We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shandee Clay a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shandee, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

100% consistency, believing in yourself, and never ever giving up, EVEN when you get discouraged!

There’s definitely been times that I’ve gotten discouraged and wanted to throw in the towel.
This industry can be tough, like any other industry.
But, I knew I just needed to step back, regroup, take a breath, and get back to it.
To be successful in this industry, you have to be willing to ask for help/advice from fellow artists. That’s how you get better!

You also have to constantly market yourself.
If there are days that I’m not physically working at my studio, I’m on my phone marketing on social media to drum up new business.
There are days, like weekend days, that I’m doing family activities, but I STILL take the time to create some kind of content for my business.
Consistency is key in this industry and if you’re not willing to put your business out there for people to see on a regular basis, you won’t have success. It’s that simple.
Most of my clientele, in the beginning of my career, came from FB stories and posts.

Still, every single day, I post about my business in my stories and make content for FB posts, IG, and TikTok.
In this day and age, that’s the standard.
That’s where people are engaging and what they’re doing in their spare time.
Maximizing your time on these platforms to get your name out in the public eye, is the key to success.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, I’m Shandee Clay! I am a permanent makeup brow artist of : years and an esthetician of almost 12 years.
I have a studio in Corsicana, TX, about an hour south of Dallas.
I specialize in microblading and combo brows, and am soon to train on brow laminations and tints, and lash lifts and tints.
I also provide skincare services like Hydrafacials and microneedling.

I got started in this industry soon after I had my son in 2020.
My husband and I went through In vitro fertilization and after that, I decided I wanted flexibility in my work schedule.
Soon after, I had my eyebrows microbladed in Dallas and absolutely LOVED them and decided that I wanted to give women the kind of confidence it gave me, for a living!
There was nobody else in my hometown offering these types of services, so I felt like I had a great leg up in the industry, in my area.
Women were wanting these brow services and skin services!
I am now in my 3rd year and I am so proud to say, I have helped so many women obtain confidence in themselves that they hadn’t had in years, if ever!
I give women the brows they’ve always hoped to have and assist in their youthful skin journeys!
I think what sets me apart is me being so OCD about my work and that I never give up on myself.
If I’m not physically working, I’m working on marketing for my business or practicing my niche.
I also take new cutting edge trainings 1-2 times per year to stay updated and sharp on my skill.

I’m taking new clients and would love to service and help so many!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Earlier on in my career, there was a time where I kind of just gave up on myself and my business. There were several things that had me stretched, including being a new mom, finances, being sleep deprived, etc.
I just kind of gave up on my dreams..

I got some help from family and started really being intentional with my time, and learned how to balance everything so that I didn’t have to give up my dreams.
I could still be a present mom and all the things all while still being ME.

To anybody that can relate to this type of scenario, I would say to NEVER EVER give up on yourself.
Find help! Reach out to people you trust to help you.
Make your schedule flexible around the times that you have help.
Clients will still come to you as long as you’re good to them.
But, just don’t give up on yourself.
It all works out in the end!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

COVID! I definitely had to pivot with the pandemic.
I started requiring all clients to wear masks, no extra guests could come to appointments, and no kids were allowed.
I had to keep myself healthy for my young child, and also my clients.
I sent out questionnaires to ensure my clients weren’t having any symptoms of covid..
It was a huge change, but necessary!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beautybrowsbyshandee.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: Beautyandbrowsbyshandee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065116196582&mibextid=LQQJ4d