We were lucky to catch up with Carley Wiggins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

As a small business owner, especially in the beauty industry i constantly strive to set myself apart from others in order to stand out.

Not only is it our mission to offer an inclusive place for everybody to feel welcomed, safe & like they belong. In an industry that is revolved around beauty, we want each person to walk in our doors feel like their most beautiful self when they leave, however that looks for them. There is no “standard” of beauty.

But what really sets us apart is that we have artists of all kinds at Body Haus. In June of 2023 we welcomed our tattoo artist Maddie. I loved the idea of merging the two industries together. And we were the first beauty salon in Grand Rapids to do so.

Her clients love coming to such a warm, cozy and welcoming environment which you often aren’t going to find in a typical tattoo shop. Most of her clientele is female, and she wanted them to feel more comfortable when they came in and that’s exactly what they can feel at Body Haus.

So, whether you are coming to see us for a set of lashes, a relaxing facial, or for a tattoo and anything else in between. We have a collaboration of artists offering a warm welcoming space for all.

Carley, 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?

I first got into this industry back in 2018 when I started the esthetics program at Aveda. It was my original love for makeup that led me there. While I was there I quickly realized I had a bigger passion in esthetics than I had originally thought. After I graduated and became licensed, I dove head first and started my first job as an esthetician by opening up my first business“Carley Ray Artistry” . I started with 0 clients, nothing but a vision and a dream. Within 2.5 years I obtained more than 8 different certifications, grew my clientele to full books and decided to take my brand a step further and open up my own salon.

In December of 2021 I opened up Body Haus. I wanted it to be a place I could offer a space for established artists to work and rent a space from us to run their small businesses out of, but also a place that I could help new estheticians build their skills and grow their clientele too with my guidance and knowledge.

Since then, we have grown tremendously as a beauty salon, and have an amazing group of artists of all kinds to offer their services in an inclusive warm and welcoming space.

From being a solo esthetician and making that leap to opening up a business with 7 staff members it has been nothing short of blood sweat and tears. Constantly having to reinvent yourself and your business in an industry that is always growing and changing.

I feel like you have to really push the envelope with everything you do to stay current and relevant or you will very easily fall behind. It is one of the most challenging parts to me, about being a business owner in the beauty industry. But with that being said, it’s also the most rewarding part about it all, to know that in such a saturated market , you’re still here and relevant. However If it weren’t for doing things differently than everyone else, I can’t say we would be!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

During the 2.5 years I was working as a solo esthetician, I was able to put aside a pretty large amount of capital. I was actually planning to buy my first home with that. But as things were changing in the place I was renting a space from I felt like I wasn’t getting what I needed from it anymore. There was so much more I wanted to offer to my clientele, and so much more I wanted other artists to be able to have access to as well.

Suddenly it was like a light bulb went off in my head, “I should open up my own beauty salon” I said to myself. So instead of buying a home, that’s exactly what I did.

Within 5 months of that initial thought, I began the process of finding the space, creating business concepts, designing & planning everything.

It was the biggest risk I’d ever taken in my life. But I’m a firm believer in living life with no regrets. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Fail, but know you at least tried, or do nothing and wonder about how it would’ve turned out had you.

Any advice for managing a team?

In my experience, the best advice for managing a team is to treat them like a person who you actually care for. Not just a number or body working for your dream. I can’t tell you how many places I’ve worked as a young woman who was so blatantly treated poorly. Like I didn’t matter, and all they needed me for was to produce numbers.

I wanted people to have the freedom of making their own schedule and to be able to come and go as they pleased. There is no “sitting at work all day” even if they don’t have clients. Go run out, do what you need to do & come back. As long as the work gets done there all that matters to me. I think this allows staff to feel as if they do matter, and know that they aren’t just a body to produce numbers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Bodyhausgr.com
• Instagram: @bodyhaus.gr
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/bodyhaus.gr