We were lucky to catch up with Maddie DePaoli recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maddie, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I’m currently enduring the biggest risk I’ve taken in my life. Maybe the biggest risk I will take in my entire life. But I’ve taken smaller risks that have led up to this, so I like to tell myself that I’ll be okay.

My first risk that led to where I am now was deciding to go to esthetics school a year after graduating from college. Being an esthetician was never on my radar. But I had gotten to my lowest point mentally due to my job as a child protective services worker that I had adopted a very “screw it” mentality. I had (and still have) a mountain of student loan debt, but decided to use my tax return and back-paid stimulus to enroll in esthetics school. I had always loved makeup and had waxed myself a few times, so I guess that was grounds enough for changing my entire career! I reasoned with myself that if I could do 4 years of college, I could do 8 months of esthetics school. At the very least, I’d come out with a new set of skills. Sure, sounds good, let’s do it.

I ended up falling in love with school. I was so excited to go from working a full day to doing classes at night. I did research and practiced outside of the classroom and thought “so this is what college was supposed to feel like.” I jumped around with career ideas during school and enjoyed my studies, but there was never a true passion for a career. The thought of being an esthetician got me so excited, I didn’t think that was possible for me to feel that way about work. Of course I didn’t truly have a plan after graduating, but I figured I’d work at a spa before starting my own business. I had always wanted to own a business when I was growing up. I even participated in Business Professionals of America in high school where I made it to the national level of the competition for my business plan of a tattoo and piercing shop. This goal was quickly squashed in college when I became very jaded in the business school and even had a professor tell me that I didn’t belong there. Any idea of owning a business went out the window until I was in esthetics school.

I was proud of myself for taking the risk to try something completely new. And then I took my next risk. I had gotten connected with a couple gals who worked in my college town who did waxing. That was my favorite part about school, so I was happy to be talking with people who specialized in it. I ended up getting an internship there, practiced, and learned a lot. I was a month out from graduating when they asked me if I wanted to work with them. I was in total shock because that meant I would be going solo straight out of school. I’d be splitting rent and would have to buy my own supplies, create an LLC, and manage my own clients. This was also almost an hour away from my home, so I’d have a long commute. The majority of the clientele were college students, so there was fluctuation in income during the year. There was no guarantee that I would be making enough money to get by since I’d have to build my own clientele. But I felt like I would be making a mistake if I didn’t take this opportunity. So I went for it.

I quit my job in child protective services and got a job as a barista while I worked as an esthetician. I dumped money in equipment and supplies to set up my room and hoped for the best. After 8 months I was able to quit my barista job and go full time as an esthetician. It didn’t come without stress though. I was constantly worried about money. I never knew what I’d be making each week or each month. The inconsistency was nerve wracking, but I kept with it. At the almost 2 year mark, I had a steady group of regulars and was finally making enough profit to put my mind at ease.

It came as a complete shock when I was told I would no longer be allowed to work there. I had unknowingly become too much of a competition with the other girls I worked with, and learned my lesson in signing contracts. I had 2 weeks to get out, which led me to my most recent, and biggest, risk yet.

After I left that day, I called my boyfriend sobbing and came home and cried on and off all night. I was panicking over the loss of so many things. My source of income, the clients I had connected with and looked forward to seeing, the stability I had finally felt in being self employed, and of course, this amazing career that I loved so much. I had felt like I’d won the lottery having a job I loved and that I was in a field where I was able to connect to people. I loved being part of people’s self care days and making them feel comfortable and confident. I had relationships with my regulars and I never dreaded Mondays. I couldn’t have asked for a better line of work. And on top of it, I was able to be my own boss and work my own hours. I (stubbornly) didn’t want to give that up. So that night I decided to start my own business closer to where I lived. Which meant I was an hour away from all my regulars and essentially starting from scratch. I researched a good area to be in and was able to find a place just where I wanted to be. I had been saving my money to start investing and buy a house this year, but decided, yet again, screw it.

I felt I had enough in my savings to go for it. I had the space, but I needed to add walls to create privacy. In the spirit of saying “screw it” I also decided to try my hand at this DIY. With help from my boyfriend, his dad, and a friend of mine, we successfully built the walls all on our own. Something that none of us had ever done before. We repainted the place and fixed up some other things and I was able to open my shop in a whopping 28 days. I worked from sun up to sun down to get the place ready so I could start making money again. I had never been unemployed before, but I figured I might as well take the free time to pull myself up as quickly as I could. I was still grieving the loss of my job, but focusing on this new opportunity made it so much easier to get through because it gave me hope.

I’ve had the support of many people, so much so it’s brought me to tears multiple times. But of course I’ve been told this is a bad idea. That I need to go work for someone to gain clients first. And maybe that is the safer way to go, but there is nothing I want more in the world than to own my own business. I had worked to gain a steady clientele in the past, I can do it again. It might take longer this time, but I know I will make it happen.

