54| Marcie Board on Paychecks to Passion

Ever wondered about the humorous realities behind body waxing or the therapeutic nature of beauty treatments?

In this episode, Amanda is joined by the hilarious Marcie Board, Esthetician and Owner of Dazee Studio, to share her unique perspective on the beauty industry. They laugh about the everyday quirks of her profession and dive into the importance of emotional boundaries and staying true to their authentic selves. Their candid conversation highlights the value of kindness, personal growth, and unapologetically being yourself in life and business.

They also reflect on their journeys toward financial literacy—sharing stories from childhood, early money lessons, and how personal and generational experiences shape financial responsibility. From societal pressures to the lack of financial education among women, they discuss the power of healing through honest conversations and learning from mistakes.

From teenage jobs to building a thriving beauty business, Marcie’s story is one of resilience. They reminisce about first paychecks, quirky snacks, and the pride of financial independence. Marcie also shares the heart behind Dazee Studio in South End Louisville, her marketing journey, and her commitment to creating a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. Her determination through the pandemic showcases the strength of believing in yourself.

🎧 Tune in for an uplifting conversation full of laughs, heart, and honest lessons on growth—in beauty and beyond.

Follow Marcie:

Instagram: @dazee.studio
TikTok: @dazee.studio

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Transcript

Fostering a Positive Money Mindset

Speaker 1 0:00

Hey friends, welcome to Woman-Owned Wallet the podcast. I'm your host, amanda Dare, a serial entrepreneur who has already made all of the money mistakes, so you don't have to Now. I'm working on my money mindset, expanding my companies and having open conversations with women around a subject that shouldn't be so taboo money. My company, woman-owned Wallet, and I are determined to help you foster a more positive relationship with your wallet and help you create a life that makes you say wow, hey moneymakers, welcome back to another episode of Woman Owned Wallet the podcast. Amanda Dare here and I'm sitting across from the luscious, the wonderful, the Marcy.

Speaker 2 0:46

Hello, so happy to be here and so excited to chat Everything money and business.

Speaker 1 0:51

Money. Yeah, y'all know we love a sound effect over here. Kuzka's like Amanda, when are you going to stop using those? I'll be like I can't.

Speaker 2 1:00

I can't do it Never. We're never going to stop using them can't.

Speaker 1 1:06

I can't do it Never. We're never going to stop using them. So Marcy and I have literally been stalking each other for like years, but recently just fell into each other's arms and haven't let go. Yes, exactly, I feel like there's a lot of stories when I get started with how we met each other and how we vibed and yours and mine is so strong.

Speaker 2 1:26

Yeah, literally it was just like I can tell through the interwebs that we are going to be friends and we're going to make it happen.

Speaker 1 1:34

I think I told you because Marcy's an esthetician and like my brows and lashes, I think it's almost time to come back with lashes. Yes, it is, because I want them to be really. Yeah, girl, we're about eight weeks out.

Speaker 2 1:48

You're due. You're due for a beautifying moment.

Speaker 1 1:51

Yay, I'm like, okay, I got to get on her schedule after this. Yes, but yeah, she has Daisy Studio, but we will get into all of the goodies soon. But I think the video that made me fall in love with you was the one where you're like I think it was a story on TikTok. That was just like yeah, it's lunchtime and I've seen a lot of buttholes already.

Speaker 2 2:15

No, literally that was the week of Valentine's Day, and so Valentine's Day for a body wax or esthetician is like my Super Bowl, like all hands on deck, literally, if you're not going to see at least 20 buttholes in a day you're not pulling your weight as a body waxer, just all in a day's work.

Speaker 1 2:34

One day we'll get to that place with each other. I'm not sure I'm there yet. Yeah, you know what?

Speaker 2 2:41

And I, once you've seen one, you've seen them all. You know. That's just how it goes.

Speaker 1 2:45

And I was just, I think I was like laying down getting my facial and I was like, wow, I just I don't think about seeing that many puddles for one day. Yeah, no, literally, for somebody who can just be like eating cereal talking about it.

Speaker 2 2:57

Yeah, I was literally like halfway through the day and I had like ran home to like walk the dog and grab some lunch really quickly and just felt compelled to just tell everybody how I was doing, because I was like are you doing okay? And I'm like I've seen so many puddles, just so many puddles. But you know, it's fine, it's fine, it's what I signed up for and I love, I love what I do.

Speaker 1 3:16

I feel like that's, that's the clip that we need to. Yeah, I'm just kidding. No, no, right, it's like here she is, here she is. She's seen it all, she's seen it all, she's seen your booty and your booty and I know everything about you. And, yeah, when I was like laying down there in your studio, I was just like, oh, this is just. You know, all beauty like treatments and stuff are just therapy, it is.

Speaker 2 3:42

It really is, and just being able to like be that person for another person is like my calling. Beauty is like the secondary notion to that, like being a kind person is my forefront and then being able to like have a business surrounded by that is my favorite thing in the whole world, gosh.

Speaker 1 3:58

I bet. I mean we're always like in here talking to ladies loving on ladies. Yes, to have one-on-one time is my favorite thing ever.

Speaker 2 4:06

It's so special too, because, like you're like that person for a lot of people, and so for me it just took a lot of you know, boundary setting, specifically because you can listen to a lot of people but you can't take on everyone's. You know stuff. You have to be able to kind of repel it a little bit but then also be present, and I think that that's it's so hard. It is Like, and when I started as an esthetician, I definitely took on a lot of people's emotions a lot more often. But you know, therapy therapy's great Therapy teaches us boundaries and basically just taught me how to like really listen and just listen, because I'm a yapper.

Speaker 1 4:42

You know your girl's a yapper. They love a long-winded girly on this podcast. I mean, if they're still here, they've got to Good.

Speaker 2 4:50

I love it because, yeah, we be yapping yeah.

Speaker 1 4:53

I like it. I'm a yapper. Yeah, we've decided that we're both also silly geese.

Speaker 2 4:58

Yes, if you're not ready to embrace your inner silly goose, that's okay. That's okay, it'll happen eventually. But just not caring and really diving into like being the most cringe version of myself has been the most freeing part of my like healing and business journey. Honestly, I love that Because it just gives people the opportunity to also just be so unapologetically themselves and like life's hard enough. Why are we like just be yourself, unapologetically themselves and like life's hard enough? Why are we like just be yourself and it's okay. And to create a comfortable place where people feel like they can do that? Heck yeah, heck yeah.

Speaker 1 5:34

When I feel like, like we're talking about, like we're in places of like, we are selling that joy and that time for yourself as a woman Like you, and I sell that experience and so, if we're not gonna have this, I get to live in this life all the time.

Speaker 2 5:49

Yes, like this is my world. Like people ask me all the time they're just like is this like who you are for business? And I'm like, no, this is like me, 24 seven. Like no masking, no, nothing anymore, it's just 100% me Too tired to mask. No, gosh, no, I can't do it anymore. I can't do it anymore and like really accepting the fact that people are going to like you and people aren't going to like you and that's fine. Yeah, there's like 8 billion of us or whatever. No, right, there's so many people to go around. It's totally fine.

Speaker 1 6:18

I've realized too, like in the nicest way possible, like I don't like everybody, no, and that's fine, you know everybody, I don't need it.

Speaker 2 6:27

No, I don't need it no and not everybody's going to like me. And realizing that and accepting that for yourself, I think, is like such a freeing thing, because once you realize that that's what you want for yourself, you'd like everything else, like the cringe part of you that like lives inside of you, that cringe part of you that like lives inside of you that's been like trying to claw its way out, like can actually be seen. It's like I just want to be myself.

Speaker 1 6:52

I just want to be myself and like that's totally cool and I love that. Well, it's the invitation that it allows someone else to enter the world of. I am going to be totally myself. I would love to experience you at your total self. Yes, yes, and I don't think you have to hold anything back here. I'm just like no judgment. Yeah, For me it's usually like we're laughing. We're laughing. Then I'm like who hurt you?

Speaker 2 7:11

No me, every single time I'm like let's be giddy and be silly. And then I'm like so tell me about your mom, like they'll mention it. I'm like well, you know, as I cleanse your face, tell me really what's bothering you?

Speaker 1 7:24

And then we go into it.

Speaker 2 7:25

You know and people feel comfortable to do that, and some people do and some people don't. But being able to like, have that like invitation for people, I think is just so important.

Speaker 1 7:33

I agree, and if we're going to be those spaces that do feel safe, you know to. For me, it's like I want you to feel safe, to be yourself, Absolutely. That's what I'm offering. So if I'm offering that, I'm going to provide that.

Speaker 2 7:45

For sure, absolutely, absolutely. Because if you're not also like putting in the work, people notice and people can tell if you're faking it. Yeah, people can tell if you're faking it and nobody really wants to be around somebody, that's faking it. You know. Yeah, we're not dealing anymore. It's so 2000s, it's so 2000s, it is 2024.

