We recently connected with Trina Haire and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Trina, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I believe that success is subjective so first, Ill define my definition of success. Success to me is to wake up knowing that you have a choice to do what you love. Success is being financially free enough to have a balance of spending time with my family, taking my kids to school everyday, and going on trips when i choose to. Now, for the question…I believe it takes lots of discipline, determination, and consistency to be successful. I have always been in an industry that I had to stay consistent in. I was never able to be content and stagnant. I was always having to grow and keep up with the current times. Discipline is a huge part of why I am successful today. There were times when my friends would say “why do you work weekends when you can make your own schedule”. I simply told them “When i worked for someone else, i worked on weekends, so why wouldnt I work for myself too”. Of course this was in the very beginning when building my business, but I now have the freedom after many years, to decide when I work weekends. Financial discipline also allows me invest in other things that create more financial freedom for my kid’s future. Determination is the other reason i became successful. Building a successful business takes time. It took me YEARS to be where i am today, and i take nothing for granted! Although I am in a great place, I still dont lose my determination to do better every single day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m the youngest of 3, born in Los Angeles, CA. I grew up in a wonderful family that always taught me to do what I love. At the age of 7, I started dance, in high school I attended the LA County High School For the Arts and later went on to dance professionally with some highlights like The Lion King broadway show (National touring company) as well as gracing the stage with Catherine Zeta Jones, Hugh Jackman, and many other musical theatre actors. This was the beginning of me truly using my gifts to create the life I wanted for myself. After many years as a professional dancer, I realized that I needed to shift when I became a mother. Skincare was something I loved as well. I suffered from teen acne and always loved trying new things to help. So i became an esthetician in 2010, working for a spa for about 3 years before opening my own business.

During my years as an esthetician, I would wax eyebrows and for some reason, that service just came so easy for me. It was something I had an eye for and something I loved doing so much. I began tattooing eyebrows in 2016 and that service is what made my business thrive 100% more! In the many years of doing brows, I realized that me being an esthetician, and a african american woman is what made my work stand out. For many years, women of color were told that they couldnt have certain services, and it would always make us shy away from things like this. But because I had experience with melanated skin, I stood out, and women trusted my expertise. The main thing that keeps me in high demand is my attention to detail and my genuine concern for making my clients happy. I do everything I can to make them feel comfortable, not
just to take money and go, but to truly go through the process with them, making sure they are happy in the end. Of course I know not every client will be for me, but I do my best to create an environment to uplift women and make them feel like my space is a safe place to unwind.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

YES! This experience changed my life. So in 2020, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. My children were ages 3, 5, and 9 and the COVID pandemic had started. At this time, I started my chemotherapy in August 2020 and when things were clear again to work, I would work on the days I felt good. My clients were the best and truly understood how serious things were for me, so I never caught covid in all my years, and I gave women what I felt like I was losing. My skin was affected, my hair was gone, I was stripped of everything beauty. BUT! I kept going, I kept making other women feel empowered and feel beautiful. My clients had no clue that me continung working and talking with them, got me through my journey. I finished my chemo in july of 2021, my radiation, and surgeries and I am now cancer free and have a close bond to many of my clients who watched me go through that time. No matter what, i didnt give up. I knew when to rest but I also knew that I would not let my business go.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When I first started my business, I had nothing! My husband was the sole provider of the family and we had no extra income to fund my dream. I share this story because I hear a lot of people talk about the financial lack when wanting to start a business. I started with nothing, but I knew i wanted to start. I created a GOFUNDME and raised half of what my eyebrow tattooing course cost. My husband paid the other half and that was the start of my business. I had to practice and get better and better before seeing any real income happen. But I am forever grateful that I started from scratch because it keeps in humble in knowing that my business now allowed us financial freedom, multiple homes, and it all started with a GOFUNDME and a plan!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.faceappealbeauty.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/faceappealbeauty
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/face-appeal-beauty-upland-3
• Other: www.triiskin.com
  for my skincare line

Image Credits

first cover photo: Leah Rae Photography