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

Mônica , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s one of the most important lessons you learned in school?

My journey wasn’t easy since I had to face many challenges. However, I am grateful for each one of them, because my rocky road has given me the maturity needed to persist and never give up on my dreams. I’ve learned that believing in yourself can take you a long way, and trusting the process was essential to get where I am.

If I were to give a piece of advice to someone that is thinking about being an entrepreneur, I would tell them to keep going, keep studying, and keep on improving themselves and they won’t regret it! And, even when things turn out different from what you expected, persist. The law of harvest is one of the truest concepts I’ve come across.

The destination is important, but so is the journey. That is why doing everything with love and putting your best into your work will always be worth it.

The best thing about my job is being able to see someone feeling comfortable in their own skin and happy with the results. A pleased customer is the greatest gift of my profession.

I feel blessed because looking back I can see how God sustained me and guided me so I could be where I am today, without Him, nothing that I achieved would be possible.

Mônica , 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 Monica Lakey, I was born in Amazonas, Brazil. I am 29 years old, and I am married to the love of my life. I can say that my career started when I was about 12 years old, helping my mother with sales, so I could have my own money and spend it how I wanted, I’ve always loved being able to pay for my things.

When I was 18 years old, I graduated high school and moved to Manaus, to have access to better opportunities. I graduated in aesthetics and cosmetology and because I wished to deepen my knowledge, I moved to São Paulo to graduate in Pre and Post Surgical Massage. During that time, I had the opportunity to learn a lot working in high-end beauty spas, which motivated me to do many other advanced courses.

After living in São Paulo for 3 years, I wanted to experience living abroad, to get to know a different culture and language. I chose to be part of the Au Pair exchange program, where I learned more about the culture of the United States, and even though it was a rewarding experience, I missed doing what I love the most. That is why during my free time, I started to do eyebrows, and since I did not have transportation of mine or a location to do so, I would put all my tools in a bag and meet my clients in a park nearby the house I used to live and gave the best service, so they could be happy with the results.

Knowing that this is my lifelong passion, when I left the Au Pair program I got all my American certifications and licenses and started to serve customers in my apartment. Even though there wasn’t a lot of privacy, because I was working where I lived, it felt amazing being able to work with what I was made to do, again.

My clientele started to grow, so I moved to a studio in Santa Monica to accommodate my new clients and improve their comfort. Then, I started to offer waxing, eyebrows techniques, and facial and body procedures. My biggest accomplishment was that the love and dedication I put into my work started coming back to me through referrals and the growth of the number of clients that came to me. After six months, I had to rent my second studio and grow my team to serve all the clients that came to us.

We have a wide range of procedures, and we have the best specialists to deliver incredible results, and I am honored to be accredited to teach my permanent makeup eyebrows and body sculpting techniques, spreading all knowledge I’ve acquired throughout the years and seeing other people achieving their dreams to work with something they love.

Soon, my new project will be available in LA, my skincare line for body and facial care, so I can take the passion I have further and help clients feel comfortable in their skin. These products will boost the effects of the results we deliver, allowing our clients to have a fuller experience and to be part of the process of achieving their dream body and skin.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

Recently I’ve started manufacturing my own line of cosmetics. It all started when I noticed that nothing in the American market had some of the powerful ingredients we have in Brazil, specifically in Amazon, where I am from. Cupuaçu is a powerful ingredient with many antioxidants and properties that help smooth the skin with intensive hydration.

I have a mentor, Paulo Kazaks, who is a successful entrepreneur in the cosmetic world as an entrepreneur of a group with 7 companies in the cosmetics field, that is why I sought his guidance to understand how to develop an amazing product. He has helped me find the best research team and manufacturers to make this dream come true.

What started as a project to launch one serum, became an entire line with a foaming cleanser, a serum, a moisturizer, and a body cream. I am very proud of the quality of these products, mainly because we dedicated ourselves to running research and tests on each product, to have now the perfect formula.

We will soon start to manufacture and import this innovative line, and I can’t wait to share it with the American market.

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

What helped me the most were the results I was able to deliver with my technique, we are specialists in reducing measurements and shaping our client’s bodies, delivering a high level of satisfaction and happiness.

Normally, our clients come for the 1st session to see if our results are true, and after seeing for themselves, they start our treatment plans, with 5 or 10 sessions.

Many of our clients have experienced incredible transformations with our exclusive massage techniques. The Lakey Body Contour is a combination of two highly effective massages that deliver exceptional results. Over the course of my 10-year career, I have studied and tested various techniques to determine what works best for my clients. The result is a perfect formula that delivers up to 3 inches of reduction per session.

I created Mônica Lakey Academy as a consequence of the success of my Spa’s Exclusive Technique. We now have four courses that will teach innovative and exclusive techniques to increase businesses’ cash flow or even help women to start their beauty careers successfully.

If I were to use one word to define my success would be “trust”. I’ve earned my client’s trust by being honest and exceeding their expectations with the results delivered.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://monicalakeyspa.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monicalakey_beautyspa/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/M%C3%B4nica-Lakey-Beauty-SPA-Los-Angeles/100064259763833/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/m%C3%B4nica-lakey-beauty-spa-santa-monica