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

Alright, Kathryn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Schitt’s Creek. I already had a business and a name, Beauty By Kathryn Rose. Which was appropriate at the time but I was growing and out growing the name. I was on the hunt for something more. More space to spread my wings and truly offer the experiences to my clients that I knew I could if I had a little more room. We looked at building after building and settled on the one literally right next door to where I had been renting a room. I wanted the name on the front of my business to not be about me. I knew that I wanted to mentor and grow other professionals too. I knew what kind of feeling people got when they walked in the door, what colors and textures they would see. I knew I wanted a circle in the logo but every name that I came up with didn’t sit right. Last Thanksgiving weekend(2021), I had Schitt’s Creek on as I was making dinner and it hit me! Rose Aesthetics/Rose Apothecary. The character, David, created a business with similar esthetic that I saw in my head. He also wanted a sense of community with other businesses, like I knew I wanted. It just clicked and things settled into place. I had a client who was starting her business and I knew she’d be perfect for creating the logo. Then we moved onto the website. She was able to understand what I was going for because of the inspiration. I owe a huge thank you to whomever created that bit of storyline in Schitt’s Creek. I probably would be nameless today without it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I grew up surrounded by the beauty industry. I knew as a teenager that I never wanted to go into it. Life happened and I gravitated towards what I knew. It was supposed to be temporary, that was 18 years ago. I didn’t like the potential instability of this industry but I also saw it as a challenge. My nature is to solve problems. Once I really got into the science of Skincare, I was hooked. I saw make-up applications in terms of science, not art. Applying lash extensions as mathematical equations and tedious challenges. Helping someone solve their skin issues and seeing confidence radiate from them is the goal with every skincare client. I look at the services we provide as more than the surface or finished product, its about forming a team with our clients. Educating clients about their skin/nails/muscles and developing a plan to help them reach their goals and actively working on them together. I want clients who come through our doors to feel confident giving us their time and attention. Earning a clients trust is so important and key to a successful outcome. Continuing education on a regular basis is a major priority and part of the process in earning a client’s trust. I prefer to be an open book with our clients. I don’t think that the plans or programs I come up with for them should be a tightly kept secret. Knowledge is power and I truly believe that when people are educated about the services they receive, a level of trust is created. Fear and uncertainty are all around us all of the time. If I can eliminate just a little of that from someone’s life, I’ve done my job.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Competition. I grew up competitive. I wanted to be the best at everything I did. The Beauty Industry can be highly competitive. It was natural to see competition as a threat to my success. In fact, it was a fear that was encouraged in this industry. I see it all over social media groups. Businesses creating non-compete contracts, service providers feeling trapped and resentful, and clients caught in the middle. 10years ago, I met a mentor that showed me that it doesn’t have to be that way. “Community over competition”
It took a few years for the habit and fear of competition to be broken. Now I live “community over competition” everyday. If my business is not able to provide the service for someone, I will recommend someone else. I acknowledge that not everyone is a good fit. Not one person or one business can be everything to everyone but as a community we can be. We are stronger working together instead of against each other. Lifting each other up, sharing knowledge and experiences. Once I stopped living in fear of competition, choosing to embrace it, business grew exponentially. Kindness and positivity really do make a difference.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building genuine relationships with each person that comes in. Spa services are a hard clientele to build. When budgets get tight, its one of the first expenses to go. Building a genuine relationship with clients and making a difference in their lives gives them something they want to hold onto. They can see the value in what we offer them. It also makes getting referrals a lot easier. When people believe in something, they want others to share in their journey. That in turn creates a social accountability. When budgets get tight, people don’t want to let go of what brings them joy and adds value to their lives. By having built a relationship with clients based on honesty and open communication, when those situations do occur, we work with them. Services and skills do not get discounted but the creation of a shorter more specified service to get them through a tighter budget or teaching them something they can do at home to help maintain a little longer between appointments. Nothing replaces the ideal treatment by a professional but taking care of our clients is what matters. They know that we have their best interest in mind and that we have the education and skills to be able to provide for them a solution. Each person matters and letting them know that they genuinely matter to us is what I feel sets us apart.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rosebeautyskin.com
• Instagram: roseaesthetics.ks
• Facebook: @roseaestheticspaolaks

Image Credits
Brooklyn Harmon Photography, Gene Morris- Miami County Republic