Are We Chasing The Wrong Version Of Success? | Loredana Irimia

What does success actually look like?

In this episode of Beyond The Tweezers, I'm joined by the incredible Loredana Irimia - educator, salon owner, speaker and mentor - for a conversation that completely challenged the way I think about our industry and what we are doing it for.

Main Sponsor: This Episode is Sponsored by London Lash, the go to brand for professional lash products, education, and tools designed to help artists achieve consistent, long-lasting results.

Enjoy an exclusive listener discount on your next order: 20% off with code KARIS20 T&Cs apply.

Shop London Lash: https://londonlashpro.com/?utm_source=podcastsponsorship&utm_medium=videos&utm_campaign=behindthetweezers&utm_content=episode13

Episode Sponsors: This Episode is Sponsored By Lash Oasis. want to try their new Hybrid Korean Lash Lift system?  Use code: KARIS10 on your first order!

Shop Lash Oasis: https://lashoasis.co.uk/

We talk about moving from Romania to the UK, building a business from scratch, opening salons, speaking on international stages and becoming a recognised educator. But we also talk about the side people don't always see.

The pressure to look successful.
The need for validation.
Building things from a place of ego.
And realising that what you thought would make you happy isn't always what fulfils you.

This conversation goes far beyond lashes. We dive into authenticity, personal branding, social media, recognition, business mistakes, therapy, confidence and the importance of building a business that actually supports the life you want to live.

If you've ever found yourself wondering whether you're chasing the right goals, this episode is for you.

I absolutely loved this conversation and I know you're going to take so much from it.

Connect with Loredana:  https://loredanairimia.com/
https://thelashboxshop.co.uk/

Conference tickets: https://loredanairimia.com/back-to-business/

Main Sponsor:

This Episode is Sponsored by London Lash Enjoy an exclusive listener discount on your next order: 20% off with code KARIS20 T&Cs apply.

Shop London Lash: https://londonlashpro.com/?utm_source=podcastsponsorship&utm_medium=videos&utm_campaign=behindthetweezers&utm_content=episode13

Episode Sponsors: 

This Episode is Sponsored By Lash Oasis. want to try their new Hybrid Korean Lash Lift system?  Use code: KARIS10 on your first order!

Shop Lash Oasis: https://lashoasis.co.uk/

Thank you for pressing play and joining me! If you would love to connect - follow and DM me. I would love to hear your stories.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondthetweezers?igsh=MmN1dTVlYTA3N2Zo&utm_source=qr

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

I feel like I don't belong to the UK. I'm very successful because one of the things you're not thinking about your consumer. All I ever did was complaining the amount of times that I went home crying. That was the hardest time of my life in business.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Why did you decide to open another one when you had such a bad experience? Why am I not making enough money? This episode of Beyond the Tweezers is brought to you by London Lash, a brand that I've trusted and used throughout my entire journey as a lash artist and trainer, and one you'll always find in my lash room every single day. Laura Donna, welcome to Beyond the Tweezers. It's lovely to have you. Thank you for travelling all the way down. I really appreciate it. How long was that journey?

SPEAKER_02 0:49

Thank you for having me. First of all, it was a four and a half hours journey.

unknown 0:54

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Like I said before we started, I would much rather be in my own car for a longer period of time than I'm just who I am.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

And it's quite nice because you said your other half took you and you can do work on your way, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

That's what I did because my partner drove me and I was doing some work.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Oh yeah, it's nice. At least you can be passenger princess. I feel like that's what we should be. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

I love driving. I have to say, I do I love driving so much. I wouldn't feel comfortable driving. It's my second time. I've been living in the UK for since 2019. It's my first time. No, second time coming to London. First time was in 2024 when I judged a competition. It's my I don't travel often across UK. Um, but yeah, I wouldn't, I wouldn't drive to London.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

But then Manchester's got everything there, isn't it? I would think so.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

It's got big, self-sufficient. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

But you don't really need to leave if you're if you live there anymore.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Yeah. I I'm not passionate or I'm not very fond of big cities. I find them overwhelming. I am you I maybe in this in this body of mine uh it's an old lady because even where we live now, it's just very peaceful area. I get often overwhelmed in Romania where I'm from. I come from a small city. So yeah, it's just something about me.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

I have an old soul. We are um pure countryside. You would love where I'm from. Just water, nice walks, not many people. That's one road. We're kind of one road in, one road out. It's very, very cute. I love that. So you've just said about you living and you're from Romania. I am. Tell me about what Romania was like when you were growing up. Was it a what is Romania? A pivot being. I'd actually love to go.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

I'm gonna cry. Oh my god. Okay, so a bit of a disclaimer. Okay. I'm very emotional. And as I grown older, I became a lot more emotionally attached to my country. I never thought I love my country so much. But when and people who listen to this podcast and live abroad or outside their countries would probably understand me when I say that when you live in a different country, you kind of lose your roots because you don't fully belong in the country that you live in, but you also, as time goes on, you cannot find your place in your own country. So I feel a bit like this at the moment. As time went on, I feel like I don't belong to the UK because there is obviously a lot of cultural differences. There is, it's a language barrier. Do we like it or not? I will, you know, English is not my first language. So we were talking again before we started. How in my language things maybe have a different meaning to what they sound like or mean in English. So yeah, I feel like I don't fully belong anywhere, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

What was it like growing up there?

SPEAKER_02 4:16

It was awesome. I didn't actually think it was awesome at the time, but I come from a small village in the Carpathians. I'm gonna need to show you some pictures at the end. Maybe we can actually even add it to the grandparents, they're now watching over us, they had a lot of land, they were very hardworking people. A lot of what they used to do in their life, day-to-day life, I do a lot in my business now. But um, I had a lot of fields, so much greenery, they had loads of animals, they were hardworking people. So if you ask me, at the time I would said, I would have said, actually, my whole teenage life, not teenage, but growing up, I thought we were actually poor. We were not poor, they were just were so self-sufficient. They would grow their food, they would produce everything they needed. So I was actually very fortunate looking back because we all try to get back to our roots now. Wellness, exactly, and I had that. I had I had everything.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

It's funny you should say that my vahar Jackie was saying we've been our dream is to have land, maybe a little cottage. I would love a donkey, but I would love just to be on land, have vegetable patches, like we were talking about this over the weekend, just to be self-sufficient because of the world we live in today. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 5:50

It's you should hear my retirement plans are very similar, very similar to yours. Very similar. So do you miss Romania? I miss Romania. I know that I wouldn't, I know that I romanticize it a lot because, for example, from a political perspective, it's not great. Uh financial um Romania is actually now in recession.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

So financially it's not great, but then nothing is. I feel like I we we romanticize and we imagine perfection in a world that we live in, in business, in everything. There isn't such a thing. It just depends a lot on what your values are. For me, retirement, for example, we were just mentioning now, I want peace. I want to have time. Success for me, I was speaking very, very um a few days ago with somebody. Success for me is being able to not wake up to an alarm. And I'm very successful because one of the things, because I last time I woke up to an alarm for day-to-day work, okay, not when I travel or this is different, was years ago. Do you know what I mean? So it just it just depends on what you what do you want? What do you really want? Because perfection. So Romania, it's far from from being a beautiful country, but people are very warm, which is where my warmth comes from.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

And do you know what I can agree? Because do you remember we did the conference in September last year? And I was like, this is unreal. The vibe in there was electric and everyone was so friendly because it was Romanian, I didn't have a clue what anyone was saying. But I was having the best time. So I completely I've I've seen it. It's a everyone's so together.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Yes, warm. That's a good word. Everything it's and everyone is together, yeah. So what made you leave? Oh I was young. I wanted a change of scenery, I wanted to experience things. I didn't know I won't go back. And the reason why So that was never the plan. You was actually gonna come here and go back, maybe. I just thought I'm gonna come here.

