The Entrepreneur Who Never Defined Herself That Way

For 25 years, Tamika built something extraordinary. Eight years as lead nail tech at the iconic Claremont Hotel and Spa. Seventeen more running her own salon. Clean books, 45,000 manicures and pedicures by her own count, a product line with clients like Facebook and Amazon, and yes - even Steph Curry's very first manicure.

And through all of it, she never once called herself an entrepreneur.

It took a global pandemic, a grant application, and the word "entrepreneur" taped to her dashboard for any of it to click. In that moment - pulling together documents she already had, in order she already kept - she finally got to see what she'd actually built.

Now she's stepping into something completely new: a vision for bringing cosmetology certifications to youth impacted by the justice system, creating pathways into a career that levels the playing field and opens doors that most systems keep firmly closed.

This one is warm, grounded, and full of hard-won wisdom from someone who built everything the right way.

You'll Learn

⭐ What it looks like to build a business with the end in mind 

⭐ Why being vocal about what you want matters more than most of us realize

⭐ What it takes to lead a team well, and what Tamika would do differently

⭐ Why the beauty industry might be the perfect vehicle for workforce transformation

⭐ How showing up with presence and intentionality is its own kind of leadership

Key Insights

You Might Already Be an Entrepreneur Tamika ran a successful business for over a decade before she ever used the word. The pandemic didn't create her business, it just finally let her see what she'd built.

Be Vocal About What You Want One of her biggest lessons from trying to sell her salon: she kept it quiet. She'd tell anyone now: put it on LinkedIn, tell your clients, say the thing out loud. You never know who's listening.

The Beauty Industry Levels the Playing Field In a salon, clients don't care about your background. They care about how you make them feel. That's exactly the kind of environment Tamika wants to create for young people who've never had someone believe in them.

Keep Showing Up Sometimes the thing you're pursuing doesn't manifest. But when you're sowing seed, something will. When you're pursuing nothing, there will not be fruit.

Timestamps

02:00 How Tamika and Kristin met and why she belongs on this show

05:00 The path she never planned: police officer, kindergarten teacher, nail tech

11:00 The pandemic moment that made her finally call herself an entrepreneur

17:00 How a TJ Maxx soap became a product line with Facebook and Amazon as clients

20:00 The vision: cosmetology certifications for youth in the justice system

31:00 What she hopes a graduate of her program will say five years from now

42:00 The near-sale that fell through two days before the pandemic shutdown

46:00 Why being vocal is the lesson she'd give every woman building something

57:00 Legacy: fulfilling the purpose that was meant for her

Resources and Links 

Connect with Tamika on LinkedIn
Find host Kristin Belden on LinkedIn or at BeldenStrategies.com
Sign up for Kristin's newsletter Big Deal Energy: BeldenStrategies.com/newsletter

If this conversation resonated, share it with someone who needed to hear it - and consider leaving a review. It helps more women find these conversations.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hi everyone, welcome back to Kind of a Big Deal. I'm your host, Kristen Belden. If you've ever spent years building something extraordinary and somehow forgot to notice, this episode is for you. Tamika spent nearly two decades in the beauty industry. Eight years at the iconic Claremont Hotel in Spa, then 17 more running her own salon. She launched a product line with clients like Facebook and Amazon, and even gave Steph Curry his first manicure. And for most of those 25 years, she never once called herself an entrepreneur. That all changed during the pandemic. Turns out she had everything in order. Clean books, all of it. And in that moment, she finally got to see what she'd actually built. We talk about what it means to build something solid, why being vocal about what you want matters more than most of us realize, and the vision she's now developing for youth impacted by the justice system, and why the beauty industry might be exactly the right vehicle for it. Let's dive in. Hi Tamika. Hello, how are you? I'm so good. It's always so good to see your smiling face. So thank you for being here. Um, we were just having a quick chat before this about kind of what this show is all about, and it made me realize maybe I should do a quick little refresh for folks that maybe haven't listened or um, you know, maybe don't remember the kind of origins. But long story short, this is my love letter to women that are building lives and careers that they're proud of. We're called kind of a big deal because we, as women, tend to brush off our accomplishments, play down our wins. Uh, and I'd like to get us all in the practice of talking about how amazing we are. So that's why we're here. So excited to hear more about your story. Tamika and I met through a local leadership program that, uh, same one as a few of the other women that I've chatted with. And she just always shows up with such warmth and enthusiasm, and so excited to dig in and so kind with everyone. And we recently got to chatting a little bit more about her history, all the incredible work she's done over the years, and also what she's excited to dig into next. We'll get to the what's next part, but maybe let's start with some background. So you've spent, from what I can tell and from our conversations, nearly two decades in the beauty world. Um, you've built a successful business, you launched your own product line with clients like Facebook, Amazon, which is whoa. We have not talked about that yet. So I'm so excited to hear more. Um, and for those Warriors fans out there, a fun little tidbit is that she uh gave Steph Curry his first manicure for an automotive commercial, which um again, amazing. These are all incredible uh accomplishments, incredible data points to your stories. So take us all the way back. Was this a path that you had always envisioned for yourself?

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Yeah, um, thank you. I just want to say, first off, thank you for having me. Um likewise I felt the same way in class. You know, we're in this group of 40 new individuals, and I have always thought that you just kind of from the beginning was a leader, and so to learn more about what you're doing has been great. And so thank you for having me, and thank you for just taking me down memory lane as you just ran off. I was like, wait, I did, oh, oh yes, I did, which is kind of just the whole premise of what you're doing here. You know, we can do things that are such a big deal, but I literally forgot the things that you just ran off. And the funny thing is Steph Curry is I have never like it, never was on my social media. I've never and it's not a secret. I share with family and friends that I did his first manicure, but it wasn't anything that I ever publicly announced, and that was a big deal, you know. It's Steph Curry. I was and it was his very first manicure, and Aisha Curry was there too. I don't even think Okay, that's cool. I got to meet her too. So, yes, let's get into it. What what was your question?

