Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paige Colson . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Paige, thanks for joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My dad has had a huge impact on my life and career. Growing up, and even to this day, I’ve watched my dad hustle seven days a week to support our family. My mom and dad got married with a couple dollars to their name. My dads been working since he was eight years old, delivering newspapers door to door on his horse in upstate New York, and now he’s the successful owner of KC Tile restoration company. Watching him, learning from him, and even working for him in high school, I got to see the ins and outs of owning a business. He’s always said “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”, and he is so right. He inspired me to chase my dreams.

Paige, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Paige Colson, I’m twenty one years old and I’m an Esthetician and the owner of Peak Beauty Studio. I started Peak because I want to help other people feel their best. I started off as a Makeup Artist, specializing in SFX. Painting faces, and transforming myself into characters like a zombie or a fairy. After graduating Esthetician school, I fell in love with everything I learned. Facials and skin treatments, brow artistry, and waxing. Suffering from Acne, I always questioned if clients would trust me with their skin. I’ve quickly learned that this has actually set me apart from other Estheticians. I can relate to my clientele, and use both my personal and professional knowledge to help them achieve their goals. I service it all— facial treatments, brows, waxing, lashes and makeup, and I love everything about it. I feel most proud of my job when Im laying in bed at 10pm and receive a text from a client thanking me again for their new brows or clear skin. Knowing that I get to contribute to someone’s confidence reminds me why I do what I do.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Getting started in the beauty industry was a full circle moment for me. When I was in middle school, I fell sick with a stomach condition that left me bedridden at my lowest point. I felt so alone, so bored. YouTube was my saving grace. I’d spend hours on end scouring the site, watching video after video. Family vlogs, cooking, DIYs, and then I found makeup influencers. I was so intrigued. I loved the endless possibilities you could create with just an eyeshadow palette and some brushes. As soon as I was better, I made a channel of my own and would film myself doing my makeup. I got made fun of in high school for these videos. Kids would mock me, laugh, and someone actually called me a clown once for wearing “too much” blush. Now I am a young entrepreneur with a business of my own. I make my own hours, I have an amazing and growing clientele, and I love what I do. What more could you ask for? Now some of those same kids ask to appointments with me, or praise me for my success at such a young age. I found something that made me happy and helped me at dark times, and i’ve turned it into my full-time career.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Social media has helped me grow, helped me connect with my audience and helped me find my passion and career. But it was also something that destroyed me at one point. Unrealistic standards lead to impossible expectations, and being a young female in this generation, I fell under the spell of being “perfect”. Flawless skin, toned bodies, straight teeth, shiny hair… all things you see all over your social media pages. I would pick myself apart in the mirror, pinching at my stomach, and scratching at the blemishes on my face. I thought that it wasn’t fair that these women all over my phone were so beautiful, and I had all these flaws. Becoming educated in all things beauty, I had to unlearn all of these views I had imbedded in my brain. Acne is normal, skin texture is normal, unsymmetrical brows are normal. It’s still a learning process, but one that has helped me flourish. Nobody is perfect, and that is what makes someone beautiful and unique. The best part is that this has not just helped me, but it has allowed me to further help my clientele see their own beauty too.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.PeakBeautyStudio.com
• Instagram: @PeakBeautyStudio
• Facebook: Peak Beauty Studio