HOW I BUILT A MULTI-SIX FIGURE LASH EXTENSION BUSINESS (and how you can too)

Summary

This video chronicles the journey of a university dropout who built a multi-six figure lash extension business in just four years. From starting with a single course and facing initial setbacks to eventually owning a salon with ten employees, the creator shares valuable lessons on perseverance, the importance of skill development, and strategic business growth. The video also emphasizes the significance of mentorship, research, and delegating tasks for scaling a successful lash business.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Started with a university dropout background and built a successful lash extension business.
• 💼 Worked multiple jobs from a young age, gaining experience and a strong work ethic.
• 📈 Initially faced challenges with lash retention and customer satisfaction, leading to financial struggles.
• 📚 Invested in education and mentorship to improve skills and client retention.
• 🏡 Transitioned from working from home to renting an office space, which helped in scaling the business.
• 💡 Learned the importance of being the best at what you do and providing value to clients for repeat business.
• 💸 Realized that choosing the cheapest course initially could cost more in the long run due to lack of proper skills.
• 👥 Hired staff and trained them extensively to manage the growing business and clientele.
• 📈 Grew the business to a point where there were 10 employees and a successful distribution line for lash products.
• 🚀 Emphasized the importance of systems, delegation, and focusing on what works to scale the business effectively.

Q & A

What was the speaker's first career accomplishment?

The speaker's first career accomplishment was monetizing and selling a meme page on Instagram with 30,000 followers.

Why did the speaker drop out of University?

The speaker dropped out of University after realizing they didn't want to go back to a minimum wage job and were relying on lash extensions for all their income.

What was the initial financial challenge the speaker faced after starting their lash extension business?

The initial financial challenge was that the lashes were falling off, leading to clients wanting refunds, which quickly turned the initial 900 borrowed into 1200 dollars in debt.

What was the speaker's strategy to improve their lash extension skills?

The speaker joined Facebook groups, researched online, and watched YouTube videos to learn how to improve their retention and lash extension skills.

How did the speaker manage to have their first gross five thousand dollar month?

The speaker gradually improved their skills, and some clients started returning, which led to their first gross five thousand dollar month.

What was the speaker's biggest lesson from their first year in the lash extension industry?

The biggest lesson was the importance of being the best at what you do, even if it means practicing unpaid hours on a mannequin or providing free sets.

Why did the speaker choose to invest in mentorship and new courses during their second year?

The speaker invested in mentorship and new courses to improve their skill set, which is crucial for an esthetician, and to increase client retention and satisfaction.

How did the speaker's business evolve in their third year?

In the third year, the speaker upgraded their business to a small office space, hired one of their students, and started offering lash training.

What was the speaker's approach to dealing with imposter syndrome when they started training others?

The speaker overcame imposter syndrome by getting over limiting beliefs and jumping in with both feet, focusing on providing value to their students.

What was the speaker's strategy for scaling their business in the fourth year?

The speaker created their own line of lashes, began distributing for local lash brands, hired front desk staff and an assistant, and focused on delegating tasks like marketing and accounting.

What advice does the speaker give for dealing with failures in a business with many moving parts?

The speaker advises to view failures as feedback and numbers as data, doubling down on what's working and letting go of what's not.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Entrepreneurial Journey to a Six-Figure Lash Business

The speaker recounts their journey from being a mediocre student to building a successful six-figure lash extension business in just four years. Starting with a background in retail jobs and an early foray into monetizing an Instagram meme page, the speaker describes their decision to drop out of university to pursue their passion for lash extensions. Despite initial struggles with client retention and the need to return to a minimum wage job, they persevered, learning from their mistakes and investing in their skills. The speaker emphasizes the importance of providing value to clients, the necessity of continuous learning, and the power of hard work in achieving success in the beauty industry.

05:00

📈 Scaling the Lash Business and Overcoming Challenges

This paragraph delves into the speaker's experiences as they scaled their lash business, including the decision to offer training to others, the move to a physical office space, and the challenges of managing a growing clientele. The speaker shares insights on overcoming imposter syndrome, the importance of research and trust in one's instincts, and the value of systems and delegation for business growth. They also discuss the process of creating their own line of lashes, hiring staff, and the lessons learned from failures and data analysis. The summary concludes with a look forward to the future, highlighting the speaker's ongoing commitment to their business and the industry.

Keywords

💡Lash Extensions

Lash extensions refer to the beauty procedure of attaching individual synthetic eyelashes to a person's natural lashes to create a fuller, longer appearance. In the video, the creator discusses building a successful business around this service, highlighting the importance of mastering the skill to ensure client satisfaction and retention.

💡University Dropout

A university dropout is someone who leaves university before completing their degree. The video's narrator identifies as a university dropout, which is significant because it underscores the narrative of achieving success through entrepreneurship rather than traditional education.