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Well, first of all, I love that you just said that about just kind of remembering our journey because I think that's another just like it's a human thing, right? Where we tend to just keep pushing into what's next and we forget to to stop and reflect a little bit and think, oh my gosh, what are the incredible things that even got me to where I am today? And I think, especially women that have reached a certain point in their career, right? It's still like, okay, then what am I building next? What's the impact I want to have? And we totally forget about all of these amazing things that we've done. Um so I was asking just what, like, given your space in this industry, given the work you've done, was this something that you kind of always envisioned for yourself? Maybe not those very specific things, but being in the industry, building your own business, launching a product, could you have imagined that for yourself when you were younger?

SPEAKER_00 5:16

No, I never aspired to be an entrepreneur. I never aspired to be in the beauty industry. Um, growing up, I always thought I would work in law enforcement. I wanted to be a police officer, and I think it goes back to my passion for people and helping people. And somewhere along the line in high school, I worked in a beauty salon. I took an interest to it, I loved it, but hair was never my passion. And I worked in a hair salon, and there was actually an African-American nail tech who worked in this hair salon, and I had never seen anyone outside of Asian descent that had done nails before. And so I was intrigued by that, but still, you know, I thought police officer, and then I thought, no, kindergarten teacher. So I was on the road to being a kindergarten teacher, right? Maybe, you know, helping before they get to that point. And we don't need police officers like in a world, get them in kindergarten. But just life happened. I started working, and I started working at the Claremont, and I had a friend who worked there, and she's like, they really need nail techs in the spa. And I knew the nail course was like 10 weeks, and I was like, that's really quick. I can do that over a summer, you know. I took the course and I really enjoyed doing nails, and I ended up working at the Claremont for eight years, and I thought, okay, I can make a career of this, and it really still entrepreneurship only came into play or thought because I had maxed out at the Claremont. There was no more room for growth. I've been there eight years, there was no more room for promotion. I was their lead nail tech at that time, and I was like 27, and I realized that there was just no growth. And I had a small snippet of corporate when I was 19. I worked at Pac Bell and I was a 411 operator, and I knew quickly that corporate America at an entry level as a woman was not for me. It was horrible. I knew that at 19. So I thought, okay, maybe I should build my own business, but it definitely wasn't um just kind of the leading thing for me. And so then after Claremont, I said, I'm gonna just open my own business. Where else would you go work after such a wonderful hotel and spa? There was just no more opportunity for growth. I opened my own business and I ended up being there for 17 years, but that definitely was not my aspiration, you know. It just kind of was like, what's the next thing that makes sense? And that is how I continue to just grow and yeah, build my career.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

That's amazing. I think, first of all, for anybody who is not from California or the Bay Area, the Claremont is the place. It is the coolest, it's beautiful. Yeah, no, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

For sure.

SPEAKER_02 7:59

Um, it's so interesting you said that about I hear from a lot of women who almost feel like they they share that they almost like fell into entrepreneurship. It's not this like, oh, I'm setting out to do this thing. And some wouldn't have even called themselves entrepreneurs until someone's like, You are a business owner, you are an entrepreneur. And even given some of your additional history with launching a product, like that is another entrepreneurial endeavor. It's another piece of what you're thinking about for your vision going forward. So, do you feel like obviously these are all different things, right? Starting a salon, launching a product, building a vision for what you have for the future. Is there like a lesson or two from opening your spa that you feel like will help either helped carry you into the product launch and or kind of what you're thinking about for the future?

SPEAKER_00 8:53

The stories I could tell. Yes, yes, yes. And it's so funny what you said about, you know, um just kind of falling into entrepreneurship. I never even called myself an entrepreneur until the pandemic. And I was like looking for grants and I needed to really tell people who I was, and I could no longer hide behind um, I'm a nail tech, I do nails. I really at that point I knew I needed to make it very clear on who I was and what I had done and what I needed in that moment, but I never referred to myself as an entrepreneur. I just always said I'm a nail tech, I do nails. That was never said I was a salon owner, a business owner. It just never was a thing. But it's so a funny story is I put the word entrepreneur on my dashboard because I it never was in my vocabulary, and it's a long word to spell. And I like when I was a and don't I mess it up almost every time I have to spell it. And I was like, what is something this something's not right about this? I need to stare at this word because it really wasn't until the pandemic, and I'm applying for grants and I'm figuring things out that I'm like, this word keeps coming up, and I am stumbling like on how to spell it. So I need to see. And that was at that point, I don't know, I was like 12, maybe 15 years into my business.

SPEAKER_02 10:18

Wow, wow, that's amazing. Do you feel like um did it shift anything in you, like your mindset when you started to embrace that?

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Absolutely, absolutely. It shifted so much for me. I honestly, it was the moment that I really felt proud about what I had built. Prior to that, I was nose down on the grind, build, build, build, build. But in that moment, you know, um, there were options for grants and support and help, and you had to produce so many documents, and I easily had them because I had built my business above ground, my books were clean, my QuickBooks was up to date, and so all of those things. I'm like, oh, I know where that is. I have that. And so in that moment, I felt proud because there were a lot of entrepreneurs who did not get support because they did not have the things in place, the fundamentals of bookkeeping and accounting and payroll and all of these things, or they weren't up to date, and you know, they were just in shambles looking for papers, and that was not my story. So in that moment, I was very proud and I was able to see what I had built. I was able to ensure that my employees got support because I have the things that they needed to get support during that time. So absolutely that was a moment of like, okay, girl, you've been doing good. I did this, yes. Yeah, we're good, we're legit.