unknown 8:03

Period.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Period. I didn't know what am I going to do here. Why am I coming here for? Or what am I coming here for? I just thought, yeah, I'm gonna go. Period. See what happens. Yeah. Eight years later, here we are. Yeah. I didn't have a plan. So what did happen? So you came to the UK. I came to the UK in September 2018. I have to say I did some research for this because my memory, I I might miss some really important parts. If you if you'll ask me some questions, I might miss some really important parts because my memory is just not the greatest. So anyway, I did research. I know when I came in, the timeline. So I came in September 2018. I did get a job pretty much the next day, kind of, or the the the that the same week, because um there was an uh I went to a recruitment agency and they found me a job. Obviously, I was a bit of a princess in Romania. I was a bit of a corporate girl for a while, and then I worked in retail, and I just didn't know what a warehouse life is going to look like, which I know that this is the story of so many immigrants. Obviously, it's mine as well. We can't change that. I've worked there for a few months and I've decided that it's great for people who want to have this life. It's nothing wrong with just wanting to work in a warehouse, but it was not for me. I um it was actually a great company to work for, I have to say that. And they were really respectful, and I've learned a lot from watching them about business. It was a family-run business. They tried, they treat their employees awesomely. They are really good people, really good company to work for. But I was like the lady I was sharing the office with worked there for 20 years. And I was often looking at her and thinking, do I want to be this here in 20 years? I said, no, it didn't matter how hard I tried. So obviously, as things go, one thing led to the other. And uh I found somebody to do my lashes because I've been getting my lashes done for over 10 years now. And I found this lady on a um Romanian group chat, Facebook group. She's originally from Moldova, and uh, we got very very friendly, you know, like the chats, little chats, and I was not back then the person I am now. I have to say that nothing was ever good enough for me. All I ever did was complaining. I was that type of person. You were that liar. I was not not as in about life, you know. Oh, it's too warm, it's so cold. Oh, I'm so tired. Do you know what I mean? Just about life. So I was complaining to her about my horrible life in the warehouse. And then she said, why don't you try to do lashes like I do? I was like, no, because I was never too much into beauty. Like the makeup that I wear today, I would wear for a wedding. I would do, do you know what I mean? Like in the later years, I started wearing more accessories, but I wasn't very feminine at all at the time. So I said, no, I can't do this. And she said, Look, I look at you and I see that you are somebody who is a perfectionist who wants to do things right. And regardless of what other people think about this industry, and she made a very good point at the time, it's not about having patience, it's about doing a good job so the client comes back. So I was like, hmm, okay, but you teach me, because mind you, she was speaking my language, my own language. Obviously, I moved to the UK thinking I can speak the language, no problem. No. Um one month I looked at everyone in the warehouse, nodding and smiling because I couldn't get a word. So that was another shock that I had. And she said then, I said, can you train me? Can you teach me? And she said something that has changed my whole. I'm pretty sure that if she didn't say what she just said, well, I'm about to tell you, I wouldn't have been here on the sofa with you today. She said, No, I'm not gonna teach you. Thank you so much for that. I have to tell her. She knows, and I say this every chance I get. I think God works, does it his work through people. And I think she was a god sent at the time. She said, No, I'm not gonna teach you. It's your first course. Go and train with a reputable company that was in 2019 because you need to have a really strong foundation, something to fall back into. So that's how I started. Oh my god, and without her saying that, I wouldn't have been here because I got trained by London Lush.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

Wow, did you?

SPEAKER_02 13:05

She was a London Lush trainer. She she actually she was somebody. So basically, she worked for what later was going to be my boss, which was a London Lush trainer, which is one of Hannah's friends.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

No way. What small world that is.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

I know. And how that just But how selfless. Yeah. Uh massive lesson that I've learned from her. How selfless. She could have said, Yeah, come here, I'm gonna teach you, no problem. But she said, no, go and get trained. Because in 2019, it was a brand culture. Like 2026, people don't buy from brands, they they want connections, right? They would learn from the person, not from the brand. So the brand culture is kind of in the past now. But back in 2019, do you know how many clients I've got as a new artist because I was a London Lash artist? Insane. Because you had the name. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

That makes complete sense. Because I remember back in 2019, 19, it was all really quite new, wasn't it? It was like electric, it was exploding, and everyone was like, What is this treatment? Oh my god, like and it was busy because everyone was wanting it, and it did just I felt like it was a good time, or the right time, weirdly. I think so. Because I feel like nowadays it's hard in the industry. If you're new, it's quite a hard industry to be in, in the sense of it's quite busy, but it's changed slightly, and like you said, it's not brand culture anymore. You're having to show yourself connection, people are wanting more from it than the title of it. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Yes, but I also think that let me see, let me think how I should say this. Because I feel like we've collectively shown what a glamorous industry it is, and it is, you would know it is, but let's be real here because it's not what it looks like, and I feel like if I were a lash client now, today, and you, as my lash artist, would tell me, I have so many bags, I go on holiday, I make so much money, which collectively for the past few years, that's all we've been doing on social media. I get a bit heated up when I speak about this. People come into industry or new trainees, new lash artists come into the industry and they feel so deflated, and they end up doubting themselves because just like I was, because I was in a time and there were years when I thought, what am I doing wrong? Why can I why can I not afford to buy that expensive holiday? Why am I not making enough money? Because this is why, what or what I thought I'm going to make. It's not like this. We romanticize the the business so much.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

So, yeah, we romanticize the fact that being your own boss is giving you freedom, which I think it can give you freedom, but everyone's freedom is different to everyone else, in the sense of like, I like starting at 10 or 11. I don't finish. I I now have built my business where I don't have to finish at nine. Like I finish at around five or six, but that doesn't mean I'm completely switched off because I'm probably on my laptop doing work. It is graft, you have to keep going. Because if you want to make anything of yourself in having your own business, only you can do it. You haven't really got perfect.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

But now you and I speak now from a place of experience, but then all I see online is a laptop, the MacBook, the coffee, uh, branded coffee, always branded coffee. And we and then we post that online, and then somebody new coming into the industry, they would think like, oh my goodness, here's my laptop, but I can't afford to buy a Mac MacBook, you know, like straight uh straight away. And then what am I doing wrong? What I do and what I do today, it's it couldn't be further from the glamorous life that we put online. And I say we because I am not God, I still make mistakes. I try so hard to be authentic and to speak from a place of authenticity, but I also make mistakes.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

And I feel like there is it's a hard one because you can celebrate your wins, and it can be. I know that some people might buy themselves, I don't know, when you've got further into your career, a new they might buy themselves a new bag or they might buy themselves something. And they want to show that. And it's a hard one because it is true what they're doing and how what they've got, it's just a it's a grey fine line area. It's a hard, I can't really explain it in a way which you can have that, but I don't think the reality of getting there is as um you're not being transparent about it. Yeah, maybe it's more you see the win and you don't see the dips and the struggles in between, and that's where nowadays I think it's changing that you especially you say the things that maybe have not gone right, or if you've had a bad day or something, you come on and be like, Well, that didn't go to plans, you know what I mean? But I like that, but I think we've always been so feeling like we have to be so protective of it because I have always been I've changed more now because I I'm not perfect, same as you, but I had it where you wanted to be showing people inspiration, you wanted to be showing people what you could they could be doing, and da da da. Like you go on these courses sometimes, and that's what they're chucking into you, but it's changed, and actually you shouldn't feel bad about saying, Do you know what? It was hard to get into this bit, I've had a bad day, something went wrong. So if I had the other day, something went wrong on a podcast episode, and I literally had a meltdown, I was so stressed about it. But I actually spoke about it because I was like, I'm only one person, and everyone's messaging me going, You're smashing this, Garus. You're smashing it. I saw it in my inbox, you're smashing it, smashing it. I'm like, Am I? Because I actually said I'm finding it quite hard sometimes, and I'm just one person, I'm doing this all by myself, you know. But I wasn't showing that now, yeah, the hard bit, and now I've actually gone, do you know what something went wrong? Here you go. And actually, people were like, Oh, I didn't realise, you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

I feel like you've touched on touched on to a few really important points. For example, your bag example. It's wonderful if you get to the point of buying a bag, you should reward yourself. But in my case, for example, I got into teaching, for example, because for money purposes, obviously, not because I not because I understood the responsibility, and then when I couldn't get the bag in the first six months, I thought, what am I doing wrong? Do you know what I mean? And there is also a culture online which, like you said, is starting to dissipate. Is that a word? Or started to a little bit of I have the bag, I have the success, I am very good, you are not, but so you come and learn from me. It's so wrong. Because we because we pretend to be so perfect and so fail-proof. I have a theory about failure as well, that we don't show how hard it is, because nothing, nothing, no one and nothing is ever perfect. But because we want to show how successful we are, we're doing we are doing it from a place of I'm above you, I am successful. So the only way for you to become like me is to come and learn from me. And I think that's wrong.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

So you think you should really be being side by side with the the people that you're with, in a sense. I actually went and met um, I went on this workshop. Don't know if you follow the creator method. Um Valeria? No. Oh, I'll show you her afterwards. She's a content creator, and she her and her husband have this membership thing, and they had a workshop. And I went there and she has 2.5 million followers on Instagram. She does a lot of like um outfits of the day, da da da. But she is so real, like in the I I didn't even know her, but when I saw her, I felt like I knew her. You know what I mean? It was like one of them, like like you. I met you a couple of times, but I felt like I knew you before I even met you. She is It's so relatable, and she could talk about anything, and that's why people were connecting with her. But she started talking about how being you can either be an expert and be above, you can be that, or you can be side by side and be one of them, bring them on the journey, relate to them, pick them up, like you know, kind of like sisterhood, like that.

SPEAKER_02 22:20

I'm all for it.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

I feel like you would really love her stuff because that's how she her content relates to is I'm not above you, I'm with you. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 22:32

But at the same time, as your mentor or as my mentor, I would need you to know that you've been through what I'm going through now. Yes, and you are helping me from a place of experience because again, there is because of AI and because of everything, it's so easy to do everything, and there are so many people doing so many things that we kind of lost trust in experts a little bit, overwhelming because everyone's got something to sell and everyone's got something they're doing, and you actually question yourself do I need it?

SPEAKER_00 23:10

What's going on? And it just it seems a lot. I've noticed it seems a lot.

SPEAKER_02 23:15

Everything, everyone's got something, yeah, and everybody knows how to do everything suddenly.

SPEAKER_00 23:20

It's it's a lot, it's a lot. But going back to you, we we went on a time. I'm coming back. You came to the UK, you did your first Lash course, trained, got trained by London Lash. What happened then after? Did you have a did you go straight into a salon or did you find yourself having working from home? What did you do?