💡Monetize

To monetize means to convert an asset or potential into profit. In the script, the creator mentions monetizing an Instagram meme page, which was their first significant career accomplishment and a source of confidence in their ability to generate income.

💡Mannequin

A mannequin is a model or figure used by artists or in retail to display clothing. In the context of the video, the creator emphasizes practicing on a mannequin as a way to improve their lash extension skills, which is crucial for providing high-quality service to clients.

💡Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is the feeling of self-doubt where one fears being exposed as a 'fraud' despite evidence of their competence. The video mentions overcoming imposter syndrome when starting to offer lash training, suggesting that the creator had to push past self-doubt to share their expertise.

💡Delegation

Delegation is the act of entrusting tasks or authority to another person. The video script discusses the importance of delegating certain tasks such as marketing and accounting to scale the business effectively, allowing the creator to focus on more critical aspects of their growing enterprise.

💡Systems

Systems in a business context refer to the organized set of processes and routines that govern how work is done. The script mentions the need for written systems to scale the business, indicating that having clear protocols is essential for managing growth and maintaining efficiency.

💡Minimum Wage Job

A minimum wage job is employment that pays at or near the minimum wage rate set by law. The narrator returned to a minimum wage job after initially struggling with their lash extension business, illustrating the financial challenges faced when starting a new venture.

💡Mentorship

Mentorship involves a more experienced individual guiding and supporting the development of a less experienced one. In the video, the creator invests in mentorship and new courses to improve their skills, which contributes to their business's growth and success.

💡Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is the understanding of the features, benefits, and details of a product. The script mentions training front desk staff extensively on product knowledge to assist customers effectively, showing the importance of staff expertise in providing excellent customer service.

💡Distributing

Distributing refers to the process of making products available to retailers or directly to consumers. The creator began distributing for local lash brands, which expanded their business offerings and made their salon a unique destination for lash supplies in their city.

Highlights

Built a multi-six figure lash extension business in four years as a university dropout.

Began working at age 12 and started a meme page on Instagram at age 15, monetizing and selling it at 30,000 followers.

Worked 40 hours a week across multiple jobs before university.

Dropped out of university to focus on lash extensions, facing initial challenges with client retention.

Returned to a minimum wage job after initial failure in lash business due to poor retention techniques.

Joined Facebook groups and watched YouTube tutorials to improve lash extension skills.

Achieved first gross five thousand dollar month six months into lashing and repaid initial investment.

Worked a summer job in Banff while maintaining the lash business, realizing the true passion was in lash extensions.

Learned the importance of being the best at what you do, even if it means practicing unpaid hours.

Invested in mentorship and new courses, increasing monthly gross to between eight to nine thousand dollars.

Moved lash business from home to an apartment, then to a 900 square foot store, scaling the business.

Offered lash training to students, overcoming imposter syndrome and expanding business opportunities.

Upgraded business operations, hiring staff and creating systems for scaling.

Created a line of lashes and began distributing for local lash brands, expanding product offerings.

Hired front desk staff and an assistant to manage complex business elements, emphasizing delegation.

Encourages viewing another video for deeper insights into successful lash business strategies.

Emphasizes that failures are just feedback and numbers are data, focusing on what works and letting go of what doesn't.

Transcripts

today I'm going to tell you how I built

a multi-six figure lash extension

business in only four years as a

university Dropout on how you can do the

same thing make sure you stay until the

end of the video to hear my best money

making tip in the slash industry but

first make sure you like subscribe and

hit the notification Bell

[Music]

as a kid I was always a very mediocre

student changed my mind monthly about

After High School plans but the one

thing I knew I liked doing was working

and making money a little bit of a

backstory my parents always made me work

for what I wanted age 12 when I started

babysitting I had to buy my own shoes

right after I turned 14 when it's legal

to work in my Province I began working

at American Eagle I stayed at that job

for about a year and I worked at a

different retail job but when I was 15.