SPEAKER_02 11:39

Coming back to the you know, the lesson component and how that launched you forward. I'm curious too, when you're talking about you had all of your shit together, you had your your papers, you had your organized your, you know. Did you know that? Like when you were building it, well this is just Yes and no.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Yes and no. So I, like I said, in high school, I worked in a hair salon. I was exposed to lots of different beauty businesses, and I knew that there were some people, a lot of independent contractor, contractors, and a lot of, you know, just people running their businesses the way they ran their business. And um I knew that I wanted something different. I knew that I wanted to build something stable. And my goal really was to sell my business at some point. So I did have the end in mind, and so that is why I built in a way that I did, in all honesty, because at some point I was hoping to sell. And so I knew I didn't know we were gonna go into a global pandemic and that these things would be of use in that moment. I thought it would be years down the road. But yes, I was building with intentionality for that for sure.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

I mean, that's crazy to be that young and be thinking in that way. Like what angel came down and was like, this is what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Truly, I think there's the angel was the IRS that knocked on my door probably two to three years into my business. They were actually auditing my accountant, my accountant. I did have an accountant at that time, and they were going through an audit. So they took their client list and they began to visit all of the clients of my account, and I was on that list. And so they said, What let me see your books? They walked into my salon with a badge and give me everything you have, and I did. And they said, Okay, there are some things that you need to change, but based on what we have seen, you are trying to be above board, like you're not trying to be weird or you know, tax invasion. That's not your goal, but you do need to make some changes. And I said, Tell me once. And yes, I got you. Yes, so that that was the angel.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

Yes, I mean, even though too to know that you are building to sell, I think that's it's actually quite rare that you hear that there is any kind of goal when folks start out. It's like a, oh, I get to a point where I recognize I don't want to be holding this thing anymore, and so I have to get ready to sell or merge or whatever, or I think I want to do X, but I didn't set myself up in that way. Do you have do you have a memory of kind of why you knew that you eventually would want to sell?

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Um I think it was twofold. I think just the way that I operate, I like to do things well and with excellence. And so I knew that I was building something solid. I mean, when I left the Claremont, there was the Claremont or the little mom and pop. There was no nail spa. That wasn't really a thing. People didn't have the lemons and water and you know um the niceties of nail salons. It really was just kind of your run of the meal or the Claremont. So we built something that was in between that. Had the quality, the safety, the relaxation um of the Claremont, but not the Claremont price tag, essentially, was my business model. And then you started to see that like replicated. You see the nicer places, they have a different look, no more neon signs, and you're like, oh, the nicer place, you know. So I knew that I was building something rare in that moment. And I guess there was an entrepreneurial piece that I'm not gonna be here forever. And so just build to be able to sell.

SPEAKER_02 15:36

Yeah, that's incredible. Um, so how did that then okay? Wait, all the way back to like there's so many questions because you're bringing up so many great things. But when you think about that, and then when that led into, you know, launching a product and kind of what you're building toward now, lesson like one or two that you feel like outside of the organizational and kind of you know, the pieces that made you run a legit business. What is another what is one or two other learnings from that time that you think helped kind of carry you through your next projects?

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Lessons that carried me through, you know, that's a really good question, I think. So the product came. Um, I developed my product line because we always had nice soaps in our bathroom and we had a sink outside in our salon. So we always had really nice soaps. And clients love the soaps, and they would always say, Oh my god, this soap is so amazing. It's so amazing. And what's funny is I would go to TJ Maxx and like spend at least an hour looking at the soaps, reading the ingredients, and I would say, Oh, I just bought that at TJ Maxx. And my clientele was such a lot of them had never been to TJ Maxx before, like they didn't know what TJ Maxx was, and they weren't going to TJ Maxx. And they they were just like, So I said they love this soap. Why don't I create my own soap? It just was a no-brainer, and so that's how I began to just I started to create myself, just a need, filling a need, you know, and that's how that started.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

Filling a need, but you being able to see opportunity, I think, is a rare quality, right? I think you know, many of us move through the world and those things could have presented themselves, but to be able to see it and have a vision for it and then build toward it is is you literally you are you are the definition of an entrepreneur.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Do you feel like I mean, you have such a presence about you too, where it does feel like you are just very present in the moment. You when you show up, you're there, you are all the way in, right? It doesn't feel like you are being, I mean, we're all distracted all the time by all the things, but just the way I have, you know, kind of experienced being in community with you. Do you feel that to be true? And maybe that could that have been part of what allowed you to see these things as the opportunities that they were?

SPEAKER_00 18:10

I think so. I think it's just one of my gifts, if you will. I'm very intentional about people and what I'm doing. One of the things that I would say to my employees, which I think drove them crazy, but just the shift, any movement, I would say, you're good? What do you need? I would say that all the time. It's just, it comes natural for me. It's probably annoying to others sometimes, you know. So I think that I am intuitive. I try to be intuitive, I try to be really intentional about people, their needs, and the needs around me and how I can be useful or helpful.

