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

Alright, Emilia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

I had a client who struggled with painful cystic acne for years. She’d seen dermatologist and other skincare specialists, but never saw improvement— in fact, her skin got worse. When she found me she was desperate for a solution. After getting to know her history, it was clear that there was more to the picture. I got specific and asked her targeted questions that led me to the belief that she may have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome). She had this assumption many years ago, but was dismissed by a primary care physician who didn’t even take the measures to run the tests to rule out PCOS. As an esthetician, we cannot formally diagnose, however I’ve seen so many clients that presented the same way and was certain. I told her that she needed to advocate for herself and get the proper blood work and testing done to figure out the root cause of her acne. A few weeks later, she was diagnosed with PCOS and we were able put together an action plan so that she could finally experience relief in her skin. For the first time in her adult life, her skin was clear enough to eat without causing her pain. She could take pictures and not feel insecure. There was a light at the end of the tunnel!

Emilia, 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?

I always knew I wanted to help people, but I didn’t know what that looked like. I was a teen when filters and social media personas became a thing. There came a point when I felt uncomfortable being in pictures that weren’t heavily filtered. I’d spend time looking in the mirror wishing I looked like my selfies online. Something that started off fun turned into a thing that made me dislike the person I once loved. Some years later, I was on an award winning bridal makeup team seeing clients from all over the world. Though from different places, many of them had one thing in common— they felt like they needed to cover up something about their appearance to feel beautiful. They wanted the satisfaction of what filters had provided me years ago. This realization led to the start of my life’s mission as a licensed skincare expert. Thus, No Filter Esthetics was born! We are a boutique skincare spa located in Charlotte, NC. For us it’s always more than skin deep. We believe in building confidence through advanced wholistic skincare treatments and education. Our goal is to provide a space where filters are always optional, but never a necessity.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I had to unlearn was that more is better. When I first ventured out as a business owner, I felt like I needed to do all of the things. I felt like I had to be everything to everyone. I thought I’d be more successful by being more available or offering more services than other estheticians. That’s simply not true. I’ve grown my clientele more by focusing on the things I actually love doing. Even better, I actually have energy to pour into the services I enjoy. I’ve set healthy boundaries with myself and clients. I am in clinic with clients 4 days a week. I have 1 day that I allow for administrative work. Then I have 2 days off. When I made myself available to take clients any day they wanted to book, I felt burned out and had no control over my business. Now I have time to focus on what matters. Less is more and boundaries are everything.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

This may feel counterintuitive to some, but I believe the best strategy to growing clientele is to use what is in front of you. Improve the relationships you currently have with friends, family, and current clients. Be active in your community. Get out and do things you like. Go where your ideal clients will be. Join Facebook and MeetUp groups that actually interest you. Human connection is underrated, but has fueled businesses since the beginning of time. Social media and resources like that are great, but actually being social will yield so many more results than a reel or TikTok ever will. Word of mouth is not dead; referrals are gold!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nofilteresthetics.com
• Instagram: @nofilterestheticsclt
• Facebook: @NoFilterEsthetics
• Other: TikTok: @NoFilterEsthetics