Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hettie Rich. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hettie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I went into opening a laser salon without any prior experience in the industry other than as a client. I fell in love with lasers and the many things that they can do to help people feel more confident, be it tattoo removal, hair removal, skin care or scar reduction. I, unfortunately, had a not so great customer service experience as a client and felt that the industry can do better about making sure that every person can get the treatments they want but in a place that is accepting and non-judgmental, and the best way to do that was from the inside.

As a 40 year old single mom, it was daunting, putting my life savings into a business idea and not knowing if I could actually pull it off. After 9 years there are still challenges that I have to face and I have managed to persevere on my own to keep going. I don’t have a choice at this point. I have to succeed for not only myself and my family, but all of the people that depend on me within my business and especially our clientele.

I went into it with stars in my eyes and wasn’t quite prepared for the rough road ahead. I didn’t have a marketing budget in place so building a clientele took time. With a strong will and perseverance I have been able to not only build an amazing customer base, but have also built a great team that supports my mission statement ‘For Everybody and Every Body’. I have created a space that is inclusive, kind and caring, where anyone can receive the services they want and feel welcomed and respected.

I also have a non-profit that I run parallel to my business where I get the opportunity to help previously incarcerated people remove unwanted tattoos. This fulfills a need I have as a small business to be able to give back to the community that supports us.

My mission statement, again, stresses inclusivity and I stand behind that.

Hettie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Lighten Up Laser and Skincare Salon started out specializing in laser tattoo removal and laser hair reduction. We have expanded our services over the years to include more aesthetic treatments that include; acne treatments, facials, RF Microneedling and so much more.

I saw a need in the laser tattoo removal industry that wasn’t a chain and was run by people that understand the tattoo community so I formed a plan to create that. After going to laser school I fell in love with all the other things that lasers can do to help people. We all love to make people feel confident and happy in their skin. We strive to understand our clients’ goals and do our best to help them achieve them. We are not a hard sales kind of place. We are happy to give recommendations but would never try to force anyone into anything that they are not comfortable with. Hard sales are not fun for customers and definitely not fun for us either!

One of our biggest accomplishments has been also being a space that is safe for the LGBTQ+ community, We started to hear stories of people being turned away or made to feel uncomfortable in other spaces. We strive to ensure that no one that walks into our place for gender affirming services, or any other services, ever gets treated any different than anyone else that is seeking to be treated. Inclusivity has and always will be my main goal no matter what industry I am in.

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

To succeed in this business you have to have empathy, surround yourself with like minded people and not be afraid to put yourself out there. I struggle with selling myself and it has taken a lot of practice to put myself out there as the face and voice of my business. Even though it is uncomfortable for me, I have started to make videos of myself to put on social media.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I am fortunate that I get to do what I love on a daily basis. I really enjoy getting to spend time with my clients and have had many become friends over the years. The connections I make in my treatment room really help push me to become not only a better technician but a better person overall. I wish I had found this calling much earlier in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lightenuplaser.com
• Instagram: @lightenuplaser
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lightenuplaser/

Image Credits

@goth.gloss