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

Octavia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

I, actually never was a fan of the socials at first. But when the pandemic hit. I had to learn how to use my skills to become essential. I had accounts and friends/followers. I never had really made time to build my page. I was bored and wanted to find a way to express myself. Since, I was not in the salon creating. I felt like something was missing. So, I started taking pictures in different looks. I had put together and actually started posting more. I wanted to show that a women could be a wife, mom, business owner ETC and still be stylish. I wanted to show and help others BLUSH more. I mean my salon name is Salon Blush LLC. I started using that word as an adjective to describe my post.
I actually do my own social media. I was able to grow my page using stories.
I took a social media class and learned some great tips and tricks.
I was able to get over 11k followers in a few months.
Then things just started to take off, from there.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I started playing around with nail polish my freshman year of high school. I never realized then that I could build a lifestyle around things that I enjoyed doing. I went to Paris II Education Center for manicuring in 2002. I graduated at the top of my class in March of 2003. I started working at Beauty Brands in Liberty, MO in the fall of 2005. I worked there eight years. Going from a staff Nail Technician to a Master Nail Technician during that time. I wanted to work there because they had benefits and most beauty industry jobs did not. They also had a lot of opportunities for growth and education. I left my job at ADT (worked there for eight years also) where I was a Special Operations Specialist for government and corporate accounts. I jumped into the beauty field with open arms. After 8years of building up my clientele. I opened my own natural nail salon. It is called Salon Blush LLC. I have been in business 9yrs and I am having a blast/not 8yrs. I am noticing a theme of 8’s. My name means the 8th born. I was born in August (the 8th month) of 1978. So, 8 is my favorite number.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It was not a smooth road. I applied at three different salons and I could not get hired. I took a break and a friend called me one day to tell me that a new Beauty Brands in Liberty, MO was opened for about a year and needed some Nail Technicians. So, I went and picked up an application (2005) filled it out and returned it with my résumé. The store manager called me for an interview and I had FINALLY got hired. Building BLUSH has been an a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
I call BLUSH my baby. That I get to share with the world. I was able to step outside my comfort zone. In order to share my gifts to help others BLUSH more.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

I always LOVED natural nail care. So, that is what I specialize in. Which, can be interesting some days. Working in a salon is definitely exciting. You get to help people feel special. I absolutely love to educate my clients on why I do things a little different, than most. I get to help them learn about proper nail care/self care. I get to hold peoples hands and get to know them. In a way that most do not. It is one of my favorite parts of my day. Sometimes, we can forget that others have had bad experiences, in the salon. My goal is to share knowledge to help clients understand products, maintenance and how to make time to do the things that make them BLUSH.
I also am a nail stylist. I create enter looks for clients from head to toe for different events. I have a glam room just for makeup and styling clients. I really enjoy helping others. I created my own title Nail Stylist. Because I am so much more than just a Nail Technician. I am known for my work and my style. I am known for my attention to detail. I also spend time with my clients during services…I run on time but I make time to help people feel special. My customer service is impeccable. I am very organized too!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.schedulicity.com/scheduling/SBLNRD
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salonblushllc/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/salonblushllc
• Other: http://www.facebook.com/octaviabaker I have 2 Facebook pages. Email salonblushllc@gmail.com 816.929.9071