THE BUSINESS OF LASHES.

Learning how to apply eyelash extensions is only the beginning. Once you're working with real clients, you're responsible for much more than application technique.  You're responsible for the service—and the business behind it.

That's where Lash Intensive® begins.

THE SERVICE SIDE.

When something changes, do you know where to start?

• You reorder the same adhesive you've always used and suddenly clients have retention problems or reactions. What changed? 
• A trusted product starts performing differently. Is it the product, formulation, manufacturing, storage, environment, application—or something else?
• A client's retention suddenly changes. Can you troubleshoot the cause instead of guessing?
• A longtime client suddenly develops irritation or sensitivity after years without a problem. What changed?
• You're sourcing adhesives, lashes and professional products. What should you know before purchasing and using them?
• Your back, neck, shoulders or hands hurt. How do you protect the body your career depends on?

   

GOOD TECHNIQUE ISN'T ENOUGH WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG.

You must know how to troubleshoot to retain and build clientele.

THE BUSINESS SIDE.

The things I wish someone had taught me before I had to learn them while running my own business.

• How do you set pricing, policies and professional boundaries—and handle late arrivals, cancellations, no-shows and difficult client situations?
• A client asks you to donate a full set to her church, school, fundraiser or raffle. What do you do? When does generosity become a cost to your business—and your time create a financial hardship?
• Should you offer memberships, packages, discounts or Groupon promotions? What should you understand before committing your business to them?
• Should you work as a W-2 employee, 1099 contractor or self-employed business owner? What should you understand before choosing?
• What should you know before opening your own private lash studio—including the expenses, responsibilities and decisions that come with having your own space?
• What happens when you're ready to grow beyond a solo lash business? Should you hire staff and expand into a salon? What changes when you're responsible for employees, payroll, policies and a larger operation?
• Should you offer mobile lash services? What professional, safety and liability considerations come with traveling to the client?
• How do you evaluate products, manufacturers and suppliers instead of relying on marketing? What should you investigate before spending your money—or using those products on clients?
• How do you establish expectations from the very beginning that prices will increase annually—so clients understand annual price adjustments are a normal part of the business?
• How do you establish policies and professional boundaries from the beginning, rather than trying to introduce them after clients have become accustomed to something different?
• What happens when a client repeatedly pushes those boundaries? When do you accommodate, and when do you say no?
• How do you turn appointments into long-term client relationships and recurring clientele instead of constantly searching for new clients?
• How do you make business decisions that protect your income, your time, your body and the longevity of your career?

THE LASH SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS™.

The things I wish someone had taught me before I had to learn them the hard way

THE LASH SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS™

LASH INTENSIVE™ IS NOT ANOTHER LASH COURSE.

WHAT I WISH SOMEONE HAD TAUGHT ME.

There are areas of business I still struggle with today, and pricing and price increases are one of them. No mentor taught me to establish from the beginning that clients should expect annual price increases. I didn't understand how difficult it could be to change those expectations later. I also made business decisions from a place of generosity. In the beginning, I substantially discounted services when clients brought donation items from a list for children's and adult orphanages in Haiti and Mexico. The intention was good, but I learned that good intentions still have a cost—in money, time and the expectations you create with clients.

I've also learned from being exposed to very different businesses—from my own lash business to my dad's auto repair business and my former husband's business. Some of the most important lessons had nothing to do with lashes: partnerships, prenups, divorce, spouses, business ownership and taxes—yes, taxes. I've walked through emotional situations where something that initially seemed simple pushed me into financially traumatic situations that I was completely unprepared for—people watch out for themselves, rarely watch out for others. I also watched financial trauma affect others when I was a child and saw some never recover.

Those experiences taught me that some decisions require more than advice from another lash technician. Sometimes you need guidance from a licensed attorney, CPA, tax professional or financial professional before making the decision—not after you're trying to undo it. 

But the hard-knock lessons weren't only about business. They happened behind the lash table, too.

I learned what happens when products you've trusted suddenly become inconsistent. I learned that when retention changes, guessing isn't troubleshooting. You have to investigate what changed and understand the variables that can affect the service. I learned that sourcing professional products requires more than trusting what's written on the front of a bottle—or assuming the product you reordered will always perform exactly like the one you purchased before it.

I also learned that your physical setup isn't an afterthought. A cheap massage table isn't a professional workstation simply because you can perform lashes on it. Your client lash bed, technician chair, lighting, magnification and positioning affect your ability to work and can affect the experience of the client lying on your table. Your neck, back, hands and eyes have to perform this work appointment after appointment, year after year. If you intend to make this a career, your professional setup has to support both the technician performing the service and the client receiving it.

These are the lessons woven throughout Lash Intensive™: troubleshooting, product awareness, client safety, ergonomics, professional practice, business decisions and knowing when you need expertise outside your own. I will never tell you what path to take. What I can do is share what I learned, what I wish I had known and the questions I didn't know I needed to ask—so you can make your own informed decisions.

THIS IS THE EDUCATION I WISH I'D HAD BEFORE I HAD TO LEARN IT THE HARD WAY.