SPEAKER_02 23:47

So after my training, I was still working in the warehouse, and then I've decided that I wanted to pursue a career in lashing. A career that's not a good word. I just wanted to do lashes to see it, it was a new thing. I was excited. So I was living at the time in a flat that was in the attic of a shared house. It was so small that I couldn't fit a lash bed into the living room. So, because of that, I had to go and rent a room in an area. Oh my goodness, in Romania, you don't see such a thing. Like five minutes down the road, there is the roughest area, and you know, five minutes up the road, it's the poshest area. You don't see that in in Romania. Do you know what I mean? Like, okay, we have a few rough neighborhoods in big cities, but you like the discrepancy was like two completely different words anyway. It was cheap. So I rented that because I needed two models. Mind you, I didn't speak the language speak the language. The only person I knew here was my mom, but she was uh living a few hours away from me. So I rented this room, it was a learning experience. I've learned a lot from that. And uh, when I've decided that uh like I said, I'm perfectionist, so I wanted to do better. I always want to do better. I always want to just become better and expand as a person because uh this world is so big, right? Gino, I mean so I can't remember exactly if I got offered a job in my trainer's salon, which at the time was the biggest large salon in Manchester.

unknown 25:34

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 25:35

So in 2019, to book a full set with the we were level of artists with the top artist was probably 140 pounds or something like this. So it was extremely high end, which was one of the biggest challenges in business for me. But I have to say, the amount of times that I went home crying because I found the clients horrible, because they paid so much money and they wanted everything to be perfect. But in handside, I've learned customer service, top-notch. Obviously, I've learned things that I don't do now in my own business, but I was still learning. So for me, it was probably the best learning experience. Which now I teach uh my uh students if you want to gain experience. I know is the everyone wants to work solo, but go into a salon.

SPEAKER_00 26:27

I agree. I say this to my students. I'm like, what are you scared of this salon situation? Because it's either they might feel like they're failing if they go into a salon. I'm not really they I think they have this idea in their minds of I'm gonna go and do it all by myself, I'm gonna do it on my own. I became who I am from working in a salon. Confidence, client experience, treatment, shadowing, other lash arts. I'd be sitting there over um if if my colleague actually is watching this, Danny, honestly, I'd hover. I'd just sit, I was only 17, 16, I'd just be sitting there in the room just watching her, and she'd be doing it all, and I'd be like, looking, she'll give me a go. They honestly shaped me. I was actually really shy. And the confidence from a salon, I don't but I don't know why people were they've got a guard up about a salon for some reason.

SPEAKER_02 27:22

Don't you think it's because we want to prove that we can? Because white people go in business. I went into business because one, I don't like being told what to do. Personality trick. Two, because I thought my boss was being unfair towards me. I'm sure she wasn't, because now I have people working for me, so I understand where she comes from. And I've apologized in my mind to her so many times for you know thinking that she's not being fair in certain situations. But I thought, I'm gonna go on my own and I'm gonna smash it, not understanding what comes with it. Because again, collectively we show the success and we think, I'm my own boss, and I do my own schedule. Yes, do you know how much I work? I work seven days a week. I'm the worst boss somebody could have. But I think that's why. But I think it started to die down a little bit because everything has become some so out of proportion. It's so I shouldn't was the use the word expensive, but it's a lot of responsibility that comes with having a salon, especially. So I feel like now we start to or we we kind of kill this idea because not kill, maybe kill is a harsh word, but so many salons are closing down. It's when we filmed this, it's what May. So many people went out of business. So I feel because we see what's going on, new or other people might be thinking twice before going into a business venture, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 29:01

Yeah, that makes complete sense. I'll be honest, I hate change. I used the same pair of tweezers for about seven years. From the age of 20, they were my ride or die. Even when they broke, I'd ordered the exact same pair because generally I couldn't believe anything would ever compare. Until I tried the arena tweezer from London Lash. My god. My first thought was where have these been all of my life? The tip is incredibly fine, they're super lightweight, and the shorter base gives you so much more control. They're not thick or bulky, which means getting into those inner corners and outer corners is so much easier. Honestly, they've become my go-to tweezer, and I generally wouldn't want to be without them now. And of course, I have a little discount for you. You can shop the London Lash range using my code Caras20 to save on your order. Now, let's get back into the episode. So when you worked in the your trainer's salon, you now have your own salon, right? How did you did you go from that salon to then thinking I'm gonna open my own? Or was there another transition stage of where you did you work for your at home again, or did how did it, how did it go?

SPEAKER_02 30:31

I have to say that for me, for me personally, working from home, it never really worked. For many reasons. I just wanted to have work life and home life separate. I did try it, God knows I tried, uh especially during or uh shortly after um pandemic. I move we moved into a bigger house and I tried working from home. It just didn't work out because I don't like people going into my bathroom. Do you know I just it's home, it's my sanctuary, my safe place. Because I know when I shut the door behind me, all of the problems of the world are outside and I am protected. And um, so while working for my trainer, I gave up the trashy room, the trashy, the bad experience that I have rented. I moved into a salon in a very, I should say, in a very nice area in Manchester. Mind you, I thought the whole UK, it's like that area after my experience. I thought that was just the first room was just uh an isolate case. Gorgeous area. I remember I wanted so badly to have my own place there. And actually, in pandemic, I was having is a canal. I was having uh a walk, I was working with one of my friends on the canal alongside the canal, and I said, Oh, I would my best, my best possible outcome in life would be to have a business here. And she said, I really want my house in this area. A few years ago, I've opened my own salon in that area, in exactly that spot, and she a few years ago she has bought her property. So, oh my god! Just to just to say this here, I feel like we forget the goals that we set years before because if you ask me like in 2020, everything that I wanted and more I live now today, but because today I have different goals, maybe I feel like oh nothing is working. So, to go back to your question, I started uh renting after I gave up that room, a salon uh rent, um no, a room in a salon while working for my boss. And then I'm not sure exactly how long I've worked for my boss, but I gave up working there and I continued working in this rented room in the salon, and then the ownership of the salon has changed, and I wanted to go into training, and I thought I'm gonna have so many students that I'm gonna need 10 beds like this. So I've opened my own salon in 2021. Wow. And was it the case? Did you get lots of students? To be honest. Yes, I did get students, but how? Because I feel like there is a part in my story that it's worth being mentioned, and that would be my collaboration with Rhonda Lash. I am somebody somebody who will always be grateful for the opportunities that I've been given. It's true that I've worked for my opportunities, but I feel like some things should be mentioned. So I don't want to say during the pandemic, but around that time, I've received a message from Hannah inviting me to work in content creation with London Lash. So many people that found out about me, especially Romanian people who are so proud that somebody works so closely with London Lash, found me through London Lash. So I did have, because I was a London Lash girl, I was a London Lush stylist, and then I was a London Lash trainer. I did have students at the beginning because of that. Because let's face it, when you go into training, nobody knows you other than your clients. Right? So, how can you get a lot of people? Because, okay, maybe we have 80 clients, not 10 of them or 20% of them will want to go into lunching at the same time. So you won't have a lot at first. Nobody starts with a lot. And if somebody says they do, they lie. I'm sorry. But uh yes, I did get some. I remember my first student ever was one of the clients, one of my clients in my trainer salon. Because clients are the first students, no?

SPEAKER_00 34:48

Oh, my one of my first was one of my clients.

SPEAKER_03 34:51

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:52

Because I think they like to see, they like you and they like what you're doing, and they're like, I actually can't really know how good you are or not. And they're doing it and they're like, oh my god, this is really hard. That's amazing. Yeah. So you're not in the same premises as you was.

SPEAKER_02 35:09

There was another that was the hardest time of my life in business. Okay. Having my first salon.

SPEAKER_00 35:18

Because before you go into it, the dream of a salon, everyone says, Do you know what? I used to think I wanted a salon, I don't. And I will openly say I don't think I want to go down there. When I used to work in when I was 19, I was number two, like a manager in a salon, and I loved it. I loved opening up, cashing up clients. I was the person that people would, if my boss wasn't there, it was me. I loved it. I loved every aspect of it. But the more I've got older and the I have like a cabin in my garden, so it is kind of separate from home. I just sometimes a part of me just I feel like uh, would I want the added stress of it now? I don't think I would. And I'm quite happy where I am. But I know so many people that love to have the salon, but it is glamorous. The bigger the better. Yeah. Have a chain of salons, and you think, oh my god. So, what is the reality of it? What did you struggle with?

SPEAKER_02 36:14

First, I have to say that whatever you decide for yourself, you should do that. Not just that's not advice for you because I don't give advice, I just speak from my experience. Um I would never do that. For me, I wanted a salon. I let me be clear, I made every single possible mistake. I people say don't spend too much on your premises. I went and I I got the biggest because for my ego. And I have to say that doing business from a place of ego is going to key, yeah. I'm using this word again, is going to really upset you on the inside and it's going to make you suffer a lot. So I got my first salon. I got first of all into a five-year list without checking with a solicitor. Who does that? Clearly. I just I it was five minutes away.

SPEAKER_00 37:08

I wouldn't even know where to start.

SPEAKER_02 37:10

It was five minutes away from where I rented the room in the salon, which was it's probably one of the nicest areas in Manchester, if I'm being honest. Five minutes down the road, it was a main road. I found my place for a salon, it was a good price. Oh, I went into it. Obviously, we did we didn't have to do much reno. It was okay, but then I had really bad experiences with the neighbors. Up um, upstairs neighbors would rent short term, and it was in the nicest area, and I was offering more of a premium because my positioning was always this uh after the 10 pounds story that um or 10 pound sets that I offered. It was just so stressful for me because they were drunk upstairs, I was doing lashes, and I was playing spa music for my clients, and the amount of crying that I did, and I that was the only time when I actually went home a Friday evening after having a terrific day. I'm just not gonna give too much because it has to do with my clients. But I went home and I said, that's it, I don't want to do this anymore. He was shocked because I'm not like I'm not I'm not somebody who gives up. I never give up, God knows that. But I was like, I can't do it. I was emotionally drained. I was like, why am I doing this for? No. He was puking on my window, he was beating the dog. My oh, it was terrific, honestly. And um, I said puking on your window.