Stories of Financial Awareness and Responsibility

Speaker 1 8:11

Let us give a little bit of like personal, like revolution in that right. It's so time. I think a lot of it for me happened, yeah, after I turned 30 and like did start going to therapy just for myself because I had been in marriage counseling before and that worked for my husband and I like we're very happily together. As I told you, I was like my Ken is awesome, awesome, he's great.

Speaker 2 8:31

Yes, and it was sweet because you're like please tell me more of these love stories. I know absolutely gotta hear them too. No, I love them and I love, like, the open conversation that people can have about therapy and like things that they're going through now, because it used to be so taboo and I have just really realized that the more you are open and honest about your struggles and your highs and your lows like in every single part of it it honestly like the same thing it just invites people into an uncomfortable conversation where they can be comfortable. Right, that's what this podcast is for, absolutely.

Speaker 1 9:02

That's why we're here and I mean, we're used to being uncomfy. I've been uncomfy my whole life.

Speaker 2 9:06

Oh yeah, yeah, I've been stuck in a ball of fight or flight for forever.

Speaker 1 9:12

So it's time let's go back, yes, let's. I mean we know where Marcy is today. But Marcy, getting started thinking about money and diving deep into that little inner, little Marcy, child vibes, and I'm curious, like as you're growing up, like what was kind of your first memories about money, and then we can get into how that has evolved over time, absolutely.

Speaker 2 9:35

So when I think back to my first experience with money and how that, you know, really resonated with me, or when I really started to think about money as like a physical object that could, you know, influence my life at all, my, when I was younger probably between like the ages of 10 and 12, I'm not exactly sure my family went through bankruptcy.

Speaker 2 9:57

We had a lot of credit card debt and we had bought a really lot of nice things and stuff and we were living like this specific type of lifestyle and then all of a sudden, that lifestyle was kind of ripped from us and we had to budget our money like way more. And that was my first really initial like money, you know, awareness to where I was like oh no, like I don't want that to happen to me. You know, like when I'm older, like is this something that happens to everybody? Like it kind of scared me a little bit and so for me, like as a kid, I knew like I didn't want that to happen to me. So, like the responsibility around money, that's really when it was like first forged for me.

Speaker 1 10:36

Gotcha and I like that, like the awareness, you know, because even before that you're like wow, I'm wow, you know, I got all these cool things.

Speaker 2 10:44

Yeah, I've got all these toys. I'm like I'm not really like wanting for a whole lot, but like little did I know it was because we were putting things on credit cards, and like I didn't understand the concept of money. Like I knew we used money to buy things but like no one was like sitting me down at 10 years old explaining those things. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 11:01

Right and I always feel like that's something that we're continuously exploring is like, how do we make sure that people understand it as the tool that it is? And I mean, it's actually surprising how many people have gone through bankruptcy, because it's, in a lot of ways, something that feels very shameful, absolutely yeah, but I don't believe it always has to feel that way. I mean, one of the first episodes we ever had on the podcast was called Bankruptcy to Unlimited Margaritas with my hairdresser, Lindsay, and like she tells us all about it, like the relief that she felt after that and so much of it is like keeping up with the Joneses, kind of vibe, absolutely, absolutely, and I feel like everybody kind of like falls into that at some point.

Speaker 2 11:45

You know, everybody wants to be accepted, everybody wants to like live a life that looks nice, right, and then, like, when you actually have to like look responsibility in the face, you're like, oh no, oh no, oh, my God, what's that?

Speaker 1 11:58

You know what I mean. Like it's a little scary.

Speaker 2 12:00

It's like uh-oh, what just happened and that, oh, you're wondering how I got here.

Speaker 1 12:08

Yeah, I mean, even like I've looked at it for different business stuff, Like I know that it can be so stressful, but anytime I've ever talked to somebody about it, it's that relief that comes after that. And sometimes I wonder, you know, with the way we discuss, you know maybe not being educated around financial literacy? I mean, our parents weren't either, right?

Speaker 2 12:29

exactly, and it's a trickle down theory. It's like nobody taught them how to be financially literate. I mean, what year was it when women could get their first credit card?

Speaker 1 12:37

I think it was 89. Yeah, exactly when I was born.

Speaker 2 12:40

Right. So, it's like our parents didn't understand the concept of that and like you can't fault them for that, for not knowing.

Speaker 1 12:49

Actually I asked my mom that one time and I think she said it was before 89 for single women, but married women had to have the cosigner of their husband Ew.

First Job Memories and Experiences

Speaker 2 13:02

You know what I mean. And like gross, I hate that. So, like, as a woman, like that's 35 years. Yeah, if you're not taught these skills, how can you blame somebody for when it goes wrong? Exactly, you can't, you can't. You have to learn from your mistakes and I'm glad that you know my parents did and that's wonderful. That happened once and then we didn't have to worry it again.

Speaker 1 13:20

But it was definitely like the first awareness of money and how it can affect me on like a day-to-day lifestyle you know, yeah, and I think, as we were discussing before, like I was the same as you where I got a job at 15. I had like two jobs by 16. I'm ready.

Speaker 2 13:36

Like I'm ready.

Speaker 1 13:39

So you're ready because maybe you are feeling that insecurity around it a little bit. So is that like your launch into independence a little bit for yourself? Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 13:49

It definitely felt like one of those things, and I am a natural nurturing type of person. So for me too, it's like okay, well, if I can make some money, I obviously don't have any bills at 15. You know what I mean If I can help, if I can do any kinds of ways. And you know, and here, like more recently, like when I was like in my early 20s, like that's what I did, like I would help out my family when I could, because I didn't have as much financial burden as they did, right? So I think for me too, it was like the sense of independence, but it was also the sense of like if I need to help them, then I can, because I've seen where they've been before.

Speaker 1 14:25

And do you feel like so that first job I was in like a restaurant.

Speaker 2 14:28

Yes, right.

Speaker 1 14:29

Yes, I was a hostess. I was wondering yeah, so did you go in as a hostess? Mine was at Fazoli's, I was at the Applebee's the Applebee's, the.

Speaker 2 14:37

Applebee's. Yeah, I walked in and I wanted to be a hostess and you know me, I'm just giddy and I'm a go-getter and I am a Friendly, oh, friendly, and I am an all or nothing kind of person. Even at 15, I was like I want to learn everything and I want to be the best. And so they decided, because I was 15 and I couldn't actually be a server in the restaurant yet, they made me a car side to go girl.

Speaker 1 15:08

When I'd tell you it was the worst job.

Speaker 2 15:09

I have ever had Delivery is not what it is today, because I had a similar one. They literally would drive up to the Applebee's because we couldn't sell alcohol because it was to-go. I was the to-go girl. Basically it was hell on wheels, like. I remember leaving that Applebee's and just crying, but I also had paychecks so I was happy. You're like I guess this is work. Yeah, I'm like I guess this is what everybody goes through.

Speaker 1 15:28

I thought that too. Where I was well, one time I was like walking around the Fazoli's dining room because I was the friendliest and I was giving out extra breadsticks.

Speaker 2 15:37

Yeah, I was like are you the breadstick girl?

Speaker 1 15:39

I was the breadstick girl, and on a Sunday afternoon, you already know Also, I thought fazolis was so expensive. I was like who's paying this?

Speaker 2 15:48

for no, literally. I can't buy a French onion soup at Applebee's. What do you mean? I?

Speaker 1 15:53

was like I can't eat this. Thank goodness that I'm just sneaking some breadsticks in my back? No, literally all the time. Actually, I did make quite a few concoctions because I was in the kitchen for a little bit, and they had one of those conveyor ovens. Oh yeah, I would like put a cookie halfway in and then get it out on the other side and yum the weird foods that we have made, like in the back of house of a kitchen when you worked there.

Speaker 2 16:16

If you haven't eaten some sort of weird like stoner meal, like at 2 pm on like a Sunday morning, it's very stoner it is yeah, it is Before, I was one. Oh yeah, right, exactly Same.

Speaker 1 16:29

I remember making like a limoncello thing or whatever, like the the icies, but I put Dr Pepper in it. Yes, of the icy thing, and it was so good. Yeah, I was like I love this. And I was like nobody's charging me for this. No, this is free. Drinks are free. Yeah, I love it. Actually, I have no idea.

Speaker 2 16:47

No, I don't either. 20 years ago, yeah me at 15, had no clue what I was doing, I was just trying my best.

Speaker 1 16:52

Could you drive then, or did you get dropped off?

Speaker 2 16:55

I got dropped off, my mom would come and pick me up, like and she I remember one time I had like such a terrible night and I was obviously still in school, so like I worked way too long.

Speaker 2 17:06

Yeah late too. I bet I'm not trying to get Applebee's in trouble, but like definitely some weird child labor laws where I was like way too late to be there on a school night and I remember just getting in the car and just like boohooing and my mom was like you don't have to if you don't want to and I was like but it's my job.

Speaker 1 17:22

You know I didn't understand the concept that.

Speaker 2 17:24

I could quit and get another job Right, Because my sense of responsibility has always just been so strong to where I was like no, I can't like let the team down. Yeah.

