We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cathy Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Cathy, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I am naturally a happy person but in this moment I am not a happy business owner. Fighting between my day to day life and running my business lately has been a struggle. The economy has impacted everyone including myself so I am always constantly reminding myself I’m not alone in this hard time. With my business I offer a beauty service and if my clientele cannot come as often or even come at all I had to become creative on ways to still run my business but also be sensitive to everyone’s situation. Im human, I understand. No matter what your profession depending on what you do when the economy is not in good standing it trickles down to everyone. How you prepare or recover from the unexpected is up to you. I feel like these hard times have built hustlers and birthed entrepreneurs, passion will determine their longevity. Their are often times I think about getting a traditional 9 to 5. I miss the structure and secured stability. I enjoy being on a schedule and knowing no matter what as long as I show up and do my part, I’ll make money. Being an entrepreneur is such a gamble because regardless of me showing up, making profit is not guaranteed. Theirs been times I’ve been too tired or didn’t feel well but if I didn’t clock in for myself no money would’ve been made. And to me, some money is better then none. Like any business, theirs a slow season and a peak season. In the beauty industry our line of work for the most part is consistent due to the demand in services. Someone is always going to want to get glammed up throughout the year wether it be a birthday, holiday, special event, etc. Despite business being consistent for majority of the year when the economy is deprived due to inflation, it causes that consistency to shift. That’s where the business owner, the creative, the hustler mindset comes out to stay afloat. You can no longer depend on your regular routine to make money. Covid till this day has changed my business because now I am constantly evolving and trying to stay steps ahead of myself. During the lockdown, people couldn’t consistently maintain their upkeep especially when nail techs, beauticians and other service providers were forced to shut down a lot of people taught themselves during the quarantine. I am always evolving, trying new techniques, learning new methods to stay appealing to my clients and gain new ones as well. I don’t believe the beauty industry is over saturated because I feel like what’s meant for you is yours no matter who else is doing it. Despite my good months or bad months, wether my back is to the wall or I’m booked and busy I bet on myself every time. To me success isn’t giving up or completing what you started. It’s the never ending chase to push yourself farther than you can fathom.
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
I’m Cathy, owner of Painted By Cathy and Nosh Now Vending. Painted By Cathy is an umbrella for my craft. I am multifaceted and did not want to limit myself to only one service which is how Painted By Cathy was born. I’m a digital artist, I’m a professional makeup artist, I’m a licensed nail technician and esthetician. I also own a vending machine business on the side. Painted By Cathy was born because I’m always creating. One day I could be waxing eyebrows, doing lashes, the next I’m spending time doing an abstract design on nails. I want my current and future clients to know me for my diversity. I want them to be able to know I am able to provide multiple quality services to a wide range of people. I have a true passion for the beauty industry I am constantly taking classes, investing into myself and my business to be able to exceed their expectations. I want people to see my work and automatically know it’s mine no matter how versatile it is. I don’t like to limit or box myself into a category, I thrive when I’m able to fully be creative and explore my ideas.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
My side hustle and my career was somewhat wrapped into one. My career I was working as a makeup artist/ sales associate for a makeup brand so I’ve always been in the industry just on a different scale. Working my job I would do makeup for the company but I couldn’t fully do it the way I wanted to because I was limited to the company rules and policies. At the time I couldn’t stand it but looking back on it, it made me a better artist and now I understand why they implemented those things into their business. I would take makeup clients at the makeup counter and sell products but it wasn’t enough I still wanted more. As I grew there my business grew as well because people would request me. Word of mouth got around, people would want to book me outside of the hours I was working my job. A key milestone for me is when I had at least 6 clients every weekend and had multiple weddings per month. It doesn’t sound like a lot but it adds up and it was definitely more then I was making. The amount I was making off doing makeup for one wedding party exceeded what I made in 2 weeks. I was so proud because it was consistent! It’s one thing to get a new client, but consistent clientele is harder then it seems. Not only do you enjoy my service but you enjoy the experience enough to come back, to me that is an honor. The beauty industry has plenty of options but you decided to come to me and trust me, it’s an amazing feeling. Eventually my clientele grew to the point I had to leave my job because I was able to stay afloat and soon make more money without it.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I keep in touch with clients by actually having a genuine relationship with them. Luckily with social media it is easy to keep in touch with clients or stay up-to-date with them just by clicking their page. It could even be something so simple as “congratulations I saw you got a promotion”.. Even though it doesn’t directly affect me, me celebrating that moment with them helps create that bond which leads to loyalty. When they’re with me everything isn’t always business. When they sit in my chair I don’t know the day they’ve had, the obstacles they’ve overcome to sit with me so I try to create a safe space so they feel welcomed. When they sit in my chair, they might want to vent or get a good laugh. When getting services you just want to feel good, you want to have a relaxing time. Good service is important but creating a good atmosphere for your clients to come to is what builds the loyalty. They see you go above and beyond for them or feel like you genuinely care which makes them want to promote you, share your information with others and help you grow as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=17072990
- Instagram: @PaintedByCathy
- Facebook: PaintedByCathy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-johnson-069904243