Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in beauty services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Chaz Newberry, co-owner of Rebel Lash Studios, LLC., located in Atlanta, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Rebel Lash Studios is an exclusive lash studio in the heart of Atlanta and led by the top licensed male master lash artist in Georgia! Rebel Lash Studios offers unparalleled eyelash extension services with real results using the latest techniques and styles combined with the highest grade of products to ensure our clients have the most positive and luxurious experience possible. Every client's eyelash journey is customized to their specific needs to help their eyelash extension vision become a reality!
My husband and I have a focused vision for our clients, providing each with education, engagement, and empowering clients so they are given positive results that won't harm or leave our clients with a bad experience! At Rebel, we believe in positive engagement and reinforcement, so we build relationships with our clients which will last a lifetime, all while giving them a rocking set of lashes that are to die for!
Tell us about yourself
My name is Chaz, and I am the Master Lash Artist and Co-Owner with my Husband, Alex. We both came from the corporate arena, me in banking and Alex in medical. We are both creative individuals and never truly felt the corporate world was meant for us. As with many people during the pandemic, we were both furloughed and realized we had a unique opportunity to venture into the aesthetics/lashing industry, which we both had a huge passion for. So with a lot of grit and grind, we finally were able to chase our dreams using all of the tools and skills we garnered through the years working in the professional corporate world and do a complete 180 into the beauty world!
With a wish and a dream, I went off to Aesthetician School at Paul Mitchell Esani, and Alex set forth building all of the groundwork to get the business off the ground! I honestly never thought I would do lashes, but I took a class while in Esthetician School and was hooked! I won't lie and say this has been an easy journey; it hasn't been; it has been trying and tough but also deeply rewarding! We find such positivity and reward working with our clients and wake up every day motivated and driven to do our best for the business and our clients!
There is nothing more powerful than a client seeing their lashes for the first time, and their eyes just light up with glee and joy. It is always the little things that push you forward, and we do this for the love of the craft and the love of our clients! We truly, truly want to provide an unparalleled experience for our clients so they can get out there and "Discover Their Inner Rebel," which is our Rebel Mantra!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
That's a great question! There are always the quick wins you have every day, right? But I think for us, the biggest accomplishment was opening our studio. It was no small task! My husband has a unique flair for interior design and the business side of things, and we are both very driven to create a luxurious experience for all our clients. So, going into an empty space and creating an entire world for our clients to walk into and experience was, like I said, no small task!
Let me put it this way, building your company's brand is one of the hardest things you will do. You have to figure out who you are and who you want the world and your clients to see you as. It's about building trust, right? And reflecting that in your studio space can be a daunting task. But I feel we accomplished that, and we are very proud of the brand we have built and can't wait to see where it will grow and evolve to!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Pivoting! As a lash artist, you learn very quickly. You will have to make quick decisions on the spot to ensure you are doing everything possible to create the look your client is going for, and that is just on the lash side, which is no small task! This is also true for the business as a whole. There are so many things on a daily that come up with owning a business, and you have to be quick on your feet to create a solution that will work and keep the ship and your clients moving forward. It challenges us daily to really think outside the box and say, "How can we do what is best for the business and what is best for the client?"
If I could say anything which could help you pivot easier, learn your resources. Even though we are small business owners, we are not an island. Create a support group of like-minded business owners and networks around you that will help you pivot in your business when you need to and who can help you brainstorm solutions when you feel a bit lost or unsure what or how to do something!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
We are all about mentoring, and we believe in helping others grow to be the best versions of themselves and the best versions of their business. After all, if we don't take care of one another, who do we think is going to!? If we could pass on any three tips, it would be these:
- Don't rush into opening your own studio! Take the opportunity to train under a legitimate, licensed, and solidified lash studio. Make sure you really have the basics down. Make sure you really work with a master lash artist to learn the ins and outs of how to do things so when you do get out there on your own, you can have a foundation that will set you up for success!
- TRAINING! If we could offer anything, please ensure you are properly trained and licensed. And even after you graduate from esthetician or cosmetology school and want to get into lashes, honey, GO FOR IT, but make sure you continue your training so you can continue to grow and improve every day!
- This is a twofer: Learn social media and take some basic business classes! I promise you these are investments that will serve you well. Social Media is going to be a major component of your business in promoting and advertising and building a viable portfolio for your business and its brand. Don't take it for granted; make it easier on yourself by getting some training under your belt to use it more effectively. Also, businesses are no joke; there is a lot involved in them and running them effectively. So, get a few classes under your belt so you go into it armed with some of the knowledge you will need to help you get your business out of the proverbial "docks" and floating in that great wide ocean of opportunity a little quicker!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
To all of my fellow lash artists or lash dreamers: The lash industry is growing quickly! If I could say anything, it would be to support one another. This is a very competitive industry, and no matter how much people tell you it is oversaturated, it isn't. Trust me! Find your niche, focus on that, grow your business, and be passionate about it! But above all, BE NICE to your fellow lash artists, and let's support one another so we can be the best versions of ourselves and provide our clients with the most amazing lashes of their lives!
To all of our amazing and future clients: We couldn't do any of this without you. Our clients mean the world to us, and we wake up excited every day. My husband and I say all the time, "We never thought in a million years we'd own a lash studio," but the universe opens the strangest doors sometimes, and you walk in realizing you have found your bliss, and lashing is definitely our bliss!
We look forward to building our Rebel Family and want everyone to get out there and "Discover Your Inner Rebel"!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.rebellashstudios.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebellashstudios/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebellashstudios/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lash_rebel
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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