Speaker 1 17:35

I can't. My own emotions don't matter.

Speaker 2 17:40

I don't want somebody else to know like this is awful.

Speaker 1 17:43

Yeah, they told me I was the only one who could pass out breadsticks on Sundays, so I had to be there. I got to wear like the green apron instead of the black one and got to walk around and somebody took me like 10 bucks one time I mean, I only made like 30 the whole time I ever did that but $10. Oh, my God Cause nobody tips anything. No fazoli's no, especially not now no, absolutely not.

Speaker 2 18:08

I love that.

Speaker 1 18:09

That's so great, it's okay I get paid in breadsticks, I mean basically, but like my boyfriend had worked there at the time, yeah, and so like that was fun absolutely and we all like if you grew up in a restaurant or any kind of restaurant setting.

Speaker 2 18:22

Every single person I've ever dated has worked at the same restaurant as me. Like let's not lie. Like now that I'm out of it, it's like obviously there's nobody else but clients and I'm not dating them.

Speaker 1 18:33

And are you from Louisville? I'm trying to remember.

Speaker 2 18:35

Yes, I'm from Louisville, so I grew up in the South end of Louisville.

Speaker 1 18:38

Okay gotcha. So what high school did you go to? That's what everybody knows.

Speaker 2 18:41

I went to PRP. Prp Come to Panthers Pleasure Ridge Park High School.

Speaker 1 18:48

I know I told Kuzco we got to add extra womp, womp, womps to there. He added some to Carmilla's episode and maybe we'll get lucky. Thank you, thanks Kuzco, thanks Kuzco. So PRP, south Louisville, and you're saying like, is that kind of a smaller town, like?

Speaker 2 19:10

what's going to be people's perspective. The South of Louisville is definitely like blue collar labor, like we're talking like HVAC plumbers, pipe bidders, like trishen body workers.

Speaker 1 19:23

So they love Applebee's.

Speaker 2 19:24

Yeah, like Applebee's is good Texas Roadhouse and Applebee's Texas Roadhouse though.

Speaker 1 19:29

Well okay, look Tea roadies, as Adrienne says.

Speaker 2 19:32

I worked at Texas Roadhouse after Applebee's. Oh, oh yeah.

Speaker 1 19:36

And it was fantastic.

South End Louisville Entrepreneurial Journey

Speaker 2 19:37

Oh, when I talk about concoctions, the amount of ranch and bread I have eaten in my lifetime, I will tell you it literally helped me survive my early 20s. But the South End of Louisville is definitely like, just like a nice little niche part of town where it's just like everybody kind of like you know, stays in the South End, everybody kind of just like lives their quaint life down there and it's very just like blue collar and I love it. You know it taught me a lot about like how I needed to be strong and work hard and work ethic is like the number one thing from there.

Speaker 1 20:08

Yeah, I love that. Definitely hard workers over here, absolutely.

Speaker 2 20:12

Especially those little entrepreneurs, absolutely, and there's so many like there's so many great entrepreneurs that came from this off end and it's fantastic. I love to see when people are winning when they're from there, you know, because sometimes it gets a little bit of a bad rep, you know, just because it is not the fanciest part of town. But honestly, the people that I meet that are from there are some of the hardest working people I've ever met.

Speaker 1 20:34

Yeah, and I'm sure it has. I mean, people think of Kentucky, right, right, and I bet they're thinking of PRP, right, like in the best way. Well, absolutely Like I do think of us as like a hardworking, like semi-Southern and especially.

Speaker 2 20:48

Southern Louisville like anything South of Louisville? No for sure, and it's just one of those things where it's like, it's just that like Southern hospitality. That's what I mean. The Southern hospitality and the Southern mentality is through and through in the South End, for sure.

Speaker 1 21:02

Yes, and I like that because that's where you learn a lot of it too. It's like growing up and then, like you, wave to your neighbors Right how you doing.

Speaker 2 21:09

You know, it was such a great place to grow up because it was like so close knit. Like when I meet someone new that's from the South End, we have a mutual friend in common. Oh, no way, we always are in the same circle somehow. Yeah, it's like literally, their cousin is my, you know? President of my high school.

Speaker 1 21:28

You know what I mean, like when I graduate, the president of the high school.

Speaker 2 21:31

Like you know what I mean, like valedictorian, like I graduated with him, like that I was just like damn, no, not the prince.

Speaker 1 21:38

Two degrees away.

Speaker 2 21:39

No, no way.

Speaker 1 21:43

So, yay, south End vibing. And then so you worked at the T-Roadies. The T-Roadies treated me so well. And then, how long did you work there for?

Speaker 2 21:51

Oh my gosh. I worked at T-Roadies for like seven years. Oh wow, I'm a like I'm gonna rotterdaw for a company that's for sure.

Speaker 2 21:59

I worked there for a really long time and I just kind of worked my way up. So I was a server, and then I was a bartender, and then I was a manager Wow. And then I was like you know what this is a lot of stress and I would like to make more money. So I'm going to quit. Love you guys, bye. And then I went back to bartending. You're like bart, couldn't, I couldn't like compete with that, you know.

Speaker 1 22:28

And what drew you to becoming an esthetician?

Speaker 2 22:30

I have always loved beauty. I wanted to be a model when I was growing up. Oh, you're gorgeous. Well, thank you so much.

Speaker 1 22:36

You're so sweet.

Speaker 2 22:37

I literally would like read Vogue and like J14 Magazine when I was a kid and 17 Magazine and just ooh and ah over the models.

Speaker 2 22:45

And I love makeup. So I would do wedding makeup before I actually went to school to be an esthetician, because you don't need a license to do that. And so I did that because at that point in time it was 2016, 17 when, like YouTube influencers were like it and I was like I'm going to make a business on being a makeup artist and so, like, I did a bunch of weddings and I realized how much I really loved that one-on-one time that I got with people. And then I realized I was like well, I don't have to go to school to just do hair, which I thought like getting your cosmetology license was the only way that you could do skincare, beauty, makeup and stuff. And then when I found out that you could just go for aesthetics, that's when I really like saved my money and decided to go and like pursue that dream of mine. And I was 27 when I did that, oh I love it.

Speaker 1 23:35

Yeah, and I love that you're like almost taking a less traditional path, because you it's probably from some of your money story in that way, it's like I'm having this independence, I'm walking out with cash all the time, like I'm feeling like if I need to go in and work a shift for a bill or whatever, like I can do it, absolutely Taking care of yourself.

Speaker 2 23:54

It was a really great way to like learn how to be on my own and be responsible with money from a very young age. And then, when I felt comfortable with where I was at with money and like how to go about like moving on to like the next stage of my life, I felt comfortable enough to like make that decision, to like work full time and go back to school. Nice, yeah.

Speaker 1 24:13

I like it, yeah. So where did you go to school?

Speaker 2 24:17

So I went to PJ's College of Cosmetology. They teach cosmetologists, obviously, but they have an entire section where they just teach aesthetics, and so before then the class sizes were super small. So when I went and toured the school it was probably like maybe only like 10 people per class, per esthetician class so literally small hands-on. When I went to school, aesthetics boomed right. Skincare was like it. That YouTube.

Speaker 1 24:43

Oh, the YouTube.

Speaker 2 24:44

Yeah, youtube changed it all. And then, like when I went to school, we had like 20 something people in my class Dang, so it was a very, very large class, but it taught me everything that I needed to know about. Basically, you have to take a state board licensing test. Once you're done with like the curriculum and stuff like that, they teach you everything you need to know for that test. Everything else as far as like budgeting, marketing, everything else and like how to gain clientele, how to actually work on clientele. You learn all of that on your own, unfortunately, but it gave me the tools that I needed to be able to figure out those things.

Speaker 1 25:23

And that's what I feel like, even in going into a traditional college, like I went to college but I didn't learn how to get, like you're saying, how to get a client, how to even how to network. They're like go to this network thing. Well, I want to do it differently than just like selling my elevator pitch or whatever. Right exactly.

Speaker 2 25:40

And not everybody's receptive to that. I know I'm not. My brain will immediately shut off if somebody just goes into like a speech, like a rehearsed speech, like I just want to hang out, talk, and then you tell me about your passion. Yeah, and then I'll feel that passion off of you and then I'm more likely to probably be receptive to what you have to say.

Speaker 1 26:00

Right, you know, people always lead. I think that's the wrong, you know, foot forward.

Speaker 2 26:04

Absolutely. I just want to get to know you and then let's talk about it, and so my approach has always been like friendly first yeah.

Speaker 1 26:12

Always friendly first and like just come, yeah, like alliterations, absolutely Me too Friendly first Friendly first, First write it down. Well, recently we had Galentine's Day and we had a young entrepreneur she's 12. Her name is Liv, oh my God, doing our friendship bracelets. Yes, and I met her very close to the event and I actually had already purchased some of the friendship bracelet items to have that as an activity, as an activation at the event Nice, and I was like this is going to be great.

