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

Hi Alyssa, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The journey began in early 2010 when I left community college at 19, completely unsure of what I wanted to do with my life & feeling like I was just wasting time. I didn’t grow up with money & my parents never went to college to pursue degrees, so all I ever saw was hard work & pinching pennies. We lived paycheck to paycheck & all I knew was I had to find a better way of life for my future.

I fell into my first career path end of 2010 when I walked into a Massage & Cosmetology school seeking a trade that I can get licensed in and start working a higher paying job asap. That trade was Massage Therapy. Fast forward about 8 months, I passed my state exam and got hired as an LMT (licensed massage therapist) at a corporate spa shortly after. I enjoyed working at spas but after about 2 years, I was physically burnt out. I realized there are only so many full body massages I can give in a day and our commission wasn’t very much per session at all. I started to wonder If getting into this field was meant for me & wondering what could be next.

I remember during this time salon suites started popping up everywhere! It was a new concept and I was dreaming of how awesome it would be to have my own private suite, and how that would help me bring in more income without having to do such a number on my body. I actually still have a notebook full of the ideas I had for a suite, the name, the start up cost, the services. But it never went anywhere do to fear of failing and the possibility of not being able to afford the suite rent.

So, I decided to go back to school to become an Esthetician (little did I know how much that would change my life over a decade later) I figured, well – I like working at spas, massage therapy full time is a little bit too demanding on my body so why not learn about skin & facials and be able to incorporate all my massage skills into that while giving my body a break. I knew being able to treat clients skin while having them get to enjoy my LMT background would give me an “edge” in the industry.

In 2013, I enrolled into a skin care program and shortly after I had my license & was ready to re-enter the work force as a Dual Licensed LMT/Esthetician. I continued working at the same spa but unfortunately still primarily got booked with massages more than facials due to the clientele I built up the last 2 years. I really loved giving facials and to this day wonder why I didn’t tell them I JUST wanted to be an Esthetician there instead. Maybe I was afraid of what that would look like for me financially, re building your books can be daunting when you only get paid commission. And so, I continued on for a little while longer until…I decided to switch it up completely.

I think due to my childhood I was constantly seeking financial security and have always been hyper independent. I remember in 2015 deciding I wanted a “stable” 9-5 job instead and feeling the need to ditch the spa/commission lifestyle all together (sometimes life will take you off track but to this day I believe it all happened for a reason) and so, the next thing I went to school for was…..

Dental Assisting (I know, totally random right?) I spent 1 year in school & then the next 3 years as a Pediatric Dental Assistant at a newer office in my area while still doing massage therapy for private clients on the side. During this time I remember liking the stability of knowing what my paycheck would be, but began hating the feeling of having no control of my schedule & spending so much of my day building the books, calling the patients, assisting the doctor – I wondered what life could feel like if I spent my day doing these things for myself and my own business. (I always had that entrepreneurial spirit)

And so, during this time, I dabbled into a few different things (yet again) because I wanted to leave the dental field and seek something more fulfilling.

I tried my hand at an online business for a few years which did actually give me a taste of what working for myself feels like and I LOVED that freedom – but the business its self just wasn’t for me. I am thankful that business did afford me the chance to leave dental assisting though. It was all apart of the bigger picture.

And then, in 2021, I was so convinced I finally found THE career for me….Real Estate.

I yet again, went to school, got licensed in that field – but knew it would take time to build, so I had to work somewhere and make money still right?? I thought, what do I do? go back to massage therapy? dental assisting? should I try and JUST be an Esthetician? I never got to do that…

And so, that’s exactly what I did. I got hired at a spa & began working as an Esthetician on the “side” while building what I thought was my main career – real estate (boy was I wrong) I truly believe that I was somehow forcefully re-routed there and It was surely a roundabout way but we got there.

When I would go to work at the spa it was 100% an opposite feeling from real estate and I began feeling so conflicted.

It was only about 7 months into doing both when I realized how much stress & anxiety real estate brought me vs the sense of calm I had while working on my skincare clients. I felt crazy & embarrassed that I was thinking of switching it up AGAIN but felt it in my gut. This WHOLE time, skincare was my calling & I was meant to open that suite I always dreamt of – but suppressed.

So, at this point it’s 2022, I felt a fire lit up in my soul with this idea of opening my business – I decide to stop pursing real estate and spent the next year planning out every little detail of what would soon become Sonder Skin Aesthetics. The suite location was under construction which worked in my favor because I had nothing but time to make this dream a reality … FINALLY.

The more clients and friends/family I would tell my idea to and hear them say “you should do it!” “ill follow you” “you will be great” all gave me the confidence I needed to move forward.

I always told myself, Alyssa, if you build it-they will come. I just knew in my heart, I would be okay.

So, In August 2023 my skincare spa finally opened! – I was terrified but confident I made the right decision & thankful for every roundabout decision I made the last decade to get me here.

I like to call my space an oasis for my clients, giving them a calming feeling just by walking in the door. Every treatment gives them a unique massage infused facial experience treating their skin, mind & body all at once.

Sometimes in the moment life doesn’t make sense and we wonder why we are on certain paths that seem unfair or taking longer than we want but each decision we make and path we take has a lesson. I believe I had to go through all of these lessons to prepare me for this season of opening and successfully running a business in my thirties.

So, here I am – over 1 year later after opening – writing my story of how I got here as I am sitting in my suite that was once a far away, impossible dream. I am fulfilled & no longer seeking another job or career path. This is it for me.

I took a chance on myself because I only have this one life to live – why not give it all we can and if it truly doesn’t work – I can say at the very least, I tried and that’s a WIN!

Alyssa, 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?

For me, I can’t say I grew up knowing i’ve always wanted to be an Esthetician. Life just ended up taking me here and I am happy I listened to my heart because I know I was born to do this and feel as though I am living out my destiny.

I truly believe what sets my treatments apart from others is the overall experience. My goal was to create an ambiance that was calming, had dim lighting and can give a client a sense of relaxation just by walking in the door. From there I knew my years of experience as a massage therapist would infuse each facial treatment with different modalities to enhance their facial even more and lastly, my passion for skincare and deep knowledge of treatments to give each client a results driven facial treatment to target all skin types and concerns would be a full package deal no one would want to turn down!

I am most proud of my resilience and determination to want more out of life and putting fear aside to go after my dreams, making those a reality. Because of my decision, I give my clients this space to look forward to monthly and knowing I did this for more than just myself makes me proud.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

So, initially all I had was $5k in a savings account to open my business which scared me! I knew it wasn’t enough to open AND possibly support me through the first few months if business turned out to be slower than anticipated. For my business in particular being in a salon suite-we pay rent weekly which was VERY scary to me.

So, when I went to open my business checking/savings account I decided to also apply for a business credit card. I got approved for about $12k which for me was a sigh of relief. I decided not to touch my personal $ to open and used the business credit card to fund all start up costs which in turn started to build my business credit at the same time, figured that was a win!

After my first year, that debt is paid off and I am thankful I went that’s route!

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

Definitely word of mouth, I believe having love and passion for what you do will speak volumes and if you give someone a 5 start experience, they will tell everyone about it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sonderskinaesthetics.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: sonderskinaesthetics

Image Credits

photography:

ShadeLife.Co, Brendan Eldom
Jennifer MacGovern