Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angie De Aramburu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Angie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The wellness and beauty industry faces profit challenges as anyone can look beautiful and feel great from home as well, not just by seeing a provider. My two specialties are in customized spray tans and gentle peroxide teeth whitening. With whitening, this industry is not the type of service where you see clients monthly. I prioritize subtle boost of color over profit which means I recommend my clients to get touch ups between 6 months-2 years. As you can imagine one client is seen in big gaps of time. Also during covid, plenty of at home whitening products were launched in the market. For spray tans, they are a top tier way to get a solid even color customized without the sun damage. Brands have done a wonderful job at making at home mousse solutions for tans. They are alternatives, although anyone who has gotten a proper spray tan would agree it does not compare. With the economy being in many minds, plenty of business owners have noticed their clients and customers are picky on what they spend on. I try to provide a customized experience that genuinely amplifies your confidence in a studio with a zenful ambiance that makes my services stand out.

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 back background and context?

I became a whitening technician in 2012, went solo in 2014 and after graduating from Georgia State I started dedicated more time to Le Blanc. In 2023, I opened up my wellness studio in Buford. Today it’s been 11 years since I patiently and slowly grew my business. It took a lot of discipline but more importantly, passion in what I do. I am extra proud in the studio space as my husband worked endlessly in the construction of my vision for it. The space is a combination of textures, smells, and ambiance I remember from various countries we have visited.

My whitening uses a stain removing method where the whitening occurs in a gentle way. If you leave feeling a bit more confident and sharing a laugh with me, I did my job. I wake up everyday and look forward to doing what I do! I became a spray tan artist to give glows as an alternative to frying in the sun for it. Spray tans are art to me, they can make you jump out of a dull feeling in minutes. I especially noticed how many latinas, like myself, needed a more customized color since we vary in plenty of tones. Every skin tone from fair to rich in melanin, can gain skin evening and boost in tone from spray tans. If you’ve never tried one before, I hope to see you soon!

Learning is something non stop; there are innovative practices in every field and I plan on growing in mine every season.

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

Marketing and social media, a brands best friend! Today social media is your portfolio, it’s your business card, it’s your introduction, it’s the face of your brand.

To grow clientele you need to have your social media in order. Some phenomenal talents don’t need it to grow, but if you are new you absolutely do need it.

To grow clientele via your socials I highly suggest having the basics down. The basics involve having a color scheme, showing what you do, showcasing your best work(not just all the work), attracting clients who speak to your brand best, a concrete bio and showing up. Showing up can mean when you have time not all day long as it can be overwhelming if you’re diving into the strategy tactics.

Besides showcasing my work, I get clientele because I show case my self. I am very transparent about who I am, what I stand for, and overall the kind of person. You don’t just get offers of my services on my socials, you run into me talking about my day or about latest red carpet looks I liked, or even irrelevant memes I repost. I am not a robot behind a screen, I am someone who loves what I do and who I service so I make sure to be a part of the community via my social media.

You can’t fake authenticity and passion. I genuinely enjoy my sessions with my clients and after 11 years you aim at being the welcoming provider they trust and know.

To grow clientele be happy doing what you do and translate that onto your social media.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think I pivoted so many times but I remember one distinct year.

Weeks prior to 2020 covid breakout, I was going through major shift in my life that intertwined with my business/es. I had just graduated from GA State with a concentration of marketing in business in December of ‘19. That fresh graduation had me out of my routine, I had nothing but time now. Long story short, I was 33% owner of a bakery at the time, about to sell my ownership over. I also of course never gave up on Le Blanc Haus and continued to take clients here and there. Covid hit, I sold my bakery % ownership, and my Le Blanc services came to a pause since everyone had health as a priority of course. All this was within that February-June 2020.

In that covid pause, I had to figure out where to go from there. I was sitting on fresh business growth understanding from school, a passion for marketing, and TIME. I decided to use the power of marketing (in a difficult time of low sales for many owners) to push forward Le Blanc and my husbands renovation company EN Bath and Home. That was my pivot point. I could give up on business and easily pick up a steady marketing corporate job, but I knew I had the passion and patience to grow Le Blanc if I could ride out covid. My husband was such a huge support system for me, always is. I had the privilege to take a moment of pause and think on what I wanted to do career wise thanks to him. Part 2 of the pivot was learning how to use marketing in a hard economical time to sell upscale renovations for his brand. I focused on slowly coming up with strategies and fast forward to today I happily with my studio and he is beyond busy renovating all over Atlanta.

Pivots happen in hard or confusing times, I guess it must be like so for many other entrepreneurs!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leblanchausstudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leblanchaus/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/leblancteethwhiteningllc