We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mj Walker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mj below.

Mj , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I am originally from Chicago, I am one of five children. My dad owned 5 mens clothing stores in Chicago and my Mom was a stay at home mom and homeschooled all of us. We grew up in a single-income household and even though 5 stores may sound like a lot, my Dad was a hustler and a self-made entrepreneur and in those days, you had to hit the streets, local radio, local newspaper, door to door, etc to get your name out there. He was a hard worker and so was my mom. They taught me a lot. In my early twenties, I finished college and went into a career as a travel Surgical Technician. This was in the 2000-teens and social media was not what it is today…quite yet. I had never heard of a “Solo Esthetician” before. I thought facials were a luxury spa treatment that you got on a cruise or at a fancy hotel. While on a travel contract, I lived in Dallas, TX and worked closely with a plastic surgeon couple, husband and wife. I absolutely loved my job and I was good at it. I was the youngest person to get hired at this travel agency and there was a lot of opportunity, however I always had this feeling that I wanted to do something more. Even though I loved this job, I didn’t feel fulfilled, I felt like “if i could get this job now, why not try something else and if it doesnt work out I can always come back to this career”. I definitely had a fire deep down that I wanted to own my own business but I just didnt know how or what I wanted to do. Working closely with this plastic surgeon couple, i learned about their practice and their career paths and even expressed to them that I may want to own my own business one day, but wasnt sure what I wanted to do. I loved my job but the only self-employment I could see in my career was a surgeon or doctor and I was not interested in that much more schooling. They ended up introducing me to two estheticians that they had on their staff. They explained that esthetic treatments were becoming more and more popular and people were starting to open their own practices. This completely caught my attention, I looked into it more and fell in love. This inspiration lit that fire inside of me and I created a vision and soon that turned into a dream and over lots and lots of time that dream became tangible goals and now my reality. From then to now, so many things have happened in order for me to get where I am today. During my last travel contract as a surgical tech (in STL) I met my now husband at a restaurant, fell in love, quit that job and decided to move to st louis and start esthetician school. It was 2019 and the pandemic hit so I was delayed in starting esthetician school. I ended up taking advantage of that “downtime” and studied and trained in lash artistry. I used all of that time to practice and become a professional, I started posting my work on social media and started taking Lash Extension clients out of my house. I ended up building this up and taking clients all throughout esthetician school and by the time I graduated, I had serviced over 100 lash clients. This moment, along with many other moments in my career, was where I felt I was channeling my dad. Hustling, doing anything and everything I had to do to get my name out there. I was so determined to succeed. The pandemic was a huge turning point for me and I truly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today if that strange period of time didn’t happen when it did. I was in a very unique place in life and was given an opportunity with covid lockdown, I ran with it and that led me to my success. New and student estheticians and even new business owners often ask me what is my advice when wanting to “go out on your own” and either quit their job and start from zero or start a practice straight out of school and to be completely honest, I don’t recommend it. I didn’t do that, I had 100 clients before officially opening my own esthetician practice, my husband supported me during all of that and I bartended all throughout esthetician school. So here is my advice to new business owners: use your 9-5 to fund your side hustle. Work really hard at both until your side hustle surpasses your 9-5 income, then quit and go full time. For new estheticians: during school, do your own research, try as many different things as you can and find out what you love to do (waxing, facials, advanced treatments) then choose a place to work (european wax center, hotel spa, med spa) and get as much field experience and confidence as you can! THEN if you decide to go solo, you have the confidence and skills required. BUT if you don’t end up going solo, that is okay too! Entrepreneurship is very trendy right now, but it is not for everyone and it is a lifetime of hustle. It is equally as honorable to work for a company you love and having a successful career as it is to start your own business. Remember that you have time and you have options.

Mj , 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?

One thing I have learned throughout this age of social media and branding is that authenticity is key. It is so interesting because most successful “influencers” or brands say the best way to find success is to just be yourself and show up authentically, but honestly that is easier said than done. It took me a while to identify who I was authentically and how that relates to my business and my brand. I think it took me going back to my roots, my upbringing, my family and what I am passionate about in my day to day life. My personal brand had to equal my professional brand, and once I found synergy in that, everything got easier. My business is Brand New Beauty. We are a full service spa located in Clayton, MO and we offer customized beauty treatments tailored to you using a holistic approach. My personal brand looks something like homemade chicken soup, organic hot tea, candles, yoga, journaling, meditation, cotton and linen clothing, crystals, natural home remedies, etc. With all of that, I created my professional brand: Mj – Holistic Esthetician and Relaxation Specialist. Brand New Beauty offers custom holistic facial, lash and brow treatments, custom skincare regimens, lots of massage, and a warm and relaxing environment. Come to Brand New Beauty when you are looking for a relaxing and completely personalized approach to beauty services.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Reputation is hands down the reason I have success, especially because we are in St. Louis. Since I was raised in chicago, St. Louis definitely felt like a small town when I first moved here. When I started taking clients, that was both an advantage and a challenge at the same time. On the one hand, I was new to this town and knew absolutely no one, and on the other hand, I found out quickly how connected people were here and that word travels fast. I am extremely proud of the reputation I have built with Brand New Beauty. Currently I am a solo provider and my clients trust me with their lives. They not only trust me and my services, but now come to me for other recommendations and then refer everyone they know to me and anyone I recommend. Reputation is absolutely everything in any service based career and I believe it all comes down to how much you genuinely care. Care about your customers, listen to them, be present and value their feedback. Be professional but be friendly, be a human, have compassion.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Along with the topic of reputation, referrals will always be the main source of new clients in my line of work, however social media played and continues to play a huge part in building my clientele. If you are an entrepreneur and social media is your enemy, you hate it, you dont know how to use it, you dont want to use it, welcome to the club, but suck it up. I am sorry, but this is the world we live in and there is no getting around it. Having SOME KIND of social media presence is essential. You dont have to have 500k followers, you dont have to be an expert but you have to try and when you do, it will pay off every time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brandnewbeautybymj.com
• Instagram: brandnewbeautybymj
• Facebook: Mj Walker and Brand New Beauty
• Other: Tiktok: Brandnewbeautybymj

Image Credits

all photos taken by my photographer Alissa Starr (instagram @alissaastarr)