SPEAKER_02 18:46

So yeah. That's uh, I mean, it's a beautiful, um, it's a beautiful quality to have, and I think we need more of it more now than ever.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

I agree. And I think just anticipating the need. If it's a person, if it's a situation, just really always trying to be ahead of the game. Um, I think is how I just kind of naturally operate and think.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Teddy's coming to say hello again. He really likes you, and he's really irritating me right now. So he's not bothering me. He just wants to hang out today. He's like, I want to talk about my nails.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 19:25

You talking about your support of others and an awareness of where folks can use some additional resources or support is kind of a beautiful segue into this incredible vision that you've been talking about. The way I heard it from you was really creating workforce opportunities for youth impacted by the justice system. And so tell me more about that because that is an incredible, it is a it is a really sticky, tricky space to be in. And so to know that you could have an impact there. I'm just so curious if you can share a little bit more about the vision and then maybe what inspired you to be thinking in that way.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Yeah, absolutely. So um, I think many years ago, probably 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to really just walk with a young woman that I met at church who had found herself in some trouble, and I didn't really know her, but I met her during this time, and she was to turn herself in shortly after I met her. And so I don't know. I just had a compassion for her, and every Sunday I would go visit her, and it was this relationship that we were getting to know each other, but I was also able to support her, and that just did something to me. It had an impact on me, and so she did the time that she needed to do, went on to build a great life for herself, build a career and purchase a home, and um that was her story, and so it always stuck with me, stayed with me, and then about actually last summer with my church, we had the opportunity to go into the youth detention facility here in Sacramento and offer a summer camp, which is something that we have done with our kids at the church, and it's amazing. And so this was the first time we were able to do it there, got all the approvals, and we went, and it was just amazing. Like, literally, I would have to turn from the kids and wipe tears away because so impactful to see these young people, regardless of why they were there, to come and accept this love from strangers. Like they were suspicious of us, you know. Like, are you sure you just want to play games with us? Like you just want to have fun with us. So I just began to do a little research and really understand what happens next after they leave here or what happens while they're here. And I learned that they are able to get certified in culinary skills and construction, which are great trades. But the first thing I thought was like, wow, that's very male dominant. You know? Um and I think I had this conversation with you. I have this moment of like, it's so funny. Generally, cooking and domestic things like that are done by the woman in the household. Generally, that's the traditional role. But in the workforce, most chefs are men. Isn't that wild? What is that? I don't know. I don't know. And so I thought, you know, yeah, go be you can, you know, get certified to be a chef, but generally women aren't chefs, as in terms of a profession. So I thought, what about um cosmetology? What about having them able to be certified in nails, hair, or barbering? And I feel like I have made a beautiful career for myself over the years with my salon. I've probably had countless employees, and a good amount of them have gone on to open their own businesses. And so for those that are not going to take the traditional route of four-year education and go into corporate America, I thought this is something that they can do and enter the workforce and build a beautiful life for them and their family and just be able to have a career where they can sustain themselves.

SPEAKER_02 23:13

Well, I mean, in so many ways that's incredible. And also when you think about um, you know, of course, with the advance of AI and how fast everything is moving, how incredible to provide a skill and training that cannot be taken over by a computer yet. Um, right? Like there is a huge amount of job security and thinking about workforce development in that way. And I think it's a real opportunity to shift the narrative of what some of this work is and why it's important and how to think about what it means to then feed into potential entrepreneurship. These are conversations that I think we we need to be having and don't get to have very often. Um not just the job path, but for reimagining their futures, right? I imagine that that is a part of the inspiration.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

Especially with our young people who oftentimes don't have the support at home and just don't know. They just don't have a path or guidance. I just think this work is super important and really can have a wonderful impact on their lives, which ultimately affects our lives and our community as a whole.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Absolutely. I I don't even know if I shared this with you, but I know I connected you with one of my dearest, nearest and dearest, Michelle Score, who was my work spouse during our time at an organization that unfortunately no longer exists. But the whole, the core premise of that work was how do you bring people into the tech industry that may have never imagined themselves in that space? And that was done through apprenticeships, creating cohorts of formerly incarcerated veterans, women re-entering the workforce because so much of it was about the fact that many of these folks truly did not envision that future for themselves. And I think honestly, I mean, I think back to my early days there, and even as you were sharing that you you had a peek behind the curtain of a system that we already know is unbelievably broken. I really didn't truly actually know until I was working alongside. I mean, some of my coworkers were folks that had gone through the program and wound up with a full-time job and hearing some of their stories, especially the ones where many of their challenges has had begun when they were quite a bit younger, and this opportunity to be there in that moment with them to hopefully get them on a different path. There was one of our friends and colleagues who we all just adored deeply who experienced a childhood that most people could never even fathom. Um, I wonder, too, I mean, so much of what you're interested in can be used, I imagine, to educate folks around us on the importance of that work and the impact that you could be having.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

Yeah, you know, I think um it's it and especially in this current climate, there's just so many conversations and misinformation and preconceived ideas. So we just um my husband and I, we just watched a documentary uh a couple of nights ago called um Oh my gosh, it's escaping me. There was a lens into the system, the prison system in Alabama. One of the things that the guy said is that if you are not impacted by this film, Alabama solution. If you are not impacted by this film, there is some serious soul searching that needs to happen. And you know, for me, I said sometimes we overcomplicate things, we overthink things. We don't because that was so simple but so profound. It's not rocket science. If you really see what's happening, you would know that change needs to happen, that something needs to happen. It is modern day slavery, that is what it is, and it's not about rehabilitation, it just isn't. And I think that's what we need to focus on. And so as we're talking, and I'm realizing that I am an entrepreneur, you know, you're reminding me of that. I started thinking like the reason why I thought, okay, enter or start out by working with juveniles, um, A, I had that experience last summer, which was amazing. But also in my mind, I just thought it would be easier to just enter a juvenile system than an adult system. So just that entrepreneurial mind, like, how can I get in less red tape and begin to do the work? I think everyone should have an opportunity for rehabilitation. But that was my thought. Like with these kids, there's generally less tape, their time is shorter, and there is still time maybe to mold and change their thought process and give hope, really. A lot of times people just need to know that someone believes in them, um, offer some hope, and so that's why I thought juvenile, but I think the program really can be extended across the board.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

Absolutely. Um have you found that to be true? Are you finding a little bit less red tape and kind of issues in getting into the system and actually getting this moving? I think so.