SPEAKER_00 38:45

Yes. Did you say he was beating his dog?

SPEAKER_02 38:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 38:48

Oh my god, don't you know I have a dog?

SPEAKER_02 38:51

No, we called it specific anyway. Too much too much, I get too much dish. It was horrendous. So a decision has been made. I don't want to be here anymore. Let's get out of the contract. How? Because you signed, we didn't have a break-in clause, we had nothing. And how long had you been there? At this point, I've been about a year. Uh-huh. So I tried to find solutions. Anyway, I went to see a solicitor obviously super late. I did get out of the contract because there is always a solution. Did I lose a lot of money? Of course I lost a lot of money. Uh, but I've moved into my dream area. But I had a very big salon, which I always laugh when I say out of all of my businesses, the salon is the least profitable. And it is, it is the least profitable. I moved into an amazing space. It was huge. So were the overheads, of course. So at this time, between my first and my second salon, I already had four people working with me. But that obviously has changed last year when I was left by myself in the big salon. And now, obviously, uh, after you are a few years in business, it's not a stress of, oh my goodness, I don't have clients. But I was just myself to serve all of the clients, and I was working a lot just to be able to pay the salon or to pay the overheads to just have an empty salon. So I made every possible mistake.

SPEAKER_00 40:29

Oh my god. How did you feel in all of their moments? Was it panic? Was it stress?

SPEAKER_02 40:35

Did you just there is there is a lot. Obviously, you can't be all daisies when you have a 17,000 pound bill to pay, like business tax bill, or when you know in a week you need to pay the rent, or there is a lot, of course, a lot of stress, but I feel like we don't start our own business if we don't like stress, or if we don't want stress, because we can't expect everything to go smooth sailing all the time because it doesn't.

SPEAKER_00 41:04

For me, Lash Oasis Korean lash lift was generally love at first try. I've worked with a lot of Korean lash lift systems, and one thing that's always frustrated me was the product seeping underneath the shield. But with Lash Oasis, I haven't had that issue at all. The first thing that stood out to me was how thick the solutions are. They stay exactly where you place them, making application so much easier and more controlled. And the best part, you only need a tiniest amount of powder to create that perfect consistency. The results honestly blew me away from the very first treatment, and it's quickly become one of my go-to products in the salon. If you haven't tried it yet, this is your sign, and I have an exclusive discount code for you for your first order. Use code Caris10. Head over to lashoasis.co.uk and give it a go for yourself. I'll leave all the details in the description. Now, let's get back to the episode. So you got your dream salon. After how so you was was you fixed into that or did you get out of the I did get out.

SPEAKER_02 42:22

Obviously, we um I contacted a solicitor. I've there was a loophole there that the solicitor found for me. Found found for me. Is that correct? Found for me. And um I managed to get out of that, but because I didn't want I was emotionally drained, I was in burnout, I didn't want anything to do with that anymore. I've just lost my deposit. And when you get into a commercial rental, you pay at least three months. So that was quite a big chunk of money. And then I've moved into this property, and that was it.

SPEAKER_00 42:54

Why did you decide to open another one when you had such a bad experience?

SPEAKER_02 42:59

Because my bad experience was with the premises, not with the business. Because I opened a salon on my own, but in the meantime, I did get a member of staff, and she was doing really well, and she worked with me for years. She just moved last year to Spain. How dare she live her life? But anyway, I had a good I had a good time. We had clients, the salon was thriving, right? So we were busy. My poor experience was with the landlord and with the business side of the business, if you get me.

SPEAKER_00 43:34

So you actually went and I I saw when you were doing your story that you actually focused on business and marketing. Was that so?

SPEAKER_02 43:41

I do that today after suffering so much. And I know that other people are suffering a lot. Maybe we can, if we have time, we can speak about my mission, about my vision. But yeah, I've I started to focus more on that because of how much I've suffered. And I know that a lot of this could have been avoided if I just. Did my homework.

SPEAKER_00 44:01

So if anyone's listening right now wants to open a salon or is that on their agenda, from what you know now, what advice would you give them in the early stages? Maybe a simple tip that maybe they should look into or do.

SPEAKER_02 44:17

I would first ask myself, why do I want a salon? A salon is an expensive business to just have, to keep it open. Why? And people that work with me closely, like mentoring and other, they know that the why it's the core question. Why do you do what you do? Why do you want to open a salon? Just so your auntie sees that you've opened the salon. An auntie, your auntie that never had a business, by the way, just so you get validation from people. Because in my case, this is what this is, what it was, right? And then try to do your due diligence in terms of legal, because you will end up, for example, paying business rates. Or you have to, if you get into a long-term rental, make sure you put a break-in clause. There are a lot of things that because we don't know what we don't know, right? But I would ask myself, why do I want to do this? When we open a salon, we need to understand that we won't be able to work by ourselves. We need to have stuff. Who stuff? It's a completely managing people. Different thing, leading people. I don't manage people, I try to lead people. But we are not all the same. And everyone works differently. And then for me, for example, last year when I started rebuilding my team, because I worked with friends before, and now I stopped doing that. And I recruit professionals. And when you work with professionals that are different from friends, you need to be the leader. And we try to, what's the word I'm looking for? I can't I can't think of the word. But basically, I want to make sure that everyone does more or less the same or achieves more or less the same result. And we need to have systems. How do we do this? In it took me two months to write my own operations manual. Did I ever think of the operations manual? Of course not. You can never think. Oh, very good. This is what I'm saying. Like, you don't know what you don't know. It's important, I think, when you mess up to understand that, oops, next time I should do my uh homework. It's not the end of the world. I have, I told you, I have a hypothesis on failure. I think, in my opinion, you can only fail when you stop doing something. So, for example, if I close my salon first round, okay, I would have failed. But then if I try again and again and again and again, and after my stuff left, after after my salon was empty, and I was empty. I was, I remember I was on my um reception chair. I was the salon was empty and it was huge. I was like, okay, I have my gym salon. What do I do now? Well, I find a solution because that's what what we do, right? Yeah, but um I feel like yeah, I'm repeating myself here. I'm going to find a solution always. My solution was keep the space because I'm just too, I love it too much. But only half of it. Do I need a big salon? No, but we need to find solutions.

SPEAKER_00 47:23

But thinking deeper into the reason behind of why you're doing it. What is your why now then? Oh, now you now you thought about it. Now you've had the salon and it and having now a new place. What is your why?

SPEAKER_02 47:35

At this point, uh, I'm gonna be very honest. The salon, like I said, is my least profitable business. I love being where I am. I'm not very much involved in my salon because I only work two and a half days or yeah, two and a half days. I work with clients, but I feel like we have such a nice group of people, as in clients, and I wouldn't want to let them go. Plus, I have a very nice team now, and I feel like in the area we are making people happy. I feel like I'm I'm totally, not totally, not 100% doing it for the clients. I'm doing it for myself because it's so relaxing to see them sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 48:19

But uh, I also need a place for events when I do workshops, you know, trainings, having anyone come there, it's actually a nice I always think it's more appealing sometimes to actually go to a an a salon or an academy or a studio. Do you know what I mean? Actually going into somewhere where it's made for that. Yes. Yeah, yeah. So do you feel like I mean how long have you been there for now in this new place? Since 2023.

SPEAKER_02 48:48

And then I'm quite a while, three years. Yes. So you was the big one, and then I've chucked it into half. So now I have, I mean the same premises, just half of it. That was the that was the solution that I found. So I keep my dream location that because it's it's a gorgeous place. And I can be there for our clients because our clients are very, very local. Some of them do travel quite crazy distances, but uh, we are known as a salon in the local area.

SPEAKER_03 49:20

Oh lovely.

SPEAKER_02 49:20

And I wanted to keep that.

SPEAKER_00 49:22

Was you worried about downsizing?

SPEAKER_02 49:24

No, no, no, because now, knowing what I know now, for me was I'm gonna be honest, the ego was the biggest hit.

SPEAKER_00 49:33

I was like, what will people think? That's what I mean. Were you worried about what people were thinking at the time of when you thought this is what I've got to do? But you did it anyway, but actually realized it probably wasn't that bad.

SPEAKER_02 49:45

Uh so when I made this decision, I already started therapy. So my first thought was obviously what people are going to think. And I was like, Well, do people pay my bills? No, nobody pays my bills. And then I remember, I will never forget, there was a client, somebody who came in the big salon, and her daughter refused to get her lashes done because it was too much of an open space and she didn't feel comfortable. And she booked again for her daughter. She came in in the smaller space, and she was like, Oh my goodness, this is so much more homey. And I was like, Do you actually prefer it this way? And she said, You know what? Yes, of course, because it's more comfortable, more cozy. And then obviously I was thinking, Well, look at me, I've been spending so much money just to have a big place. People don't like clients, don't care, they want to be made comfortable, looked after and safe. Which is again, are we doing business for us or are we doing business for clients? My clients only needed a bad, good quality product, somebody to do nice lashes on them that lasts. I did I had a big salon for me, not for them. Because my business was the same.

