We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rose Price a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rose, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
All my life, I have taken risks. But becoming a business owner within an industry where i had no networked connections and no prior experience, was probably the most terrifying I have gone through.
It all began in 2001, when I was 18 years old and decided to join the U.S Air Force as a Healthcare Manager. Tragically, 9/11 happened that year and it made me want to become a part of something bigger than myself; to be a part of influencing change. Although it was a life-changing risk that I was taking and I didn’t know where I would end up, it was familiar territory for me. My father served in the military, so I already knew about deployments and how the dangers could impact me. In 2009, I survived 1 combat deployment in Afghanistan where I patrolled the airfield to protect the integrity of daily operations. Additionally, I was a member of the elite Honor Guard, where we honored fallen heroes and provided ceremonial event services. I completed over 10 years active service enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a Technical Sergeant, when I decided to commission into the Army. I was a natural-born leader and knew there was much more for me to do.
January 2012 was the beginning of my journey as an Army Officer Candidate. It was another big risk, but still familiar territory. I endured rigorous training at Fort Benning, Georgia where I graduated amongst the top 10 in my class and commissioned as a Quartermaster Officer in the U.S Army. My first duty assignment was to Fort Stewart, Georgia where I served as a Platoon Leader of a maintenance company and Executive Officer of a forward support company. I completed 2 rotational deployments to Germany in support of training NATO forces and providing show of force to enemies. My next assignment was to Fort Carson, Colorado where I served as a Support Operations Officer and Commander of an aviation headquarters company.
Meanwhile, while going through physically and mentally tough experiences professionally, I was still a mother of 2 children and wife to another active duty service member and managed to obtain my graduate degree. Today, my children are 14 years old and 4 years old, but I felt like I missed out on significant parts of their lives. It was in 2019 when I made my decision to retire from the military and dedicate my time entirely to my family again. Balancing work and home life was challenging. I knew it was time for me to move on; what that was going to be, I wasn’t sure. But, I did know that my experience and knowledge made me an ideal candidate to serve in a contractor or civilian capacity for the military. So I began my transition by attending an internship in manufacturing with plans of working in logistics and distribution. As I continued with the internship, something in my heart kept telling my conscious that this was no longer my purpose. I was tired of doing and being something that was expected of me as a mother, Airman/Soldier, and college graduate. It was time to do something that I loved and pursue my passion in beauty industry. I was going to officially retire in June 2022 after serving over 20 years of total active duty service. It was in that moment, that I became afraid.
Afraid of change; the fear of whether this new journey would provide for my family. Afraid of the inexperience and lack of education. Afraid of how others within the industry would perceive me. But I was going for it and it was probably my biggest risk of all! I literally learned the business aspect day by day through trial and error. I read about various State Law and Regulations to make sure that I was in compliance in establishing my business licenses and permits. I attended numerous training and certification courses to enhance my skills in body contouring and semi-permanent makeup. I invested in developing my brand, logo, and website. I did all of this without business loans, using all of my savings. But, the scariest part of all, was signing the lease to my first brick and mortar with only a handful of clients in the books and a drained savings account. I was going to make a name for myself. I wanted to empower. I wanted to continue to give back to my community…but this time in heels instead of combat boots.
Aurora Rose Beauty Spa opened its doors on June 13, 2022. My anxiety was through the roof! There were even times where I felt discouraged and questioned myself on whether I made the right decision. The first couple of weeks were slow, then the next week picked up a little. By the end of July, I was fully booked every day! I went from being the new girl on the block, to being one of the most sought-after artist in the area. It has certainly been a humbling experience and I could not have done it without God and the support of my family and friends. I will continue to pursue advanced education in order to provide my clients the best services and provide my staff the best mentorship. My next goal is to become an accredited educator, establish my own academy, and open another location.
All of my life, I have taken risks. Becoming a business owner will not be my last. I am excited to see what more is in store for me. Stay tuned!
Rose, 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 Rose Price, I am 39 years old, a mother of two and wife. I am a military veteran who served 20 years and I got into this industry because of my passion and fascination of beauty, health, and wellness. I provide body contouring services which is a non-invasive and non-surgical technique of fat reduction and skin tightening. I also provide semi-permanent makeup services, specializing in micro-blading and shading of the eyebrows and micro-needling of the skin to give clients smudge-proof eyebrows and glowing skin. My passion is to empower men and women into feeling their best and boosting their confidence.
