Behind the Brand Podcast | Episode 6 | Bridiebrows

Welcome to Episode 6 of Behind the Brand with Buff Browz, featuring @bridiebrows In this episode, Ellie and Bridie deep dive into Bridie's life before browz and being a successful business owner. They cover everything from Bridies first career as a Dancer, the struggles of being a business owner and finding the place of being happy where you are rather constantly thinking of the future. All this to come and more in todays episode of Behind the Brand!

Follow Bridie: https://www.instagram.com/bridiebrows/

Follow Buff: https://www.instagram.com/buffbrowz/

Website: https://www.buffbrowz.co.uk/In our longest episode to date we hear what it really takes to be self employed in 2026! All this to come and more in this week episode of Behind The Brand.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome back to Behind the Brown with Buff Brows.

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Today we're joined by Bridie from Bridey Brows in Sheffield. Lily just stopped dancing because I thought that is literally serving me no purpose. And she was like, Can you do them again again? And I said, No, like I'm sorry, I'm not doing them again. And she was like, had money in her hand and she was like throwing the money at me. She was like, I will pay you, I'll pay ya. I sort of got sold a dream, you know, and you're like, you're gonna have this and you're gonna have this, and I thought that's where my business is gonna like thrive. Yeah. You know, like the customer's always right. They're not, they're literally not.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

I feel like we've not really caught up about like your um like journey into the bra world ever.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

No, no, I don't think you do know uh anything about that.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Which is why we're gonna dive in. Perfect. Um, how did you get yourself into the beauty industry? Like, did you know that you always wanted to work in beauty or did you just fall into it?

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Not at all. Like, I wouldn't say I was ever like you know, like as a kid when you like want to be a hairdresser and that's no, I was opposite to that. My whole life I wanted to be a dancer and like well I I thought I won't thought I was gonna be a dancer, I like danced like very seriously. So, yeah, well, I was the plan was to go to dance college. I left school, went to sixth form, did dance, applied for dance college, didn't get in to the one I wanted, and I was like really stupid. I wanted to move to London actually to do it. Um literally applied for like one dance college because I really wanted to go to that one, which one was Erdang. Okay, um and yeah, I just didn't get in. So I had like a gap year, if you would say. Yeah. Um and I got a job at a brow salon in Sheffield as a receptionist because I really didn't want to like get, you know, like a full-time job like at a call centre or something, because I thought I'm just gonna end up getting stuck in like a corporate job that I really don't like. Yeah, yeah. Because I'll get used to the income. And yeah, so because I was at the a receptionist at the salon, it was really quite chilled. Like she let me leave early to go dancing, like I sort of kept both on and I had this like really nice, chill job. I absolutely loved being a receptionist, like would probably do that again. Like, yeah, money was no object, yeah. But I loved it, like it was so me, like being organized. And then I think well, it was literally just a brow salon, right? So everyone just did browse. So then I think naturally just watching people do it all day, I learned so much. Like I was helping out doing consultations, so I knew so much about the treatment, I just didn't physically do it.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Um, and then one of the girls who did browse there was leaving, and the manager sort of said, like, Do you want us to send you on a PhD browse course? And I just thought, well, yeah, why not? Like it was obviously paid for because I was going to be employed by then. Um so I did, and obviously going on the course, I was like one step ahead of everyone. Like I weren't going in blind, I knew you kind of about like I was watching people do it every day. I knew what came first, what came second, I knew about the products, I did know a lot, so I probably did like have a good upper hand of being like, okay, I know what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Um and then yeah, I was just super super lucky because I was employed at a salon full of clients. Yeah, so I got that. Yeah, I never had that like I need to build up clients, start from scratch. I was literally just get got got given clients. Did that for about a year, went and did lash lifting, I also did like derma planing, like really random things. Um and then I decided to go self-employed, which was a bit difficult because I was employed and because they paid for training, it was a bit like I was in sort of a contract um but I ended up just going for it. One of my friends who worked there had done it prior and I just sort of went for it. And everything is fine with like my old one and genera stuff, it wasn't like beefy or anything, it was fine. Um and yeah, I literally went self-employed and luckily like most of my clients followed me. So when I asked, get people asking me like, Oh, how do you build up your clientele? Like, obviously now I know how to because I've I've still had to build up a clientele.

