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

Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

It’s no secret that getting a Brazilian wax can be quite a vulnerable experience, but it doesn’t always have to be. I was waxing for a corporate chain where us team members were told “this place is a revolving door, we want people in and out”, performing services in a maximum of 15 minutes. It was impossible to provide anyone with a quality experience, let alone make someone feel comfortable in a vulnerable position when all you can think about is getting them off your table so the next person can get on. The posters on the walls in the cramped cold rooms had no diversity or representation of different bodies or types of people. When I quit my older brother asked me what my ideal waxing place to work at looked like. I told him it was a space that treated people like humans first and not just a dollar bill. Somewhere where there was more time to complete a quality good service. I wanted a space that people could walk into and guarantee they wouldn’t be judged for anything at all, a true safe space where everybody and every body could come and feel welcome. He informed me a place like that didn’t exist, so I had to create it, and there it all began. I wanted to make sure that every person of every color, shape, size, and gender could feel cared for and serviced the way they deserved. I wanted it to feel like someones paradise, a space to come and instead of feeling vulnerable, they’d feel calm, happy, safe, and in good hands. They would know that the service they were paying for and receiving was done with high quality products and high quality care, from someone who would never judge them for anything at all. Human beings need to feel cared for, and that’s what I knew I was meant to do in life, and I couldn’t wait to do it now with integrity, the right way.

Michelle, 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 always knew I had a passion for helping people, but I also knew I had a gift where I could connect with any type of person from any different background and walk of life. Being an esthetician you have many different options of career paths, from makeup artistry to facials, I chose waxing, specifically Brazilian waxing for many reasons. I enjoy the instant gratification and results of a good wax, I pride myself on making people feel comfortable in an uncomfortable position, and through feedback I know I make what is usually a painful service, less painful than they’d expect due to my learned skills as a waxer. I make what people assume is a dreadful service surprisingly something people look forward to because of the safe space and experience I provide. That includes a cozy lobby with snacks, drinks, and a good movie on while you wait. I enjoy that with waxing unlike some other services, I get to talk to my clients, and through that we form the most amazing connections and friendships. I am able to offer my clients after care products to maintain their waxes. I created an inclusive space that focused on body positivity and representation. My decor focuses especially around that with a mural displaying all different types of female bodies, posters with self love affirmations, and quotes like “all bodies are good bodies”, because they are. Im most proud of myself for truly creating that space I dreamt of. My clients choose me and my space because they feel like they can be themselves, no matter what mood they are in or what’s going on, I am here for them no matter what. I don’t run my Business with many policies because with my clientele it truly doesn’t feel necessary. I know that doesn’t work for everyone, but the way I’ve retained the same group of consistent clients for the last three years is by treating them like humans and friends first. There is genuine mutual respect for one another. We are all humans. Im not just a robot performing a service, and you’re not just someone coming in to make me money. Every interaction with every client is an energy exchange and when taking new clients I look for people who realize that exchange is impactful and bigger than just a service.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media played the biggest role in me getting my books filled with clients. Having a creative logo, specific brand colors, and posting regularly was so important to create an identity for my brand. I used instagram to showcase my mission and goals behind why I was opening The Cheeky Peach through creative posts. It was important for me to show and explain why people should choose me to wax them. I built peoples trust and loyalty before they even met me by showing my face and personality on stories, talking to them online, sharing experiences and forming connections through direct messages. This allowed me to show my values and what to expect with a service with me. One of the most important things I did was remain authentic and true to who I am. I did not mask myself as someone I thought people would like and by doing that I attracted my ideal target audience. I posted both business and personal content so people could get to know the face behind the logo and the person who would be servicing them and it only benefited me. So many times from new clients I would hear that they felt like they already knew me, or afterwards we would agree that it did not feel like it was the first time we ever met because of how well we clicked or because of the conversations we had via social media beforehand.

I made many educational posts like the benefits of waxing versus shaving, how to prep for your wax and what to expect, and how to take care of your skin in between waxes. A specific post I made that gained a lot of attention and popularity was one titled “Salon Rule; No Self Deprecation Allowed” – this was followed by “you may not apologize for” & a list of normal functioning parts of the body. My goal with this post was to make people aware that they should feel no shame and never apologize for anything that has to do with their bodies. I was eventually asked to make the post a digital download in different colors so that people could print it out and have it in their salons. It wasn’t really proud moment for me because all I ever wanted from opening this business was to make people feel seen safe and comfortable in their own skin, and social media allowed me to show that.

The best advice I could give anyone for social media is be different, do not copy others because people do notice. Be unique and have integrity behind what you post. Your social media is where you can show who you are and why people should choose you and you’ll find the right following by remaining true to yourself.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think remaining authentically human attracted people to feeling a good vibe and confidence in receiving a service from me. What I mean by that is, I try to always show up both in person and online as a positive happy girl, but I have also been very open and vulnerable with any obstacles or struggles I have faced. I am human first before I am a business owner. I talk openly about the expected burn out from overbooking and working past set hours. I believe hustle culture is toxic as it only leads to said burnout, so I set clear boundaries on when I respond to texts or work on social media. I never fake who I am to come off as what I think people will attract to. We were told in school to wear black in our industry for professionalism, I wear bright colors because I want to and that’s authentic to me. I found my clients by being open that I am not this professional always put together perfect person, no one is. I am a regular girl just like anyone else. I feel like both my clients and social media followers viewed me as someone they’d want to be their friend, someone they could feel comfortable right away around, someone who wouldn’t judge them because they themselves weren’t perfect. I built my entire brand around making people feel non judged, comfortable, and safe, and I think showing up everyday being real with my feelings and intentions, and matching my actions to my words contributed to that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecheekypeachmn.com
• Instagram: @thecheekypeach_mn

Image Credits
@nicholegonzalez