After 7 weeks of being open, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well I’m doing so far! Of course I’m not exactly to the point of making a profit. Everyone knows that takes time. But I’m doing better than I thought I would, and it’s putting my mind at ease. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have days where I feel resentful though. Of having to take a step backwards in life and putting big plans on hold. Of having to go back to my part time job. Of not having financial stability. My goal of buying a house has turned into just having money to my name by the end of the year. I’ve learned in hard times that gratitude is so helpful. I remind myself that my previous hard work has gotten me to a position where I can take this risk. I have my health and family and friends to ask for help if I need it. I have old clients who are willing to drive an hour to come see me. Knowledge and experience to feel okay being all on my own this time. It was surreal to walk into my storefront on my opening day knowing this place is entirely mine and no one can kick me out. It was amazing to see my hard work come to life. This place is my baby and I’m going to do whatever I can to make it grow.

I’m going to be 26 in a couple weeks and I’ve learned in this short life of mine that you really do have to take risks to get where you want to be. After having been so stressed when starting my self employed journey, I’ve surprised myself at how (on most days) I’m much more calm and level headed about my success and finances. I think you need to take a risk and see it pan out for you to be able to handle bigger ones. I used to hate change, but I’ve learned to accept it and look at it as an opportunity. I tell myself that all of this is made up. The construct of life is made up. The rules are made up. We are here for such a short amount of time, if there is something you want to do and you have the means to do it, DO IT. If this business fails, I will not have a single regret. But I know if I didn’t go for it, I definitely would be regretful. I don’t regret any decisions I’ve made in my life because they have led me to where I am now. It’s hard to summarize all the feelings I’ve had in my career journey post college because I’ve had so many highs and lows. But from those highs and lows I have learned to expect the unexpected, so who knows where I’ll be in the next five years. I might take an even bigger risk that I’ll have never seen coming.

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

From the moment I was born, I was an extroverted person. No one was a stranger and I loved being around people. I knew working directly with people was an important part of whatever career I chose. As we get older, we discover more about what we like and don’t like in a job. For me, a traditional professional atmosphere was a no go. I didn’t like having to put on a mask and speaking a specific way. I learned that I need a hands on job because computer work was miserable. I found that I was drawn to more service type jobs because they required direct human interaction. And finally, I hated having to wear business/business casual clothes. So even though being an esthetician was nowhere on my radar, it makes complete sense that I ended up here!

I had always been entrepreneurial when I was young. It started with making and “selling” art to my parents in kindergarten and being a “masseuse” and getting a quarter for giving my family members neck rubs. Then I did lemonade stands and sold Silly Bandz on the playground at recess. In high school (please don’t do this) I bought professional piercing equipment and would charge people to pierce their ears. It was that last idea that made me take owning a business seriously. During my senior year of high school, I decided to participate in Business Professionals of America. The particular competition I was in was to come up with a business, write a business plan, and pitch it to the judges. I did lots of research, got a friend to design the logo, and sat with my teacher to work out the accounting parts. I ended up getting first place in the regional and state levels and made it to the national level of the competition. I even chose to go into the entrepreneurship program at Miami University because of it.

After my first year in the business school, I became pretty jaded. It seemed to be more about kissing up to people than anything. As a young adult, I was finding my moral compass, what was important to me, and just generally trying to make sense of the world around me. I wanted something more to do with people than playing a game and making money. For various reasons, I switched to studying sociology and got involved with the S*x Education Studies Center at the university. It felt good to be involved with something that was important to me and that had a purpose. That’s the point that I hung onto when I was looking for jobs my senior year. I wanted a job that had meaning. I ended up getting a job in child protective services and boy did I have my work cut out for me. I quickly got burnt out. I hated the amount of computer work I had to do, hated having to go to court, and although I mostly enjoyed the client side of things, it was a lot of responsibility trying to help dozens of people during one of, if not the, most difficult part of their lives. I was having a hard time sleeping and doing everyday things would cause me mental breakdowns. This was happening in 2020 and early 2021, so I couldn’t really go out and do much or see many friends. I was feeling so low and hopeless and felt trapped. I had never experienced true depression before, so I decided to go to therapy. That’s when my esthetics journey began.

I had a lot of guilt with hating my job and wanting to quit. I felt like I was letting my clients down. I had graduated less than a year ago and was panicking that I wouldn’t find a career that I liked. I was in a mountain of student loan debt and already was wanting to jump ship on my degree. But being at such a low point gave me a “screw it” mentality that when I had the idea of being an esthetician I decided to just go for it. I worked full time, took classes at night, and looked forward to the day I got to quit my job. Despite the mental toll it caused me, I’m grateful for the experience I got with my social work job. I think that having such a stressful job is what gave me a push to do something completely different from what I ever thought to do. Or what seemed to be completely different.