SPEAKER_02 4:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

But at the very beginning, I was very lucky where I was sort of given clients and then obviously they stayed with me.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

Yeah, you didn't have that struggle of like the one client a day or like one in the evening or not and not having anything to post because then who's gonna come to you?

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Because you've got yeah, and I do really like a feel for people now who just go on a course and then like start doing it from home and you've literally got to pluck clients out of nowhere, haven't you?

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Yeah, and it's so hard when you think like everyone's got clients, like why are they gonna move?

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Why are they gonna come to me? Yeah. And I do sort of forget because I didn't have to go through that, I forget how hard it actually is. To I think obviously that's why people are always best like working in a salon straight away. But it's just not quite as common now, is it, to be like employed.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

And people want to be self-employed, like the whole point of people doing like a brow course or a lash course is that they want to be self-employed, like have their own time, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Yeah, like a an employed job to do something like that, yeah. So but yeah, that's how I started, and obviously I've just never stopped since I've slowly just stopped dancing because I thought that is literally serving me no purpose. I'm not gonna be a dancer clearly. I actually wasn't that bad at dancing. I'm I'm sounding like I like tried really hard to go to dance college and just failed miserably, but no, I did like do a little bit of dancing here and there, but um yeah, I just sort of thought it's not saving me any purpose, like I'm wasting my time kind of thing, and just went fully into brows.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

What were the um early days of um building your brand? Like, how did you get to the bridie brows that you have today?

SPEAKER_01 5:30

The bridie brows name sort of came from the old manager who owned the brow salon. So people called her Katie Browse, and when I was like her little receptionist, she used to call me like, Oh, my bridy brows. This was before I even did brows and it just stuck. It was it's like I'm so lucky because people always say to me in Sheffield, like, Oh, you're so well known, and I think, well, yeah, because I've got the most annoying, catchy name ever. Like you can't forget it really. Yeah, so I think um I'm really lucky with that. But I started in a really, really small salon. I think at the time I was literally just doing derma planing, like waxing and tinting, um, henna brows and lash lifts.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

And then I s quite quickly moved from it was a tiny salon, it was literally just me and one other girl, just one box room, tiny toilet. Um, I quickly moved from there to go to another salon that was just a bit bigger, and then that's when I got invited to go down to Scotland with brow jam to train in lamination.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Oh fun.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

And that's when everything sort of because then that's when I sort of discovered this like new style of microblading at Browjam. Yes, she does it so differently to us, isn't she? And I was like so against um microblading. I used to think, God, I will never train in that. Like you know, just it was had such a name for itself, didn't it? Like the old fashioned tattooing style. And then when I went to Brow Jam and saw, I was like, oh my god, I want to do that.

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Yeah, like actually that's a bit more mean, yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

And I just don't think I knew that it even existed in that way.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

So yeah, that's how it all sort of started. I just sort of kept moving to different salons because I needed like a bigger space or I needed something different, and then obviously before opening my own.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

I love that you've got your own salon.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Yeah, it's so pretty. It is lovely, it's so nice, and it's all it's something I wanted for such a long time. I was actually like wanting to do it in lockdown, and thank God I didn't cost I don't know why. I think I must have thought it were gonna be easier.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

I don't know, but yeah, I think you see people on Instagram, don't you? You've like these enormous talons, and you're like, I could do that, and it's costy.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

Yeah, a hundred percent. I think because you pay so much these days to like rent a space, yeah. I think from a cost perspective, I just thought, well, I may as well just get my own salon because it's not gonna be that much more expensive.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

But it's so much more stressed, yeah. Obviously.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

And it's everything that goes with it, it's not just like the rent, it's then like, oh, you have like your water and your electric and your heating and everything else that goes with it.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

