We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Coscia. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.
Erin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?
My hasty response as a 48 year old is to undoubtedly say I wish I had opened my business sooner, but when I give this question ample thought, my trajectory is truly as it should’ve been—the tracks couldn’t have been laid down any sooner.
I had returned to Phoenix after nearly ten years in Austin, six of those as a massage therapist. I was nursing chronic back pain and decided to take a break from massage. In doing so, I returned to serving tables and bartending which didn’t lend a hand to any healing whatsoever, so after a couple of years poking and prodding the belly of what to do next, I arrived at esthetics. I already knew the industry and loved it, I have a healthy obsession with skincare, and I have the odd attraction to pimple extraction videos that seem to gross a lot of people out.
I continued to bartend and serve tables while going to esthetics school, and happened to land a job straight out. I was incredibly lucky that one of my coworkers was friends with the owner of a small boutique spa.
I started taking clients and continued serving and bartending, and even did pet sitting on the side to make ends meet. After about a year into doing skincare, I decided to get my massage license reinstated and was able to offer both in one service, and to this day, it’s still the darling of all my services.
About three years into my journey, I knew my client base was strong enough to step into my own, so I took the leap. I still did some pet sitting in the beginning to augment my income, but I was doing it! I was supporting myself all on my own!
Since then, I have continued to add things to my service menu, including buccal and Ashiatsu massage and know new things are still on the horizon—I’m just not sure what!
With that said, it all fittingly unfurled and I’m grateful for that, and that I had the faith to dive in, despite embarking on a new career at 42. All my years in service gave me the confidence I wouldn’t have had at a younger age. And I enjoyed the process— something not everyone can say.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I won’t go into the long circuitous route of how I got here but let’s say there was a BFA, two failed attempts at masters degrees, and a lot of hemming and hawing when it came to “careers”. If you were to tell me in my 20s I would be employed in skincare and massage, I would’ve given you the side eye. But that’s what I love about my story—it wasn’t linear—it came from NOT knowing what to pursue other than wanting to support others and something that was fulfilling at the end of the day. And I ended up loving massage and born from that, skincare!
I think my authenticity and my drive to invest in so many related offshoots has really set me apart. I continue to educate myself in as much as this industry allows me to! I want to know more massage modalities, I’m looking into the possibility of somatic healing as something to incorporate next.
Learning will never stop and I think my clients can glean that purely from my service menu that will continue to grow as I do.
And I’m proud that I have so many amazing clients that I truly call friends—clients who have entrusted me to watch their pets when they’re out of town, people I’ve cried to while giving a service and vice versa. Because the bond we’ve created over the years is that safe. I value that immensely.
I put so much of myself in every service I do—I want people to feel special, to feel relaxed, to know they’re safe. That’s what I would want as a client and I pride myself on that. And I know that my clients are happy to see me and happy (and more relaxed) when they leave. And that gives me so much joy and a feeling of success.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Word of mouth has honestly been the most effective for me. Social media is definitely not my forte. And I really want my work to speak for myself, though I know that’s easier said than done. And it may have taken me longer to get my clients taking the approach I did, but I built it layer by layer and that was important to me. I think my values really align with my clients’ values and that is rare in some capacity. My clients have done the vetting for me if you will. They know whether I’ll be a good fit for someone and it hasn’t led me astray. I have incredibly loyal clients and I’m so very grateful for them.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As a body worker, I’ve dealt with chronic pain not only in my back, but also in my hands and wrists. I knew I needed to pivot in order to continue with my business, and that’s when I trained in Ashiatsu massage. Ashiatsu is essentially massaging with my feet and using suspended bars from the ceiling to provide leverage. At one point, I thought I may have to close my business because I was having such immense pain. And I still have flare ups from time to time and have to take a step back every now and again. But I continue to provide services in a way that helps my clients without putting myself at such high risk. Ashiatsu has helped me continue my path with massage and has only strengthened my love for this industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://desertmilkskincare.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: @desertmilkskincare
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