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

Alright, Maggie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

One fall evening in 2011, my husband & I were walking to a restaurant in a charming neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota. I noticed a courtyard that looked like an old European village, and a sign that read “Retail Space Available”. I’d been feeling that a career change was needed, but I didn’t have any clarity about what I really wanted to do next. Struck with curiosity about the spaces in the village, I decided to call the number on the sign and check it out. By the end of the week, I was making my plans to open a small skincare spa in the raw space in that courtyard. This was a huge change. Although I’d been an Esthetician for 16 years, I’d been working as a sales rep & educator, yoga & meditation teacher, seeing clients on occasion, but now I would be starting my own business and leaving behind any sense of security and certainty. In addition to getting everything I needed for the space, proper licensing, business set-up, products, branding, etc. I worked with a business coach to clarify my vision and my message. I reached out to beauty bloggers & style editors, and had a huge boost in business when one of them wrote a glowing review of my spa & my treatments in a local magazine. That article brought new clients from all over the Metro area. My advice to any professional colleague who might be considering starting a practice is to keep it simple, start small and enjoy the process of growth. Remember that your practice is there to support your life, not the other way around!

Maggie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Licensed Advanced Practice Esthetician, Skincare Spa Owner, Author, Educator, Course Creator, Yoga & Meditation Instructor & Holistic Health Coach. I specialize in Adolescent to Adult Acne, and what I like to call “Amazing Aging” or “Awesome Aging” instead of “Anti-Aging”.

At 19 years old, I was brand new to college courses, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. After my Dad died unexpectedly of suicide, I stepped away from school to grieve and figure out what to do next.

On a visit to Boulder, Colorado, I met a woman who inspired me through her Holistic Approach to healing & self-care, and I returned to Minnesota to study Esthetics at the Aveda Institute. I have loved working in the skincare & wellness realm, seeing how everything is connected. Our complexion is the outward reflection of what’s happening inside, so in addition to giving great facials, I love working with my clients to improve the way they care for their WHOLE self on the journey to improving skin concerns.

In my skincare spa, Complexions On Carter Skincare Boutique, I use clean, clinical products free of parabens and synthetic fragrances & colors. I offer treatments that focus on whole body relaxation, rejuvenation & corrective skincare. We may do breathwork, intention setting, infrared sauna, light therapy, peels, gua sha, massage – all of these work to align energy & promote healing.

In 2021, I published my first book, The Complexion Companion ~ A Holistic Guide to Skincare as Self-Care, a collection of simple skincare tips that anyone can do to feel better about the way they look right away.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Along with so many others in the world, 2020 brought the challenge & opportunity to pivot, and to let go of some of the plans I had for my business. With a newly completed expansion on my spa (I doubled my space, hired an amazing employee) I was excited to grow my business in a new way. But when the pandemic hit, I had to close my spa for several months, stay home with my school-age son, and turn my business into a skincare product delivery service! I decided to turn my attention to the book I’d been working on for about 2 years in my “spare” time. I finished my book The Complexion Companion ~ A Holistic Guide to Skincare as Self-Care, and published in 2021. This was a huge goal for me and has led to speaking and teaching opportunities I didn’t predict. I’ve learned to go with the flow a lot more and enjoy the process.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I love this question because when I started in this profession, I said to myself “I’ll do this until I figure out what I REALLY want to do”! This path has been really good for me. The learning never stops, the opportunities are plenty and as I’ve grown older and wiser, I’ve built more credibility with the clients I love to work with. I’ve moved around the country, traveled the world a bit, worked part-time, full-time, been an employee and an employer, a sales person, educator, artist, a little bit of a lot of things that have all brought their own lessons, challenges and blessings. I truly feel that being an Esthetician is part of my identity that has opened lots of doors that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://complexionsoncarter.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiemileykelly/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ComplexionsOnCarterSkincareBoutique/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-miley-kelly-a6baab7/
• Twitter: @mileymaggie
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bQjXMjnm5k

Image Credits
Terra Sura Photography