We recently connected with Jessica Amicarella and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
I picked this question because it has been quite the road for me to “scale up.”
When I first opened The Lash House, it was a very simple concept. We just rented rooms, people came and went as they pleased, and there wasn’t much of a culture established. I had always stayed in contact with a friend of mine by the name L’erin Stortz. I noticed she had started a business consulting gig, really gearing towards salons. One day I called her and asked if she could come see my business and how I could make it better. Her exact words are why are you running it like this? (In regard to booth rent) I was honestly a little embarrassed, but it was such a simple question. From there, my wheels started turning on what I needed to do to reach a saleable business. That has always been my ultimate goal. I just needed help getting there.
L’erin referred me to Amanda Wicker, who was her business partner in my area. We had dinner one evening and ran some simple numbers. We concluded I was basically running in the red with my current business model. Truly, during that time I did have a business and a store front and all the things, but it never felt like a real company. I started making small changes from that day, which led me to lose my whole staff at the time. That scared me, but I had to keep going. I hired about 4 new employees, 3 who are proudly still with me. I am currently at 10 amazing stylists and continuing to grow.
Last year I decided to scale up once again, and hired Heather Bolinger to help me reach some goals I needed help with. She has her own company called Fiorii. I tell every business owner they need a Heather, and I am literally not joking We meet bi-weekly and she has helped me become a better leader, owner, and person. We have recently launched The Lash House School, which Candice Gerrits is lead instructor. I am very proud of this and I could not have done it without her dedication and hard work.
I am so proud of where I am today, and where I will be in the years to come.
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
My name is Jessica Amicarella. I am a mom to two amazing young men, Jack and Austin. I attended Cal State Northridge University and received a degree in Marketing. After college where I played volleyball four years, I decided to get my cosmetology license. I was in industry for about 8 years, when lash extensions came into my life. My family and I made a couple moves, but finally landed in Windsor Colorado. I was pregnant with my youngest, and I told my husband at the time I need to learn how to do lash extensions! No one in my area at the time was doing them. I haven’t looked back sense.
We take great pride in customer relationships, and maintaining healthy lashes at my company. We use the best products on the market, and we all participate in continuing education,
Any advice for managing a team?
The advice I have for managing my team is truly investing in them and their future. I care ab0ut all of them as individuals, and I want them to know that. I praise them, but I also hold them accountable. I am well aware there are many other places to work, but I want to make them feel that this is the best company to work for. I am proud to say that two of my employees are currently buying their first homes!
I mentioned Heather Bolinger before. I use her for about every quarter to come in and doing motivational talks with my team. She covers many topics from self-care to retail sales training. I feel that she has been very impactful to my team since day one, Heather instills confidence in them, and I love to see the morale pick up after she has been there!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
My most effective strategy for growing clientele is personal relationships and investing in my marketing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lashhousewindsor.com
- Instagram: thelashhousewindsor
- Facebook: The Lash House Windsor
Image Credits
Emily Nicole Photography
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