The idea of my business started when I was just a stay at home Mom with my two babies. I realized I needed a little more in life to do some thing on my own and to have a little more income for my family. Although, my husband works extremely hard for all of us, it’s always nice to have that little bit of fun money. I decided to start doing lash extensions because it was kind of the newest craze at the time and I could still do it from home while raising my 2 kids. At first, I thought it would just be a few clients here and there a couple days a week. I set up a little studio in the extra room of our house, decorated it so it felt welcoming as well as a room that I didn’t mind spending time in. I started advertising on Facebook pages and started an Instagram page to post some of my work and little by little clients started trickling in. It was the most nerve wrecking thing for my first few clients but I loved the interaction with people and it just became easier with time. I had no idea how much my little idea of just doing last extensions for extra income and to get my creative side out would grow into numerous clients, working 6 days a week and taking on 5-6 clients a day! It grew quiet quickly and at one point it became almost too much. I started becoming extremely overwhelmed and was basically running on fumes. It almost wasn’t even fun any more. Then, Covid hit! Now it was the complete opposite. I was so bored, but well rested to say the least. I needed another creative outlet seeing as nobody knew when the world would open back up.

Since I was a young girl I have always dreamed of having my own boutique. A place where I could style women, help build confidence in women, show women that they could feel good in almost anything, make them feel beautiful in every possible way. Seeing as opening an actual brick and mortar was impossible at the time, I decided to take some of the money I had been saving and put it into opening a women’s online boutique! Emma June Boutique was born. I named it after my daughter. The shop took off faster than I could have ever imagined. Something I very well was not expecting! Sure, I had those weeks where I was freaking out a little due to slow orders coming in, but had to remind myself I was still new to the world and for being new, I really was not doing to bad.

Fast Forward to the world opening back up and lash clients starting to reach back out. Now I have two businesses that I am running and the free time I had was starting to become less and less. Now trying to shoot new clothes, keep up with social media (which is my very uncreative side, I actually hate social media most of the time), websites, emails, launch drops, 2 kids doing school from home and a husband and now lash clients starting to trickle in. I made it work, until I didn’t anymore. The boutique started to become extremely overwhelming, the business side of it started to become too much and I just started falling apart. I decided to take a small winter break on the boutique and just focus on lashing for awhile and recollecting myself. My shop never opened back up and I was pretty devastated, but also relieved in a way. My lash business was booming again and strictly on a word of mouth basis. I do not advertise anymore. My beautiful clients are my advertisement. Some even stopped giving my information out because they were having a hard time getting into their normal spots. I was constantly booked. This time though I put restrictions on my work schedule. I no longer work weekends and I actually will stop my day at a decent hour. I have always been so scared to lose clients, but not one has left due to my restrictions. I appreciate them so much for that. My boutique though has always been in the back of my mind. I love fashion, all styles and all the ways you can pair so many fun things. It started eating away at me on how much I missed it. I missed the creative side of it and having fun finding clothes to bring in and seeing customers style it in ways I may have never thought or showing customers how they can style it or wear it in ways they never thought. I live for it. So, here we are in August 2023 and I have slowly relaunched my online store. Taking it step by step and moving slowly, which is something I did not do the very first time. Making sure it’s my style, not trying to do what every other boutique else is doing and keep it to wear its just me enjoying what i love and having fun with it. I also have a my best friend, Nicole, who helps me with so many things and keep me on track, steering me in certain ways and reminding me that I have this. I call on her to help me make so many decisions with the shop. She is literally such a pride and joy in my life. I renamed my store to “June’s Gone West” because we live for some good western finds. Im taking it one day at a time and no rush on trying to blow up so quickly. The pressure can be to much and I have to be okay with realizing that.

I am currently still lashing so that I can afford my side hustle. I would love to one day own an actual store front (or maybe even a trailer to shop out of)  which lately has been in some of my weekly activities. My husband and I drive around and search for potential store fronts and have been in contact with our realtor to hopefully find the perfect location. But, let’s not forget a place to lash all my girls still! I mean, that is what started this whole business life anyway, right?

I am a Mom of 2 gorgeous kids. A wife of an amazing husband who works so hard for us. Being a wife and Mom is my main job in life but I am also a licensed Esthetician. I have been for about 18 years now. When I became a stay at home mom I came to a point where I needed something to do. I started getting bored and felt bad that my Husband was hard at work and I was just home. So I thought what could I use my license for in terms of a job working from home. Before I became a SAHM I was a medical esthetician and I loved what I did but couldn’t bring everything I did in the Docs office to my home without a Doc present at the time. Lash extensions were the craze and I would be able to work from home. I enrolled in the next class to become a certified lash tech and started practicing and advertising asap. Down the line I decided to step into the world of fashion and open an online boutique as well as still lashing. Lashing can become quiet overwhelming and hard at times. I have developed a little bit of carpool tunnel and my hand just throbs from pain on the daily. Still not enough to quit. I love my clients way to much. So, I deal with the pain but I am able to manage how many clients I take in with another source of income and still doing things I absolutely love.

I honestly think the most effective strategy has been just being good at what you do and be a good human being genuine and kind. Someone who is truly cares about the wants and needs of their clients. Not just someone who is there to rake in money. I have had more clients referred to me by word of mouth than any platform has ever brought. Also, I may not be the best at social media either. It is not my strong point. For having a small in home office though and building 40 plus clients just through word of mouth. Maybe social media isn’t all we need to get by. Just being a good and genuine person who truly cares about what they’re doing and treating their clients with respect, making them feel like you really care I think has been my most effective strategy. Don’t focus so much on what others are saying you have to do, post or hashtag.