We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessie Yarborough a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Parlour Seven was founded out of slight desperation, coupled with a gut feeling that what I was about to embark upon really would work out. Covid presented numerous challenges and emotions for many people — myself included. When salons and spas were shut down across the country, it really put things into perspective. In such a short amount of time I found myself unemployed and wondering how I was going to generate an income, when applying for corporate jobs wasn’t working out in my favor.

With a degree in Criminal Justice and a background in Child Welfare, I applied for numerous positions throughout the KC Metro area, and while I was able to snag a few interviews, I was never offered any of the positions I’d applied and interviewed for. At the time, it was extremely frustrating (and exhausting) knowing that I could fill a need in many of these positions, but I wasn’t the right choice for their organization at the time. Looking back on this experience, it was because those positions weren’t supposed to be part of my story, and because of this, it truly forced me into stepping outside of my comfort zone to create, plan and implement the foundation of Parlour Seven.

Warrensburg is home to the University of Central Missouri, and the neighboring town of Knob Noster houses Whiteman Air Force Base. The two of these alone provide the town of Warrensburg with a richly diverse population. There was a strong need in the Warrensburg community for Esthetic services — a need I knew deep down that I could fill. Patrons were having to drive at least 30 miles in either direction to find quality service providers to meet their wants and needs. For some, to leave town and travel this amount of time was a struggle depending on their lifestyle. Work, kids and family, extra curricular activities — it was an inconvenience to have to drive such a distance for even the most menial of service(s) that could have been completed in less time than it took to actually make the trip.

This is exactly how I knew that my idea would work — I was able to capitalize on the problem by providing the Warrensburg community with a legitimate solution to the lack of esthetic services in the area. I knew I would be able to offer a unique approach and perspective, but that it would take time for it to come full circle. Being a Warrensburg native, I knew I had an army of supporters who would help share and market my business, while also sharing positive experiences about me as a person. Those who know me, know that I am truly dedicated to my craft and that I am a perfectionist — two traits that exemplify why Parlour Seven would be the preferred choice of salon + spa, eliminating the need to have to drive out of town.

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

After spending seven years working for the state of Missouri in Child Welfare, it was time to reevaluate and determine exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I needed to figure out what was going to bring me joy and make me happy — I was on the hunt for something that wasn’t going to leave me in a constant state of exhaustion.

While I generally loved working with children and families, the reality of the child welfare system is that the system itself is broken, and desperately needs to be overhauled and revamped. Workers are underpaid for the amount of work they do and the expectations for this specific job are often unattainable. It’s a position that doesn’t receive much (if any) kind of praise or admiration and I started to find that it was unfulfilling.

On a whim, I decided to put in my 30 day notice and I enrolled in Esthetics school at the Academy of Salon Professionals in Sedalia, MO. I began the program in February of 2019 and have been licensed as an Esthetician in the state of Missouri for almost four years. I sought out the Esthetics industry because I’m a natural creative. Initially I wanted to learn more about the make up industry, but ended up falling in love with skincare itself — preventative and corrective.

I am most proud of myself for the actual follow through and implementation of Parlour Seven. I always wanted to own my own business and work for myself, but I never thought that it would come as quickly as it did, or morph into what it has in such a short amount of time. Word of mouth truly has been the biggest blessing to myself and my business and I honestly believe that when you have strong morals, integrity, and a solid grasp on what customer service truly means, you’ll flourish.

Imposter syndrome is very real and sometimes, I have to fight it to see just how far I’ve come and all that I’ve done in a relatively short amount of time. The amount of growth that I (and Parlour Seven) have experienced is exceptional, and also exciting! I work hard behind the scenes to provide clients with a solid education of skincare, how skin works + functions and what exactly will help them meet their needs/wants.

I strive to continue my education and improve my skills regularly in order to bring Parlour Seven clients the best experience(s) possible. I spend much of my down time researching products, skincare lines, services and other industry related things to meet client expectations and to truly provide patrons with a variety of service options to eliminate the need to travel out of town.

I opened Parlour Seven Aesthetics in March of 2021 with the intention of bringing “big city” services to our small town, making them more accessible and affordable to those in our community. The aesthetic of the Parlour Seven studio provides guests with a welcoming, relaxing and luxurious experience — something they can’t quite get anywhere else in Warrensburg,

At Parlour Seven Aesthetics, we currently provide a range of services including facials (both preventative and corrective), chemical peels, dermaplaning, face and body waxing, make up application (including bridal services), injectables (botox, fillers and IV infusions) — with more service providers on the way that will make Parlour Seven even more of a “one stop shop”.

What sets me apart from the rest? My attention to detail, my attitude, my commitment to my community and clients (people in general), my personality, my approach, and how I choose to run + operate my business. In a world full of impersonators, I truly classify myself as an original. I want to be different, and I consistently seek ways to promote my individuality.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

First and foremost making the commitment to provide clients with a clean and relaxing atmosphere, while also providing exceptional service and professionalism. Each client that walks through the Parlour Seven doors has expectations of us as service providers, and we strive to continually meet those expectations each time we see them for an appointment.

When we’re able to meet clients expectations and needs, they will share those positive experiences and takeaways with their family, friends and acquaintances – which further helps us build our brand, business and clientele. Word of mouth truly is the foundation of building and maintaining a service based business.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Any time we see new clients in the studio (and even repeat clients!) we always make the effort to reach out a few days after their service to see how they’re doing, no matter what service(s) they had with us. We want to ensure that they’re healing properly, that they’re seeing their desired results, and to ensure that they’re ultimately happy with the service that we provided them with. We enjoy taking the initiative to reach out to them personally, because we care about them. Our clients are far more than just someone paying us for services; we make it a priority to connect and engage with them on a personal level.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.parlourseven.com
• Instagram: @parlourseven
• Facebook: Parlour Seven Aesthetics