Meet Mikaela Grissom

We recently connected with Mikaela Grissom and have shared our conversation below.

Mikaela , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
As a kid I always had this vision in my head of a girl who sitting in my luxury car with shopping bags, being rich and famous. At this time, I was in love with a show called “Hannah Montana” and wanted my life to be just like the main characters. I carried this vision with me throughout my childhood. I come from a double-turned single-parent home and saw many years of my mom struggling. I knew that I didn’t want to struggle I grew up. I knew that I always wanted to be my own boss and have my own business. I would say my work ethic simply comes from envisioning a better life for myself because I saw that it was possible for the people I looked up to. I started working at 15 because I was ready to make my own money and buy myself everything that my mom couldn’t. I want to provide myself with the best quality of life possible.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Empress Esthetics was born in 2020. The name is inspired by my daughter’s middle name, Empress, who I was pregnant with throughout my esthetics school journey. Like so many other teens, my acne started in high school. During those years in school I experimented with so many different skincare products and brands that just didn’t work for me. At this point I had no idea what an Esthetician was and my mind was set on going to college to become a Veterinarian. I continued to struggle with acne, enlarged pores and hyperpigmentation through college and then I hit a roadblock. I found out that I wasn’t passionate about working with animals and excelling in college was a lot harder than I thought. I dropped out after 3 years and enrolled in esthetics school, originally planning to become a lash technician. When I officially started learning about skin in school I realized that I was more interested in skincare than lashes and I also realized that other people who looked like were dealing with the same skin concerns I was and they didn’t have any professional help either. The lightbulb in my head went off and I decided that I would take skincare seriously and put in the effort to learn how to fix my skin so that I could fix the skin of so many other people like me as well. Waxing came a bit more naturally to me and I immediately loved it.

After graduating I invested more time and money into advanced education classes on corrective skincare and waxing so I could really master my new craft. I took skincare classes from some very respected and renowned black estheticians like Joelle Lee. Now in 2023, Empress Esthetics has helped over 100 transform their skin with advanced and results-driven treatments like microneedling, corrective facials, chemical peels, etc. I aim to create a space where self care, relaxation and corrective skincare meet.

In 2024, I’m focused on moving into a bigger location to expand my business, hiring my first employee and offering training to other up and coming estheticians.

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?
I would say the three most important qualities is consistency, determination and knowing your target audience. Entrepreneurship has its good days and bad days, you have to be willing to show up on both of those days. You have to be determined to win and do what you have to make sure your business succeeds. No one else can do it for you but you.

How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is someone who wants to better themselves to become to best version of themselves. They invest in their self care unapologetically in various ways because it makes them feel or look good and when you feel and look good, you can be more confident in yourself and show up at your best in everything that you do. My ideal client has a problem with their skin whether it’s acne, dark spots, large pores or dry, flaky skin and they want to correct those concerns so that they fall in love with their skin. They want to feel confident taking pictures, wearing makeup without still seeing their blemishes through it or feeling confident enough to go out with no makeup at all, they want people to notice how clear and beautiful their skin is and overall want to improve their appearance and confidence.

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