SPEAKER_00 50:56

You're not thinking like your consumer, you're we're thinking more just for you, you and I feel like we all do that. We're all guilty of doing that because we think, what's next? Oh, what should we go? Have we outgrown this place? Do you know what you mean? But actually, there's something I think quite special when when someone says, like, I'm actually okay where I am. I think that's quite a powerful thing because I struggle more with I'm always like, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that, I have all these ideas. Whereas I had someone the other day and I said, Oh, do you ever think you'd go into training? Like, she's really good. She went, No. Do you know what? I went, really? She went, I'm actually really happy, I'm earning well, I don't really want to go into that. And I actually said to her, Do you know how incredible like that for me to sit and just have someone who's just so comfy and okay with not going the next level? Because is it refreshing to see or because it in a sense, who are you doing it for? We're doing it for ourselves, right? Because we're driven to prove something, but who too? Are we doing it, are we proving it to the wrong? Are we, is it the we proving it to someone who's not actually that important? Or because sometimes I've heard people want to prove it to their mums, maybe they didn't have a great relationship there, or to to their dad, or they want someone to be proud of them. I don't really have I don't have that, but I'm still trying to figure out. We said off before recording, I'm still trying to figure out my why. I love what I do, and I'm passionate, and I think my purpose is in helping and giving to other people, but I'm not sure why I push myself so hard, and I'm I'm figuring it out. We all are, we all are, so let's talk about authenticity and personal because you just said about you starting therapy and you're in the midst of that now, aren't you? You're doing you've been doing that for a while. I love that online you're just you. You just come on, you say if you've had something happen, you're very yourself. And I actually remember, I don't know why I have this like core memory of you before I even met you. You were really into your plants. Are you into plants still? Yes, yes, right? I remember a story of yours years ago. You were dri- you must have been driving home from the salon or something, and you were going to pick a plant. I don't know why this is my core memory, and you were in the shop showing the plants, and you were doing this and doing that, and I was watching you, and I think I probably wasn't really showing up online, and also I don't think many other people really were, but you were building something. I could feel the building of it. That's why I feel like it's remained in my mind because I remember you you just show up in whenever. Like you'd be getting in the car, you'd be online talking, and we almost felt like connecting with you in the simple moments of your life, not the big moments of your life. And I felt that that was really important. So, what made you start going online in this way? What happened?

SPEAKER_02 54:04

I I have to say that big moments I think are made from small moments. Why did I go online? Such a good question. I feel like for me, with what I know today, social media online, being online, is the biggest stage I'm ever going to be on. So if I want to show my mission, my vision with people, I need to be online. Was I always online for the right reasons? Was I ever online for the right reasons? Probably not. What I post now, I I actually don't remember the the plant situation that you said about, but what I'm trying to share now online comes from a place of this is who I am, genuinely who I am, this is what I try to bring, this is my story, this is what I'm building at the moment. If one person resonates with what I do, then I'm happy with. Yeah, that's why I that's what I try to do online.

SPEAKER_00 55:07

I forgot the rest of the question. I feel like it's like you're like relatable. So like even in them little small moments of you going your day to day, you're almost connecting with people on different levels.

SPEAKER_02 55:20

But at the core, we are all the same. I don't know why we try to pretend that we are not. We are the same. And my day-to-day, it's so normal. Sometimes I'm three days a week working from home. I mean, like my pyjamas. I barely brush my teeth in the morning. I do my morning eggs. I have my own routine and I try to do my own things, but we are all the same. So I just, you know, one of my mentors, my personal brand mentor, she says, she defines authenticity, and I'm going to share this with you because she speaks in Romanian. So I feel like it's really important to pass her message on. She says that authenticity is to own what you say you own, to be who you say you are, and to do what you say you do. So this is what I try to do every day, online and offline.

SPEAKER_00 56:09

Were you ever scared to show up online?

SPEAKER_02 56:13

Yes. Uh stressed, and I was trying to look perfect because I wasn't happy with who I was. And I thought I was looking at people online, successful trainers at the time, and I thought, oh, I need to be like her because that's why she's successful. Oh, and then the next day I would see, or the next after six months, I would see somebody else, and I would say, Oh, I need to be like her because she's like this, and that's why it's successful. And then when you try to be like other people, you lose who you are, and then you're just copying people, which I did, which we have we've all done.

SPEAKER_00 56:50

I think you have someone tells you how to do something, or there's a way of doing something else, and then you almost lose yourself in the process because your voice dimmers. Yes, you know, how sad is that but we're coming out the other end because it's changing. I feel like the way of online presence is changing, and I do think you're a massive part of that because you almost you just come on and be yourself, but you're like, I feel like you're breaking maybe the matrix is not the right word, but you're I feel like you're just breaking it where it's okay to be you. That's how when I watch your stuff, I just go, oh, it's okay that you've had a bad day.

SPEAKER_02 57:31

Well, I'm so I get this booms now, and I get all the emotion. I'm so glad that my message comes across how it's intended to. Because I suffered, and the reason why I started therapy in the first place was because I had everything in terms of what other people might call success, right? Because again, we look at other people and we think, they are smashing life because we don't see what's in there. So for me, I had everything in terms of what the industry would define as successful, but I was shattered inside. And I was so sad, and I was like, why? Because I've achieved all these things. Why am I so sad? Because I wasn't doing it from a place of giving and trying to genuinely help other people. I was trying to, I was doing it for people to think, oh my goodness, she's awesome. I have um an example to give you. When I open my salon and I have two friends who actually uh often remind me, I only wanted to serve to my clients a specific type of water. I wouldn't serve anything else. And they would say, you're being a bit silly about that. No, this is how it should be done. Come on, come on. People don't come there to be served, you know, a certain brand of water. There is a lot more that goes into business. That's just shallowness. And in truth, in fairness, I feel like our industry, it's very shallow. And I am one, I for once, I for one, I was fed up with it. And then I'm in a journey of trying to find myself to learn about me, to learn about, to learn more about what I'm doing. And yeah, I'm just I'm just glad it shows.

SPEAKER_00 59:14

It's shoving through. It really does. I was only having this conversation last night. Weirdly, today's conversations I was having with Jack last night, but I didn't really know. Now we're having the conversation. I'm sitting there thinking, how weird we were having this conversation last night. I have been subinspired by trainers that are traveling the world, doing this, doing that, da da da. And I'm like, wow. And then I've just had overcome me a few weeks that I said to Jack last night, I don't know if that's a life that I would. I've always thought, wow, but the reality of it, what's shown online is wow. But actually, you're moving all the time, you're not settled anywhere, you're busy, tired, training loads, wow, wow, experiences. But for me, I just I feel like I've had like a switch in my head that it's not actually that glamorous as it all seems, but I feel like that's more because online's becoming a little bit more of a safe place to say it's not all what it cracks up to be. Do you see what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:22

I'm gonna say something that I never said out loud. Go on, and it was only my close family who knows about this. And it's related to traveling the world. And last year I attended, which I think in my career as a trainer in lashing, was the highlight. I was invited to Colombia. I had I was invited to do a demo on the Fox Eye effect. So everything was paid for. I was like, oh my goodness, I really want to do this. And I did it. But what you will probably never hear anyone else saying, I was on the stage, Caris, and I was so nervous. And when I get nervous, I don't listen to myself. And I was just trying to get the theory done with so I can do the full set on stage, because this is what we I was told. I was told. Anyway, I thought, I thought that I had to do a full set of stage. So I was like, oh my goodness, in a two-hour speech, I need to do everything. So I was like, speaking the theory, in English, we actually use less words than we do, than they do in Spanish, for example. Okay. So my conversation, my my speech felt a bit rushed through. And then I started with a demo. Obviously, my hands were shaking like crazy, and right then and there, I had I must have been an out-of-body experience because I was like, I wanted to hide. I wanted to run off the stage because it didn't go how I wanted it to go. I realized I rushed. This is not perfect, this is not good. Why didn't I do this? Why is my hand shaking so much? I'm left-handed as well. So my hand was blocking the camera. The participants were not asking enough questions, and I just wanted to hide. So then I had a conversation with myself in my head, and I said, This is what you wanted since you started doing lashes. It might not be perfect, but you are here, so make the most of what you have in the moment. It ended up being amazing after that. But I had to remind myself that this is where I wanted to be my whole life. Things are not perfect. Of course, I imagined they would be like, whoa. It was just not how I imagined it. But if you ask me now, in handside, it was one of the key moments in understanding what I'm gonna do after the event and why I'm gonna do and what I will stop doing and what's really important for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:57

So would you do you love traveling doing that type of stuff?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:03

I love traveling. I love events for the connections that I get to people. But what I want to make clear from this message is that all this traveling sometimes it doesn't mean that everything goes perfectly in events. Maybe sometimes we get complaints. It wasn't the case, but I'm saying it's one thing that we show online and it's a completely different thing. What could happen behind the scenes?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:30

What do you feel online people have connected with you mostly on?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:36

Do you find there's something that you are doing that you've noticed that people I feel like you also know, and you've mentioned it earlier. I feel like, like I said, there is this culture of I'm better than you, I have more, so you come learn from me. But I am, and I actually often ask people, my my mentees, why did you choose me? Do you know none of them said because you do the most beautiful lashes? They said because your story and mine are similar, because they see that I emphasize their growth, I am there for support, and I am like very much the girl next door. One of my friends and um mentees, she said that I prove that everything is possible. It doesn't matter where you start from. I I just I am the living proof that everything is possible. So because I'm not pretentious at all, I am just right, I am so normal, and yeah, this I'm sure that the small community that I have around me, it's because of this, because we share the same values. Values are so important when we build our community. I get into personal branding theory now, but uh, yeah, I'm sure it's because of this. Because I'm just easy to talk to, and I just come from a place of you can do it, like you said, but I'm here with you from the same level. We speak from the same level.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:56

