: @ii_experience_healing_at