Speaker 2 26:50

I don't even need somebody to run it. Oh, should I do? Right, absolutely. You always come into contact with that after the fact and, like when the event is like actually happening, you're like, oh no, I need somebody now.

Speaker 1 26:55

I messed up Like maybe two weeks, maybe three, before I met her, and she makes friendship bracelets and her mom was telling me how she had like ordered DoorDash one day. And her mom's like how'd you pay for that? She's like through my bracelet business. Oh my gosh, I love that so much. She had Starbucks delivered to her and I was like all right, I love that for you, I do too. I'm just like get it. Yeah, I love that for her. When I met her and I'd already bought the supplies, I was like, oh, we don't have space for a booth for you to attend, but you can come and network and market yourself by showing people how to make these bracelets with the product that we've already done. And she was so excited, so, on board, oh, that's so great, I love that. I was like still wearing my pajamas getting ready, and her mom was like, hey. So she asked me does Miss Amanda have another outfit? And I was like, oh, trust me Liv.

Speaker 2 27:48

Oh, that's so funny. You're like you just wait. You just wait for the sparkle, yeah.

Speaker 1 27:53

Don't you worry, these are pajamas.

Speaker 2 27:54

Yeah, these are my jammies, Don't you worry, that's so funny.

Juggling School, Work, and Balance

Speaker 1 28:07

I 6am, yeah, and she's like I'm really concerned about what Amanda's going to wear. I'm concerned, like I, there's paint on those pants. Yeah, excuse me, ma'am, like you'll look so much better if you change. You could tell she was like um is everything okay? Yeah, I love that, okay. So I was telling her. You know, the reason why that's going to be beneficial for her is that if she meets everyone and is friendly, first, as you said, that she's going to create connections that will lead them to her business. Yes, and that is so much more authentic. Absolutely, and you'll, like we said, like, funnel out the people that don't make sense, right, but the people that sit down and want to make more than one bracelet, like you don't own just one friendship bracelet, no, you have a whole armful of them.

Speaker 2 28:38

Yes, you want more. You, not a whole armful of them. Yes, you want more. You want to give them away? Yes, you want to do it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 28:43

And every time you're just like, okay, well, buy this one for me, yada, yada, like if they haven't had that interaction with you, right, then it might not, you know, feel the same way, or you might not have that repeat customer. So I was telling her and I was just like you're going to meet 500 plus women that you haven't met before Absolutely.

Speaker 2 29:05

And what a great opportunity for her to learn that at such a young age.

Speaker 1 29:09

And I like told her. I was like you're doing me a favor, but I want you to utilize this time for your business growth.

Speaker 2 29:16

That's so great.

Speaker 1 29:17

And I think when we talked through it and she understood like the intent behind it and everything, she was just like I said so on board, and her and her mom showed up in matching outfits oh my god stop. I love it. They had like a retractable banner already with her info on it.

Speaker 2 29:33

I was like, okay, we're serious and I love it when people take themselves seriously, like if you have a yes, if you have a dream, and that is your dream, I want you to go above and beyond what you think you're like, what you can do in order to make that possible. Right, it's like, it's so important.

Speaker 1 29:51

It's just amazing to me that, like the things we're learning now, like I hear teens talking oh yes, they're using language that it's just so important for them to know. And I was like in our 30s.

Speaker 2 30:03

It's like one of those things where it's, you know, I didn't learn a lot of these things until I was into my late 20s, you know, and I'm still learning new things every single day. And to be able to hear people really just like speaking to themselves and to other people in that kind of way, yeah, I'm like you guys are going to be so great, like you guys are going to be so great, the kids are going to be okay.

Speaker 1 30:25

I can't wait to watch them.

Speaker 2 30:26

I'm just like I'm going to sit back in my rocker one day and be like.

Speaker 1 30:28

Look at these cuties.

Speaker 2 30:30

Thanks for keeping us afloat. You know what I mean. We'll be on the same porch, no literally, I'm like do you want more iced tea? Amanda?

Speaker 1 30:37

I'm like extra sweet, except except I'm diabetic. So I shouldn't do that petting my cat, don't mind us, don't mind me, just water with lemon.

Speaker 2 30:47

No, literally it's good for my diabetic ass, it's fine alright.

Speaker 1 30:54

So we're in esthetician school. We're feeling good, even though our class size is like a little bigger than we expected. Do you find any like competitiveness in esthetician school? I can only imagine.

Speaker 2 31:05

Absolutely, friend, because everybody wants to be the best you know, and there was, you know I did have, you know, altercations in certain situations with people who, like, did not take school seriously. And you know me, I am an overachiever, right, I'm going to get an A on every test. I'm going to make me a spreadsheet, I need my highlighters, like I took that so seriously. And I did have a really great group of girlfriends who we really leaned on each other throughout esthetician school and I am still so incredibly close to them because it was a very like back to high school mentality. Yeah, and when you're going through that at 27.

Speaker 1 31:45

I was thinking that like, maybe they're like 20. Oh my God, or 18 or 19.

Speaker 2 31:49

Yeah well, there was all kinds of different ages, so like there was people that were like in their late 20s, but then there was people that were 19, 20, celebrating their 21st birthday while they were in school. And you know, in my specific group that I was close with, we had someone that was like in their forties. We had people that were closer to my age, we had 21 year olds, but we all had the same work ethic and we all realized that we were going to need each other to lean on and to study with and to get through this. And thank goodness, it was probably like seven or eight of us that really just like got really really close and just really helped each other like through it, because without those girls it would have been hell on wheels.

Speaker 2 32:30

Yeah, I bet it would have been so, because I was going to school full time and I was bartending full time, yeah, so I was doing that all day and then I would literally pack a backpack with my bar clothes. Go to work. You had to wear scrubs at school. There was a mandatory uniform. You had to wear gray scrubs. It was not cute and I'm a sweaty girl, just through and through anxious sweaty girl.

Speaker 2 32:53

So my pitties were so sweaty every single day, girl, and so like I'm just like embarrassed, and then I would like have to like take my clothes with me to the bar and like change in the bathroom and like do that all day long.

Speaker 1 33:07

Man, and how late did you work? Must have been midnight later.

Speaker 2 33:10

Midnight, 1, 2 am. Oh my goodness, it was crazy. And then wake up and do it all over again. I'm like who was she? Who is she? Who was she? Because? Like I don't even know if I could do that now, no way.

Speaker 1 33:21

Man, yeah, it was so worth it, though, working multiple jobs all through college and stuff too, and just like. Yeah, friend, I don't know Like I do a lot now and people see that I'm doing a lot, I'm like it's just different, it is different and it's different pace.

Speaker 2 33:44

Yeah, absolutely. And like now that you like own your own stuff and like you're doing like you're in charge of it fully right, and like having it's so scary, it's so freaking scary because, like everything is up to you, like there's nobody else that is making those decisions but you, and like it's really hard to like make that time, to like not be working 24-7 and to like take that break, right, and so, like I'm always trying to learn how to like balance, balance it all.

Speaker 1 34:06

And some days I'm good at it and some days.

Speaker 2 34:07

I'm really terrible at it.

Speaker 1 34:08

I like a little more. I think I've said this before on here but harmony versus balance Cause like it's never very balanced for me, but if I'm in like a creative flow and it feels good, I'm not going to leave it.

Speaker 2 34:21

No, yeah, for sure, I feel the same way, Like even if I am like working a lot, but I'm enjoying every aspect of it and I'm like succeeding at what I'm doing in that moment. Like it might feel like a lot to other people, like you said, but it doesn't necessarily. It's just different for me. I'm not like taking on more than I can control or contribute. Right, I do, Me too. I mean, not all days are like that. I bet you do. No, I literally take on a lot more than I'm supposed to. But in a perfect world I would definitely have that harmony. I like that way better than balance. That sounds really nice.

Speaker 1 34:56

I heard it at a panel discussion and I really liked that, just because the balance word makes you feel like everything should be even. Yeah, and that makes sense. That doesn't make sense in my body.

Speaker 2 35:07

No, not in my body.

Speaker 1 35:09

The harmony is like my. If I'm like one to work late one, my husband just says ride the wave. Like the creative parts of me, I can't control when they come out, absolutely.

Speaker 2 35:17

You know, and you just have to let it flow.

Speaker 1 35:19

Yeah, let it flow. If you feel it like vibe with it, ride the wave, as he always says, okay. So when did you graduate? How long does it take to get through school actually?

Speaker 2 35:29

So it's an hourly program, so you graduate whenever you're finished with the amount of hours that you have. So at school, like you have mandatory, like the first hour that you're at school, you're there for an hour and you have to have so many hours of that specific class in order to graduate. But then you have to have like hourly hands-on work and like all this stuff to graduate. And so for me, I believe it was 750 hours, but they had just minimized that from the 1100 hour aesthetics and they didn't change any of the workload. So we had 1,100 hours of work and 750 hours, and so it just really depends. I graduated, I started school in May of 2019 and I graduated in November. So I was like I was doing it, I was staying after as much as I could, I was literally making it happen, because I knew by the time that 2019 was over, I wanted to be done with school.

