We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vicky Larsen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Vicky, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
As many of us experienced, 2020 started out to be “the” year. It was going to be life changing! (*ya, it was!) Cinco de Mayo was on a Tuesday and Fourth of July, Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve were all on Saturdays-score! I mean, could it line up more perfectly? Then March hit and whoa, no one saw that coming. What started out being a couple of weeks home stretched into months for the beauty industry. It made sense to me. I was in very close contact with clients and so an airborne disease made that difficult to operate under. So, I stayed home. But as I did, I thought about how I could make money without being in person. Before the pandemic hit, I was already working on creating my line of skincare products, so I wondered if I should continue down that path. It was still a few months out, but I thought, why not? All the while, I continued to monitor the news and current events. Eventually, I could go back into the treatment room, but it didn’t feel the same. Everyone was on edge. I could only see half the people I saw before because of the added cleaning and disinfecting ( I did a bunch before, but this was next level!) As I was just getting used to it and back into a rhythm after four months off, we were shut down again. I decided to get off the rollercoaster of emotions and so with my lease coming due; I closed my 12 year in person service-based business and went online. It was hard and not a simple decision. I started Clean Slate Waxing in 2009 in a down economy with a wax pot, some sticks and a dream and grew it to a six-figure business. And I was about to start from scratch. Last November 2021 I was able to launch a small line called bogl. It’s a small, but mighty clean, clinical line geared towards skin health and support. I wanted a line that was easy to use and did what it said it would do. It is still evolving and growing and I’m excited to see where it takes me. bogl also gives back to the community and donates a portion to Emilio Narves Foundation based here in Southern California. They help kids going through cancer treatments not ever miss an appointment due to lack of transportation. This foundation is special as I lost my sister to the same form of leukemia as Emilio, the foundation’s namesake. To say it’s been quite the journey would put it mildly! This is all new and unchartered territory. I’ve had to learn multiple platforms, research tons of labs and test 1526 different types of products (ok, maybe not that much, but it feels like it sometimes) and I’m still learning! I continue to try to remain connected to my old clientele through email or text and I miss catching up with people’s lives daily. It’s a colossal risk, but I know one that will reward well. Over time, I know I will create a healthy business, just as I did before.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi, my name is Vicky Larsen. I’m a seasoned esthetician with over 24 years of experience. I fell into esthetics by mistake and found I loved it so much; I stayed. I’m also the founder of the skincare line bogl, a clean clinical line supporting skin health and gives back to the community and those in need. With all of my years of experience, I have helped thousands of people meet their skin goals through self-care education, strategies on aging gracefully, and the connection between bodily movement and healthy skin. I live in sunny San Diego with my husband, son, and kitties Dottie + Junipurr. You can find me at www.cleanslatesandiego.com, researching the latest ingredients or skincare trend, trying a new food recipe, or in the garden with my son (and SPF)!
Have you ever had to pivot?
In 2012, I moved to a larger location with one woman I was renting a room from. Upon opening, we learned she would not be coming back because of a life-threatening illness. One of the other women and I teamed up and take over the entire salon and try to make it work. We did so for about a while, but many of the employment laws changed, reinventing the way we could run our operation. In 2018, we dissolved the business and I would take on the skin care portion by myself. I operated that side successfully until March 2020.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
The best advice I can give anyone with a staff is communication, expectations and self worth. There are also two things I believe as a manager/owner you should never mess with: people’s time or money. If you commit to giving someone time off, try your hardest to honor that or communicate as soon as humanly possible about why you can’t and find a solution. Also, people like to know what they are going to make, so be sure their paychecks are correct!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cleanslatesandiego.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleanslate.skin.and.body/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CleanSlate.Skin.and.Body
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Danielly Prestes for first image