We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Em Barlow a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Em, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
As with many people, during the pandemic I started questioning what I wanted with my career and feeling the itch more than ever to try something new. I also was not a fan of return to office procedures that my corporate was trying to put into place. I got my real estate license and joined an amazing team, The Balcerzak Group of AB & CO Realtors at the end of 2021. I was working both jobs essentially full time for about 8 months. I decided I was ready to leave corporate, but I wanted something else in addition to real estate that would also be very complimentary. I met a group of dog moms during the pandemic, one of which who was also working at a corporate financial job, but where she was delving into workplace psychology and how the return to office procedures were affecting employees. Through long walks with the dogs, we would chat about what we really wanted to be doing or what we were passionate about. I have always had a passion for community (small towns!), connecting people and events. At the time I was doing a tinier yoga series partnering with a local yoga instructor and the Wine Collective in Hampden. It was a great opportunity to bring people together, focus on overall health and wellness, and introduce the group to a local establishment. Plus, with being a realtor it was a great way to network as well. She is the one who introduced me to the Beauty Boost. I did some research of my own and thought the franchise looked amazing! I sat on the idea for quite some time (about 6 months) before deciding I actually may truly be interested. The thought and idea just kept popping back into my mind. I reached out to the founder, Rachel Kerr and had several conversations with her along with other TBB City owners. I decided I wanted to take the leap, and the Beauty Boost is exactly what I was looking for. I purchased the franchise to become the city owner of Baltimore. As of today the Beauty Boost is successfully in 25 + cities and I am excited/proud to be bringing it here!
Em, 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 grew up in a small town in Lancaster County PA called Columbia. Only had 72 kids graduate in my high school class! I moved to MD in 2014 after graduating college with my boyfriend at the time (now husband!) and had no job, no friends in MD, and no idea what I was going to do with my life. I landed a role at a financial firm and stayed with that company for the past 8 years, holding several different roles in Customer Service, Marketing, Sales and Social media. As mentioned, the pandemic forced me to really evaluate what I wanted with my career and what was important to me. Flexibility and freedom were at the top of that list.
My love for small towns, and more specifically community, is what made me ultimately want to bring the Beauty Boost to Baltimore. We are a community for women to feel healthy, empowered and beautiful. Most importantly, we are a space for women to connect through events & workshops. Next year, in 2023, we have a full line up of amazing events- ranging from Fitness Events, Empowerment Panels to Socials such as a Galentine’s Day! We also partner with local businesses, coaches, entrepreneurs and even venues, to help further promote them to our awesome community of women. When you come to an event you can expect for them to all have different interactive elements so that you are meeting new women and new local business owners + getting a taste of what products/services the local businesses have to offer.
If you ask my friends about me- they would describe me as a total extrovert and a connector of people. They would tell you I can never stop and struggle to relax! I love to laugh, go on an adventure, am extremely spontaneous and can turn anything into a reason to celebrate life!
As for my brand, I think the most important word that comes to mind is authentic. Whether it is my personal/real estate account OR my Beauty Boost Baltimore account, I strive to be myself.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
There are 2 things my parents taught me that have absolutely always resonated with me and that impact how I am as a person and also as a businesswoman as well.
- The worst someone can tell you is no!
I think so many people, especially women, are afraid to ask for things because they are afraid of being turned down. I think if you reframe your thought process to ‘being told no is literally the worst thing that can happen in this situation’ you can find strength to have that conversation or to ask for what you want. Because what if someone tells you yes?! What if you could get exactly what you wanted but if you never asked you wouldn’t just simply because you were afraid.
2., Treat the Janitor the same way you treat the CEO
In order to get respect, you must give respect. And you must give respect and kindness to everyone because you do not know what someone is going through and a simple smile could make their day. Also, what if the janitor is the CEO’s son/daughter and you didn’t know it? Or what if the janitor has a career change and opens their own business and 5 years down the line you want something from them or want to work with them. That person will never forget how you treated them and how you made them feel!
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I would not have a business if it was not for my ability to FOLLOW UP. I think being organized is critical and maintaining processes to remember what clients have going on in their lives so that you can touch base when needed and when appropriate. It is also important to be a resource, whether that is educational or at times emotional. Listening is most critical as opposed to talking. And that includes asking discovery questions to try and unveil what someone really wants (and that could be opposite of what they think or what they originally said) Be available, be honest, be organized and have extremely good communication skills. Also, if you do not know the answer, say so!! It’s important to me to not make up an answer, instead I try to say I will look into it and get back with the correct information. Most importantly, be yourself! I love learning from others but at the end of the day you have to have your own flair.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thebeautyboost.net/baltimore
- Instagram: thebeautyboostbaltimore
- Facebook: Emily Barlow AND other page, The Beauty Boost Baltimore
- Linkedin: Emily Barlow
Image Credits
Tina McNelis Photography Erin Duffy Photography Group shoot- is a Lifestyle shoot for a The Beauty Boost sister city