Speaker 1 36:30

I set that goal for myself. I knew that there was a pandemic coming.

Speaker 2 36:34

I mean, if I did, could I have, like, set out a PSA or something? No, but that was the scariest part about all of it, because I graduated school in November and then you have to separately take your state board licensing test and you have to take two tests. So you have to take a written test that goes over. It's an automated program. So you don't know what you're going to be tested on. So you have to study the entire book of information and you don't know what you're going to be taught Like. You don't know what you're going to be like tested on, is it?

Speaker 1 37:05

like cleaning stuff? Is it like how to wax correctly?

Speaker 2 37:10

It's a little bit of everything. Yeah, so it was. My test specifically had to do with electricity, it had to do with chemicals, it had to do with chemistry like the pH balance of things.

Speaker 2 37:25

Like you have to learn all that. And then, obviously, like infection control. Infection control is the most important thing that I learned in school, because that's what you learn how to do to keep people safe and to keep from spreading anything or like making anything happen. But it was a lot, I bet. And then you have to take like an in-person practical exam. Yeah, that's where you have to show state board that you know how to do the services that you've been taught essentially, and once you do that, that's when you get your license, and that happened in January of 2020. Girl, I was like, yay, this is like my new life, like I'm gonna, yeah, like talk about a womp, womp, womp. Like literally it was. Yeah, I decided to take a break from aesthetics for a month. So I yeah, oh, my God, I had been cause I had been going like burning the candle at both ends for like almost a year, year, right. And so, like I graduate, I like get my license, like I'm doing it. I'm like, okay, cool.

Speaker 2 38:32

I'm going to work at the bar as much as I can, save up a bunch of money, and then I'm going to go off on my own. And so I was taking clients, like, and I was a traveling esthetician, no-transcript situation with money. It was like, oh my god, I lost both my jobs within a day. It was like, wow, now I have no money. What am I gonna do? Yeah, I'm freaking out, and I think everyone, obviously collectively, was like what is happening? Yeah, how are we gonna get through? How are we gonna get through? What's gonna happen? Will we? Yeah, will we get through this? Is this going to be like? You know, not to be too current, but like the end, like what is happening, what's going on?

Speaker 1 39:32

you know this is the end, oh no, oh no, it was very scary.

Speaker 2 39:37

It was so scary. We're so scared all the time. I'm just so scared, so anxious all the time. I was going to say we're just anxiety girlies, oh girl. I think, anxiety is like literally the middle name, and we're not scared to say that.

Speaker 1 39:50

Welcome to Marcy Anxiety. Hi welcome.

Speaker 2 39:54

I've got anxiety. What about you?

Speaker 1 39:58

I mean who doesn't? I don't know. Some people don't. I guess Some people don't. I guess Some people don't. I'm like what do you do with all that space in your brain? Do they fill it with other stuff or they just chill?

Speaker 2 40:08

I think they're just chilling, I think so. They're just going through life just like I like to call it smooth brain, where it's just like la, la, la, la la. Just having the time of their life. What if you know? What if this, what if that, what if we should?

Speaker 1 40:23

Yeah, I don't know how. Nope, I'm scared All of a sudden.

Speaker 2 40:27

I'm sweaty.

Speaker 1 40:29

So sweaty. So what was your? I know it was scary, but how did you get through it?

Speaker 2 40:34

I mean honestly, I obviously couldn't touch people's faces for a couple months yeah, couple months and I just really went back to the drawing board and I was like, okay, what do I want? What is happening? Like, what am I going to do in order to make myself survive in this situation? Once things started opening back up and we could start doing services again, I set up, you know, clauses where people were getting tested. I was still taking clients, I was going to their homes, you know, potentially exposing myself, but I knew that I needed to make a career out of this, and so, at the time, everyone was wearing masks, you know, and so the only services that I could provide at that time were brows and lashes. And so that's really when my career pivoted from being a skincare girly only and like doing brows on the side, to being like the brow girl.

Speaker 1 41:23

Y'all should see her brows right now. Perfect.

Speaker 2 41:26

Thank you. It's a labor of love, labor, labor of love. But that really just sparked like the love for me again when I was able to, like you know, talk about what was happening during the pandemic and like check on people and like be that person for people, cause a lot of the people that I saw were not leaving their homes, were not seeing their family, they weren't seeing anybody and like they were seeing me. And so once I felt that connection with people again, I was really just pushed in a direction where I was like, okay, this is going to be my full-time career, this is I like that though. Yeah, this is when I'm going to like this is how I feel in this moment. And I felt so at peace with like being that comforting person to people and I knew that I could provide that for them, like on a more regular basis. I love that.

Building a Successful Beauty Business

Speaker 1 42:15

So you were going to people's homes. You're welcome. You were going to people's homes. Did you work in any salons?

Speaker 2 42:22

I didn't work in a salon until August of 21. Before that, I had gone back to the service industry while I was still doing lashes and brows. Just because you know supplemental income, you gotta make that money, and I didn't have many clients you know?

Speaker 1 42:39

Yeah, you're fresh out.

Speaker 2 42:40

When you're fresh out, and especially fresh out, and a pandemic just happened, people are scared, people don't have any money, people are nervous.

Speaker 1 42:47

Yeah, they don't want to go to someone new. No, they don't want to go to someone new, right.

Speaker 2 42:51

And so that's really when, like, the grassroots marketing aspect of everything really like started to take off, because it was like okay, now I have this one client, but her mom wants her brows done, her sister wants her brows done, her friend wants her brows done, and so after that, that's when my clientele really started to branch out. And then, once I got into a salon setting, that's really when I was able to like put my roots down to where. I was like this is where I'm at, this is where I'm going to be and I'm going to succeed. I was like this is where I'm at, this is where I'm going to be and I'm going to succeed.

Speaker 2 43:26

I'm going to be one of the best people in this place I have to be the best I do and that's just my mentality, like that doesn't necessarily mean that I need to be the best in the room, I just need to be the best, your best, my best. Yes, I always want to be my absolute best takes yeah.

Speaker 1 43:43

And if you're in a room where you're like okay, I can do that here, then you feel that safety that we were talking about and that security of. Okay, if I can be myself here, this is the job where I'm going to hang out for a minute, Absolutely.

Speaker 2 43:52

Yes, and some of the girls that I worked with were so. They went above and beyond, you know, to teach me how to work in a salon setting, how to take clients, how I had never worked at a reception desk before, you know. So, like taking clients, they should teach you that. They should teach you that. It's so silly to me. It's so silly and it was so overwhelming for me when I first started because I had only been texting my clients casually. You know, I didn't have like a system I needed to run, I didn't have a scheduling book, and so learning how to do all of those things was very overwhelming. But thankfully I had a few, you know, colleagues that really went above and beyond to like help me, you know, really fit in and really just become the best esthetician that I could be, and I'm very grateful for them.

Speaker 1 44:36

I love that because I feel like it is so hard to find those people that will be next to you, you know, and they're literally standing next to you all day, like and to be able to, you know, rely on them or ask for that help, or even just to be around them, you know, being, however much more experienced they were in that moment, right, exactly, you know, with the other side, with the business side of it. I think that's beautiful and it's so hard to find, so I'm glad that you did find that in your space yes, absolutely.

Speaker 2 45:04

It was pretty amazing and just being able to watch them work in a space that they had been in for years already and be able to really be like the shining stars that they are Like, I was really proud to work next to them. You know it was really nice, that's so sweet yeah.

Speaker 2 45:38

So how did you go out to create Daisy's studio? When was that? Like you know, friend groups I wasn't necessarily in the popular crowd, but I wasn't in, like you know, the nerd crowd or like anywhere in between. I kind of just floated around and like was my own person Friendly first?

Taking the Leap

Speaker 2 45:52

Yeah, friendly first, and when you are that way, you know, sometimes you don't have a like a tight knit group of people that you can really rely on. You're kind of relying on yourself in a lot of ways. And so for me, and with beauty, you know, beauty is such a spectrum that I never, really ever saw beauty as this is this one thing. And so when I went to school, I remember them asking us like what is your goal as an esthetician? And I, you know, I'm queer, so, like I have a lot of friends that are in the LGBTQ plus community and you know, and they don't feel comfortable in a lot of places, you know, and creating that safe space for people to be authentically themselves and be able to, you know, get rid of the taboo and kind of just come as you are.

Speaker 2 46:39

I always knew I wanted to make that happen, I just didn't know when. And so, honestly, you know, I had come to a turning point in my career, like while I was at the studio, where it just wasn't a good fit for me anymore, and I really was, you know, I felt confident in myself and my skills and my people skills and in my business skills to where I knew that it was time, right. I felt like a little baby bird that had kind of been like okay, like, yeah, like I'm ready to make this happen.