At first I felt a stigma towards being an esthetician. Like doing a trade wasn’t as “good” as a career that required a college degree. I knew as I was thinking these things that they weren’t true, but it took some time to get past that. It didn’t mean that I was a failure to go into another field. This wasn’t a step down, it was just something different. Growing up, not going to college wasn’t an option. It wasn’t directly spelled out, but it was something not only my parents thought, but my community thought as well. I’m glad to have grown up somewhere that encouraged education, but I can see how that can be limiting. There are so many trades that can provide a good life for people (even though every job should provide a livable wage) and I wish I knew that sooner. I’m glad that I didn’t let this stigma deter me from doing what I wanted because come to find out, I’d make more money as an esthetician, feel more fulfilled, and actually love my job. Becoming an esthetician has allowed me to have all of my favorite parts of a job AND fit with who I am as a person. I love that I have a job where I get to meet new people and hear about their lives. I’m always learning new things and it means so much to me when I get to grow a connection with my clients.

As far as my brand goes, my studio is called SunGlow Wax and Esthetics. It took me so long to come up with a name for my LLC a couple years ago. But when I landed on SunGlow, it felt right. It’s cheery, warm, and bright. And that is the exact atmosphere I want to bring to my business. I offer full body waxing, and I specialize in Brazilians. I also offer lash lifts, lash/brow tinting, and vajacials (a facial for your Brazilian area!) Because I mostly do Brazilians, it’s so important to me to have a comfortable and inviting atmosphere in my studio. I think the name SunGlow fits me as a person as well as my aesthetic and is exactly the vibe that’s needed when you specialize in such an intimate service like I do. On top of this, I like to think I’m a very open and bubbly person, and you definitely have to be when doing this job. I think that’s what sets me apart from other estheticians. And that’s something that’s hard to fake. I may not be great at math, or coding, or sitting at a computer, but I’m naturally a friendly person who is good at making people feel comfortable and this line of work is perfect for that.

Another thing that I think sets me apart is the education aspect I bring to my clients. So many times I’ve heard my clients say that no one has told them about aftercare or the reason behind the recommendations they’re giving. I think education is important so that people not only know the process of what you’re doing, but the reason you’re doing it. Being able to educate people and answer their questions shows that you know your stuff and also adds another level of trust to you. Plus I think it’s fun! I love dispelling myths to my clients and see things click with them!

I think what I want people to know about my brand is that it is entirely me. Entirely authentic. Connecting with people is just as important as giving a good service. There are other places people could choose to go to, so when they come to me I try to make sure they get a comfortable and non rushed experience. I care what my clients have to say and I want them to know this is a non judgmental place. Above all else, people are my passion. And this job lets me have just that. I love that I get to be part of my client’s self care days and I get to leave feeling happy that they’re happy.

What seemed to be a job that I fell into when I had nowhere else to go, now makes a lot more sense when I take a look at who I am and what I want out of life. I am thankful every day that I get to do something I love. I hope my clients can feel that love too.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

From when I was an independent contractor to now owning my own business (as of 6 weeks ago) it seems like word of mouth has been the best source of clients. At my old place of work, referrals were definitely the thing that got new people in the door the most. We played the social media game for a while and racked up a decent amount of followers. But when I asked people how they found us, it was rarely from social media. Even after having been open for only 7 weeks, it still seems like word of mouth is doing most of the job. Whether that’s me telling people I run into or my friends posting about me online.

Along with word of mouth, now that I’m in a storefront, that seems to be the second most popular way I’ve been getting clients at my new location. I worked in an office building previously, but now I have a storefront on a fairly busy street in a walkable location. I’m also right across the street from a busy coffee shop, so the visibility has been paying off.

I think both of these ways are normal for the industry I’m in. A lot of people want to either know who you are or get a recommendation from someone before they come in. Proximity plays a big role too. Most people don’t want to travel if they don’t have to, so they choose whoever is closest. Social media is talked about a lot, but with how the algorithms are now, it’s getting harder for your content to be seen. I still plan on making posts, but I’d rather spend my time on direct marketing. Especially since my clients need to be local. Someone in California seeing my posts won’t do me much good.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

It feels a little uncomfortable to be tooting my own horn, but I’ve learned that confidence is important. So from the feedback I’ve gotten from my clients, I think what has helped me build my reputation has been my ability to make people feel comfortable. Anyone can perform a service well, but not everyone has a personality that suits providing intimate services. I’ve met people in this industry who are not naturally a “people person” and have a difficult time expending energy talking to multiple people a day. I think me being an extrovert and also having, what I think, is a good amount of empathy, makes me stand out compared to some estheticians. I think people can also tell that I’m an authentic person and I’m not putting on a face. I genuinely love my job and getting to talk to people and I think that shows. My clients know I care about them as individuals.

I’m so new to being in the location I’m at now, but I’ve already had new clients tell me that I’ve made them feel comfortable and have given them a great experience. It makes me happy that I’m able to provide that environment for people and I hope word continues to get around!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sunglowesthetics.com/
• Instagram: sunglow__beauty https://www.instagram.com/sunglow__beauty/
• Facebook: SunGlow Wax and Esthetics https://m.facebook.com/people/SunGlow-Wax-and-Esthetics/61554731447718/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/maddie-depaoli-61932512b

Image Credits
These were not professionally taken photos. But if you’d like to credit my friend who took them on her phone, her name is Kaity Lovitt