We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Yarbrough a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
A little back story about me, my husband and I had our first child at just 17 years old and I dropped out of school in the 11th grade. I went to cosmetology school at the advice of my mom and began down the path that would change my life forever. I started out as a licensed cosmetologist performing all services in a salon where I learned the art of sugaring, an all natural waxing alternative that is typically less painful, longer lasting and great for all skin types. I instantly fell in love with the technique, benefits and results. When my husband joined the Air Force we were stationed in Arkansas where I had my first experience as an independent contractor offering sugaring services through room rental. I did that for 6 years until he got out of the military and we relocated to Florida. I again started down the road of being an independent contractor. The clients kept coming and I was soon unable to meet the demand of clients which was when I truly began to understand the demand for an all natural waxing alternative in the sunshine state. In the infancy of the company I ran into so many obstacles, from getting served a cease and desist for trademark infringement, to my first experiences with employee related issues and so much more. I started out small adding one employee at a time as the clientele continued to grow. I had to figure out every step along the way from policies, procedures and best practices all the way to accounting, taxes, payroll, regulations and more. About a year after opening I decided to open a second location. That’s when things got interesting as I was just beginning to nail down business operations, while training staff and managing everything from the website/social media and everything in between. During that next year I just kept putting one foot in front of the other with the help of our developing teams. My mother went back to school to get licensed and was working at our first location and decide to open her own location which would end up being our third location. We have spent the last two years locking down and implementing best practices, policies, procedures and protocols for every aspect of the business. I have had the help of so many amazing mentors, team members and people that believe in the mission and vision. It wouldn’t be possible without our amazing teams!! Just this last year my mom and myself opened our fourth location together! I am incredibly grateful to all who have been on this journey with me!
Amanda, 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?
My name is Amanda Yarbrough and I am a wife and mother of 3. I started MamaBare Sugaring Studio, a hair removal studio that offers an all natural waxing alternative known as sugaring. We only provide sugaring services and have 4 Central Florida locations in Port Orange, Ormond Beach, Lake Mary and Oviedo. We empower you to feel confident by sweetly removing unwanted facial + body hair and insecurities. We have client-focused studios with well-trained staff offering you an experience not just an appointment. Our teams truly care about people and making sure they feel their best. I started out as a sugaring specialist and spent over 15 years in the room servicing clients so I have seen it all, heard it all and have run into just about anything that could happen in the service room. I am passionate about sharing that knowledge and experience with my staff so they can create the best experience with our clients.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
MamaBare Sugaring Studio had the experience of dealing with a pandemic and mandatory shutdown of all studios for 6 weeks. During that time we were afraid that we would lose our staff, have to face closing and handle the uncertainty of all things related to reopening. It was important to us to continue with weekly staff zoom meetings, update our clients with our procedural plans and plans and execute them well. We had to cancel 6 weeks worth of appointments and thankfully when we were allowed to reopen safely our clients were eager to get back in. We made tremendous changes to protocols to keep our staff and clients safe during the uncertainty and ended up opening a 4th location during all of the chaos!
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
We believe having an open door policy, open communication and clear expectations are a few of the most important things in having a high functioning, positive team. Always address issues, miscommunications, or negativity with a compassionate, understanding attitude and have solution-based discussions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mamabaresugaring.com
- Instagram: @mamabaresugaring
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamabaresugaringstudio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/mamabaresugaringstudio
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mamabare-sugaring-studio-port-orange-port-orange
- Other: Tiktok- @mamabaresugaring
Image Credits
Kenzie Rae Photography