We recently connected with The Lipstick Witch Kimberly Watson and have shared our conversation below.
The Lipstick Witch, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?
I have worked with the public since I was eight years old, but it wasn’t until I became a licensed Esthetician and began my career in the cosmetic industry that I really began to understand how small day-to-day interactions can really impact someone on a personal level.
The cosmetics industry seems so fun and exciting on the surface, but what outsiders fail to notice is that many interactions are a very personal and intimate experience for the consumer.
Beauty is something that most people want to achieve, but confidence is something a lot of people lack, and it takes courage for someone to sit down with you and ask for advice or guidance about your hair, skin, makeup, or clothing/style.
Working with clients in the cosmetics and beauty industry is more about helping others to rediscover their own beauty, feel confident, and embody their own unique style, and less about trends, products, and routines.
Without the experience of working in the facial room, helping someone to achieve clearer skin, or behind the counter, helping someone to enhance their own natural beauty and confidently step out into the world with their own sense of style, I do not think I would have ever had the ability to deeply listen to clients in a reading, inspire them to look deeper into thier own unique magic and personality, and guide them to take positive steps to help them achieve thier goals, dreams, and desires.
Working in beauty taught me to truly connect with others, to be compassionate and supportive in every moment, and to understand how important a little pep talk can be.
The Lipstick Witch, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am mostly known for my Lipsology/Lip Print Readings, but I am also an intuitive reader, energy healer, and certified hypnotist. I love to enhance special events, corporate events, brand activations, and private parties with my Lip Print Reading services. I have a very authentic and heart-centered approach. I love injecting fun, positivity, and connection into every event, and my readings are always the talk of every single event that I do.
But the reason I do the work that I do and the reason that I started in the first place is that I believe that when people feel good about themselves, they love and care for themselves better, and when that happens, the way they interact with the people and the world around them is better too. This creates a ripple effect of love, kindness, and compassion that can have an infinite impact. There is this saying, “Hurt People, Hurt People.” I choose to believe in a more positive but similar idea… Love is contagious, and it starts with the person staring back at you in the mirror.
Everything I do in my work, from Lip Print Readings to Hypnosis, is curated to help the person on the receiving end see themselves in a different, more loving, and kind way, and to empower and inspire them to live their best lives being exactly who they already are.
What I am most proud of in my work is how often I see repeat clients both in personal services and in event services. I know that when I see someone again and again, and they are referring me to friends, family, and colleagues, that I am living my values and my purpose.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The thing I always tell new business owners is don’t give up on your dream, even when you feel as though you are not seeing the results that you want or the social footprint that you desire. Things take time. Social media has programmed our minds to believe that if we don’t have immediate results and a massive footprint, that we are failing, and it just isn’t true.
It took time, patience, and dedication for me to see traction in my business. I had to get out into the world and connect with other people, and be patient while I built my brand reputation in my industry.
During that experience of trying and figuring things out, I began to craft my own authentic voice and presence, and that ultimately is what helped me to grow. Which leads me to part two of this part of the advice:
Ignore the trends, or the things everyone tells you that “you should be doing to be successful”. My business began to gain traction and become more successful when I stopped worrying about how I was perceived and if I was following the marketing plan or the social media trends. I started my business under a completely different name, aesthetic, and mission based on what I thought the world expected or wanted from a spiritual practitioner. As soon as I scrapped all of that and began to just be myself and work from my why and my heart, everything changed.
I am learning and growing all the time, STILL. So, the last thing I would recommend is to always be willing to learn, grow, and sometimes fail, no matter how long you have been in business, and be willing to pick yourself up, dust that dirt off your shoulders, and keep going.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Kindness, compassion, connection. You never know who you are talking to, what they are going through, or how your words, actions, and the way that you approach them can make an impact on them.
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you are in; kindness matters. Listening to someone matters. Connecting with people through community events, collaborations, and professional networking matters.
When I worked in cosmetics, we had this saying, “People shop with people.” It’s the truth. Especially in today’s world, where small businesses are in constant competition with huge corporations in ways we never have been in the past.
The difference between why someone purchases your hand-wrapped crystal jewelry vs. Amazon is going to be YOU. If you treated them well, made a difference in their day, gave them exactly what they were looking for, and wrapped it up perfectly, they will not only be your client, but they are likely to return and to recommend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thelipstickwitch.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelipstickwitch
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-lipstick-witch-orange
Image Credits
Photos taken by: Nicole Sloan Photography, Long Beach, CA
www.nicolesloanphotography.com