We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Renita Martin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Renita, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?
Overcoming my CONTINUOUS layoffs actually led me to become an entrepreneur. I was tired of my livelihood being determined by others. I enrolled in school to become a licensed esthetician in 2013 and that honestly changed the trajectory of my life. This was my second career, but this time I made the decision to follow a passion of mine for myself. My mom was an entrepreneur but I always knew she wanted more for me so I went to college, so taking this leap was definitely a risky one and not one that was immediately embraced by all. But I took what I learned in college and applied it to my now almost 10 years in business and it’s flourishing!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Day to day I am a licensed esthetician, primarily focused on brow waxing, hence my nickname “Browzilla.” I cater to my clients brows in all aspects, from shaping all the way to offering specialized brow products to enhance when they’re in between appointments. I love what I do because I get to see my clients have that instant gratification and I hear “you brought me back!” Almost daily! It’s something I’ll never get tired of! I also recently opened my second location for budding beauty professionals to operate their own business within our space, Deux Beauty Studios. It’s something that was very important to me after seeing how some of these bigger companies were charging so much overhead for beauty professionals. We wanted to offer a more affordable option but one that still was aesthetically pleasing. We curate the space to not make sure there’s too much overlap so guests can hop in between them and get multiple offerings at one location! It’s something we’re really proud of!
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?
Looking back I believe there a few keys to my growth in my professional journey. One of the most important things is to hit the ground running. Old fashioned hand to hand and face to face interaction helped me a lot. I passed out my business card to everyone, I stayed in the salon on slow days I didn’t have clients to catch walk-ins, offer a referral program. Literally anything to get your name out there. Yes, nowadays social media gives you a great leg up, but to set yourself apart sometimes a more personal touch can be a game changer!
One of the things I’d say to people just starting in the service industry, is to start curating your client list while in school. It can take about 3 years to get a full client list so starting early will help immensely.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client is one who’s trusting & keeps regular maintenance appointments. I believe I’ve retained so many of my clients because they trust my work and I’m consistent. I mean I have so many women who get out my chair and don’t even bother to look in the mirror, that warms my heart every time! But I also want a client who communicates with me because the skin on your face is such a sensitive place, I ask my clients to keep me abreast of products their using, when their getting facials and any prescriptions from dermatologists. It’s all important to the whole health of their brows and skin!
Contact Info:
- Website: Browzillabeauty.com
- Instagram: @browzillabeautystudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrowzillaBeautyStudio?mibextid=2JQ9oc
