We were lucky to catch up with Aarial Mitchell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Aarial, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
One of the biggest trends you can see in the beauty industry today is renting or owning a Salon Suites! I believe this trend is worth keeping and here to stay. In 2019, the year I finished beauty school, a salon suites wasn’t as common here in Florida. Now, only five years later, a well known franchise My Salon Suite has 46 locations here. I believe salon suites give beauty professionals and small business owners a chance to experience what it is like outside a traditional salon setting. Also opportunities to connect and share with other professionals on their journey. The advantage is having a space to call your own. I love that most include amenities such as temperature control apps, 24/7 access, wash/dryer, weekly rental plans, etc. The transition from traditional salon to suite life was a fairly smooth process for me. I had spent almost two years in the salon environment before wanting to try something more intimate for my clients. Its going on my second year and I love the creative freedom and flexibility it gives! The biggest concern would be how it will effect traditional salons and owners in the future.
Every year I see more beauty students starting out in their own suite vs salon.
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.
Hi, my name is Aarial Mitchell. I am a 30 year old salon owner who is passionate about helping women enhance their natural beauty. I also specialize in PMU (Microblading, Ombre Powder, Nano, Lip Blush), Brow Laminations, Hybrid Tints/Dyes, Henna, Threading, and Waxing. I’m known as the Brow Magician of the Treasure Coast. I also offer in person and online training courses for anyone looking to jump start their beauty career. My goal is to give my clients and students the confidence they need to flourish. I would say I’ve always been a glitz and glam type of gal. My mother use to put me in beauty pageants as child, so it all stemmed from there. In high school I noticed I had a talent with makeup. I began doing students makeup for prom and homecoming. When I moved back home from college I even got a job doing makeup and skincare at Sephora. Being so inspired by all of the beautiful women around me I decided to enroll into a beauty academy near by. In April of 2019, I received my Full Specialist license. After becoming a full licensed specialist the pandemic hit. At this time I was working a waitress job and a nail salon. It was one of the most rewarding yet terrifying decisions to make but i decided to only focus on my perfecting my craft and gaining experience. I landed a salon PMU contract which allowed me to dive deeper into brows. Fast foreword to today I own my own beauty business with over 2000+ clients serviced in the last 5 years. My greatest advice is to just do it! The risks you regret are the ones you don’t take. Do it now, do it young, do it old, but most importantly just do it. I’m a firm believer that if God can give you the vision best believe you’ll have the clientele. I’m not saying there won’t ever be any hardships because I’ve had my fair share of those and still do to this day in business. The goal is to keep going and to remember WHY you wanted to start in the first place. My WHY is what drives me. To inspire and empower women to embrace beauty in every sense of the word. What sets me apart in my community is community. I have created this safe space for women to come in and get serviced and leave feeling their best! Aarial Aesthetics is where natural beauty and today’s newest beauty trends meet! All the services I offer are customized for each clients specific beauty needs.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy for growing clientele is customer service followed by word of mouth. Most if not all of my clientele has grown due to word of mouth. People love supporting people when they receive an excellent service with great customer service. Making your booking site easy to use and clear is another effective strategy for growth as well. Being relatable and listening to your clients needs and vision is key.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
My best source for reaching new clients is using Googles search engine effectively. When new clients in my area are looking for a specific service or services my business is listed first. It isn’t hard to learn but there are companies out there that can help you reach more potential clients through websites like google and yelp. Luckily for me not many people in my area know how to thread eyebrows so my business is recommended over others. Reviews, reviews. reviews, most of my new clients tell me that the reviews and experiences of other clients made them choose my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aarialaesthetics.as.me
- Instagram: @aarialaesthetics
- Facebook: aarialaesthetics
- Other: Tik Tok @aarialaesthetics