Buying, like cleaning supplies and just so much. And God, like obviously in lockdown I was literally like 21. Yeah. So I'm just really glad I didn't do it then. Obviously, everything happens for a reason, but I'm really I wasn't ready. I still don't know if um you'll ever be ready to do such a thing, but you sort of just wing it and I am finally like at a really comfortable position with having my own salon.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Yeah, and you know what you're doing now, like you've got your good clients, you've got your good girls that you work with, other than that kind of thing. I think that's it.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

Makes a huge difference having like who you work with. I've got a lot of like family and friends, which lots of people are like, oh, that's probably not the best thing to have family and friends, but I just think I don't know, it's I've not got I've got my mum and I've got my cousin, and I just think like we it's almost like we do it together.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

I don't I I'm not really I think I have like authority, but I'm not like anyone's boss because at the end of the day they're self-employed.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Oh, so they're gonna want it to do as well as you want it to do because actually they've got that kind of investment in it, like emotionally, especially just being part of your family.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Yeah, and they've got like the best interests, and I'm so like I want to do things like together, I don't sort of want to take credit for things all the time.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

No.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

So it is nice. I'm glad I'm actually really glad it's family and friends.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Yeah, makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

It's so much better. And I can then if I am like mad at something, I can sort of say it like I would say to my friends, like, you're being messy, clean it up. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

As opposed to like does the joke rather than like actually have to take the trimmer that. How do you find working like so closely with your clients and like working with people? Would you love it?

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Um working with clients, I don't know, I think because I just do it so much now, you don't even think about it, do you? And you've done it for that many years. I would say I'm quite I'm quite easy to talk to like people and things like that. I wouldn't say I'm like particularly shy or find it like awkward speaking to people, but to be honest, probably being starting off as a reception has probably helped me with that.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Yeah, definitely confidence-wise, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

I was like the first person customers spoke to, I obviously like answered the phone, I rang people, like I said, I would help with like consultation, so I had a bit of knowledge. So I think, yeah, I probably probably do not even think about that. I have I only have like regular clients now for like maintenance appointments, I don't take on anyone new. So that's amazing. I feel like Yeah, your regulars become your friends. Oh my god, 100%. I don't even think you don't even obviously it's professional. Yes. But the way like you talk to them is just like, oh are you alright? You don't have to do the hi, like, how are you? Oh yeah, yeah, get a nice holidays. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely, yeah, yeah. It's like, yeah, and that's probably what makes it so much easier. But with new clients, I think you just have to be really like confident. Obviously, you do get some very, very difficult people.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

But I think I'm I do find it really hard, you know, when someone is rude and you know, like the customer's always right. I don't know if they're not, they're literally not. And I don't know if it's because I'm not in like a corporate world that I for some reason don't feel like I have to follow that rule.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

Yeah, also it's like my time, like you're self-employed, you don't have a boss, like you'll run it how you want it to run.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

Yeah, exactly. And uh it doesn't have to be professional, of course, in a way, but equally like I'm just a human being, like I want it to be a more natural, friendly approach in the first place. Yeah. So I'm not just gonna let you speak to me like rubbish. No. If you're rude, I've sort of have this thing where like oh the it's sort of we've we're on a bad foot now, like you're incarnately. But I I think it's fine. I don't I honestly don't even think about like clients. I think it's probably something that comes quite natural.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

Do you have any like nightmare clients?

SPEAKER_01 11:35

Um I honestly haven't had to many. Not do you know, like when someone like Owen asked me that yesterday, and there wasn't like an initial person that like stuck in my head. You definitely get like the fussy clients and like people who are like overly asking questions, but that's also kind of like well fair, especially when I'm doing microblading. Yes. You are literally tattooing your I'm tattooing your face. Yeah. I'd be sort of worried if you didn't have a million questions.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Um but no, I've not really had any like nightmare clients. I think nightmare is in you know when people are sort of asking you to do something that's just not possible. Yeah. Like they've got like three hairs and they come in and they're like, I love your brows, I'll have them like that, and it's like I don't think you will.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

Yeah, absolutely not. And it's like this in a nice way, but yeah, you've got to just manage your expectations in that way, haven't you?