Speaker 2 47:10

And so when I decided that it had been because of like relationships that I had had with people that weren't so great, you know, I felt like the odd man out in my situation. You know, a lot of people don't get along with each other, and that's completely fine, but to me it was just one of those things where I had kind of like, had enough and I was ready to as many good people as there are in a situation for you and it's not good or bad on them, it's just is it good for you, right, exactly?

Speaker 1 47:38

And as many that are good for you there to be just as many not good for you, exactly? You know, like work-wise relationships, any relationships, right? I just see what you're saying, like you had that great core group, right, you know, in the studio and at the esthetician school and everything, but not everybody. No, not everybody. Yeah, and I'm actually proud that you found that because, like you're saying, you bopped between so many. Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 2 48:06

You probably were fit in, but you wanted to belong. Yeah, exactly, and like knowing that I was done with like masking and like pretty much putting up a routine of like who I was supposed to be in that specific place, right, I didn't want to play that game anymore.

Speaker 2 48:15

You know, I just kind of wanted to be myself and just kind of do it. And I knew that I was ready and I had set up a situation where, eventually, I was going to do that and unfortunately, I lost my job because of that, because my employer was not happy with the fact that I wanted to go off on my own, which is also a very common occurrence in my industry, unfortunately.

Speaker 1 48:37

I mean, it's definitely something scary on both sides, you know, absolutely, and it's so like who do you trust, how do you do it? Right, absolutely sides, you know, and it's so like, who do you trust, how do you do it? And I think it's so good for you to know that you were already working on setting up that space. That worked for you, right, and you're welcoming in people that probably wouldn't have felt comfortable in such a public space. You know.

Speaker 2 48:58

Exactly.

Speaker 1 48:59

Yeah, like you were saying, like there's a lot of people through there and everything and like that's great, that's good business. But it wasn't your business, it wasn't your clientele that you were attracting, probably, as your true self. It doesn't make sense to say somewhere that that's not working for you.

Speaker 2 49:15

I felt like I was minimizing myself a lot by staying there, and so for me it was just like I was ready. I was ready to just kind of like be unapologetically myself and kind of just let my clientele and my people find me. And I was really blessed with the fact that I had so many wonderful people kind of like pick me up and like take me along this journey of like trust and love where I did feel comfortable to be able to start a business on my own. I haven't taken out any loans on it. I had like saved all of my money to like make it happen and somehow I mean it happened, it happened.

Speaker 2 49:54

Yeah, it happened.

Speaker 1 49:57

And it all worked out like I know, and we were chatting about loans too and I was like oh, I got some good ones for you.

Speaker 2 50:03

Oh yeah, I'm ready to rip the bandaid off Like we're practically there we're practically there now.

Speaker 1 50:09

It's one of those things where get one under your belt, feel good about it and like get real cozy with it yeah.

Speaker 2 50:15

And, like now that you know, daisy's birthday will come up at the end of June, so it's almost been a year of this journey and like really understanding where I am at in it and how much I've grown from a year ago and how much I've learned and with that, sometimes you just have to leave relationships where they are and you have to just let people be who they are and let them deal with that, because that's honestly none of my business.

Speaker 1 50:43

My business is my business.

Speaker 2 50:47

But like, however you feel about me and what I'm trying to achieve on my own, it's not my business. It's not my business. Or like I don't really care anymore. You know what I mean, Because if you're going to live unapologetically, you kind of have to be ready for that scrutiny and you kind of have to be ready for that kind of biased opinion that people have of you and I don't really care anymore.

Navigating Non-Compete Agreements in Business

Speaker 1 51:07

It's that concept you have behind it of like that confidence. That is really that trust you built in yourself, and every time you were able to show up as your true self and you felt so good in that moment, you built trust with yourself Absolutely. After that, when you do that, any situation you're in that you can't be yourself yes, I barely know how to interact.

Speaker 2 51:29

No, I don't know what to do.

Speaker 1 51:32

I'm like I'm like, I don't know what to do with my hands.

Speaker 2 51:35

I'm just like very awkward because I'm like wait, I've been unmasked for so long now that I don't I don't even own a mask anymore. You know what I mean. Like it's gone, we threw her out. It's not happening. Recycle.

Speaker 1 51:47

No, I know.

Speaker 2 51:49

I have one over here just in case.

Speaker 1 51:51

Okay, cool If I remember like, oh no, I'm coughing, yeah, right, but yeah, she's not one of the ones I made. She's a reusable one. It's hard, we just made so many and it's like I can't even. I know we're not even saying masks as masks, but we have unmasked ourselves and actually I had a lot of conversations about that during the pandemic. It's like now you have to look people in the eyes no, I know To understand what they're saying, even across us, like the microphones are in front of our mouths.

Speaker 2 52:20

So it's just kind of funny to even no, it is, and I think it's just so funny to be able to like see people for who they really are and also just to be able to celebrate that and to give people the opportunity to celebrate themselves in their most authentic way. I just knew that I wasn't capable of that, like where I was, and so I needed to create that space for my people, and you know what my people are so grateful, and I meet more and more people every day that tell me I've never felt comfortable in a traditional salon or studio setting. You know like you create a beautiful space and like your friendliness and your kindness In my position and in my job. It's all about the person, because everybody can do brows, you know. Everybody can do body waxing. Because everybody can do brows, you know everybody can do body waxing, everybody can do skincare. But it's really about the relationships that you form with people, and I'm just so grateful that I was able to create a place where people can just feel comfortable in themselves.

Speaker 1 53:18

Oh, I love it. Yeah, we love it. We're just out here spreading the love, absolutely. This is all so beautiful of an experience and we want to get out the goods and the bad, you know, and not even the bads. Just see the things that didn't go the ways we expected, absolutely that there's a beautifully interesting story to kind of share, and I think the main thing to kind of put out there in the world is just the understanding of what a non-compete can do for you, for your business, what can happen from it, and I really think, just putting things out there that help people understand and I'm not saying you didn't do this, but reading every single word of what you're signing no, literally, it's so important. It's so important and it's so difficult, because usually the speak is very, especially for people who are neurodivergent. You know, like I can barely sit down and read because I'm dyslexic.

Speaker 2 54:14

So I have to have my husband, like, read stuff to me. It's overwhelming for a neurodivergent person, and especially when you're not well-versed in business and you're just starting out as a little esthetician. That could you know that really just wants to do her best. I just want to do my best, you know, and I see this like sparkly, shiny place. Of course I'm going to want to work there. Of course I'm going to sign whatever contract you give me in order to work there, Whatever like you wouldn't do me wrong.

Speaker 2 54:40

Oh, no, no, no, oh, no, no, no. And so, like with non-competes, it's one of those things where it's like yeah, you like. I think it's an archaic kind of mentality to have, like when they were first brought up, and not all non-competes are archaic. There are specific situations where, like, if you work for Coca-Cola and you have, like the secret recipe, you should have a non-compete because we can't give that away.

Speaker 1 55:05

You can't go be giving that to RC Right right.

Speaker 2 55:07

But, like in my industry, it's like there are so many clients that live in this city that there are hundreds of thousands of people for each person.

Speaker 1 55:16

Yeah, too many.

Speaker 2 55:18

There's just so many, there's no reason to like put a cap on that. And so for me, specifically, like when I decided to leave, unfortunately, I was threatened with a lawsuit. I had no clue that I hadn't signed a non-compete contract until it was sent to me via FedEx. And I got it and I opened it up and I'm reading it. This is after I opened my business. So I opened my business in a salon suite. I was renting a room from a salon, so no one was my boss, it was just me, and I had been there for about a month and all of a sudden, the FedEx guy comes in and he hands me this package. And I just knew like you know when you just feel it in your gut that something's about to go very, very wrong I was waiting for my next client and the FedEx guy hands me this flimsy package. I open it up. There it is. It's a lawsuit from the studio that I'd previously worked. My employer was trying to sue me. She essentially was trying to shut my business down. I got this letter on August 29th of the month and she basically was demanding that I close my doors by August 31st. So I had two days to figure out what I was going to do, because my mileage of my business was included in her radius that she had had in her non-compete. So there was a five mile radius attached to that non-compete and my business was like 3.78 miles away, in a different part of town and a different you know, it was totally different, but I had no clue that that was what was included, and so I had to shut down the room that I had been working on from June until August. I had to close the doors and walk away.

Speaker 2 57:02

Thank God I am a kind person who shows kindness to everybody, because when I say people rallied for me, people showed up like tenfold. I had a friend, so the woman that owned the salon that I was renting the room from her best friend also owned salon suites and she just so happened to have a salon suite that she was using as a storage room. I call her on a Friday when I get the letter. This is the 29th. Right by Sunday, like by Sunday it was going to be, I had to close, and so I had clients already booked, obviously for like that Tuesday, I think and so I called her and I said I'm freaking out. I literally just got a letter in the mail that said that if I don't close my doors like I'm gonna get sued for $25,000. I'm gonna lose my business. I can't work in the city and I don't know what to do. Like I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. And she said don't freak out. She's like, I have a room, there's stuff in it I will literally clear it out. Tonight Her and her husband both showed up and cleared that room out.

