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

Becca, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My success story is not unlike any from another business or person. There wasn’t some pivotal moment, no cosmic shift, no big epiphany that led to this chapter of my life. Regardless, I feels unique to me and is a tremendous story of tenacity, independence, determination, and my own sheer stubbornness.

I suppose many businesses had to make it or break it during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though, of no one person’s fault, it created a crucial moment of time where every decision an entrepreneur made was going to either lead to their ultimate success or their succumbing to the weight of the world around them. Somehow, every decision I made led to where I am now in spite of the fact I had zero clear direction or plan.

In order to give you a thorough account of how I became a successful waxing specialist and have my own body waxing academy, allow me to paint a backstory of trial and error. You see, I never had a clear picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up. Even in high school, when my classmates were applying to college or trade schools, I had changed my mind and major no less that thirteen times just during the application process. I ultimately decided on elementary education as I had always enjoyed school, not for the socialization or cliques, but for the learning and praise I had received from teachers and administrators.

I went to class, maintained my GPA, and anticlimactically decided I did not want to fulfill my journey of teaching in the classroom. None of it felt authentic to who I was. Every day felt as though I was going through the motions. While in college, I freelanced as a makeup artist and had enjoyed it. This led to me enrolling in the local beauty academy for their aesthetics program.

Being the time that it was, hardly anyone in my area knew how to pronounce “esthetician” let alone could tell you what one did for a living. It was still a fairly new industry even though there were about a handful practicing in town. The licensure offered a broad range of opportunities and areas of expertise, which was what led to my decision initially.

Once I finished trade school, I began renting a space in a nail salon. I provided a general service menu at this time. My strategy was to cast a large net and catch as many fish, or clients, as possible. I performed facials, waxing, and makeup services. Summarily, I found I enjoyed body waxing. Other estheticians considered it to be intimidating, I felt as though I was good, could even be great, at it.

This resulted in me taking a continued education course for body waxing. The class could provide me with a better knowledge of waxing making me more efficient at the services. The two-day course was expensive and extremely labor intensive, and I loved every second of it. I took this knowledge back to my business and got to work.

The salon I worked at initially was not as accommodating to my schedule as I needed. I had to work a second job in order to pay my bills while I built a clientele, so many of us in the beauty industry do when we aren’t relying on family or partners to keep us up during the process.

Do not believe for a second that my family was not supportive or available to me. They weren’t completely out of the picture when it came to helping me when I needed it, but I have always been too stubborn to ask for help and too prideful to admit I couldn’t do it on my own.

For this and other reasons, I made the important decision to leave that place of employment and take a position as a salaried employee for a corporation.

Working for a corporation can seem a bit demeaning when you are someone who thrives on self reliance. Although, it gave me a stable income, health insurance, and paid time-off. I was able to have income, professional training, and create a broad network of industry professionals. This particular corporation employed me as what they called “Skin Care Expert.” Which is a fancy title for someone who did facials and sold skin care products. This job gave me product and ingredient knowledge that I still carry with me today.

I had made the grave assumption I would be moving up the corporate ladder for this company, or that I would be swept away by one of the skin care companies to work for them as they has always implied to me. Each opportunity, I was rejected and told I was too valuable in my current position. You know what they say, never be too good at a job you do not want.

As we approached the end of 2019, the media began reporting of the coronavirus outbreaks across the world. No one knew what it meant for the future of the company, much less the world as we knew it. The company slowly began their lay off process, and I lost my job along with so many other Americans.

After a generous amount of weeks collecting unemployment, it was time I began figuring out what I was to do next. I started substitute teaching while I sent applications to every salon in town, even the ones who had no space for an esthetician. I reached out to all of my networking contacts, desperately hoping someone had some connection for me. No one did. Years at the company had left me what felt to be empty handed.

After months of searching, I landed a spot at a salon, which was known at the time as The Finery Salon and Spa, that was a dream fit. The owner wanted me to succeed and stayed out of my way to allow me to hone what is now my livelihood. At the time, she allowed me to create my own schedule so I could continue substituting part time, offer the services I wanted to perform, and establish my brand. Her generosity and support will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I still offered a range of services just to fill in gaps between what I really wanted for myself, becoming our area’s first body waxing specialist. During this time, our community did not have a commitment to appropriate waxing services, specifically Brazilian waxing. The options were limited to salons who did not practice proper sanitation when waxing or they simply did not specialize in the service. I saw the golden opportunity, and I ran with it.