SPEAKER_01 12:26

I think I have a lot of I turn away a lot of clients for microblading because if they've got like old pigment and I don't want to cover it up, and I did once have a lady who was so unbelievably rude, she was asking me to cover up, which I'd already tried to do. Um she was like a client's mum, and I said, Look, on this occasion I'll help you out, I'll do everything I can to make them look better. And her skin was just really damaged, like loads of scar tissue, it was bleeding a lot, the pigment wasn't staying in. And she was like, Can you do them again again? And I said, No, like I'm sorry, I'm not doing them again. And she was like, had money in her hand, and she was like throwing the money at me, she was like, I will pay you, I'll pay ya. And I'm thinking, I don't even want the money, I don't want the money, but surely is that not a good thing? Like, I could genuinely take that money and carry on doing it, create more scar tissue on your face, make them look a mess, and then just be happy with like another 300 pound. But I'm literally turning away the money, like it's for your benefit.

SPEAKER_00 13:20

Yeah, like I'm not gonna do it, and I wouldn't recommend like anyone else do it.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Like, because there is people I'm sure that some money it'll do anything.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

Oh my god, yeah, it's like I'm like not moral fillers, isn't it? Like people that like feel that percent need to, or like that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

100%. And so to be honest, it's not worth the money sometimes. Like you know, once I've the amount of clients I've done, like when I'm a beginning of my microblading journey, and I've thought, why did I say yes to this? Like, it's not even worth the money. All the stress that goes into it when someone's not got the right skin. Absolutely not. Like that's something I've learnt over the years. Like, if I'm not going to be comfortable, even with like the type of person that it is, you know, if someone of you just think I'm just not gonna be able to please you.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

No.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

I'd rather just not do it.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Because I won't sleep for the night before or the night after. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

It's permanent, also you just know you'd get a message. 100%. I just want to know. It's it's tattooed.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

And you do, you do always know. And I think I've learnt over the years, like, if it's gonna stress you out, just say no. Yeah. Because you will thank yourself.

SPEAKER_00 14:17

Yeah, or you're sat there like doing the microbiota and absolutely sweating.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Yeah, literally. And I'm like texting Megan in this, I'm like, everyone's and she's like peeking over, like, you okay, and I'm like I'm like, just keep your eyes closed for me, and I'm like, You'll be fine.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Like sitting your pants.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Literally awful. And you always seem to like pull it out of the bag, and I think I always forget that my idea of like perfect in a client's is so different because I look I the only thing I will ever compare my work to is someone who's been doing it probably double the amount of time as me, or the people who trained me, which obviously are gonna be better than me, that's why I went to them to train. And clients will be like, Oh my god, that's the best thing I've ever seen. And obviously, I'm happy with what I've done, but there might be like a tiny bit that's wrong, yeah, and I'm thinking, Oh my god, like they're gonna notice it should away, and they're not.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

Yeah, well, like you say by your client, like, Bah, you're never coming back, and they could like rebook in, you're like, Yeah, okay, yeah, literally.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

I once had that with a girl who she messaged me after a microblading, and this is the first time this had ever happened. She was like, I'm so upset, like I really don't like them. And I was like, what she was basically saying I knew was gonna heal how I wanted it to be. So I said, like, please just give it a few weeks. Anyway, I didn't hear anything from her, and I was really stressed. And then it must have been like three months later, she just booked in online for a top-up, and I was like, Oh my god, I'd so stressed. I was thinking, Well, it can't be that bad or she won't be booking back in. Yeah, and she actually came back and she was like, honestly, best thing I've ever done. Best thing I've ever done. But you was like, I thought, you could have told me, you could have literally texted me to tell me that. Like, you've been you've been my first and like only ever like bad complaint. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And she did say it was like the way the aftercare cream was being put on her hairs was making them sit funny and making them look weird. Right, okay. So it was literally just a case of letting them heal. And that was when I I first thought, like, wow, this is gonna be the first time I've had someone like really hate them.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

Yeah, and then what did you do?