SPEAKER_00 28:37

I really have not explored adult population, if you will, but um just because I went to the youth detention facility, I've been approved to do programming, not only at Sacramento Youth Detention Facility, but also in Placer. And so that's just where I have been. So I definitely just from you know the screening that's required for me to be there versus some other places, I think it's just a little bit easier and go in and we have more freedom to interact with the kids. I think there's just it's just less red tape that way.

SPEAKER_02 29:10

Absolutely, yes, and the hope component of it is so huge, right? I think, I mean, it's obviously a massive part of what keeps people going and to believe that there's something outside of their current experience. If there was a young person graduating from this program that you designed and they were telling their story in five years from now, what do you hope they'd say?

SPEAKER_00 29:35

Oh gosh. I hope they would say that I was given an opportunity that I never knew existed, that I learned a skill set that has allowed me to connect with people that I would otherwise never have met, which is my story. I grew up inner city, and my salon was such, like I said, a lot of my clients had never been to TJ Maxx, you know, wonderful people that I would have never met. And I think I can say that they feel the same way about me. Our path just would never have crossed outside of this salon experience. And it kind of levels the playing field because if you think about your beauty professionals that you have in your life, you admire and respect them not based on their background, but how they make you feel and the service they offer you. And so there's also this beautiful thing that happens in the salon industry. And it just, like I said before, it just kind of levels the playing field. And I think that's the other vision that I have for these young people that they would just not only see themselves as a deserving person, but that others that they would see themselves being viewed by others as a deserving person of respect and hope and even love.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Yes. Oh my gosh, I love it. When you're talking about developing others, and you know, you yourself have also evolved, right, over the years from when you first started. So when you think about yourself as a leader today, what feels most different from when you were starting out in those early years? Hey, quick pause before we get back into it. If you're listening to conversations like this one and something keeps nudging you, like I know I'm at some kind of turning point. I just can't quite see it clearly yet. That's actually exactly what I do. I work with women leaders who are in the middle of something: a career shift, a business that's ready to evolve, a moment where what got you here just isn't cutting it anymore. Sometimes what you need most isn't a whole program or a big engagement. You just need a few hours with someone who can help you see what you're too close to see yourself. That's the clarity session. It's a focused, one-on-one conversation where we dig into where you are, where you want to go, and what's actually in the way. You walk away with real direction, not a list of homework, but genuine clarity on your next move. If that sounds like what you need right now, I'd love to talk. You can find all the details at Beldenstrategies.com slash clarity. Oh wow, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_00 32:20

I think starting out in the early years, I definitely was I was focused on building a business. Definitely a focus on, you know, people and my team. But building a business now, I would do it differently and definitely prioritizing family. Um, you know, prioritizing those that worked with me, their family outside engagements or outside commitments, I should say. I was 27 years old. I didn't really know what it meant to like work as a mom or you know, take care of an aging parent. These are your hours, you should be here. I don't want to make myself sound like this horrible person, but I came from like a corporate nine to five. This is your job, this is what you do, and there was just not a lot of room for the other things. And as I grew really to once again, it was the pandemic, I just really saw in that moment, people begin to teach me how to treat them. And like, I'm going on road trips, I don't know when I'm coming back. I'm like, well, that doesn't really work. You do need to be here. You can't just tell me you're gonna be gone for a month and you're not coming back to work, you know what I mean? But that's when I saw this shift of this workforce is changing, and I also have to evolve with it. And so I would prioritize less um data and statistics and my numbers and definitely people.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

That's so interesting. I mean, especially knowing who you are now and how you show up, right? Like with such a clear awareness of how folks need to be supported. I feel like the pandemic did that for many of us, right? It was such an eye-opening experience around how we're showing up, how others are showing up. I'm I'm so curious about this moment that we're in because I think, and I don't have the answer or a fully fleshed-out thought, but kind of what you're getting at in this balance between recognizing that everyone comes to the table with this whole other life outside of work, and we need to acknowledge that, and we need to support that, and in my mind, to create better workplace situations and scenarios where that is allowed to be true. And I also feel like there is this that the swing has happened, it has gone so far in the other direction in some ways, where it's like now the expectation is like I get to just live whatever I want, and I get to, you know, and that is clearly not true for everyone, but I think I struggle with it because I too I grew up in an era of like if you don't show up hella early and leave late, then you may as well not have been here. And there's no such thing as mental health days, and there and all of those changes are so good. But I do wonder where that kind of middle ground of like, but you still have to be a professional, you still have to, to your point, take your work seriously, want to provide excellence, those things still feel important, and so I guess it's in my mind because I think about my kids who are young, you know, nine and and six. And I'm like, what's the what is the narrative that they're going to hear as they're growing into the workforce around what that right balance is?

SPEAKER_00 35:38

No, I mean it's very interesting because when I exited my salon, I said, I will never have another brick and mortar again. I don't want employees, I don't want a brick and mortar, and I don't want to make it sound like it was all bad. It wasn't. I built some beautiful relationships, some that I still have with former employees and clients, but it's a lot of work. And whereas I said I prioritize like production, essentially, is what I said. That was the case, but it also was not the case. You know, I had a lot of young people, mainly young girls, you know. I lost my check at the club, and now we have to go to the bank and cancel a check, but I need my money. Okay, I give you this money now, and then this whole there was a lot involved, you know. Um I I mean, I can go down the list of stories, and that was part of it. So much of my success was predicated on my team, and I just never wanted that again for myself because it's hard, it's challenging, but to your point of really reimagining what that looks like, and I'm so glad that I exited when I did because the beauty industry, amongst other industries, there's this huge shift with AI and with people deciding what they will do, what they will not do. There is a shift, and I don't have the answer for that. I really, really don't. So working independently has been great for me for the last year and a half, but I also realized early on in my business, I wore mini hats. I'm not doing that again. I'm definitely doing that. So I do need a team, and I will hire people. Tell me what it is that you want and what your expectations are, and we will just figure it out because I am not. I'm too old for that. I can't wear all those hats anymore.