Speaker 2 58:05

I literally had clients all day the next day on a Saturday, packed up every single thing that I owned, that I actually needed. Like right then and there, right, moved it to the new room. I didn't care about the aesthetic of the room and you know me, I love an aesthetic. I was like, but it's so cute? No, but I love an aesthetic. And I had a sink, I had my tent, I had my wax pots, I had my skincare and I was like my clients are not going to care because they're going to freak out.

Speaker 2 58:33

And when I tell them what happened, and so I literally had to move my entire business that I had worked months on in two days and I had to basically just eat it because I had signed that non-compete and it was just eat it, because I had signed that non-compete and it was good for a year. I couldn't work within a five mile radius of that studio for a whole year. And when I say at the time I was living in New Albany, right across the bridge, and so this place was right downtown and so within the five mile radius I couldn't even work in New Albany. I couldn't work in Clarksville, I couldn't work across the bridge because the radius was so large I had to move it's small, but we are very neighborhood driven?

Speaker 2 59:12

Yes, we absolutely are, and so the neighborhood that I was currently in at the studio that I'd first started off on was a completely different neighborhood that she was in, but unfortunately it was inside the mileage radius so I had to go outside of that. So now I'm obviously like in the eastern part of town, like Middletown Linden area, and that's literally because it was like right on the cusp of the radius.

Speaker 1 59:37

Wow yeah, and my brain's like, how is that five miles? But it is I know.

Speaker 2 59:46

It is, no, it is.

Speaker 1 59:46

It's a yeah, it's it was scary and it was frightening and unfortunately. How do you, how do you get like, how do you? You just didn't even think about it. I didn't think no, you just moved. I didn't. Yeah, I didn't have time to be emotional about it.

Speaker 2 59:56

I didn't have time to be angry about it. I mean, obviously I was angry because why? Why me? Like I had been an upstanding employee, like I had worked very hard for the company and I had done everything possible, but apparently like that wasn't. It just wasn't it, you know. And she definitely wanted my business to be over and she didn't care what it took. She was going to try her very best to make that happen. Do you think she felt betrayed in some way I think she probably felt betrayed.

Speaker 1 1:00:28

but Like I'm just wondering from her Probably maybe I just wonder what drives it I have. I mean, I I love to think about people's psyches.

Speaker 2 1:00:36

Oh my gosh. Oh no, me too, me too, absolutely. I mean, I don't, I really don't understand, like-. Well, I'm sure you felt betrayed. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 1 1:00:44

I felt so betrayed. I mean, that's what I'm hearing from you and I'm wondering if that is what sparked it from her or something like that, Maybe, and I understand.

Speaker 2 1:00:53

Clients love their technicians and I not once ever told a client that I planned on leaving. I never told anybody until I told someone that I shouldn't have trusted. Someone acted like they were my friend and unfortunately she ran with it and she told the boss she you know took that information.

Speaker 1 1:01:13

I feel like let someone say their own story.

Speaker 2 1:01:15

Yes, and I was completely prepared to have a meeting with her, the owner, that it was not going to go well.

Speaker 1 1:01:21

I knew it wasn't going to go well.

Speaker 2 1:01:23

I knew that I was probably going to walk in and get fired anyway, but I really just wanted to say it myself and tell her like my intention of why I wanted to go. Because I was going through it, like I had a very tough time like with my mental health, because I was going through a very terrible situation at home, you know, and I was trying to forge my own way so that I could become independent enough to be able to leave that terrible situation Got it.

Speaker 1 1:01:49

And if you're able to explain that your side to someone Absolutely Versus who knows how it was delivered, Right. I'm sure it wasn't delivered anywhere near the way you would want it to be no, absolutely not.

Speaker 2 1:02:01

And like to be able to hear me out and like not have that malice behind it, because I've never done anything in malice. Let's be honest.

Speaker 1 1:02:09

Like I'm a sweetie pie. If I do a mean thing, I'm like oh my God, I'm upset for five years, Right.

Speaker 2 1:02:13

And so, like I don't know what that delivery was, but unfortunately, you know, I did trust someone who worked there and who worked closely with me, who I thought was my friend, who ended up not being my friend and unfortunately that was I mean, that's betrayal. Oh, it was the ultimate betrayal. I was so close with her and unfortunately she also worked there and it was a terrible situation where we were really close and then all of a sudden I got stabbed in the back.

Speaker 1 1:02:41

Yeah, because I do feel like you already anticipated the idea that it wasn't going to go great with the boss, and so, like you've already got that in your mind, but you're just conversing with a peer Right Exactly, and so you're just letting them know like hey, I'm. You know, this is what I'm going through, I'm thinking about and, and I'm going to go to her, I just yeah.

Speaker 2 1:03:02

If I'm planning on leaving like this. I literally told my friend, the receptionist who worked there, like on a Tuesday, right, and so they're closed on Wednesdays and so on. That Wednesday is when I got fired over the phone because she had immediately went and told the boss and I was supposed to have a meeting with her on Thursday. Oh my goodness. So it was like dang, like I really wanted to say my piece and like have that moment for myself, and I kind of got robbed of that.

Speaker 1 1:03:26

Yeah, I think that's probably one of the most like, unfortunate parts of this is, like how to manage that part within yourself of like, if you are coming through all of this space of like we've been saying, like being your authentic self and you have a reason, absolutely, and that's all you wanted to convey. Yeah, and of course, that we can't control other people, as we know, through therapy yeah, absolutely. But it's like, of course, we maybe expect the boss to feel some kind of way, but that betrayal of you know, yeah, it was, it hit me really, really hard. It just feels very.

Speaker 2 1:03:58

That feels very like yeah, well, cause, my platonic relationships with women and friends means so much more to me than like even like romantic relationships, because you share so much more. The sharing between you should have been safe Absolutely, and unfortunately it wasn't, and it just wasn't what I thought it was. You know, and I know that I never did anything out of malice. So that's why I was just like well, I'm going to forge ahead because I have to, like this is my livelihood. I had quit like bartending and I was ready to like make this a career and I wasn't going to let anybody take that from me because I had done everything myself up until that point. And so it's like well, I'm not going to give that credit to anybody else, right? Like no way. I love how fierce you are. Yeah, friend.

Speaker 1 1:04:41

Resilient and fierce Friendly and fierce Friendly and fierce.

Beauty Studio Services and Waxing Questions

Speaker 1 1:04:49

I feel like that's what we learn, though that's what we learn in Duke Therapy. That's how we hold those boundaries, that's how we understand ourselves and then we deal with it. You know the external things that happen. For a long time I was like I would try to assign faults or understand blame or something like that, and I'm like this is actually as much as I'm just trying to protect myself by understanding those things. It doesn't make the situation different or, you know, move it on along. So like I mean, it's definitely interesting to hear your story. I love how, like the space cause again y'all I've been in this space, I can't wait to go back and get on y'all books again. Yeah, friend, we love it. We loves it. I love a lash, yes, and let's just give them like a little bit of vibe, so like in your studio. What are some of the services? Because I know these girlies and you know I say girlies but you all know Well, and you know I say girlies but you all know Well, you know everybody's a girly.

Speaker 2 1:05:45

I mean like you guys have like girly yeah, well, girly. But yeah, I specialize in brows lashes, specifically lash lifts and tints. That's one of my favorite services to do. I think I'm gonna get a tint next time. You totally should.

Speaker 1 1:05:58

I forgot to wear mascara the other day and I looked weird. I'm like am.

Speaker 2 1:06:01

I asleep.

Speaker 1 1:06:02

Like am I alive? What's happening? Well, I went on like a massive amount of eyeliner and I was just forgot Right and I looked like an alien and my husband's like you look fine. You can't even tell. And I showed my best friend because I went to the Blue City game with her and she was like keep those sunglasses on. Yeah, I was like bitch.

Speaker 2 1:06:20

Yeah, I was like bitch. Yeah, thanks a lot.

Speaker 1 1:06:23

Thanks a lot, amanda. Thanks a lot, amanda. Yeah, I love you. Sorry, my best friend's name is.

Speaker 2 1:06:27

Amanda. No of course it is. I would literally expect nothing less than you to have a best friend also named Amanda. Too many of us.

Speaker 1 1:06:33

She was on the podcast. She works at Speed. She's a beautiful, amazing artist. I love her too. She's great. You'll love her Perfect.

Speaker 2 1:06:42

Yeah, I dabble in a lot of different things because I like to be accessible to everybody and I like to be like affordable luxury. So for me, I do a lot of skincare. So I have, you know, multiple different facials that I do that I like to specialize in. Which one did you do? For me it was like a. That was a Dermaplein facial. Oh, fancy, literally, fancy, literally. So fantastic. It gets rid of all of the peach, fuzz, hair, dirt oil that first, like dead skin layer that you have on your skin and your face literally looks like a glowing baby butt and you're done. It's so good and so smooth.

