We recently connected with Giseleine Dogon and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Giseleine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

When I went to aesthetic school, I was 19 years old, going to college full-time at Colorado College, and commuting from The Springs to Denver every other weekend to complete my aesthetics coursework. All of my aesthetic schooling was done with my mom by my side, so I had a great guide and support system when it came to learning a completely new career field and set of skills.

As I was coming to the tail end of my time in aesthetics school, at 20 years old, I was at a crossroads for how I could enter the industry. Most people get their start as an aesthetician by working at an already well established spa somewhere in there area or they do “booth rental” somewhere that is well established. This allows for higher foot traffic while somebody is building their business, as well as the ability to rely on the established businesses clientele to refine their skill. While both of these options are amazing for getting a start in the industry, I realized that some places have different standards than the standard I wanted to operate with throughout the entirety of my career. With that in mind, the best option for me was to start my own business.

Mind you, I had this idea on a whim within a week of my aesthetics licensing test, so I didn’t even know if I would be licensed and able to open my own business, but I went with my gut. My mom who had concurrent careers, one of which was her own business, became one of my greatest assets. I asked her what was needed to start my own business, and she gave me a couple of basic guidelines before reminding me to be the butterfly that she raised me to be, spread my wings, and find my way.

The night before the written portion of my licensing exam (a section I was terrified for because I’ve never been a strong test taker), I was oscillating between studying those last little details that I wanted to solidify, and signing up with the Secretary of State and doing all other official business registration required to start my own business. I also built my first website that night, certain that I’d be starting the rest of my life that next day.

I went in to take my test, had sweaty palms the entire time, and when I walked out of the testing room, they told me I passed I hurried to my car, and I cried tears of joy that I had never experienced before. Not only did I pass a test that I didn’t think I would be able to, I was a business owner. Mind blowing.

Owning a business does not come from just creating the paperwork. Now came the hard part: finding clients. Throughout my time in college and working other jobs, I did everything I could to talk about my business. Who knew that my first client ever would not only be for a service that I chose not to practice while I was in school, but also was somebody that I had never met before. And this continued to be the case for quite a while as I started to build my business. I had a new skill That might people wanted to ensure I was solid in. These internet strangers in 2015 did not know that I was new, and I am eternally grateful for their faith in me and allowing me to hone my skills. Thankfully, the quality of service that I provided was exactly where I aimed for it to be, and it surpassed the expectations of that client and all those to follow.

Not only was my business my first job in this industry, but it has so far been my longest job in this industry. It is the absolute greatest decision I could’ve ever made, and the happiest “job” I could ever have. There’s no greater gift than being able to help uplift other women while being able to use a skill that I have fine-tuned over the course of almost a decade. To say I’m over the moon about where I landed for my first job (or I guess the job I made for myself) would be an understatement. My soul smiles every day I get to go to work. It is on the edge of its seat looking forward to seeing my clients and catching up on life while I give them a facial or remove their hair with sugaring. It’s true what they say: do what you love and I’ll never feel like work. It’s a gift

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

At Your Bliss Skin & Body Care, we specialize in sugaring hair removal and all natural facials. This means that all of the customized services that our clients receive in our lifestyle spa are geared toward working with your body to ensure that the goals that our clients have in mind can be reached. Whether somebody is looking to be fresh for a beach vacation, to address some acne that they have been struggling with, or they want to make sure they age gracefully, everything that we use is nature-based and results oriented, so satisfaction is sure to follow.
Every now and again, there is a skin impurity that requires a little more attention than just products, so we’ve got a great range of skin care technologies that we use to help reduce the appearance of various impurities such as skin tags, spider veins on the face, hyperpigmentation, and other “skin glitches” as I like to call them. Our Skin Classic and our Neurotris Microcurrent machines are our most used.

Throughout our existence, it has been a priority of ours to highlight the fact that everybody is different and to celebrate your uniqueness. This is why every single service that we offer is fully tailored to the needs of the client in our room, even down to some of the decor.

We aim to make everybody feel like they’re at home, even if it’s their first time in. We care just as much about our casual care queens as we do about our self-care queens who come in regularly. Everything that we do has our clients’ needs in heart and mind. All feedback that we receive is taken with consideration to every single other person who could possibly come through our door or has already come through our door. At Your Bliss Skin & Body Care we do our best to show our clients that they’re valued while we work to uplift them and reach their skin goals, whatever they may be.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Throughout the existence of my business, I have relied on word-of-mouth to help me grow. While I recognize the value of advertising, the nature of my services is very personal, so someone having already vouched for me when they’re telling their friend/acquaintance/coworker/family member to come see me allows for an added layer of comfort and trust.

Providing solid and consistent service is key when it comes to building a reliable clientele who values you enough to share you with their people too

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

As an aesthetician, and somebody in the personal services realm, it is super important to be personable. Being able to connect with your clients when they come in the door, no matter what is happening in your life has a lasting impact, not only on them, but also on you.

Yes, we are in the business of beautification, but we are also in the business of connection. Connecting with our clients enough to be able to help them along their journeys. Connecting on a level that we are able to be in their corner no matter what is happening in their lives for the time that they are on our tables or in our chairs is so key. Especially when you spend your days doing a multitude of my main service, which is Brazilians. That is a very private and personal area for clients, so being able to professionally peel back the layers of the onion that you are is important so this service doesn’t feel like a hospital procedure. Ensuring the comfort of our clients, not only on a physical level, but also on a deeper, almost mental or spiritual level is important too.
We as practitioners need to be able to put our cloak of life’s mess on a hook outside and show up as best we can for a clients, Always.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yourblissskin.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/yourbliss.skin
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/yourbliss.skin
• Youtube: https://YouTube.com/yourbliss.skin

Image Credits

Photos of me working (yellow shirt pics) are by Hope Acker

I took all others