What sets me apart from others within the beauty industry is how I simultaneously help clients feel better about themselves on the inside AND outside. A person can feel confident after getting their hair and nails done at the spa, but what have they done to improve their health and wellness as well? I assist clients with getting physically healthier and visibly more fit.
To all of my potential clients and followers, I want you to know that I am wholeheartedly invested in helping you achieve your beauty and wellness goals. I pride myself in knowing that I will provide the best quality treatments, using the best products and latest technologies, in the cleanest and most welcoming environment.
I am a firm believer that “slow and steady wins the race”. These are non-surgical techniques so it will take time, but trust in the process and I will to encourage you along the way. During our initial consultation, we will discuss your goals and I will recommend the best and most appropriate treatment options in order to optimize your treatments and maximize your results. Every body is different and may require deviations in the treatment process, but rest assured, every treatment option will be communicated with you to ensure you receive the best results.
My goal is to have you feeling your most healthy, beautiful, and confident you! “Where Beauty Blossoms.”
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Managing is a challenging, yet rewarding task. The key to being an effective manager is to be a good communicator, understanding the different talents amongst your team and how to utilize them, and having interpersonal skills.
When you are an effective communicator, you can bring across your company mission/vision/goals to anyone on your team to where the tasks and purpose is mutually understood. Be open to suggestions from other’s perspective. Your way is not always the right or best way to accomplish something. You must understand the different talents amongst your team so that you’ll know which job position would best suit someone and where they can effectively and efficiently contribute to the team. Knowing who your teammates are on a more personal level will also help you understand their personality and where they would thrive within the company. Most importantly, is to have interpersonal skill and empathy. Staff members have to feel comfortable with approaching you with issues or concerns, and know that when they address anything to you it will be a constructive two-way conversation.
Having these 3 characteristics as a manager will also help to maintain high morale in the company. But, you must also encourage professional development and offer incentives or rewards for their hard work. Again, get to know them on a personal level. Learn at least one thing about them that is not work-related. Get to know their families and their names. Be engaging and your team will be appreciative of that. Get in the trenches with them; getting your hands dirty with your team will get you more respect, rather than sitting behind a desk. Plan organizational days or a team-building event to dedicate time to get to know your team better. When you create an environment conducive to productivity and positive working relationships, maintaining high morale is achievable.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Growing up in a military household and then being in the military for 20 years has definitely developed me into the resilient person that I am today, both personally and professionally. In this new journey, I have stumbled across a couple personal and professional road blocks along the way. But I overcame and continued to conquer.
Personally, I experienced a lot of doubt within myself on if I could handle starting my own business from ground zero. I had no experience and no connections. Nobody in the beauty industry had no idea who I was. I was alone with 2 children while I was still active duty and my husband was deployed for 9 months. But, I still decided to take this huge leap into entrepreneurship. It took a lot of faith, prayer, and support of family and friends for me to keep pushing towards my goal of opening my business. To stay on track, I set daily goals and expectations. I continued to keep the end-state in mind and continued to push through. The early days and late nights of researching, taking courses, and renovations of my spa space was mentally and physically exhausting, but it was all worth it in the end.
Professionally, many people didn’t understand why I chose this path when I had other high-paying positions lined up for me upon retiring from the military. I made it a mission to prove that the beauty industry was a lucrative profession and that I wanted to change people’s lives physically and emotionally. I have had many skeptical clients as well. But my passion and love for what I do and the results my clients achieve have been speaking for itself. Word of mouth and positive reviews have helped me to become more resilient as I also overcome other professionals within the industry that just don’t want to see you succeed. I quickly learned that being resilient and blocking negativity is a vital characteristic to have as a sole business owner. There have been many setbacks but I learned from it and picked myself up again. The hustle will never stop.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aurorarosebeauty.com
- Instagram: aurorarose_beautyspa
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/aurorarose.beautyspa/
- Twitter: aurorarose_beautyspa
Image Credits
Jeffrey Barner