Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristin Thompson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Kristin, thanks for joining us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?
I manage my social media on my own. I want my pages to feel authentic to me and I want my clients and future clients to be able to feel like they know my personality before they decide to book with me. Ever since I started prioritizing my Instagram, I really have been able to reach my dream clients and have had a lot of success with new bookings from 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 back background and context?
I have always been a really creative person. I have a degree in Graphic Design, however after starting a job as a receptionist at a local salon, my career goals changed. I completely fell in love with the atmosphere and being able to create amazing hair and making women feel beautiful. The salon that I started at was a really great place. There were a lot of talented stylists that would let me shadow them and teach me new techniques and services. Doing so, I knew very early on that I wanted to become certified in eyelash extensions, and that also really helped my career take off. My business partner, Michelle, and I were actually some of the first in our area to become certified which was a really cool accomplishment.
As I started building my clientele and filling my books, I really started craving more flexibility. Michelle and I started to daydream about what it would be like to open our own cozy, little salon.
We started doing some research and looked into spaces to lease. We realized we could really make this dream a reality. Fast forward to February 2020, we opened Aura Lash + Beauty!
We wanted to create a space where clients would walk in and feel comfortable right away. It’s a cozy space that is really warm and inviting. We joke that it also kind of has a barbershop feel, where it’s laid back and everyone interacts with each other.
The new salon provided flexibility in more ways than one. We are now able to flex our hours when needed and it really helps us provide our clients with their needs and schedules. It’s also opened our eyes to newer services.
In the last couple years while expanding my lash extension skills, I’ve also fallen in love with brow services as well! That’s when I introduced brow laminations to my service menu. It was a new service that was gaining popularity in the UK and I remember hoping that one day it would pick up speed in the US. And it definitely has! I now specialize in brows and love helping clients who have never had anyone to go to who will help them find the right shape and tint of your brows. I’ve showed them that there are a lot of different possibilities out there and there really is something for everyone.
I recently became certified in Permanent Brows and will be able to offer that to my clients at the beginning of the year! It feels so good to find your true passion.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
One thing they say in the salon world is that clients don’t actually stay with you for your talent. Your talent will bring your new clients to you, but they stay with you because of the relationship that you build. I fully believe that.
At the end of 2023, I was starting to feel a little stagnant. That’s when I decided to sign up for a class called Thriving Stylist and I really feel that it was a big turning point in my career.
The class helped me hone in on who my target market is, how to reach them, and how to gain trust with them before they even sit in your chair. It helped me with the business side of the industry that I never learned prior and it really helped my nail my brand. With a good brand, you attract the right clients and nurture that relationship.
It goes so far beyond your technical skills.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
When we first decided to open our own salon, we knew we didn’t want to get in over our heads. We sat down and wrote out every single item we would need to purchase and came up with a budget. We wanted to start small, knowing that as time went on, we could upgrade items and make improvements. We purchased most of our large items second hand through auctions or Facebook market place. We did a ton of the dirty work ourselves, along with help from our family members. We were able to work with the layout of the space that was already there and didn’t have to do any major construction. Luckily enough, we made it through without going over our initial investment and without any loans.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AuraLashandBeauty.com
- Instagram: @auralashandbeauty & @kthompsonstylist
- Facebook: @auralashandbeauty
Image Credits
Kayla Raquel Photo