Speaker 1 1:07:13

She's seen all the butts. I've seen so many butts Not grown up butts, but baby butts are smooth. Little baby, little smooth baby butts.

Speaker 2 1:07:23

But you know just a little bit of everything and body waxing I do full body waxing, so that's where the buttholes come involved and so I specialize in Brazilians. Yeah, Brazilians and underarms is mostly what I do.

Speaker 1 1:07:33

I was wondering that Because, like God, that has to hurt.

Speaker 2 1:07:41

I mean honestly, it's one of those things where, like, you have tattoos, so it's like if you can sit through a tattoo, you can sit through 15 minutes with me ripping your hair out.

Speaker 1 1:07:46

All right, I have this weird obsession right now that I have to say I have to admit. Yeah, tell me, I think my arm hairs are way too long. Adrienne's gonna laugh at me because she knows I talk about it where sometimes I'll snip them. I think I might be well, one's too long. Well, yeah, that happens to all of us, right, but every time I try to like hand model or something for us, I'm like no.

Speaker 2 1:08:10

Well, girl, let's wax your arms. Oh, it's so scary. It's not that scary, It'll take like it's literally like a Band-Aid.

Speaker 1 1:08:17

I mean, just look how long they are.

Speaker 2 1:08:19

They are long, they've got like man arms. No, you don't have man arms, you just have hair girl. Everybody has hair, don't you worry, I'm a hairy girl. Dude, me too. Me too, it's just, I'm just fortunate my hair is blonde, but I do wax myself.

Speaker 1 1:08:31

So I was wondering, because I'm a crazy person Does it hurt?

Speaker 2 1:08:34

to wax yourself at most, I mean, it hurts the same amount as somebody else doing it. But for me I'm a control freak, like so, like I, something about that makes so much sense. You know what I'm saying Like it's the anticipation level for me that really, it's that anxiety girl, it's the anxiety.

Speaker 1 1:08:48

It's the anxiety Like if somebody else is doing it.

Speaker 2 1:08:50

I don't know when they're going to pull, or like I don't know when they're going to, like, pull the bad strip.

Speaker 1 1:09:04

It's like, but if I'm my arm.

Speaker 2 1:09:05

I don't really do my arms as much anymore because my hair is so fine and thin now that it doesn't even like come back any color anymore. Same thing for my legs. Like, I'll do my legs. Like in the summer I'll wax them more often, but honestly, it's like knee down this girl. I don't care about the thigh, who's doing the thigh anymore, because, like, who cares about the thigh? I don't care about the thigh. Kneecap down. I love it.

Speaker 1 1:09:30

Do you do your little?

Speaker 2 1:09:30

toes. I don't even have hair on my toes anymore.

Speaker 1 1:09:33

I ripped it off my little hobbit toes.

Speaker 2 1:09:36

No, they're cute. I specifically love when people have hobbit toes, because I will just include a foot wax in with a leg wax or a Brazilian, because I'm like girl we got to get them hairs off them toes.

Speaker 1 1:09:45

Yeah, Because like if they're my hair's thick and like coarse.

Speaker 2 1:09:48

Yeah, dude, it's sandal weather.

Speaker 1 1:09:49

We got to get those hairs out and I will do it for you, don't you worry. It's going to be on the next one. Yeah, I'll work up to the Brazilian one day.

Speaker 2 1:09:56

Yeah, that honestly takes time. Like I tell everybody like, start with a bikini, start like start with a bikini, start with a bikini wax, and then we'll do a French bikini and then we'll try and see what's a French bikini. A French bikini is basically just like a landing strip all the way down.

Speaker 2 1:10:10

Okay, so, think about like an underwear line. Like if you're wearing like briefs, like two fingers width inside of an underwear line, okay, all the way down, got it. So like your hair doesn't show like at all, like in a bathing suit or anything like that with a bikini, like if you move to the side or something, you could potentially see something, but it just like gets you prepared for feeling that sensation in that area. Yeah, and then we'll work up to it. Because some people are like I just want a Brazilian. And I'm like, have you ever been waxed before? And they're like no, and I'm like, okay, baby, let's, baby steps, baby steps.

Speaker 1 1:10:46

Oh my God, I bet I like that you even talk through it, because then it's like oh my God, absolutely. Yeah, let's know. Like you wanna, like you're saying we trust you. Oh my God, I don't wanna be freaking out and I don't know what I'm asking for.

Speaker 2 1:10:57

No, and like I'm a service provider, you are coming to me for a service. I'm not going to rush you, we're going to. I'm a yapper, obviously, so we're going to yap the whole time. I want you to tell me about your weekend and I'm going to be pulling them strips. Okay, and you'll ask any of my Brazilian clients like. They will tell you that I make them feel the most comfortable, because it's like I don't care what you look like.

Speaker 1 1:11:19

I'm just here to get rid of your hair. Yeah, like there's no judgment like I'm just looking for the hairs. I'm just looking for the hairs.

Speaker 2 1:11:24

I'm trying to give you what you want and like, that's it. You know, and we're just gonna laugh and talk, yeah, and it's like it's not that big of a deal, like you came here and this is what we're doing, and I'm just really grateful for my space too, because it is only me and them, so with me. Yeah, I like that and I'm a professional, so I know what I'm doing and I do it well, and that's also the plus, obviously, so good.

Speaker 1 1:11:46

Thanks. Well, next time maybe we'll get into it. Yeah, friend, now that you guys know my weird, I don't know. I think it's because I've been. It's just a little fuzzy, it's just a little fuzzy. I like how it's just a little, it's just a little fuzzy. I think it's the hand modeling that really got me. No, yeah, I was like I'm staring at this hand and who is she?

Speaker 2 1:12:06

No, I understand completely Too close. Like me trying to be comfortable being a social media girly running my own social media platform.

Speaker 1 1:12:14

I'm like I'm freaking out. I know I'm like Adrienne. Will you just pick the pictures? No, literally, whichever ones. You think they look fine or fine.

Speaker 2 1:12:21

No, every single time Can't look at them, yeah because, like, not only am I working 24-7 as the service provider, I'm also like, on the back end. I have so many people that ask me. They're like who runs your social media? Who did your graphics? I'm like girl that's me and Canva.

Speaker 1 1:12:34

We are like tight.

Speaker 2 1:12:37

Canva. I oh my God.

Speaker 1 1:12:46

Holly Hartman's teaching it in June. I'll tell you yeah, tell me, I would love to do that. She's done like eight or 10,000 designs, I can't remember which one. Oh my God, fun, so many. And she's like there's so much that's not being utilized in there.

Speaker 2 1:13:00

Oh, like people that tell you like Canva recommendations and stuff. And it blew my mind Because when you're having to make those graphics by yourself all the time and I'll go through phases where I go home, I eat a little edible and then I'm just like, okay, I'm going to make content for like five or six hours and so like I'll batch stuff a lot of times and that helps.

Speaker 2 1:13:23

It does, and then you can just release it every and I'm just like, yeah, and I'll just post it when I want to, and it's like not that big of a deal but it's fun. I'm a creative person, so like for me it feels good. Yeah, like we were talking about earlier, like just working through that harmony of work and like when I do feel compelled to be, you know, graphic designer Marcy, for a little bit I will be, and it's great.

Speaker 1 1:13:44

Well, you've told me you have a little bit of room in your book, so how about you tell everybody how they can put money into your wallet?

Speaker 2 1:13:51

Absolutely so. For me, the best way to get in touch with me is through Instagram. So Daisy's page is daiseestudio and there's a booking link on my Instagram page. Through social media. That's the best way to communicate with me as well through messenger, just because it comes straight through my phone. But yeah, I'm really excited to see new faces, and some familiar ones too, yay and I booked through there super easy, super quick.

Speaker 1 1:14:17

So get on there and book your next appointment for some lashes, some brows, maybe some more.

Speaker 2 1:14:25

Some skincare body if you're, brave Body if you're brave.

Speaker 1 1:14:29

I was like Brazilians if you're brave, yeah, but come to her, listen to her expertise and know that you're in the hands of someone who is amazing and capable and professional and hilarious. Thank you, friend, and I'm just excited for the hug that we're going to have after this.

Speaker 2 1:14:48

Yeah, me too, because I just know it's good.

Speaker 1 1:14:49

And now I'm like, across the way, across the way. Well, thank you so much, marci, absolutely.

Support Woman Owned Wallet Podcast

Speaker 2 1:14:56

Thank you so much for having me. I've had a great time being here.

Speaker 1 1:14:58

Yay, so go and follow her and until next time y'all go out there and make that money. Yeah, if you want to put more money into the wallets of women, like we do, then check out our website, the woman owned walletcom, and we can't wait to continue the conversation on our social media. So definitely follow us on our Instagram, at womanownedwallet, and on TikTok at womanownedwallet. You can support us by following our podcast on Apple, google and Spotify, and don't forget to leave us a review. Thank you for listening to Woman Owned Wallet, the podcast.