We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jess Parker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jess below.

Alright, Jess thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The risk I took in 2019 has made me the fearless person that I am today. From 2017 to 2019 I worked in various salons and spas, throughout that time I worked for incredible and influential professionals in the beauty industry. Because of this, I always had a burning desire to be my own boss, I wanted to set my own schedule, have my own clientele, and call my own shots. In 2019 a salon that I was working at the owner decided to sell it and I found out the last day that employees could work there, to say that I was livid was an understatement. Once I was finished working on my last customer I quickly had to pack up my things and tell people that I worked with for quite some time goodbye. I had no idea what my next move was going to be I just knew that I was no longer going to be an employee. I had so many thoughts running through my head but I knew whatever I was going to do next I had to do it quickly, the clientele that I did have I knew if I didn’t find another place to work at I would lose them. Once I got in a better headspace I decided to search for a space to work out of, I really wasn’t prepared and I really didn’t have the means to find my own place of business but I knew this would require a different version of me and I decided that I was going to go for it. I toured a few places and I ended up finding a place in a nice part of Los Angeles called Playa Vista and I immediately knew that this was going to be my home away from home so to speak. At this point I was so determined to get the place I didn’t even think of the cons I literally just thought about the positives, mind you I didn’t have enough regular clientele at the time to branch off on my own but I knew if I decided to take out a lease on this place that I would hit the ground running to make it work. I knew I didn’t have that much time to dwell on my decision because it was such a nice place in a nice area to work in, so I thought about it for literally 24 hours and I decided to go forward. I had enough for the deposit and the next months rent so I knew it was time to go into overdrive to keep this place. I marketing my business every chance I got, passed out business cards, posted content on a regular on my social media platforms and I quickly brought attention to my business and started gaining regular clients. I can honestly say if I would’ve dwelled on the decision to branch off on my own I wouldn’t have done it, I have no regrets about only thinking about it for 24 hours because that propelled me into who I am today. I always tell people do things before you’re ready because that’s what I most certainly did myself, and my business is constantly growing and thriving because of this.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a licensed aesthetician, I’m known for my various styles of lash extensions but I also provide clinical skin care, facials waxing, and mentoring. Growing up I was always fixated on hair, make up, and beauty in general. I always took pride in making my family members look good by either grooming their hair shaping their eyebrows, or doing their make up etc. In 2016 I decided I wanted out of the 9 to 5 world and so I decided to learn how to do lash extensions. I just knew they would be big and that they would be in high demand for years to come. Once I learned, I checked into beauty school to get licensed. As a woman we always like to look and feel our best and that’s a problem I excel at solving. I think a woman looks her best when she’s not over done, I don’t need a ton of make up to be beautiful, what sets me apart from others is how I can give a woman a natural look when it comes to lash extensions or make up and she will look stunning. I also excel at changing a woman’s look to something she may not have tried before,and giving her that confidence that she didn’t possess beforehand.

I’m always looking to improve my skills by staying up-to-date with different looks, trends,styles ,and products that women and men tend to gravitate to.

The thing that I am most proud of and also humbled by is the amount of brides I have worked on since I’ve been in business for myself. A wedding is one of the most important days of a woman’s life so for a woman to trust me with how she is going to look on that special day means the world to me.

The main thing I want people to know is that how I got to where I am today was due to me choosing to never stop dreaming. I always knew God had a better plan for me and it wasn’t meant for me to just work a basic 9-to-5 job just to make ends meet. My goal is to inspire others who may be hesitant to follow their dreams because you only get one life to live, and you should desire to make the best of it!

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I first started my business Instagram account, I mainly had one way of taking pictures I would solely focus on my clients eyes so potential clients could get a close up view of my work. I would use popular hashtags and always tag the area that I worked in. I also would engage with followers in random people that would comment on my post. But as the years went by Instagram had changed as well as the algorithm. I decided to revamp my page, I deleted every picture I had on my account. I desired a cleaner page that flowed, so I got even more creative with my content. I posted more videos, I put more of myself on my page as well as doing reels on a regular basis.

The only way in my opinion to build an organic audience on social media is consistency, creative content, and clear, crisp photos. Just like people that wake up and go to work every day you have to treat social media like a job, you get up, start your day, plan your content and post. Find your niche content, what may work for others that have a good following may not work for you and vice versa, be genuine and transparent because followers really respond to that.

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

The most effective strategy for growing clientele is reliability, and having a clean safe space that they can come to and relax. My clients know when they book an appointment with me that I’m going to be there and I’m gonna be ready to start on them at the time that they booked. As long as I’ve worked for myself I’ve never canceled an appointment, all my clients can attest to this. The most time I’ve ever taken off was when I caught Covid but in this line of work you’re not paid by the hour so if I’m not booked I’m not making money. I genuinely value all my clients because the majority of them are loyal and their loyalty has kept me in business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jessbeauty-106827.square.site/?fbclid=PAAaZ_yAhNYW8ogXbqygTWx2QiB56ntQ8TDXOR-vCmmOJZth2EGIAC4FZmSfY
• Instagram: @_jessbeauty
• Facebook: JL Esthetics LLC
• Linkedin: Jess Parker
• Youtube: Jesstheesty