We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Annalysa Vasquez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Annalysa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

I think that Corporate America minimizes the wellness side of the beauty industry and how effective it can truly be to each individual persons overall health and well being. Getting beauty services, such as facials, goes beyond the beautiful glowing skin- it incorporates techniques that promote lymphatic drainage which moves toxins out of your body, or massage modalities releasing tension that can relieve conditions such as TMJ. That is just scratching the surface of what these beauty services can offer people. The beauty industry has evolved and incorporated wellness so that when we treat the skin, we treat it wholly -from the inside out- to get the best, long lasting results.

Annalysa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my business, Goddess of Glow, in 2023 after working for other esthetic businesses for only 1.5 years. That was never my plan though. I wanted to work for someone for as long as possible. I didn’t want the responsibility of a business owner or even a manager role. I wanted to go to work every day, heal skin, make people feel confident, clock out and go home. However, that was not what the universe had planned for me.

I spent most of my young adulthood thinking that my Bachelors Degree in Communications would guide me to the right career where I get to work with people and make a difference in whatever capacity I could. I thought I had found my career working for a big name retail company, working my way up in hopes that I would land in their corporate offices as some VP. What i didn’t realize was that I was beyond miserable. I was losing sleep, losing hair, losing time. I thought this is what i had to endure to make it to the top, but I was wrong. Fortunately, for me, the pandemic flipped my whole world around. I felt like for the first time in my life I woke up and had brand new vision. I knew I was meant for something more. I loved helping people and making them feel good and confident and I always had a passion for skincare. So after much thought and consideration I decided to enroll myself in beauty school and begin my journey to becoming a licensed esthetician. During this time, I quit my job began work at a local beauty store and a restaurant while going to school. I wanted to be the best so when I wasn’t working or at school, I was taking friends and family as clients in my small apartment late at night to practice. After a year of schooling, studying, and practicing I applied to CA State Board for my exam and passed! I was beyond excited and ready to work right away.

Though I was convinced I had found where I belonged, I couldn’t help but feel something wasn’t right. I knew being an esthetician was what I wanted, but working for someone else still felt wrong. I had so much experience working with clients and customers though my previous jobs that I wanted to be different – I wanted to create a safe environment where my clients and I trusted each other and could have a pressure free environment. I wanted to be resource for people not a beauty store. I wanted to be free. Again, after much thought and consideration I decided to take a leap of faith and go off on my own and open Goddess of Glow.

I created my business so that I could offer a safe space for people to come heal their skin, feel confident about them selves, learn to take care of their skin, and most of all take a moment for themselves. I also wanted to create a space where my clients did not feel pressured or obligated to purchase products or upgrade services, or add on services. I want to be able to design treatments based on what my clients need using the best products with safe non toxic formulations.

At Goddess of Glow, I offer an array of services to help you feel your absolute best. My services are rooted in holistic practices as I believe in treating the skin and everything on it wholly. I offer skincare services, hair removal, lash lifts, and brow laminations. Skincare services include consultations, acne treatments, and tailor made facials that are unique to your skins individual needs.

How did you build your audience on social media?

A majority of my business has come from social media. It has been exciting to see growth and business coming from it , but it hasn’t always been easy. I didn’t know what to post or if i should have an aesthetic that would showcase who i was as an esthetician. I didn’t want to be a copycat of other profiles I had admired but I wanted the same engagement as they were receiving. So I decided to just start posting things that I loved as it related to skin care. I made instagram reels, stories, and carousel posts about products, skincare trends, as well as my own personal skin journey. I began to gain engagement when I would relate skin health to other wellness aspects like working out, sleep, sun exposure, meditation, etc. Through all of this I would make sure I responded to every message, every comment, and comment on other peoples content and that is how I built my audience. Once I was able to take clients as a licensed esthetician I started posting my work in the treatment room, but more important I was creating content that showcased moments and experiences clients could have with me and results that I can help them achieve.

My best advice for those starting to build their social media presence is to start posting things that they love and post it consistently. Regardless if the content is ‘picture perfect,’ just post. Showcase your business and what you offer daily. Engage with your followers and become that virtual friend because eventually they will turn into clients.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I love keeping in touch with all my clients whether I see them on a regular basis or once a year, I want them to feel important and cared for because they are. I think thats why I have such a loyal client base as well. After every treatment, whether its an in depth facial or brow wax, I reach out and check in on them. I always reach out a week after an appointment to see how my client is doing, how they are liking their results, if they have any questions regarding their results or aftercare. During these client check ins I also like to tailor the message with personal details that we talk about during their appointments. For example, if we talk about a date or something with their child, I will ask about that as well. I make each message as personal as possible because I want my clients to know that I am not just sending out generic messages, I care about their results and how they like them. I will also respond to their replies as well to show that I am invested in them the same way that they invest into me. Even if I can’t respond right away, I will let them know so I don’t leave them hanging- a simple ” hey, I will respond to this message in 48 hours” goes a long way. Aside from the results in the treatment room, doing follow ups with my clients is what has kept my books filled since I became licensed. For my clients that I don’t see as often, I will pop in their inboxes with just a ‘hey, hope youre doing well. hows ‘xyz’ going.” Whether they respond or not is up to them, but I want them to know i am here for them as a resource whenever they need/want me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://goddess-of-glow.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goddessofgloww/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091521540032
• Other: https://g.co/kgs/A6hoCzP

Image Credits

photocredit: Alexis Martinez Photography