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

Bella, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Growing up I was really into sports and athletics. However, when I started working I fell in love with getting my nails done. It was almost like a therapy. I ended up dropping out of sports and pursued working full-time while in high school. I began to build a relationship with my nail technician at the time, he suggested that I should try doing nails. We were moving back and fourth for a while so when we finally settled in our new home, I started investing in my nail career with all of the money I was saving from working my regular teen job. I was never a fan of practicing on the fake hands so I started advertising $10 nail sets at school. I was working out of our unfinished concrete basement. I received a lot of attention due to the fact it was affordable for high school students. However, the quality of the nails not so great…I always felt that I was naturally able to accomplish anything pretty easily but not when it came to doing nails. It was very challenging, which only made me strive to do better. I had went to visit my nail technician after a while of practicing and he mentioned that If I went to school and got my license he would hire me at his salon. I used all the money I had been saving up to enroll myself in nail school at 17. Unexpectedly, COVID-19 had spread nationwide and prolonged my nail education. Thankfully I was still currently working at my high school job but I knew I had to keep my nail career moving. I created a press on nail business in the meantime as well as a small online nail supply store to continue growing. I was still attending high school zoom meetings daily while going to Nail school at night time, working a regular teen job, and maintaining my business. I gained a lot of followers and clientele throughout the process.

I graduated Nail School in December of 2020. I Received my Nail Technician License and graduated high school with a 4.6 GPA in May of 2021 during a pandemic. Shortly after I decided to go back to beauty school in August of 2021 to become an Esthetician. I had a grew a full clientele of about 450+ people in which I decided to continue working for myself while still serving. I graduated Esthetician School in April of 2022.

I was never able to enjoy life as a teenager, I constantly worked 2 jobs, attended multiple schools all of high school. I never had a solid group of girlfriends. I finally started traveling, making friends, networking, etc while I was waiting on my next move. I had always known I would own something, regardless the type of business. I was searching retail space for months and months. My real estate agent, Stephanie Clauson, reached out to me about a property here in the Chicago Suburbs. It was previously a nail salon, so we went to go check it out. I had no expectations or interest at first but the opportunity presented to me was worth considering. I was nervous and just graduated esthetician school. I had no experience or education in starting up a storefront. The last 3.5 years of working, I saved all of my money for my future ambitions. This is what all of the hard work was for. I took the risk and ended up getting approved at 19 years old. I signed the lease in July of 2022 on my first retail space and opened Beauty Addiction Co. in early October of 2022. I renovated the entire unit in all cash.

The beauty industry has changed my life, I have met so many amazing people. The last four years of my life not only has my business grown but me as a person, an entrepreneur. I’m currently looking to expand locations already as I am always planning my next move.

Don’t be afraid to take risks because you are afraid of failure. Take risks because it could be the one that changes your life.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

Well for starters, I do tend to be a little impulsive. When I chose to sign the lease at my first location, I did not have a plan. As I mentioned previously, I had no expectations or interest at first. A few days after I signed the lease I left for a week vacation. We probably did not start remodeling until a month after. I had intentions of opening on my birthday weekend. September 30th. One week before opening the power shut down and prolonged our renovation. It was very stressful. I ended up pushing the Grand Opening to the following weekend. Everything ended up working out, all my family, friends, beauticians, were very supportive!

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

Recently in late January, my agent, Stephanie Clauson, found a salon for sale here in the Chicago Suburbs. Unfortunately, the sale did not work out in my favor. We had everything in place leading up to draft a contract. However, the experience had shown me it was possible to expand locations sooner than I imagined. I recently opened my Booth Rental and Salon Suite 5 months prior. We waited around for another opportunity to arise. Stephanie called me the first week in April with great news. Another salon for sale! We took initiative right away. The salon was within my ideal style, filled with products, great business, employees, and lots of clients. Within a week we agreed upon the sale. It all happened quite fast. The process was not easy, it took a lot of negotiation, meetings, going back and fourth. My accountant, Kimberly Lynch, guided me with such great advice throughout the process. We close May 15th and I will now be opening Beauty Addiction Co. pt2!

Contact Info:

• Website: beautyaddictionco.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/nailsbybellat
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085935818222&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: Instagram.com/beautyaddictionco