Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ellie Zakheim. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ellie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
The industry standard includes many franchises that offer beauty services – so why ME?
I treat my clients as human beings. they are not just another appointment on my books, or a dollar amount that I can count on cashing in – THEY ARE MY PEOPLE.
People that are vulnerable enough to share their lives with me – the good, the bad, and the ugly. When my clients go through something, I go through it with them. Job promotions, breakups, marriages, divorces, pregnancies, birthdays, loss & grief, emotional breakdowns, emotional breakthroughs – I am there.
Aside from providing a killer beauty service, I want to foster an environment where my clients feel appreciated and cared for as human beings. I think THAT is where many businesses go wrong – they curate relationships that are simply transactional. And THAT is something I will NOT stand for.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a 26 year-old Esthetician, born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The beauty industry has been intriguing to me from a very young age – hair, nails, makeup – you name it, I wanted it.
I have so many “beauty” related childhood memories – the one that consistently sticks out to me is when my Nana would take me to Target and buy me Covergirl lipsticks and french-tip press-on nails. THAT was my kryptonite. But it didn’t stop there – I found love for hairstyling and taught myself to braid on my American Girl Dolls with the book they came with. In middle school, I was doing hair and makeup for my dance classmates at recitals. By high school, I was getting up at 5:30am to put on full glam every day.
I owe much of my makeup obsession to the influx of “beauty-gurus” on Youtube – I would watch videos for HOURS, followed by frequent trips to Sephora and the M.A.C counter at my local mall. From a young age, friends and family told me that I should pursue a career in the beauty industry, but I never felt that was my path (I was wrong). I went off to college and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a major in Strategic Communications and two minors in Spanish and Sociology.
I then moved to Madrid, Spain, to pursue an internship in the public relations field. It was there I realized the corporate life wasn’t my dream. That experience taught me SO much – quite honestly, if I hadn’t gone to Spain, I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do this very interview – I would be sitting in a cubicle working behind a computer screen all day, likely really unhappy. To anyone working the corporate world: you rock, and MAJOR props.
Ultimately, Spain is what brought me to where I am now – When I came back to Minnesota, I completed an Esthetics program, then started my business from the ground up. I currently offer eyelash extensions, eyebrow shaping, tinting, and lamination, and makeup services.
I really pride myself in providing high-quality services, investing in the best products, continuing my education, and building close relationships with my clients. I am incredibly proud of the relationships I have built, and the time I have put in to master my craft.
One thing I believe sets me apart from others is my drive – I am a workhorse and I always prioritize my business, to a fault. I haven’t taken a vacation since December of 2019. If i’m not in the studio actively working on a client, I am at home responding to emails, texts, and Instagram messages, creating social media content, updating my website, ordering product, tracking expenses, the list goes on. I have dedicated folders on my phone of content that are ready to post, divided into categories based on the service pictured. I delegate many of my weekends to providing makeup services for weddings and special events. It isn’t uncommon for me to do some late-night content creation in my bed and fall asleep holding my iPad.
But, these almost three years of hustling has gotten me further than I ever dreamed I would get in my lifetime – and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One of the hardest things I have endured thus far in my life, is grief.
In October of 2021, I lost the most important person in my life to COVID-19, my Zaida (grandfather) who was the glue that held my entire family together.
I will never forget that day – I had just finished a service on a client. My grandfather had already been in the hospital for over three weeks but was on the mend. I got a call from my mom, and I expected her to ask a simple question, or maybe that tell me she needed a favor. She let me know that my Zaida had just lost his battle with COVID.
To say I was blindsided would be an understatement – I was expecting her to ask me something along the lines of, “do you want to grab dinner tonight?” I immediately dropped to my knees and started sobbing. I truly don’t have words that adequately describe the pain that hit me in that moment – and to be honest, it hasn’t really left since.
I returned to work three days later. Working through such immense loss was quite the contrast to my work-life before – I suddenly had no energy, no desire to do anything, nothing left in me to give to my clients during their appointments. But nonetheless, I prevailed. I learned to compartmentalize – to do my best to leave my grief at the door when I walked into work, and give my undivided attention to my clients regardless of anything I was going through.
As I approach the one-year mark of his passing, I reflect on how strong I have been thus far – I haven’t missed a beat. Always on time, always providing high-quality work, and always holding space for my clients to share their lives with me.
To anyone grieving, or even battling a personal struggle while having no choice but to hold it all together, I see you. My heart is with you.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
STOP. PEOPLE. PLEASING.
This is a tough concept for me. I consider myself to be fairly introverted and very laidback. At the forefront they seem like great qualities to have, but at times it can be incredibly challenging.
I would also consider myself to be overly self-aware and always willing to go to great lengths to please people – This is no exception with my clients. I never want to anyone to be dissatisfied, whether that be with just the service alone or the experience as a whole. I want my clients to be happy with myself and my work, consistently.
But, that can’t always be the case.
I have been fortunate enough to close my books, so all of my current clients are people that have stuck by my side for some time now. However, earlier on when I was building my business I had a select few incidents where people were dissatisfied.
Policy enforcement seems to be the culprit for this one. There have been MANY times where I have given in when in reality, I should have stood my ground. In the end, it de-values my being and hurts my business.
Addressing people-pleasing behavior will likely always be a struggle for me – I have actually been working on it in therapy for some time now, having had some major breakdowns, but even bigger breakthroughs.
One thing I take with me now: there is “someone” for everyone. Some clients are better suited for one business than another. And that is OK. It’s not anyone’s job to make every single person happy. It is one thing to value patience, lenience, and kindness, but it is another to do so at your own expense.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ezontheeyesmpls.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ezontheeyesmpls/
Image Credits
Madison Delaney Photography