We recently connected with Mayra Salonga Davis and have shared our conversation below.
Mayra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.
First off, I’d like to thank your editorial staff for choosing me to be featured in your article andalso thank Ms Petit USA Ms. Deborah Missy Scott, one of my regular clients, for introducing me to your company. Coming here to the United States and starting a new business was a huge transition for me because I did not know what the beauty and esthetic industry looked like here. Globally, the beauty industry, one of the fastest-growing industries, is, in fact, quite broad: it includes both services as well as products. That’s why many esthetic students expect to make money right away , but they may not know that there is a difficult process to starting and maintaining a successful business. When I first started my career in esthetics, I was living in Hong Kong. There, after we graduate with our certifications, we normally work under companies and learn different protocols and concepts. For 10 years, I worked at high-end spas and hotels as well as at medical spas. No one owns their own business within a studio—something I noticed common here in US.
Newly licensed estheticians start their own solo studio businesses without having experience providing treatments in the actual world. Even if they have experience with in-school treatments, this does not imply that’s how we always do things in the actual world of esthetics. I make this statement in light of my prior encounters when I opened my business in North Carolina in 2019. I have had clients that came to me with burnt, scarred, bruised, or scratched skin after having microdermabrasion performed by estheticians who are recently graduated and opened their own businesses. Becoming an esthetician is much more than completing a program and receiving a degree. It takes patience and training to develop the skills needed to safely and effectively treat clients.
Another of my concerns is hygiene in esthetics industry. Our main role is getting in contact with our clients’ skin. In school, we are taught to follow state board protocols, but there are no restrictions on students’ fingernails or the wearing of jewelry on hands and fingers while performing treatments. As it can risk scratching clients, bacteria can also accumulate under the long nails and it can carried by the jewelry. And that should be a big part of hygiene protocols to be impliments. As we are also a direct clients care providers.
My last concern is that there are some private label companies that offer estheticians their own personal skincare line. The primary concept behind this is to brand the product with the esthetician’s logo. However, not knowing if the ingredients have been tested or if they are FDA-approved can yield dangerous results.
To sum it up, I hope that corporate America looks more into these matters in order to avoid potential issues in esthetic field.
Mayra, 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’m the second eldest in my family. Originally from the Philippinesmy family relocated to Hong Kong when I was six years old. I became more conscious about skincare in my 30s when I began to worry about the changes in my skin. While I was employed at a government office as a customer service representative, I enrolled in a part-time beauty specialist program, graduating in 2009 with honors, earning an international diploma, and attaining the most outstanding student of the year award. That motivated me to move forward and work at high end commercial spas, 5-star hotels and med spas. In 2018, I moved to the US and opened my own esthetic practice in 2019. My focus is to introduce international treatments to clients. The combination of my various experiences, treatments, products knowledge and impeccable service and dedication, has allowed me to create a unique set of protocols that works for every type of skin. My treatments are a blend of traditional Western and Asian holistic approach styles. The primary products I use areOxygenCeuticals, a South Korean brand that is clinically proven, highly effective, and used mostly by med spas. In November 2023, I began using Casmara products that are formulated using marine algae extracts for hydration. One of my lifting treatments is the LPG machine from France, Get Glowing Chemical peel from South Africa, micro needling serums from South Korea and Ukraine, and The HydraGlow machine inspired Hydrafacial (American treatment). Additionally, I use Caronlab as my hair removal products from Australia. The holistic treatments I offer are mixed with meditational treatments, something I learned through training I received in the United Kingdom My services are designed to bring other countries’ therapies together. That’s what sets me apart from others. These treatments, along with the products, equipment and my sense of touch have made my clients satisfied and happy by helping them achieve their skin goals, which includes brightening dark pigmentations, hydrating and glowing dry, dull skin, improving acne-prone skin, and beauty enhancements .The aim of my treatment is to achieve the natural glow of skin without the need for makeup on a daily basis.
As a professional in my field, I approach each client as if they were a new one. Following the procedure, my regular clients constantly tell me, “You did it again!” That makes me feel like a winner! When my clients feel amazing, I am grateful because I share in their happiness. I also have another reason to be grateful: in November of 2023, I was nominated for the title of Most Outstanding Esthetician in North Carolina by the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of North Carolina FACCNC. I also received my license as an aesthetic educator in the same month. I’m excited to start coaching students and fellow estheticians and share my skills and methods. With God’s grace, hopefully, that will be happening soon.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I began developing my business by creating my social media presence on Facebook and Instagram in 2018 while I was enrolled in an esthetics program. I shared my work online as much as possible since I would eventually launch my spa business in 2019. Today, I still am active on social media, promoting my services. I’m trying to be creative by making videos and creating content of what I’m doing, but it’s never simple. Fortunately, my tech-savvy husband and children have made it easier for me. With my busy schedule, I also collaborated with other professionals in my fields. I love attending. Meet-up local social and networking workshops. I also donate treatments at events, which is another powerful way to introduce myself to the audience and the other organizations. I also commit to a charity treatment project by offering free treatments to those in need, such as woman from domestic violence abuse, cancer patients undergoing recuperation, and individuals that suffer from anxiety and depression. Because I’m so passionate about what I do, I frequently forget that this is a business too. Although it cannot purchase the three most important things in life health, time, and love. Money is still necessary, but it’s not everything. Therefore, when we have the time, I try to show love to others without asking anything in return. And it’s the best feeling. Because I was raised in a religious home, my faith in God has always guided me; it’s the most effective approach to maintain balance in all aspects of life, generally and from a business perspective. My advice to those starting out in business is to remain humble, maintain generosity, keep spreading kindness and love is the biggest key to pursuing not only success but to happiness.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I am still developing lesson plans for my upcoming course. And I’m focusing not only on growing but on how to retain clientele. I’m teaching other estheticians how to develop a unique and memorable service that they can use as their own brand or trademark, something that will distinguish them from their competitors. And for the previous five years as a solo business owner, it is what I have been doing. My greatest marketing strategies have been maintaining my 5-star rating and converting a first-time client into a loyal one. But by far the best marketing has come from word-of-mouth marketing and recommendations from my clients.That’s why I am always learning about new products and techniques, training, and perfecting my skills. Happy clients have been critical to my business growth and success.
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