I actually ended up getting tired from

that job after four months for being

kind of awkward with customers and I

went home super sad that day and I

started a meme page on Instagram and

actually I was able to monetize that

account pretty quickly and then I sold

it when I hit 30 000 followers this was

my first big accomplishment career-wise

I never had any intentions of monetizing

my meme page I just kind of saw that I

was able to do something and it just

gave me a lot of confidence at age 17 I

was working 40 hours a week between two

to three jobs I was working a lot before

graduating it was already kind of used

to working and having kind of that

full-time income and I knew that I

didn't really want to go back but

everyone else is going to University so

I did the same thing but right before

four and a half years ago you're one of

lashing registering for my first one day

course so like to borrow 900 for my mom

quit my minimum wage job the day before

that course

I took my first paying client 30 minutes

after the course ended she never

returned the 900 I initially borrowed

from my mom to take that course quickly

turned into twelve hundred dollars with

everyone wanting refunds because their

lashes were falling off three months in

I had to go back to my minimum wage job

at this point I had dropped out of

University I was just like I'm gonna try

again next year I don't really know

what's happening I'm relying on lash

extensions for all my income I have no

money I don't know why I'm in arts and

science so I'm back at my minimum wage

job but at this point I did start

joining Facebook groups and kind of

researching online watching YouTube

videos on how I can improve my retention

because this is why this income stream

wasn't working out for me lash

extensions everyone's lashes were

falling off the next day I was starting

to kind I give up and I applied it for a

random summer job in Banff working at a

gift shop even though I was only working

at the minimum wage job and doing lashes

I wasn't practicing outside of my paying

clients I thought it was a waste of

product and I would be losing even more

money four and a half years ago you

could get away with that not as many

people did lash extensions so you didn't

really have as many people to choose

from as well as clients weren't as

educated about lashes um so they would

just kind of go to whoever they found on

Kijiji okay so now six months into

lashing I'm actually able to re-leave

that same minimum wage job because I was

gradually starting to get better and

some of my clients were returning six

months into lashing I had my first gross

five thousand dollar month and I was

able to pay my mom back I decided to go

to Banff anyways because that was coming

up that next month I stayed there a

couple months I loved it there so much

but when I was there I realized that my

true love was my lash business back home

my biggest lesson from year one of

lashing was you have to be the best at

what you do or as close to that as

possible it will cost you unpaid hours

of practicing on a mannequin or pumping

out free sets but you will guaranteed

lose more money on clients being unhappy

with the service and not returning I see

a ton of new estheticians making this

mistake your clients do not owe you

bookings you have to fulfill your end of

the bargain and truly put in your best

effort even when a paying client isn't

in your chair you will only get a nice

reoccurring income in the lash extension

industry when you are truly providing

value to the public and then in turn

they are willing to add your services

into their own monthly expenses tip two

from this year research the course you

take I think it's a lot more common

knowledge now than it was four and a

half years ago but the cheapest course

could actually end up losing you more

money in the long run it definitely did

especially my first year I had to go

back to my minimum wage job because I

wasn't equipped with the right knowledge

to get clients returning and I chose the

cheapest course I could find but you

have to remember all you have as an

esthetician is your skill set going into

year two so I returned from bounce and

am immediately as busy as when I left

but this time I'm giving it my best

effort I invest in mentorship new

courses charge more and I'm now grossing

between eight thousand dollars a month

to nine thousand from my mom's basement

I was saving all my money at the end of

year two profit hit I was able to get my

own apartment and do lashes from the

other bedroom in that apartment at this

point I was doing ten thousand dollars a

month as a solo esthetician working from

home and then a few months after I'm all

settled in my new apartment I start

offering lash training my biggest lesson

from this year was that everyone feels

imposter syndrome when they start

training but you have to get over any

limiting beliefs you have if you know

that you can provide value to your

students jump in with both feet training

opens a lot of doors and it's really

great money entering year three this is

when it gets exciting I upgrade my lash

business into a little office space hire

one of my students I wanted to test out

living in a different part of the

country with the guy I was dating at the

time without the lash extension business

that I had built here so nicely losing

its clients I was also lashing in this

different part of the country that I was

living in but ultimately decided home

was home and I came back here after two

months and then only a few months after

coming back home business was booming

better than ever and I got a 900 square

foot store friend just me and I had one

girl on hourly pay when I got here and

then after I was here and we had an

overflowing clientele collectively then

I was able to take on a new member my

best lesson from this year was whenever

you level up in your lash business you

are going to be a beginner at that level

do as much research as you can and trust

your gut going into year four I ended up

creating my own line of lashes and began

Distributing for local lash Brands I'm

the only place on the whole east side of

my city where you can come in and shop

for lash supplies seven days a week

halfway into year four I hired front

desk staff off and trained them

extensively on product knowledge to best

assist our customers I also hired an

assistant to help with the more complex

elements of my business my biggest

lesson from year four was that you need

systems written down in your business if

you actually want to scale and you need

to delegate some of your work or at some

point you're going to begin falling

behind on the important things some of

the things I recommend delegating is

marketing and accounting going into year

five so here we are I'm traveling to

take training I drive my dream car and

there's 10 people who work at my salon I

have a ton in the works and I'm so

excited for what's to come my biggest

lesson from this year so far is failures

just feedback and numbers are just data

when you have this many moving Parts you

need to double down on what's working

and you need to let go of what's not for

example if you carry a new client retail

product you Market it super well really

give it your best effort and if clients

aren't buying it just accept that and

double down on what is working for you

and what is most profitable maybe double

down on your last trainings instead

because lost training is super

profitable and if your client likes you

maybe they'll refer their friends to

also take your course and maybe even buy

lash supplies from you if you sell them

if you enjoyed this video I want you to

watch how to make money lashing next

because I go a little bit deeper into

what's worked for me and what hasn't

make sure to like comment and subscribe

and I'll see you guys next time