So I think this is what that's really important. Do you feel like you showing up online has given you opportunities? Like, are you kidding?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:06

What kind of question is that? Everything. All my international events. Oh, you say everything. All my international events. How would somebody from the from Italy know that I exist if I wasn't online? Like I said, social media and websites and everything, online is the biggest stage we'll ever be on. So if I'm not there, how would people know that I am here and I have something to say, something to prove, something to do, something something, something? Of course.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:38

So you feel like your personal brand, you are your brand, aren't you? Like in a sense, I feel like everyone should be their brand. Yeah, you it is you. The person connects to you, relates to you. If someone's listening right now and they're scared of showing up, is there anything that you used to do before that? Or did you just get the camera out and be like, right, I'm just gonna do it? Because I know so many people scared. Makes me laugh.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:03

Well, look, here is my theory. Go on. First of all, when you go online, you should have the why. Why do I go online? Do you think, Caris, I have nothing else to do day-to-day life than posting online? No, but I know what I want to do online. It's called strategy. It's nothing wrong with being strategic. For example, when I was working with London Lush in 2020, 2021, I made a conscious decision that while I have this opportunity of working with this international brand, I'm going to grow my brand as an expert. So people know me as Loredana, not just Loredana from London Lush. So I get something going from myself. So that was intentional. I don't like, I feel like a lot of words are chadgivity lately, but I made an intentional decision that hey, I'm also gonna grow my brand as an expert. Because this is what, in my opinion, personal brand is. We are all brands. When we have something to sell, whether it's services, whether it's products, we are all brands. And you know, okay. So the first question is why do you do it? What's your why? You want to get more clients. Okay, perfect. Then when you build your persona, your brand as a personal brand, you have to decide your boundaries. What do I talk about? What I don't talk about. People know I'm in a longtime relationship, they don't see my partner because he doesn't want to be, he's not a person that goes online. That's fine. Or different situations that I feel like they are not relatable or they are not my ideal client would not be interested because what I see sometimes, what I used to do and I stopped doing now, and I try to stop, is just showing everything online. Because look, there is a difference between full transparency and strategic transparency. I'll give you an example. Okay. Full transparency is me posting my breakfast every single morning because I have social media, I have a phone, and why not? People, I'm gonna share my life because I'm gonna be authentic to people, right? That's me being full transparency. My um my public speaking coach shares her breakfast because she wants to show what you should. She used to be a reporter, a TV reporter for so many years, and she posts occasionally her breakfast, not every morning, because she calls it fuel for the brain. So before you go on a podcast, before you go on stage, this is what you should be eating to nourish your brain. My personal brand coach shares sometimes her meals because she used to be overweight and she had body dysmorphia. She shares it sometimes. This is the difference between strategic transparency and full transparency. Because it's all connecting to the personal brand of who you are. So, for example, why would my ideal client be, or how would help my my ideal client knowing that I used to sing in a choir in high school? Does that make me a better mentor? Absolutely not. So, what I share online is what would interest my ideal client. Is this fakeness? No, it's strategy. Do you know what?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:26

The word strategy makes me want to come and frame myself down there because everyone's like strategy, strategy, strategy, and I'm just like don't know what strategy is. But the thing is, the thing is, but I know what you're saying, you're actually making it into her, say your public speaking coach who took a photo of a food brain for fuel. I get that because it's still connecting to her what she does, the category of what she's doing. Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:58

So she's not the just because she has a phone and she reads, she shares that online. Exactly. So it at the top, when we are brands, and like I say, we are, we think the client first. So if my client is interested in me eating lunch because they also struggle with whatever, I don't wanna get into anything else, then I'm gonna share that because that's what my ideal client wants to see. What you know because that's why we're in business for clients, for them to buy from us.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:30

Because it's also relating to them, but it still is you because it's authentic, because it's something that you've experienced, you've got relates to what you're doing. Doing. So do it support. That's actually what I feel like. You've made strategy sound easy. Well, if that's not strategy, I don't know what strategy is. Because online, the amount of words of strategy are here. And that actually makes me go, I don't even know what strategy means anymore. Because the amount of people that are it's empty words.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:00

Do you remember when we spoke earlier, everybody can do anything and there we often I feel like we often don't know what we are talking about anymore because we read prompts written by AI and it just makes no sense. So I try to. One thing that I my therapist says to me every single session, clarity. So for me, a word of 2025 would be clarity, just making it clear, making it measurable. So this is what I tried to do.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:28

I feel like you've just simplified that whole thing, even from I didn't even realize it was bothering me that much. Since you said strategy, I was like, oh no, but you've actually just made that feel it makes complete sense. I'm glad I love that. I feel like I've learned loads already. How does it feel that you have such a beautiful and strong connection with your audience? How does that feel to you?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:54

I didn't see this one coming. Every person, it's important to me, every single person. And um I have a very the connection with each of them, it's equally important to me because, like I said earlier, what I do in my day-to-day life, I'm just trying my motto now, my mantra is one person a day. I'm not looking to have tens of thousands and thousands of students and so many followers online and so many likes and views because that's just empty. But now when we strip everything down and I focus on Karis, the person in front of me, not the Caris, the trainer, how many followers she has got on Instagram. We connect on a very deep level. And I think so far, I think you could tell that I'm somebody who's who creates connection. And I aim to create a connection with my mentees, with the people in my team, so they understand that we are a team at the end of the day. So, how do I feel? I feel blessed for being able, through the nature of my work, to meet people, to hear stories, and to help people, if I can, sometimes change perspectives. Because through what we do as trainers, we change somebody's lives sometimes. We change their their thoughts, we change the way they see lives. I feel like the confidence in them as well, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 1:13:21

I've actually got a little surprise for you. Oh, no. So I asked. I don't know how I feel about this. It's it's a lovely, it's a lovely, lovely thing. So I asked Carolina about you, and I wanted her to write something about working with you, being friends with you, things like that. So this is from Carolina. She said, I truly think Laura Dana came into my life at the exact moment I needed someone like her. At that time, I really didn't believe I was capable of doing half the things I do now. I doubted myself so much. I still remember when she asked me to go on an Instagram live with her, and honestly, I thought, absolutely not, never in a million years. The idea of putting myself out there felt terrifying to me, but she believed in me so naturally and genuinely, even when I couldn't see it in myself. And it wasn't just that one moment she kept giving me, she kept giving me opportunities, pushing me generally gently out of my comfort zone, and helping me grow into someone more confident. She saw some something in me that I really needed someone to see at that point in my life. I don't think people always realise how much of a difference they can make in someone's life just by believing in them, supporting them or giving them a chance. But she really did make that kind of difference in mine. I'll always be grateful for her, I'll always support her because a big part of who I've become today started with her believing in me first. It's awesome, isn't it? And I actually have one more. This is from Oh, that's so cute. Georgina.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:03

I hope I'm saying her. Georgiana. I'm saying there are these are the moments when I realize what a freaking awesome life and how wonderful it is to be able to, even if it's 1%, to make a difference in somebody's life, because we all change one another, whether we know it or not.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:26

And I have known Carolina for quite a while before she met you, and I remember her being really shy at a conference, and she, when we've she's been on the podcast, and when we spoke talk, she's like, I used to be so shy, like I just wanted to hide, like I would want to be behind the scenes, and I've seen her. She's absolutely smashing love, absolutely smashing it, and she's loving it as well. And I think you do need someone just to believe in you, and I feel like you were her person to say, like, you've you've got this, you know. And she and I the reason I messaged her is because she messaged, we were talking once, and she said how much of a difference you made in her life.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:04

So as soon as I started thinking about someone to ask, I was like, you know, sometimes I'm thinking when we become trainers, like this would be this should be the reason why we become trainers, like to understand the responsibility that comes with I don't know, maybe shaping somebody's future. Like I said, I didn't start for that, for that reason, but some somewhere along the way.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:28

But when you notice that you make a difference, that fulfillment is to learn nothing else. Yeah. And I had that when I made my first online course, and I had girls really struggling who said, Look at what I'm doing. I've and I was like, Oh my god, I've helped you. And it's like it's such a you go, that's why. Yeah. Um, so this is from Georgiana. She said, Laura Dana played a key role in my journey. She gave me crucial perspective when I needed it and nudged me towards decisions that pushed me forward. While I've always invested in my own hard work and resources, I always valued her positive influence, her presence. Last year at the boot camp, where I spoke for the first time in front of a group of people and presented my business, and even her invitations to collaborate. She didn't give me shortcuts because we don't need shortcuts when we are building something with our hearts. But she gave me confidence, and for all of that, I'm very grateful and I love her.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:26

Oh, thanks for this. So nice. Um, I told you that each person means a lot to me. And I think, like, if there is anything I did right as a trainer, was to not as a trainer, but as a mentor more than a trainer, because a trainer I think just teaches like lashes. I really push people around um around me. I push them to do things because I know from my own experience that comfort zone, it's not what it seems to be. There's never growth in there. So as a mentor, I always push my mentees. So eventually we work side by side.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:07