This was a huge risk since no one I knew personally has done it before, but I believed that did not mean it couldn’t be accomplished. And so, I strictly promoted waxing services through social media as well as traditional advertising mediums curating my brand as efficient, clean, and comfortable for all clients. This proved itself to be effective, and I steadily built my books.

The first year I filed our taxes after having working a salary job for years confirmed to be very financially grueling to my family. I had only made a third of what I had previously. My partner refused to allow me to give up, undeterred by my offering to become a full time teacher like him to steady us monetarily. He encouraged me to keep going for one simple reason: it made me happy.

The next year when we filed, I had doubled my income, admittedly it was still a fraction of what the corporation had paid me. Despite this, we were ultimately able to purchase our first home. My life and business finally felt like it was taking the heavy load off my shoulders that had been there for years.

Since then, I have more than doubled what the corporate job salaried me, created a brand that’s established and booked constantly, and began to teach other estheticians in the area how to effectively and comfortably wax clients so they can forge their own paths in this industry. The aesthetics businesses in our community and those surrounding have increased by dozens since I started.

I took the leap of faith of moving back to my small hometown to continue building my brand right back where I started. I now work at a salon, N’Vee Salon and Spa where I’m able to be be myself and create the environment I need. My coworkers are unbelievably brilliant and supportive, allowing me to dream and plan things for my business’s future I could never have envisioned before now.

The thing is, I never knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. No specific job title or position. I had no clear picture of what I would be doing a decade after graduating high school. I never saw myself as anything other than successful. While there was no definitive role I saw myself playing in the world, I knew I wanted to be the best at whatever that was. I choose to believe that is exactly what I am. My goal at the end of every day is to make sure 8-year-old me would be proud. And she is.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Simply put, I do not know exactly what led to me being in the beauty industry. I went to college to be an elementary teacher, had worked in a funeral home, waited tables, cleaned office buildings, and freelanced makeup artistry all just to pay the bills.

I went to school to be an esthetician because I loved doing makeup, whether it was for brides to help them shine with confidence on their magical days or restoration makeup to bring a deceased person’s family to peace seeing their loved ones for the last time looking as much like themselves as possible.

I quickly learned how many career opportunities there were for estheticians from skin care and makeup to body waxing. I fell head over heels for body waxing. I wanted to create the ultimate destination for clients looking for someone sanitary, knowledgeable, and efficient for all their waxing needs.

Many of my clients, much like myself, struggle with body hair. Society wears women down on what their bodies should and shouldn’t look like from our weight to looking like hairless dolls. Shaving can make our skin uncomfortable, and too many people have waxing horror story experiences. I wanted to curate a safe space where all of those worries could be left at the door.

I think what sets me apart from other waxers in the industry is that I do not promote is as a way to appease societal standards. I make sure no matter who walks into my service room, they are comfortable and happy to be there, and they are not there to uphold some unachievable beauty standard. They are simply there for themselves.

All of my products are selected by myself with every person in mind. Everything from the wax I use, to the sticks and gloves, to the retail I carry to serve as after care for my clients. Even the most sensitive of clients can book with me knowing they are in safe hands.

Any advice for managing a team?

At the end of the day, people just want to know they are able to be human beings, and they have the work environment that allows them to maintain their humanity. Understanding that not everyone’s ability to give 100% looks the same as those around them or even the same as they gave the day before. As humans, we have lives outside of the workplace. While it is important to be as on top of yourself as you can be regardless of what is going on in your personal life, we all know that is not totally possible. Maintaining a team who believes in you as themselves starts with allowing them to not always show up perfect. Giving yourself grace will extend to giving grace to your team. Empathy will take your business farther than total and complete control of your employees and others within your business. When you curate that trust within your team, they will start showing up authentically and being the best versions of themselves.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Showing up authentically has proven to be my biggest strength in growing and maintaining a clientele. From allowing myself to be awkward on social media to not putting on a facade to my clients, my clients know I do not cut corners and I do not lie to them. Doing this builds trust within your work relationships. Sometimes this can mean a client isn’t the right one for you. Accepting that creates space for the right clientele to come your way. Finding that perfect balance of authenticity and professionalism has been a defining factor for business being successful.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @skintherapist_becca & @wildcatwaxingco

Image Credits

Two-Sixteen Photography
Alexis Clouse Photography
Arianna Hoffman Photography