SPEAKER_02 37:23

It's too it's so funny when people talk about this like need for control when they've built something, and I'm like, oh, I don't feel that at all. Like I am very happy to delegate and work with people and collaborate. That is part of the joy, honestly, right? Is getting to do that work alongside people. Absolutely. And the the control piece, I have zero of that.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

Like, even tell me what you think should happen, and we'll just meet in the middle. So I too am like reprogramming in and service-based business, it's it's different. Totally. Clients are expecting appointments, and they are like, well, this was my wedding day, and me and my 10 bridesmaids were scheduled for nails. Okay, yeah, but I have two people out sit. And so it just was a it could be tough at times with service-based business and wanting to operate at a high level, you know, and render wonderful and excellent service, which is what I think we did in our reputation. One thing I always took pride in was our Yelp reviews. People don't even go on Yelp anymore, but we had amazing Yelp reviews, you know, and that's what it was the customer service and going over and Yes.

SPEAKER_02 38:34

Am I that old that I still use Yelp?

SPEAKER_00 38:36

Well, it's not even I just feel like the reviews aren't current, or a lot of the newer.

SPEAKER_02 38:40

Gotcha. It's funny. I so I I feel like no matter the industry, it always comes down to the people. I mean, every conversation, right? It's like you could no matter what, if you are not treating your people well, if you aren't intentionally creating culture, if you aren't thinking about what it means for employees or staff to to have an awareness of the impact that they're having, right? All of those things you could be doing, you could be creating the best product in the world, it's not gonna matter because that will ultimately be the downfall. I too had uh for a short stint with two other business partners, the brick and mortar, actually in Oakland, and it was a um like it was meant to be a gathering place for folks working in journalism, local storytelling, and it also had like a bar component and a little like tiny restaurant component and a co-working component. I mean, we were real crazy. It was like this is I don't think I did.

unknown 39:37

I don't think I did.

SPEAKER_02 39:40

It was like right um on 9th, so it's like um oh gosh, I'm gonna be, I'm gonna totally flub the cross streets, but I'll text you later. We were trying to do too many things at once, is I think part of it, but also man, having a brick and mortar where people also, I mean, if you're creating a space where folks do have a level of expectation, and and that is not to you shouldn't, right? If you're walking into a space and you're paying for a service, you should have an expectation. And yet, I found that sometimes I was like, wait a second, this the level of expectation is wild for sure.

unknown 40:19

For sure.

SPEAKER_02 40:21

Not prepared for that all the time. But yeah, to your point, it is a really it is exhausting when you are, and I can't imagine doing it in the way that you were, where you were really holding so much of it on your own and trying to also navigate what it means to we didn't have employees, we were working with other contractors and whatnot. That's a whole other layer. I'm curious if you have anything you'd share. I think when people talk about an exit or a sale, folks might not really understand like the mechanics of what goes into even preparing your company for sale. If you had anything that you, if someone was even considering that for themselves, is there anything that you would look back on and go, oh, this was a huge piece of what really helped us make that feel like a successful uh transition?

SPEAKER_00 41:08

Well, yeah, plot twist, I didn't sell. That was the goal. Right before the pandemic hit, before we shut down in March, I was in negotiation with a couple to sell, and literally everything was good to go. We were in escrow. They just had not signed the contract, and so days before we had to shut down, they called and said, We're pulling out, we're not gonna move forward. It was a couple, and the woman said that she had some health challenges, and her doctor just said she shouldn't be taking on any more stress. And so, anyway, that was that, and then literally the world shut down like two days later. And so I imagine in their mind, they were like, Wow, we don't have a bullet, you know what I mean? Yes, and so after that, it just it just wasn't a time. I don't think people were looking to take on risk or to buy a business, and because I had already begun to kind of calculate and I had mentally prepared to leave the salon, I was already mentally like okay, I had worked through the emotion of it, and so at that point I was ready, but I didn't leave until like a year after that. So I just decided to close. I just decided to close what I did. But the recommendation that I would give were in hindsight, one thing that I didn't do, I should have been more vocal. I wasn't vocal that I wanted to sell. It was like I didn't want anyone else to know, I didn't know how it would affect my business. I no longer had employees at that time. I had one independent contractor who's a dear friend of mine, and I didn't know honestly, I didn't think it was anything that she should take over. You know, I was leaving, and so I thought it would need to be someone else who had this whole vision of building out a space and a salon. And the reality is big box salon, which is what I had, it's an antiquated business model. It really is. People are moving into salon suites, and so for those reasons, I think that is why I was unable to sell. But definitely I should have been more vocal about wanting to sell. I should have had it on social media, I should have talked to clients about it. You know, I kind of worked with a broker and was like, you figure it out, and I wasn't as active as I could have been. But the other thing is good books, clean books that I had. I, you know, had salon software where I really could say, This is how many services we have done as a salon as a practitioner myself. My software gave me the information that I had cranked out 45,000 manicure pedicures during my time of being there, which is a lot of services. And that was just me alone, you know? And so just having that information, I think oftentimes, especially small mom pop business, brick and mortar, you're just trying to pay the bills, you know. What I mean, we're not really collecting the data, and in this day and age of technology, there's really no reason not to track sales and information. So I think information is very important. Having a good accountant is very important, being current on your taxes, very important. And that is just kind of like the perfect deal to really show someone what you've done and what they can do with what you're selling them.