And it shines. I feel like that's having someone say it to you. I think because you shine so much online, I think maybe you don't know that you make a difference in in some ways. I feel like I love to think that because you're helping others, but I don't think you realise how much, and you probably don't give yourself enough credit for that. Like when I read their messages, I actually replied to them going, like, oh my god, that wasn't even to me, and I felt funny. I felt fuzzy. I was like, oh my god, even I felt emotional when they sent it because you give so much online and you give so much of yourself to other people that you make a difference to people, even though they're not actually your mentees, like you make a difference to me. We were saying before recording, like I read something, it made me think of something. So you don't know, like that ripple effect, whatever you're doing or what you're doing, just don't stop. It's it's so so good.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:01

You know that one of the things in personal branding is give, give and give more. I think like where we're going wrong these days is that we give nothing if we don't have a financial benefit from it. I feel like value should go before profit. Like we will profit eventually, but let me show you what I can. So if I can make a difference today, maybe I'm not within your budget today. Uh I'm you know, just a way of saying maybe I'm not in somebody's budget today, but maybe if every day they find something valuable on my page or on my website, even a quiz, if it's something, if I can change one percent to one person something, I feel like just blessed to be able to do that. I'm off I feel a bit lost for words after this.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:51

No, honestly, you are doing incredible, and I feel like you do give, give, give, give, and give, and it shines. And that's what I feel like that's what makes you so in demand of people wanting you at conferences, people wanting you to do workshops, people turning up to things that you're doing because you're there. Because I feel like you have that aura about you, you've got good energy.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:14

Yes, but people want to be seen with people that are in demand. Let's be honest, because in business everything is transactional, and I am very like uh warm and um, but let's face it, everything is transactional. Like that the conference that I'm organizing at the moment was the biggest, maybe because I'm doing it on my own and I don't have a partner, and all the other events that I've worked or I've organized, I've organized with my friend, and I'm seeing so it's what I'm doing, the business conference this year, it's the first solo project that I'm doing. It's a bit I didn't expect it to be so um so difficult in terms of the speakers, the people that I want to bring. And because there are they are people from out of the industry, they don't benefit. I mean, of course, everybody benefits from being seen online, right? But maybe a um speaker that I'm going to bring, a lot of people in the lush industry working by themselves won't pay that much money just for one-hour consultation because it's out of their budget. So, this person I need to pay, and I need to pay a lot of money. So, what I'm saying, but the reason why I reach out to them is because I think they are top-notch at what they do. And of course, in exchange, they want to be paid. So, let's face it, everything is transactional in business. So, yes, there is a side of I want to help, and genuinely, I feel like when I allowed myself to give and to really make a difference and to be my true self, this is when I started to shine. But let's be honest, if there is somebody who is amazing at what they do, but nobody knows that they exist, people would always choose the person who shines brighter, as in who is seen more.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:06

Who's showing up consistently?

SPEAKER_02 1:22:08

There you go. So I feel like I love being a dreamer, don't get me wrong. I sometimes I'm on cloud nine and I would love to stay there, but we are in the real world here, and this is business. So business should be seen at least for what it is.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:24

No, that makes complete sense.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:26

Do you do like mentoring, like coaching, or do you only so I do lately I started doing more like business mentoring rather than lashing? I don't promote lash courses because I feel like if I my focus is this, why would I do that? But it doesn't mean that I don't have students for lash courses because I just get a lot of recommendations like from past students, or somebody sees me online and she's like, I had recently a student, she said that my story or her story and mine are the same, and she wanted me to be the only person that she's gonna learn lashes from because I inspire her through my story, not through my lashing. Do you think you still think no skill is important, right? I think skill is the absolute foundation. If you are, should I use a bad word? Go on. If you are no, I'm not gonna use a bad word. If you are not good at what it is, then what is how can you be credible? What are your credentials? Okay, because if I say in front of you today, I am a personal branding expert, right? Okay, but if I say I'm a personal branding expert, I have been certified by Harvard University, and I've worked for so many hours, and here are my students who can testify for me, then the level of trust is different.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:47

Yeah, of course, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:23:49

So, skill is extremely important. I will always forever say it's the foundation of everything that we build, or is the foundation of what we build, that on what we build everything on. I hope it makes sense. So it's extremely important.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:03

Do you think in this market now we're in, it's harder to become a recognized trainer, or do you think artists are focusing on the wrong things?

SPEAKER_02 1:24:13

I think we are focusing on the wrong things.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:16

What wrong things? What mistakes do you think made?

SPEAKER_02 1:24:18

I think we are collectively trying to what's the right thing to post? There is no such a thing. The question is, what is your goal? Because if I have a training to sell, I'm not gonna post lash sets if I sell business mentoring. I'm helping you grow your business. I'm teaching you how to create an operation manual, operations manuals. Why would I post lashes? So the thing is not what's the right thing to say or to post. I know where that comes from, because everything that I share comes from experience. When we want likes, so we want validation, we are thinking, oh my goodness, what's a viral? What's the trend? What need to do that? But if I know, hey, I need to post this to sell God knows how many tickets, even if I get one like, zero likes, my confidence is not affected. Because I know that my metrics, my key performance indicators are how much interest did I have on my tickets from that post? How many people have actually bought, how many people have at least inquired? Number of likes. Who cares? Who gives a hoot? I'm selling through my website, I'm not selling through Instagram.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:33

So you've actually had a bit of a mindset shift of actually going. Yes. You need to look at the analytics of it.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:38

Why? The why. Why do you do it? Because why do I need likes if I sell nothing? I had viral reels. Do you know how many clients that brought me? Zero. And I had the maybe a post that had 10 likes and I had tickets sold. So we're chasing the wrong thing. Completely. It's uh I have to say that it's a difference between being an expert and being an influencer. We have a few examples in the industry that you can absolutely do both. But that doesn't work for everyone. In my case, I hope it's clear. I want to be the expert. I don't want to be an influencer. I tried that and it didn't work for me because it's so much shallowness. And I thought that if I have a viral reel, my confidence is gonna my confidence level is gonna grow. It didn't happen, so I was still empty. So I was like, okay, what do I do now?

SPEAKER_00 1:26:28

Yeah, no, it's so true. And I guess actually, because you are as the expert, you you still do have influence, but you're not going as like an influencer. You actually, I'm good at what I do, I've got experience in it, I can help you, and also I can influence you to do it better. And that's what I think I I love. I love that aspect of it.

unknown 1:26:51

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:52

That you can actually have you can do both, but you're not going into the influencer where your skill's not that great. Because I've seen that where they almost have like this name, and you look at their work and you think they just got a big following, but not actually much to give anyone else in that sense, and then that's where I think people get lost.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:10

I think so. Because I did get lost in exactly into that.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:15

Yeah, I feel like you're you've had harsh experiences and things happened, but it's really shaped you. Blessings. Blessings. Yeah, like it's all high key gene for a reason, even though in that moment you probably thought I feel like you have to have this mindset though.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:30

But absolutely, everybody's experience turned out to be the best lesson for me. For who I am today.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:36

No, I completely agree. And I feel like you've touched base on your therapy, but you feel like you've are shining more now since you've entered into that. It's made me feel like I want to do it. Because I feel like it is you're only better in yourself, and you're doing it for yourself.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:56

One of the things that I learned most in therapy. Was I I wouldn't know to say the exact word in English, but I think even though it's shallow and it doesn't portray the depth of the word, it would be people pleasing. So I learned how to prioritize myself and love myself, not from a place of I don't know, not being egotistic. Because ego in business, you have to have ego. That's what my therapist says. And she says that without ego, you can't build something. But you can't take ego, take the leap or the lead, the lead.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:34

You can't make ego like run away from your being for you.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:37

Because you otherwise you do it for the wrong reasons. And for me, success with what I know today is being able to have mental, like to be healthy mentally, emotionally, because everything else, success, success comes from the inside first. It does. You know, I have everything, every action that I imagine of a successful person doing, I do it on my day-to-day basis. On my daily basis, you know. Does it mean that I have no challenges? No. A few weeks ago, like like you mentioned before we started this, I had to let one of my staff members go. I've never done that before. I knew I have to do it. It was so hard. And I had to, I'm still not fully healed because I'm thinking, am I a horrible person? You know, business is business. We can be friends on the outside, and sometimes things don't work out.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:28

They are the best person still, but yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:40

With the title, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:29:41

So do I like it? No. Do I have to do it? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:45

And if I don't like it, well, it sucks. I have to get better at it.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:48

And you have to do it, yeah. So now let's talk about your conference, okay? Because I'm actually really excited about this. You have got a back back to business, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 1:29:57

Yes. Well, I was debating between back to business, business in beauty, because beauty industry does no business. Or so beauty in business or business in beauty? Because I want to add the business notion in the beauty industry.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:12

What's your vision of why you've why have you created this?