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Yeah, and then what was I gonna? And it was really sad, but I think I did just sort of forget about it, and then when she booked back in, I was so scared to get a heart rate at 160 all morning. And she ended up being probably one of the happiest clients I've ever had.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

That's wild, as I do. Just wait, like you'll be fine. So annoying.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

But I do get it, like I had my lip blush done and I literally texted her, I was so embarrassed. I was like, this is my job, I'm being that client. But you know, and they're like scabbing and dark, and I was like, Is this normal? Yeah, and we're like, Yeah, I thought, how annoying am I? Like, this is what people do to me. Yeah. So I do get it, like it's hard when it's on your face, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 16:41

Yeah, especially when it's like tattooed. And you're just like, oh my god, but you've just got to wait for that healing. Yeah, a hundred. It's that horrible in between stage where you're like peeling and it's all yeah, annoying.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

100%, but it's fine. I'm sort of just like I deal with that quite well. Yeah. And and if people do complain like that's just that's just life.

SPEAKER_00 16:59

Yeah, they're gonna complain whether you're doing it.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Yeah, god, I've done some bad microblading in my time, like horrendous, but if I'd have never made the mistakes, I would have never sort of like got better. Yeah, you've got to learn from them. You have just got to learn. I think I'm I I say I'm quite good at that, but then also like I do really think, think about things, you know. If I've done something I'm not happy with, it will really like consume me. But yeah, when I did my microblading course, I did it, I met a girl on the course, and we actually went to like six months later, we went to do a master class together. Nice. Um because we'd sort of stayed in touch, and I think in those six months I'd done like maybe 30 clients and I was charging like £50 because I thought the price reflects the result at the end of the day. So, like, if I'm charging you £50 and you're willing to pay that little, don't complain if it's a mess. You're not allowed to, unfortunately. Because I would feel more comfortable doing that. And then the other girl, she'd literally done like three, and like a year later anyway, she ended up just completely sacking market blading off. She'd obviously spent thousands, and it's because she was just too nervous to practice. Yeah, and you do just have to think, do you know what? Like, I am gonna make mistakes, but you can you've just got to do it.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

And people generally like, I think if they're going in as a model and they're practicing and you're practicing like people are genuinely fine, like normally, yeah, they're fine.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Because I won't be a model, no, no, I'm not being a model for no way, like not a child, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Unless I've got like Georgie hovering over them, like pretty much with her hand with a pen, there is no way.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

100%. Like when people when I ask for models for students and things like people will say, I'll I'll have it, and I I always have to say, like, you do know it is a beginner, like student who's doing it, but like you said, they're not paying enough, so people just don't care.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

So like with waxing tinting and hybrid and lamination, it's not normally as bad. Like it's easier to be a model.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

100%. And obviously, if they've got a trainer watching, they're not gonna really let them make mistakes. Yeah. Yeah. But obviously, with um like when I was doing microblading, it was what I did was do like case studies on my own.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

So I was literally just And you can't have someone watching over you the whole time, which they're always gonna have that. So they do just throw you in the deep end, don't they?

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Yeah, and I think I mean I'm still learning so much now. I'm probably still. How long have you been doing it? Four years now. Microblading. Microbeding for four years now. Yeah, and you're still learning, like 100%. It takes I'm so bad at like not feeling like I'm good enough yet, but then I am bad for comparing myself, but equally, like, that's you that's a good thing, like you have to compare yourself to it.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

And I think everyone does, like everyone looks on Instagram is like, oh I'm not good as good as them. And then you look at them and they've been doing it for like whatever ten years.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

Exactly. And they probably people don't post the bad ones. No. I'm sure everybody goes through it.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

That's such a big thing that you have to remember, like, not everyone's posting all of the clients they're doing. Because like sometimes we look at a client, even like Elite Text now goes to me. Like, I looked at a client and I thought, oh well, that's shit.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Yeah, yeah. Bye, have a good day. Yeah, a hundred percent. Like you it you are just human. Yeah. And like what I was saying earlier, it might feel shit to you, but it's not to the client. It's because we are looking at like someone above us who's done something perfectly and we want ourselves to look like that a hundred percent. And I'm sure they are also looking at someone else and exactly, they're always gonna compare yourself to people.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

A hundred percent. Do you find working with clients super rewarding? I think especially during microwave and like you end up changing people's lives.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Is that like a client that's stuck with you?

