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

Alright, Shea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

My ultimate goal in my skincare business is that when a client leaves my spa after their treatment, they feel beautiful, confident, relaxed, cared for, and heard. But most of all…loved. I strive for this feeling every single day. I feel as though one of the greatest gifts that I have been blessed with is the gift of empathy. Empathy is such an important trait to have regardless of what business you are involved in, but especially in the service industry. When a client comes in for a treatment, I can instantly feel what type of day they are having or mood that they are in and I adjust accordingly. I would never and will never claim to be a therapist or counselor but I try to give my clients the safe space and freedom to discuss or vent about whatever it is that they need to rid from their mind. Sometimes they want advice on a certain situation and other times they just need a listening ear and I am so thankful that they feel comfortable in this space that I created with them in mind. It makes my day when I receive a text or a call thanking me for just being there. This ignites my true passion. Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.

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

My name is Shea Wilson-Collins and I have been an Esthetician for nearly 20 years. I am the owner of Carbon Skin + Wellness.

I was raised in a small southern town in Northeastern Arkansas with my three siblings. My parents were both in the medical field with my father being a General Surgeon and my mother, a Home Health Hospice RN. As a kid, I had always thought that I would more than likely follow in the same path as my parents but I decided to take a different path. I started college with an undecided major. I really had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. While I grew up closely tied to he medical field, I knew I didn’t want to stay in school for the length it required to be an M.D. and nursing did not fully appeal to me either. I was going through the motions until I ran into a longtime friend that changed my life. This was when I first heard of esthetics. and a dream was suddenly realized.

My friend had moved away to go to school and we had lost touch, as that tends to happen as we get older. She had attended college as well and was also unsure of what she wanted to study. She lived in a larger area where esthetics and spas were more well known. She mentioned that she decided to drop out of college and attend cosmetology school instead and study esthetics. Since I had never really heard of this, I had her explain and as she did, I was instantly hooked. This was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I spent the next several months researching esthetic programs and schools. I had assumed that I would have to move off to attend school but unbeknownst to me, there was a program thirty miles away from where I lived. I called and set up an appointment to tour the school and fill out my application. Within weeks, I was starting my first day of esthetics school.

Esthetics school went by like a flash and now it was time to perform my state board exam. After weeks of checking the Cosmetology boards website to see if I had passed, my name finally appeared. I was now a Licensed Esthetician and could not be more excited to start my new career. I just knew it would be amazing! There were only a few skincare clinics and med spas in my town so jobs were scarce. I had a connection with a nurse who was employed by one of the two Plastic Surgeons in town and they agreed to let me do an unpaid internship under their medical esthetician. I loved it so much that I didn’t want to leave but it was time to start actually earning a living. I learned so much through this internship. More than I could have ever imagined. I was so thankful for the opportunity. Fun Fact: while you are in esthetic school, you mainly just learn the basics. Enough to pass your state boards and then it is up to you to continue your education. Just FYI.

I applied for a job at a new med spa in town but they did not have any facialist positions open at that time so I offered to take any job available just to get my foot in the door. I was the spa housekeeper, front desk clerk, boutique sales associate, babysitter to the owners kids, appointment scheduler, errand runner, etc. I knew eventually that my hard work would pay off and it finally did. A room had opened and I was now able to start performing facials. I hadn’t done any since school so I had to write down all of the facial steps on a post-it note and leave it in my drawer so I had a reference to go by. I was in absolute heaven. I ended up working at this med spa for several years and learned so much and gained some incredible mentors and friends but It was time to move on.

The plastic surgery clinic that I had interned at years earlier was needing a new facialist so I applied as quickly as I read the newspaper ad. Luckily, the manager of the clinic had remembered me and how hard I had worked and how I was always excited to learn any and everything that they were willing to teach me. After a few interviews, I got the job offer and I accepted without any hesitation. My second dream had come true. What an amazing experience this was. I learned things that I never thought I would get the chance to learn. I was able to advance my education and earn more certifications to add to my ever growing collection.

The plastic surgery clinic was apart of a much larger medical group. This helped me greatly as I was the only skin specialist within the system so referrals from other physicians were coming in with full force. My clientele list grew rapidly and I was ready for it. I was really starting to make a positive reputation for myself. I was voted ” Best Esthetician” several years in a row by the residents in my town. I also had an article that I had written called “Empathy and the Esthetician” published in Les Nouvelle Esthetique. I was on top of my career game. As my clientele list continued to grow, it hit me that I was finally at a stage where I could open and sustain my very own skincare clinic. This was my biggest dream. I put in my notice and got started building this dream from the ground up. God was definitely there with me every step of the way. Everything flowed so seamlessly as this was the path that I was meant to follow. After a few weeks, Carbon Skin + Wellness was born.

Owning a business is not for the faint of heart. I learned this very quickly. I was working harder than I had ever worked in my life. 70 to 80 hours a week. It was exhausting and stressful but so worth it. The business grew quickly and I moved from a 900 sq ft space to a 1500 sq ft space within two years. We were cruising by. Then, something happened that no one was prepared for…COVID. I went from working six days a week to zero days a week. We had to close down for upwards of two months. After a brief anxiety induced breakdown a few days into the quarantine, I had to figure out how I was going to pay the bills that I was still responsible for but without any money coming in. As I was walking around a local park one afternoon, I had an epiphany. I was going to create a customized “at home facial kit” for my clients to be able to continue their skin treatments from home until we could be together again, while bringing in a steady stream of income. I gathered every product I had, ordered product containers and boxes to hold the kits and started taking orders. Once I received an order, I would email the client a short list of questions so that I could customize the kits as much as possible for their specific concerns. Orders poured in and I worked tirelessly day and night putting these orders together. I would also include a hand written instruction card that was special to each client with the proper steps to perform the at home facials and a little inspirational note to hopefully lift their spirits. This saved my business and my sanity. Slowly things were starting to get back to normal…our new normal.

Things were completely different after covid, as they were for everyone, but there was nothing to do but adjust. Business kept rolling along. Ebbing and flowing as it tends to do. After a few years, I finally decided I had reached the goal I had in mind for myself and for my business and decided it was time to make a change. I relocated the business to a new town not far from where I currently live and downsized to a 650 sq ft space. While this decision was scary, it was exactly what I needed. To slow down and enjoy what all I had accomplished. Thru the incredible highs and devastating lows over 8 years and counting as a business owner… I survived.

While the path was long, every step was worth it.

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

For me, the answer to this question is pretty short and sweet. Hard work, empathy and love for people.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

When I first opened my business, I tried every form of advertising out there. From billboards, newspaper and magazine ads to radio and tv ads with very little to zero return on investment. For my business, word of mouth was the absolute best source for new clientele. And of course, you cannot beat social media to grow your business. That is just a given.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carbonskinandwellness.com
• Other: Tiktok: @carbonskingirl