SPEAKER_02 44:26

Yeah, I love that. What an interesting. I don't know that I've ever heard the like the the being vocal and that being such an important part of the story. Because I do think too, right, with if it's a new experience, it can feel scary to be because it's like, what if it doesn't work?

SPEAKER_00 44:44

Or you know, how clients start to leave because they think you're selling. And I also think it's just as a woman, I don't think a man would care to tell the world that he was selling his business. I've been approached by men. Actually, I was approached my husband and I were approached by this man who was selling or he was trying to sell us a franchise or telling us that we should buy this franchise that I knew firsthand was not doing well. And I would never do that. And I'm not just saying no men do that, or you know, but how are you so confident and vocal about selling something that's not actually doing well? You know what I mean? And we had just met him, we were strangers. I think maybe he had a friend in common with my husband, but we didn't really know him. And we were literally in passing at a resort going to the restroom. And I think he and my husband recognized each other and realized they knew some people in common, and he just started telling us, like, yeah, this is what I'm doing. You should look into it. And for a moment, I think it like piqued my husband's interest. And I was like, no, they just called me on the street, and this is not a good acquisition, like, no. And so I think as a woman, most times, or I'll speak for myself, I just felt like I needed to be quiet about it. This is not something that you should be very vocal about, but I think it makes a difference. And that actually was advice that I received from another fellow entrepreneur. She said, you know, when you make your pivot, be vocal, put it on LinkedIn, put it on Facebook, let people know what it is that you're doing. And I've been shy in that space, honestly. I really, really have. I haven't been as vocal about what it is that I'm doing, but if you don't share, like I wouldn't have met Michelle had I not shared with you what it is that I'm doing.

SPEAKER_02 46:32

Yes, I think there's so much for those of us that grew up at a certain time, there was a lot of like, you know, you the package has to be perfect. This idea of like growing in public or allowing the pieces of you that feel unpolished or not quite where you want them to be, that can make it feel extremely difficult to put yourself out there in that way. And also, I'll speak also for myself, but I think I'm just echoing you in that I don't think that ever goes away in the sense of we're always if we are ambitious, if we are interested in having more impact, there's always gonna be the thing that we don't quite know what we're doing yet. Yeah, for sure. Like no matter what, and I'm trying really hard as I evolve to get more comfortable with that and to allow myself to get a little weird, get a little messy, experiment and do it in a way to your point. I mean, so much of last year I was using language, and I don't know if I've shared this with you, but I was using language for my business that really didn't actually resonate with the business I was trying to build, and it was because I thought it had to sound a certain way in order for people to take me seriously, to think what I was doing mattered. And as soon as I stopped that bullshit, oh, I see, but I and you kind of, and I'm giving myself all the grace, you have to try things on. I think that was actually the learning is more not that I was using the wrong language, but that I was willing to even be putting it out there, and that is not something I have always been someone that really wants to have all the answers, all of it, you know, tied up with a perfect bow before I'm out there trying to sell the thing. And that's just not we can't operate like that, not when we've got, you know, many folks that really don't have the actual skill set that are out there selling shit that shouldn't be sold.

SPEAKER_00 48:39

You said it best. I mean, you know, we've heard it before being uncomfortable. That's really what it is. I love how you said trying it on because how many orders come in this house before we have a gala and I need to try something on, this doesn't work, send it back, you know. That's really, really what it is. But you're right, just feeling like it needs to be together before I put it out there, and it's really just being vulnerable, you know. But to your point, there are people doing far less quality and they are moving on. And my sister and I, we were kind of discussing this this business model, and we didn't think the business model was great. And I said, But you know what it is? She's consistent. I mean, at the end of the day, she's doing it, and she shows up every day, even if it's not great. So that's where her success is. She's consistent. I can't take that for her, though.

SPEAKER_02 49:28

What does she need worse on trading?

SPEAKER_00 49:33

And I don't know that she's a teacher, but she has found some success in what it is that she's doing, and just the way she teaches it is not very practical or it's not easy to grasp, but she shows up every day and she does it. So there you have it. And so I sister, that's the lesson that we need to take. Just get out there and do it. And so what if it's not perfect? Because you know what it also says. So, do you think that you're perfect when you show up in other areas? That was the question I had to ask myself. So, when you are confident, do you think that you're perfect, or do you think it's great? Like, yeah, I don't think it ever is. I think there's always room for improvement, and that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 50:15

I totally agree. And also, literally, no one cares at all what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

No one cares. That's the other thing. No, and then who cares? Like, if they do, so what? You know? That's their problem. Conversations like this, platforms like this, like even just the title, it got me excited. I was like, yeah, maybe I'm a big deal. Yeah. Like you are a big deal.

unknown 50:41

Good. And so, yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 50:44

I love it. Of course. I love that you said too that. Um Do you need to hop right at 215? Because I know we only sketch. Okay. So, because I got one thing to say, and then one last question. When you talked about this person showing up every day, and I don't know, Mel Robbins, people have a love-hate relationship with, but I recently listened to an episode that really struck a chord for me, and it was the eight sentences to share with yourself every morning to kind of get yourself primed for the day. And she's not trying to say all of a sudden you're gonna like, you know, have some magical blue dust thrown on you and everything's perfect. But what I took away from it was if you're priming your brain, your brain is gonna be primed no matter what. So you might as well be intentional about what you're feeding it, so that as you're entering your day, you are more apt to see an opportunity to be aware of the beauty of what's around you, right? So it's really more about your lens in which you're entering your day. And one of the sentences was something along the lines of if I just keep showing up, life will reward me. And I was like, Oh, I really, really, really like that.