SPEAKER_01 20:19

Um yeah, I had a lady not that long ago actually who was like in tears afterwards and she'd like lost all her brow hair and she was saying like it was really getting her down, like having to draw them on every day. And I think I always say to people when they're having microblade, and I always say I'd oh I'd rather you walk away feeling underwhelmed than overwhelmed. Like I'd almost rather you think they're just a bit too like it's not enough.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

A bit natural, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

Because we can always make them more, especially when you're going from nothing to a brow. Um but then I think people just feel overwhelmed but often like with happiness. And I think then they actually feel like, wow, I didn't realise it was actually gonna look that natural. Yeah. But yeah, it is it's massive. I think you do take your brows for granted. Oh, 100%. Absolutely, like you really do, and it's not just like the older generation that have no brows, like there's young girls who I actually did a really young girl, this is something that really sticks out to me. She had um sort of an anxiety disorder where she pulled out her brow hairs. Yeah. Um, she like was really bad, she was not even going to school, like she was really suffering. Um, she was only 14 and she had a note from her doctor to say um that this is what we recommend best for her to have a marker bladed. And obviously I had to get the doctor's notes and I got all the documents from her doctors, her mum, her mum came with her, of course. Yeah. And that was amazing because she was so young and you are just used to big doing the big transformations on like ladies over sixty who've just lost their hair over pleptum over the years, but to do it on a young girl, oh I just I just couldn't stop thinking about like how she must have felt at school. And getting picked on for that and especially when I'm like being a go herself, like you look at everyone else and you're like, I want to be like yeah, exactly. I want to be like her and like that, and like she just can't. A hundred percent like that was one of the most rewarding things ever. And they'd actually travelled quite far to come to me. Um they'd travelled like nearly two hours to come for the appointment, so that was really nice as well. Um special. Yeah, so nice. And I think I just drew it to it. Yeah, I was. I just enjoyed like being with a young girl as well and doing it for her, and I've like really tried to make her feel as comfortable as possible. Yeah. And I think she did, like her mum said that she was obviously shy. Yeah. Um, but she was probably my easiest client, like she went moaning about pain or anything. She was literally just like, yeah, she would find it.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

So she's like, I'm gonna benefit from that.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

100%. But yeah, that was really nice.

SPEAKER_00 22:49

I love her, that is such a nice little story. So nice. How do you in the industry I feel like obviously there's so it's so competitive, yeah. Um, and like obviously comparing, do you feel like you ever have to protect your own energy or do you think like actually you're quite settled where you are?

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Um I have days where I'm really yeah, like I am settled, and I think I have got quite a a good name for myself now where I'm from in Sheffield.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

Um not sure if it is because it's catchy or if it is because I'm really good.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

You are good, you are good.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

Um yeah, I think I've I have built up quite a good reputation and not only like the results but like all my reviews and stuff, a lot of them do speak about like how friendly we are at the salon and how massive atmosphere it is. But I think yeah, I think it's hard to keep up with Instagram. I think the social media side is the only bit where I feel I struggle with comparing myself probably. Um I yeah, I would probably say that's the hardest bit, and I've always come from a a salon background where we're very like back to back to back to back maintenance in and out. Like I have some days where if I've got no microblading and I'm all maintenance appointments, I've had days where I've done 25 clients in one day. And it's not I'm not putting concealer under the brow and doing a reel and taking like a gorgeous picture. I've not got time, and I'm not mapping every single because often I don't think you don't have to map out when it's maintenance because they've been doing it for that long, they're growing exactly the same. Um but yeah, I think the social media side, it's hard not to compare yourself, I think.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

