We were lucky to catch up with Valerie Shinn recently and have shared our conversation below.
Valerie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.
Growing up I watched my dad turn his parents small family owned plant shop into a successful landscaping business which he still owns and operates today. His passion, and love for what he was doing, and how it provided many opportunities for us as a family really stuck with me. My mom who was in the military in her free time loved to craft and sew. It soon became an extra stream of income for us. She started a small alteration business, and she would attend craft shows to sell things she had made. I carried that with me as an adult, always using my talents or craft to create an extra source of income for myself and my family. Their influence has given me the confidence to start a small business of my own. While being a business owner can be very rewarding, it can also come with a lot of challenges that people don’t see. When I started I gave myself some grace and room to fail because the truth was I really had no idea what I was doing but I knew my passion, and expertise in the beauty industry would keep me going as long as I was willing to learn from my mistakes. I want to pass along that same work ethic of hard work and determination to my daughter, so she can create a path to success of her own. It takes a lot of courage,time, sacrifice, and money to put together an idea and you just hope people see that through your hard work that we bravely put out there for everyone to see.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been a licensed Esthetician and Makeup Artist now for 15+ years. I’ve had the opportunity to work at resort spas, dermatology offices, salons, practice development consultant for a leading skin care brand, and work with luxury makeup brands. I found my niche when a friend reached out and asked if I would be interested in doing her makeup for her wedding and the bridal party. I thought how fun, of course I’d be honored! I really enjoyed the process but wasn’t thinking it would turn into a career full time. Shortly after that I did another friend’s wedding, and It was through word of mouth that I started booking weddings on the weekends to make some extra cash while working full time. I then started incorporating skin treatments as a part of the service and using my expertise as an esthetician to really help brides achieve flawless skin and makeup for their big events. Using my experience and everything I learned throughout my journey I decided in February 2021 to open The Beaute Makeup Suite now known as That Glow by Valerie offering skin care services, event makeup, makeup lessons, premium skin care products, and beauty tools for home use.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I keep in touch with my clients by having them follow me on instagram or reaching out individually if there is something new I think they might want to try. I want to make them feel like insiders by keeping them up to date on the latest beauty trends. I also make sure my client gets customized experience each time they come to see me for a treatment. My clients know they won’t get the same cookie cutter treatment each time. I also like to incentivise my customers by offering discounts for pre-booking each of their appointments, pre-paid package discounts, and thank you gifts.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
The Beauty Industry can be very intimidating. There is so much talent, and so it’s easy to feel like you’re not good enough, or maybe I don’t belong here. There were times I got passed up for promotions, or didn’t get a job that I felt like I was qualified for. Instead of quitting or being upset I just kept working hard. I never passed up an oppurtunity to better myself, rather it was taking a class that would teach me a new skill, or asking for help from colleagues on what I could do better. I started to realize that anytime a door closed, another one opened and that’s always kept me motivated.
Contact Info:
- Website: thatglowbyvalerie.com
- Instagram: @valeries_beautyskinmakeup
- Facebook: @valerieskinmakeup
Image Credits
NikkiG Photography-Headshots Treatment Photos by That Glow by Valerie