SPEAKER_00 51:55

I could not agree more. One of the things is that this has been transitioning from my salon, it's been a time for me to exercise a lot of faith, which is what's next. I've done the exact same thing for 25 years, you know. And so, whereas I thought some things would kind of just manifest right away, they haven't. But one of the things that I have realized and learned through my journey is that sometimes the thing that I'm pursuing doesn't manifest, but as long as I'm pursuing something will manifest. When I'm pursuing nothing, when I'm not sowing seed, there will not be fruit. There just will not. But when I am just out there and doing what I need to do, oh, I didn't get a call from that person, but I got a call from this person, like it's good, you know? So I agree.

SPEAKER_02 52:43

Yes. And being able to be in the mindset to recognize that and not to like slough it off as it's not as important or impactful just because it doesn't look exactly the way you thought it might. I think that is an actual mindset shift that took me a little bit of time, and I'm I've work on it all the time. This is not something you just, you know, land on and then it's like that forever. But I think that that is one of the things I try really hard to remind myself of that also the universe might have a different thought for you that's gonna be an even better fit for the way you're trying to find fulfillment or the way you're looking to have an impact. And I think I've shared this recently with a lot of folks. I've been reading this book called The Desire Map, and it's so beautiful because it's about really rethinking the way you set up goals and intentions because you know, a lot of times it's like, I'm gonna this is all very important for companies that operate in this way. I get it. You need to hit certain targets and you know, revenue and whatever for shareholders. But for those of us that don't have to worry about investors or whatever else, it is we can set ourselves up for what feels like failure when we're like, I'm gonna have X amount of revenue by X quarter, and all of those things might need to shift depending on what's happening in life or where you're at. And her whole point is, but what is the feeling you want to have when you get there? That's what you're chasing. Because a lot of times, too, we'll reach that goal, but because we weren't really intentional about how we wanted to feel when we got there, it doesn't actually like move the needle in the way we were hoping it would, because it's just a thing on a piece of paper that doesn't actually make you feel any different about your life, right? It's like, do you want to feel accomplished? Do you want to feel free? Whatever your words are that you choose, she's really intentional about saying, okay, use those as your guide. And then, of course, have your goals within that. But make sure you're checking in with why do I want that and how do I want to feel when I get there?

SPEAKER_00 54:45

Which I think is 100%. I agree with that.

SPEAKER_02 54:48

Yeah. Not always easy to do. So you last question, maybe you know this is coming. No, I don't, I don't know what's coming. Oh, you don't? Oh, I love it. Okay, so I've had a few folks that have watched enough to where they're like, all right, I know you asked the same question every time.

SPEAKER_00 55:03

And I like watched the past interviews, but they're snippets. So I didn't realize that the whole thing is on YouTube. So I was like, oh great, she's not gonna use two minutes. Surely she can find two minutes to where it's worth reposting.

SPEAKER_02 55:18

No, no, no, girl.

SPEAKER_00 55:19

You're gonna I watched every single one on LinkedIn, but I didn't go to YouTube.

SPEAKER_02 55:24

Okay, okay. Because you are an entrepreneur, you're a visionary, you're a mentor, so you've built many things over the course of your career. And in so much of the work that I'm interested in doing, it is how are we, as we're building what we want for the future, so much of what is happening within us is also evolving and shifting and changing. So, how are we making sure that those things are aligned? And to me, that's always in service of what is the legacy that we're building towards, because ultimately that's what we're building today, right? This is not a word that is just used when we are no longer here, and I think sometimes it holds that weight, but I'm more interested in it from the perspective of but that's what we're doing today, right? That is what we are building towards. So my question is always um, for now, for today, it can always evolve. But for you to make a what does building a legacy mean?

SPEAKER_00 56:23

So I did, okay. So I think the last one when you interviewed, she talked about her daughter and the legacy. You posted that so I did it and I wondered. But because you said, you know, I'm not gonna give you questions beforehand, it'll be organic and natural. I was like, we're just gonna flow with that. I'm not gonna overthink. You know, for me, it is really, it's been said before, um, people don't care what you know, but how you make them feel. And I think for me, I it's taken me a while to realize my just kind of natural knack for people and to love people. I've gone through my life and I've done it, but I didn't really know it was my thing or my gift. And so just really spreading that widely, really casting my net and really hoping that people will remember how they felt when they were in my presence. Am I perfect? No. Well, I I do a lot of apologizing. That didn't come out right. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry, you know, but that's it. And just really that I fulfill the purpose, not my purpose, but the purpose that God has for me. That's just truly my legacy and what I hope to lead and to accomplish before I leave this earth.

SPEAKER_02 57:39

I love that. And it's interesting that we started this conversation with my reflection of how I feel when I'm around you and what it means to share space with you. I did not know that this is where we would land, but I I feel like it's a true testament to how you are showing up with intention. And if that is what you're building towards, you're you're there. So um thank you for sharing your light with us and sharing your positivity and your desire for this impact, the work that you're gonna be doing in these systems that so desperately need that kind of light and love and hope. I'm just excited to see where you take it. So thank you so much for sharing this.

SPEAKER_00 58:20

Thank you so much for having me. This has been awesome. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 58:24

You're amazing.

SPEAKER_00 58:25

Thank you. All right, friends. See you soon.

SPEAKER_02 58:28

Bye. Thank you so much for listening and spending some of your time with me here. I hope our conversation sparked some new ideas for you. If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's next. And if you're ready for even more tools and stories, head on over to beldenstrategies.com slash newsletter. I share fresh insights, stories, and tools for women leaders every week. Until next time, keep building, keep evolving, and remember that you are kind of a big deal.