We were lucky to catch up with Courtney Valentine recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Courtney thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

As someone who spent many years working for others in this industry, I quickly learned I was doing a lot of work for others to make profit. Although I believed I was valued, over time, it became clear I was cheap labor. It took me years to understand that you have to know your worth. I was working for a spa grossing 2+ million a year while I was being paid 54,000 a year with no retirement or 401k. I let someone take advantage of my kindness and realized I was never going to be valued for the work I was doing. The point of this being, you must value yourself and ask for what you want. CLOSED MOUTHS DONT GET FED. I learned not to be afraid to ask for more or find someone else who will value your work. And if you eventually realize, like I did, that you aren’t happy working for anyone, figure out a way to make your own path.

Courtney, 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?

When I was 24, I found myself a recently divorced mother of a 2-year-old trying to bartend, attend college, and watch my daughter full-time. After 2 years of juggling it all, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from University of Central Oklahoma with plans to start teaching in 2017. God must have had other plans, because not a week later a friend of mine called and let me know her medical spa was hiring for a front desk position. I had always loved the industry, so I jumped at the chance. Although it was only making 15 an hour (first 90 days), teaching was not going to be paying much more, so I decided to give it a chance. I loved working with a small, all female staff. We became good friends often traveling with each other and spending lots of free time together. Unfortunately, this industry comes with a lot of envy. After 5 years of working with the same 3 women, one felt as though she was underappreciated and underpaid. Ill never forget calling a patient who had not shown up to their appointment, when he answered he informed me that he had paid the nurse the “cash discount price.” My heart fell into my stomach. My best friend, who had gotten me the job, had been stealing. This was by far the hardest thing I ever had to do. I was forced to go to my boss and tell her the truth. I remember calling my mother crying, knowing this would ruin my friendship, and she told me, “This is not your business, and you have no choice but to do the right thing.” After that, I lost my best friend and realized that envy is the enemy. Envy had led to greed, and I decided I was going to be envious of my future self. I started thinking about my future and what my next step was. I waited patiently for the next opportunity and was approached to open a medical spa for a local dentist. I jumped at the opportunity, and it allowed me the experience to see what it took, not only mentally but financially, to develop a successful med spa. A year later, I was burnt out. While grateful for the opportunity, I was forced to work under the final say of someone else. I knew this was not the path for me. I then quit to refocus and decide what my next move was. After a lot of reflecting, I realized I was not burnt out of this industry, just of not being my own boss. So, I started preparing my business plan. I started looking at the market and seeing where was lacking. I dove deep into my financials and looked at what I could risk losing…and I risked it all.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

In college, I took a business course. In this course, we were tasked with reading “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. It really spoke to me about what is needed to become successful. It spoke of the importance of being a modest leader, something many forget once they reach that higher tax bracket. This book was one I always look back to as instilling what makes a great leader and how consistency leads to change. My office opened late April, some days only seeing one patient a day. Here we are in October, and I feel unsuccessful because I only see 3-5 people a day. However, look at how far we have come. Perspective is everything.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

My initial capital was my life savings and a casino win. We had been at the pool in Vegas and were walking back to our room. I decided to sit down at a slot machine in the high rollers section. We had been at the pool and only took $300 with us. Initially I put in $200. The machine minimum was $250 and it required I put in another $100. I told my boyfriend that $250 was ridiculous I am not betting that much for one spin. He responded with, “Just put it in, were in Vegas.” So, I reluctantly put in the last $100. One spin later, I had won almost $17,000. As silly as it sounds, I took this as a sign from God. I took that, plus what I had in savings, and went to the bank. I used the equity in my first home that I had purchased in 2008 as collateral and was able to secure $250,000 business loan. And now here I am, in debt up to my eyeballs, but getting to do what I love and work for myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://symmetrynorman.com
• Instagram: symmetry aesthetics and wellness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtney.valentine.5/