We were lucky to catch up with Alyssa Johnsen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alyssa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

I believe that the best and biggest ideas come from small moments of inspiration. It’s about walking through doors as they open for you and not letting fear get in your way. I started my career in 2012 straight out of high school, the beauty industry immediately stood out to me and I was lucky enough to know what I wanted to do early. That first step was an easy one but what I didn’t know was the journey it would take me on. Being 19 years old, a sole owner and a self funded female in business, I felt out of my league and people challenged me every step of the way. I think it is crucial to believe in yourself and dream big in the beginning, let your mind go wild. Think of ALL outcomes not 10x – but what could this leap bring you at 100x. Start with the most abundant end in mind. I created exactly what I imagined and then some. I went from having nothing in my pocket while putting myself through school, to an individual studio, and then ultimately building a seven figure beauty salon with a full staff. What I learned is that anything you do in life is hard – being stagnant is hard and so is creating something out of nothing – choose your hard and bet on yourself because I promise that you will win big.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the owner of a top rated beauty shop in Salt Lake City. Winning best permanent makeup in the state of Utah we have diligently worked to create a name that is trusted and a reputation of excellence. Starting In 2012 I had a humble beginnings. I put myself through Esthetics School and went from having nothing to what it is today. I continually stepped through the doors that opened for me which brought me to speaking on stages, hosting trainings across the nation, and participating in conferences world-wide. I am a self made, sole owner, female entrepreneur that started at 19. I really trusted in myself opening Ero Edge with no money and no clients from there I knew that the only direction was up. Often we live in a world that glorifies quick fixes and skipping steps but I believe in the right of passage and the stories that last are the ones with the slow burn. The ones that entail showing up every time no matter where you are at on your journey. The ones that have grit.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

The biggest lesson I learned is that stressing and worrying doesn’t change an end result only your experience through it. I learned to allow things to only hurt once, not before or after a situation but to simply look forward and look for the lessons as they inevitably come.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The first thing that comes to mind is the first days of the journey itself. I don’t think that there is such thing as perfect timing or the perfect support system or the “right way” to follow your calling. Even from a young age I was very comfortable paving my own path and doing things with my own tenacity. I come from relatively traditional parents and many older siblings that I had to follow but often resisted what was expected of me. Even though my true passion was looked at as a degree or certification that was less than, I just couldn’t see myself in a classroom for higher education. Trusting in myself and that intuition was the best thing I could have done. To think, that fear of letting my loved ones down could have kept me from everything that happened after. You know you and if you can see it, you are already half way there.

Contact Info:

• Website: Eroedge.com
• Instagram: @ero.edge @alyssaeverlasting
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eroedge/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-johnsen-46580b76
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ero.edge
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ero-edge-salt-lake-city
• Other: Booking: https://www.vagaro.com/eroedge