Yeah, and it's overwhelming when you see people posting stuff all the time. They've got reels, they've got photos, they've got stories, they've got product recommendations, they're making TikToks, and you're like, pfft Yeah. I've taken not one photo today.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Absolutely, and just like the aesthetic side of things, and sometimes I do think like that's not what's ever been like important to me with doing brows. Like I've not got like the most aesthetic. I mean the talent's lovely, but oh my god, it is so aesthetic, yeah. Like spa vibes. Yeah, some people do have like luxury brows that they charge like £10 extra. And I've definitely never sort of done it like that. I think it's more just we are like more maintenance and still obviously amazing results. Yeah. But we definitely have like we have really quite low prices or good prices for the area. Yeah. Um but we just do our best with social media and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

I know it's the worst.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

But it's hard to compare.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Do you think there's ever been any mistakes that you've made or something that you go back on that you think that you like really learnt from to build bridy brows into what it is today?

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Um I feel like I won't say mis I've definitely made mistakes physically, like with clients and things. Yeah. Probably one of the salons I worked at, I would probably say it was a mistake. Really? Yeah. I worked f I would moved to a salon that was um the the people who earned it was quite big on social media and because I was quite new to being self-employed, I thought, oh that's such a good idea, get my name out there, like sort of off the back of their like business and their name. Um I don't know, it's really hard to say because I'd hate for them to think I think that their like time was a mistake, but it would just sort of it I sort of got sold a dream, you know, and you're like, you're gonna have this and you're gonna have this, and I thought that's where my business is gonna like thrive.

SPEAKER_00 26:27

I will be just like that.

SPEAKER_01 26:29

Yeah, and it wasn't really, it was it was just chaos. And I think I probably and that it was after that that I wanted to open my own salon, but I needed I sort of needed to get out of there so badly, I didn't have time to open my own salon. I ended up going to another salon and renting a space there and then staying there for like three years. Yeah. Um and I think maybe I would have been a bit more sort of picky about where I worked and things like that. However, I don't honestly feel like it's been detrimental to my business. I am only 26 and I think it's quite I'm quite a good place where I'm at now, so I don't think I I probably probably would have been any further. No.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

It's all happened for like good reasons. Yeah, it's got to be where you are now.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Yeah, 100%. But in terms of mistakes, no, I feel like nothing's sticking out to me. No, no. Not not that everything's been perfect. No, but nothing's sticking out to me as I think I've sort of took everything at a good pace. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

Is there any advice you'd give to someone who's just starting out into beauty industry who wants to get into browser, wants to get into microblading that you think you would like you wish you'd known before you started?

SPEAKER_01 27:36

I always I I actually get this asked so much. Like people do message me a lot, like asking about um like starting up and things. I think nowadays social media like means absolutely everything. And I always say to people, even if you've got like three posts on your Instagram, but you've got a very professional logo, everything looks professional, like you do it properly from the start, and understandably that might be a bit of an extra cost if you're wanting to sort of pay someone to help with social media, but I think gosh, like my logo, my first ever Bridey Brows logo, is awful. I it's literally like Microsoft Word text, and I'd cropped a picture from Google of like a bla a brow, and it had like a white box round it, like it was awful, and that was like my profile picture for ages. And it obviously maybe probably wasn't as important back then. No, yeah. But I think now the best advice is like just be very professional from the beginning and don't just post stuff for the sake of it. No, like really take your time with everything and just try your best to surround yourself with other brow artists, like whether that be in a salon or like even asking like advice off someone, go on like lots of extra training, just try and sort of get yourself in the industry.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

Build yourself in the community is such a big thing.

SPEAKER_01 28:55

Oh my god, yeah, huge.

SPEAKER_00 28:57

Do you think that younger brides you would be happy with where you are now or like proud of where you are now? Do you think even if it's even though it's like not necessarily the journey that you were like you wanted?