SPEAKER_02 1:30:15

Okay, so this conference.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:20

That was a big half. That was like buckle up.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:24

It's part of my mission as a professional. My vision for the beauty industry. I had like like we spoke earlier, I've actually spoken with friends of mine, mentees, potential students who are ready or have already given up on their dream. Knowing how hard I have worked since 2019, it would break my heart to have to let go. So I've been doing some market research. So this year, a few months ago, I went on an entrepreneurial marketing course with Harvard University. So since that, because I was like, okay, I'm doing this, but like I said to you earlier, I want credentials, I want to learn more. I don't want to be a fraud because I have such deep response. And I'm sorry, fraud, I know it's a it's a big word, it's a harsh word, but I want to be somebody that people can trust. And how can I be trusted if I don't get better, you know, with my knowledge, with everything. So that has opened up my mind and it something that I didn't know it existed. Anyway, so I started doing some market research, 50 people, 50 business owners from across the globe, not just in the UK, to see how they are running their businesses. The result is pretty forthelling. We are artists, we don't know how to do business. If we can't work for a week, we won't be able to pay our rent. And I was in a situation because a few, a couple of years ago, I had I'm left-handed and I had the little cyst here. And obviously, these are the fingers that we put the pressure on. I went to the doctor, my doctor said, Well, you need to start looking for another job. I said, Are you insane? My salon costs me almost five grand a month to have it. I can't just go get a job. Do you know what I mean? So we are all doing this. It's not just me and it's not just my friend. It's I feel like it's a collective thing. And uh, I feel like 2024, 2025, everybody spoke about marketing. I feel like what we do online, posting on social media, it's not marketing. We have no idea what we are doing. But marketing and just skill, which are the two most obvious ones, are not enough. Because we don't know what to do with their mind with our money. We make 300 pounds today, perfect. I go to boo, boo, boo, boo selfridges. Uh no, uh, I first pay my rents, buy the products, and then I go to Selfridges. Okay, but to make a business or to get into business to make sure the business supports your life, because that's the next level. The business should support the life. So it's part of my mission and my vision that there is more than one way to the business, more than what we are used to, because we are used to what? Work, work, work, right? And it can be easier. It can be easier because if you, for example, with finances, you set aside every single day something in profits, something there are different pots that uh I I run my businesses. And I it always should be something, a reward for you every now and again. At least if you can't work for three months, your business should self-sustain. How many of us can realistically and truthfully 100% say, yes, my business is going to be okay if I don't work for a month? Because for most of us, income stops when we stop working. So that's the vision. Oh, I love it. So when is it? It's the September? September 15th and 16th. And it's online. I would love for it to be live, but I also have to be realistic. For the experts that I chose to bring, they won't just travel to the UK without having everything paid and on top of that, because and uh being my first event, I won't be able to pour so much financially into it. I do pay my speakers, I have to say that. And even if, worst case scenario, it's not going to go the way I wanted, at least I want this to be my contribution to the beauty industry. Each person is going to be like an absolute expert in their field.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:45

Like proper. They do this for a living.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:49

And you're gonna learn from someone who isn't an influencer, is the expert, and that's what we want.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:55

And also people that are not in the lush industry, because look, to learn marketing, right? Okay, to learn marketing or to learn how to build a personal brand, I would want to learn from somebody who does this on a daily basis for years, you know, or finances. I want to have a CFO, I want to have somebody who have building a career out of this.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:17

You know what? I've actually got someone um coming on the pod next month who's in a beauty accountant. Well, there you go. I message her and I was like, But you come on, and she was like, Yeah, of course. And I was thinking, because that is something. I I mean, I do my accounts, but I'm not exceptionally clued up on it. Do you know what I mean? I'm probably not even having all the expenses that I should be putting through.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:41

Most of us don't even know what profit magin or cash flow is.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:44

Do you know what I mean? Yes, so I do think we need to speak about the things that maybe get forget, like forget, we forget about it, don't we? We kind of bury them a little bit. But actually, the that would make your business even more alive.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:00

You know why I think it is though? It's because since our first training, we are being we think that all we need is skill. And that was the case many years ago when not that many people are doing lashes. But or maybe because we think that success is going international with trainings. Maybe it is not, and we go into teaching or into learning so many techniques.

SPEAKER_03 1:36:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:27

But for me as a business owner, do I need to know all those techniques? No, I need to know how my clients can wear comfortably their lashes for as long as possible. Again, what why do I do this for?

SPEAKER_00 1:36:38

Do you know what I mean? No, I know, I know completely what you mean.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:41

If anyone wants to join the tickets, the tickets are out yet or not? They are out. So uh we sell it online. We have a website. We have obviously I've launched I've launched my new website this year, earlier this year. So they can find it on loredanairmia.com. So that's that's where the conference is. But obviously, I speak a lot of it online on my page, on my Instagram page, on Pro Championship UK page.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:07

And it's for absolutely anyone in the beauty industry.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:10

In the beauty industry, as long as they want to learn about something else that is techn that is not technique, everyone is welcome. But yes, it's the beauty industry. My my whole expertise is in this, so I wouldn't want to do it for another industry.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:28

Oh absolutely, I'm excited. I need to get my ticket. You should. I'm gonna come. I'd love to have you on. I will. Before we just come towards the end and do the Beyond Five round, you've kind of spoke about your mission anyway. But do you have any exciting goals that you want to achieve in 2026 or 207 that you're happy to share? Is there anything that you're in your mind? Obviously, you've got the conference, but is there anything that is exciting coming up for you?

SPEAKER_02 1:37:55

I wake up excited every single day for living the life that I want. Because somebody somebody asked me a few weeks ago, a few months ago, if I think being fully booked is success. And I think at every level, success looks differently. To me, professionally, I feel like I've proven everything that I wanted to prove, and from now on, I'm just gonna do it from a place of contribution. So I just enjoy and I'm excited to just being alive. I swear, I know it sounds so cliche. I'm just so excited to being alive and to enjoy my family and to being healthy and to seeing the world.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:32

Yeah, and spend it with the people that you're you want to be around.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:35

And honestly, I was I was on the way here this morning and it was I was a bit like snoozing like this, and the the sunshine was coming through the window, and I was like, oh my goodness, like I get to travel to meet you today because of my work. Like, how awesome is that? I feel like sometimes we should focus or at least open our eyes to see the small things than the big goals because I've had so many big goals, so many things that I wanted to take off the list, they didn't make me happier.

SPEAKER_00 1:39:05

No, and it's actually the little smaller moments and the little things of being able to spend time with your family, not have your head in a laptop all the time, or be working till like 10 pm with clients. I feel like we forget to pause a little bit on them little moments. It's good that you are now actually going, oh my god, how amazing is this life you've created. Emotional, we're all emotional wrecks. So we've got a beyond five round. So beyond five is just a fun round, it's just a little bit of a light and fun for them to get to know you on a another little level. What's your go-to comfort food after a long day of work?

SPEAKER_02 1:39:44

Hmm. You're gonna think I'm a psychopath. I love it, it's not comfort food per se. I've discovered a kale salad. Everybody that's worked with me, but that's met with me face to face, they know my kale salad with a dressing made of Dijon mustard, lemon, and so anyway. It's amazing. Not comfort food. But if I would go for comfort food, in uh close to where I live, more or less, it's a Caribbean cuisine type of thing. It's like a lobster with mac and cheese. Oh my god, yes. I wouldn't have that all the time because of my allergies, intolerances, and everything. But so I'll go for the salad most of the time. But this chef's kiss.

SPEAKER_00 1:40:27

Um, one word your friends would use to describe you. Can I say three?

SPEAKER_02 1:40:34

Ambitious, hardworking, and the one I'm trying to get better at, perfectionist. I'm trying to let go of perfectionism.

SPEAKER_00 1:40:42

And I would also say you're very positive.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:45

I never use well, do you know what I mean? I'm glad yeah, yeah. I've changed, I've changed a lot.

SPEAKER_00 1:40:51

This is what business does to you. What tool or product could you never live without? So that can be, it doesn't have to be lash related, it can be anything. Tool or product. Could be a skincare product, could be is this is this meant to be fun?

SPEAKER_02 1:41:08

Yeah. Oh my god, um, I have I have a notebook. It's a very personal thing. I can't live without it.

SPEAKER_00 1:41:22

I love that one. Well you want.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:24

Yeah, I can't live. I mean, it's not that I can't live without it.

SPEAKER_00 1:41:27

You love a little journal.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:28

Yes, but it's part of my everyday life. And yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:41:32

I've actually been um using a journal to do gratitude. And I've actually How's that going? I find it sets me up for my whole day. My mum said to me, maybe you should try to do it in the evening as well. But at the minute I've only been doing it in the morning.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:45

I prefer mornings. I'm such a morning person. I feel like when I start, when I get myself into that, I'm like, my like the small things.

SPEAKER_00 1:41:54

Like I'm when Tucs, my dog runs into the room in the morning, he's just so happy. That's something I'm grateful for because he's just so happy. We have so much to learn from dogs. Oh, don't we? I say this all the time. We should be more like them because they don't need a lot. Unconditional love, they're happy every time they see you. They just want to be loved. With you, yeah. And you are we are their whole world. We are, yeah. I'm so sorry. Um, what's the biggest lesson you have learned so far?

SPEAKER_02 1:42:24

That it all starts here. It doesn't matter how much you have on the outside, and also that it's always it everything, it doesn't matter how bad it is, it has at least one solution. I will always be okay. No matter what, as long as I don't choose to give up. Or as long as I choose to not give up.

SPEAKER_00 1:42:43

I love that one. If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would that be? Keep going. I would I would plainly just say that. Keep going. Keep going. So this is a wild card question. Pick a number one to thirty. Ten. Ocean or mountains?

SPEAKER_02 1:43:08

Mountains. I can't swim. I'm a mountain girl. I was brought up in the Carpathians.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:13

You're a mountain girl.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:15

I am a mountain girl.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:16

So that is the end of today's podcast. I've absolutely loved having you. Thank you for traveling down. Thank you for being a part of it and sharing all your experience, expertise, knowledge, everything, and just bringing high energy because I know everyone's gonna absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:34

I can't wait for the camera to go off to give you a hug because I feel like it's so connected to you. Thank you so much for having me. Keep doing what you're doing because you are changing the industry every day. And uh congratul I shouldn't be saying this off camera. Congrats for what you do.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:49

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:50

You do have absolutely every day. Thank you so much for having me.