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

Tenisha , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The most comfortable place in the world is staying in your comfort zone, right? Well, I guess I like being a masochist because starting a business in a place that you’re just not the “type of person” to run such a business is extremely uncomfortable.

Opening and operating Isha Esthetics and Wellness is a labor of love. It’s my way of providing a safe space for Black women and a very marginalized community in Utah looking for a place to heal, grow, and glow their fullest. Being in business for 6 years, it shows me just how valuable a routine that is around self-care and the horrible misconceptions that there is if you take the time to do so. Especially as a Black woman.

However, there was no better time for me I felt than when people were essentially forced to STOP and pay attention to what their body is saying it needs. So while being deemed a non-essential worker, I built my very first brick and mortar location alongside my husband, who was in construction (the one industry that didn’t slow down AT all!) utilizing the grants and loans that were flung out to businesses to establish myself and even begin to hire.

Owning a medical spa in Utah as someone not part of the LDS community or faith, a Black woman, and at the start of the pandemic would be what some call straight NUTS! Which, despite popular opinion, we don’t wanna save the world or hustle all the time. So I found a sneaky way to showcase that to my sista’s from another misters, and do it scared every single day. So 6 years later, and several awards and community recognitions at my back, I continue marching forward living the lessons I tell my clients and patients now more than ever!

Tenisha , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Please note that I am DEATHLY SHY when it comes to talking about myself, but I guess that’s what the get to know me is all about, yea? Well, I am an award-winning recovery and body contour focused Master Aesthetician and the owner of Isha Esthetics and Wellness that first opened in Murray, UT and is now located in Cottonwood Heights, UT aka the “East Side”.

I have over 13 years of experience in the medical field as a Certified Medical Assistant who specializes in endocrinology and hematology studies for African Americans, home recovery aide, endocrine phlebotomist. My focus now is on helping decrease the mortality issues when it comes to women of color surviving and thriving after surgery, no matter if it’s birth related or cosmetic. I wanted to bridge the gap between discharge and help clients feel less in disarray as to what to do!

I’ve taken the time and steps to also be internationally trained to enhance my skills as a post surgical medical assistant and have spent countless hours in the OR with surgeons who refer patients to my company, just so I can get the opportunity to know exactly how they work, and set potential patients up for success.

Though I REALLY got my bomb in post op care, I am now fleshing out and advancing the “beauty” side of my wellness spa a bit more. On that side we focus on non-surgical methods to help clients feel more comfortable and established in the skin they’re in. Why? “Because EVERY body matters!” Being a retreat as well as a safe space is huge to me, because I have only wanted that myself. Hearing clients whisper to my team, or even confront me and tell me how happy, heard, and seen they feel whenever they walk through those front doors is my ultimate “WIN” as a business owner.

Though I’m only 6 years in, I really hope that I can put many more under my belt and even franchise out in the near future to “spread the love” as the kids say, with my first location being in Dallas Texas…mostly so I can make my sister babysit it!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Employees are not your friends.

That’s it. That’s the lesson.

Though you can be a friendly employer who is warm, welcoming, and caring, you just CANNOT be friends with your employees. There’s a line, a boundary so to speak, that gets majorly blurred and can cause a lot of stress, confusion, and even hurt for both parties. I also learned that I have to make sure I am hiring for the good of the business, more than out of desperation or feeling bad for someone.

That’s all fine and dandy, but at the end of the day, if you don’t plan things right, the very people you are breaking your neck over and losing sleep behind can ALWAYS find another job elsewhere.

You do matter as the boss and you DO deserve a team that not only holds you accountable as a boss, but respects you as one as well.

It’s by far the most painfully important lesson I’ve had to learn.

Any advice for managing a team?

OK. Here’s some tough auntie Isha love. Higher a business manager FIRST and then one employee at a time. Having that building relationship with a business manager will set you up for success a lot faster than anything else.

Yes, you may be tired and you may not even want to work in your business right now/anymore. Tough it out until you can get hat manager who will run your business like YOU need them too and want them too.

Also, keep in mind, though they work for you, they are NOT you. So open, clear communication is going to be huge and a very important part of the relationship that will ultimately lead your business to success.

Also, make sure you also have clear guidelines, standard operational procedures, and just standards in general. Keep in mind that it WILL be an evolving document because your business will also be hopefully evolving too!  

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ishaesthetics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isha.esthetics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isha.hicks.31
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@isha.will.tok

Image Credits
Lost Boy Productions Shelby Mullen Photography