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Yeah, yeah, a hundred percent. I feel like yeah, that's so true. Like I never saw my life being this, but equally, like everything like my favourite quote ever, ever, ever is um like remember when you wanted like what you have now. Yeah, and like that is so true. I'm so bad for like always wanting the next thing and like always thinking something's not good enough. But I remember like years ago when I'd started doing brows, like thinking, gosh, I'd like I'd love to have like my own salon, yeah. And now I've got my own salon, and now I want a bigger salon. Do you know what I mean? But sometimes you just have to sit back and think like this is all I ever wanted, like this is good enough. Yeah, like with my teaching and stuff, it's very, very new to me that. But God, it's took me ages to get into it. But I'm actually starting it now, and again, like I remember thinking like I'd just love to be able to do that, but it just seemed like too much work and too far away. Yeah, and now I'm doing it, I already want like think it's not good enough, and like more students and like do more things, yeah. 100%, and now I need to just remember like remember when I and I did have it want everything, like I wanted a good relationship, which I've got, a good house to myself, which I've got, yeah, a business, a salon, and that's is enough sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

Yeah, like you're ticking your boxes, you're getting there. Yeah, but 26, you're doing well.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Yeah, yeah, I did you say yeah, I would say I would be proud of myself.

SPEAKER_00 30:24

What's next for bride your brows? Because obviously you do your training, you would just say that you wanted to move salon. Yes. Is there anything else?

SPEAKER_01 30:29

I think that is it really. Um I d I don't want to do too much. I've always said that. I've not um like I've never done gone into like lip blush and and now I do genuinely just do brows. So I don't I do just see what I've already got now getting better and expanding. Probably more training. Eventually I would love to do a lot more of that. Um I am bringing out my own eyebrow gel. Love that. But I'm not sure what avenue we're gonna do. We're gonna go with that. Yeah, I don't think I don't want to become sort of a a huge brand. That's just like a really nice extra right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um but also I'm I'm sort of just happy to see where that is. But again, that was another one of them things that I've wanted to do for ages and thought it's just like almost just like I can't be bothered.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

It's the admin side of it, all that goes with it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

And because I have worked always worked full time and I've got these regular clients, I I can't really work any less because you live by your means, don't you? And as soon as you start earning X amount, you spend X amount. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So realistically, I need like maybe an extra day off a week to sort of plan future plans. But unfortunately, right now I don't really have the resources to just be second off full of time.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

But anyway, so like I'm not adding on another day because you need that time away to start with.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

It's just trying to find that balance, isn't it? Yeah. But yeah, what's next? I would say a much nicer, bigger, more luxurious space because I do feel like that will just make everything better naturally.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

It'll make treatments better, I'll be able to film better because I want like better lighting. Yeah. Teaching will be better because I'll have a bigger space.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

It's just a bigger space for you to grow, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 32:08

Yeah, exactly that.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

Love that. And my final question to you is um what legacy do you want bridey brows to leave in the industry? It's quite a big question.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

That's a huge question. Um I think I do want it to leave a legacy because I would like it to sort of stay mine forever. Like I would always say like this will be my job forever. But I think it's like 80, like eventually, yeah, like having little ride rides, like me riding routes. Like I want my kids to do the same. Yeah, no, not really. But um what kind I think I would just like more about the people within the community and the business. I'd rather people say like they're so nice and like they've done so well and they we feel welcome in the salon. Yeah. I think I'd rather that than yes, obviously to be amazing at brows and that to be sort of remembered. Yeah. But more about the people and we do have like a bit of a community with like the s the clients and stuff like gosh, we're all so close and yeah, e each client knows everyone who works there, and I think that would be a better thing to almost like buff brows have done to create a community.

SPEAKER_00 33:22

I'd like sort of that to be it makes such a difference when you've got those people that you can like rely on and be cool in and they want to be part of what you've created, and I think that's such a nice feeling.

SPEAKER_01 33:31

Yeah, a hundred percent, and that is probably something I'd really like, but of course, to just be probably the most successful brow place in Sheffield. I'm not gonna go to the back of the room. You're on your way, I'll be the world to Sheffield. I'm not taking over the world.