Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Briahanna K. Wiliams, owner of Your Bestie Esty LLC., located in Ellenwood, GA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am a licensed esthetician, educator, and owner of Your Bestie Esty LLC. In other words, I help people look and feel great about arguably the most important and, factually, the body’s largest organ, which is the skin! I am an advocate of educating people about the complexities of their skin and encouraging them to take good care of it as it is an essential part of healthy self-care. To love, honor, and safely take good care of your skin may or may not be a common practice for some, and so it is my passion to meet people where they are in their skincare journey. My position is to assist them with obtaining the best overall health for their skin by instilling healthy habits in their day-to-day routines. I have found my niche in this vast beauty industry, and it has, in turn, afforded me to find my tribe of people, my beautiful clients.

My clients, better known as my “besties,” as I affectionately like to refer to them, are a direct reflection of my business growth in the past years. Some of my clients came by way of being old coworkers, previous classmates, mutual friends of a friend, and supportive Instagram followers who have found their way to me! It’s pretty amazing how each of my clients has a unique origin story of how they ended up on my treatment bed. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to provide services to such an amazing clientele who trust and love my work! They are truly like my besties!

Tell us about yourself

Hi friends, my name is Briahanna K. Williams, and I started on this journey of becoming a licensed esthetician because I wanted something different in life. At the time, I was working in a completely different industry where I wasn’t seeing much potential growth opportunities for myself. I began to question the direction of my life and started longing for something more purposeful and fulfilling to my soul. Do you know that feeling of contentment and being satisfied doing something you love? I wanted to feel that. Maybe you have or have not yet gone through that part of questioning life, but as for me, this is where I was a couple of years ago. I wanted to change direction a bit. The ironic thing about this is that my realization came about while I was reading a similar article like this one.

The article mentioned that in life, when you may feel like you need to change courses, pick up a trade and start working with your hands to get started. This was my confirmation, and before I knew it, I enrolled in my 12-month licensing program and instantly felt that feeling of alignment. Esthetics was so natural to me. I have always been interested in beauty techniques, product chemistry, and trying new things on myself. Everything from servicing customers, to educating people on skin, to encouraging self-confidence felt right. It made me want to be the best person and esthetician for myself and others.

I then created Your Bestie Esty LLC while still in school with the idea of becoming just that, the best esthetician I could be for myself and my community of supporters! The fulfillment I get from being a service provider, mentor, and educator is what truly keeps me going! It feels like purpose, and that feels good!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is every time I create a new loyal customer. I still very much smile to myself every time a new client re-books, tip generously, leave a google review, or shares my business genuinely with others to generate more business for me. It’s absolutely golden to me! I often think to myself, “Out of all the estheticians in the world, my clients really chose to continue to come to me.” It’s such an affirming accomplishment!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I have to pick just one? That’s hard! On the list of the many challenging things that comes with being a business owner, I would say the hardest is persevering through the building process. This is the part of the process of laying the foundation for your dreams. Seeing the vision is easy and exciting, but building something brick by brick in the direction of that vision by yourself is challenging. It challenges every fiber of your mental, physical, and emotional abilities every time you make a decision pushing yourself and your business forward. What’s even harder is learning to love this part just as much as the rewarding outcome.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Creating, running, and growing a business is such an adventurous journey unique to each and every business owner in their respective industry.

My top 3 tips I would give someone are below!

  1. Time is not guaranteed, so treat every moment like an opportunity! Move with intention and urgency with things so you can always be ready for opportunities as they come. Try not to get too comfortable in the preparation stages of trying to perfect every little detail that you miss the actual presentation! (Still taking my own advice with this one!)
  2. Do the work. Whatever it is in your field, do it! Become an expert, take the class, perfect your skills, and get the proper certifications and licenses to be a professional. Doing the necessary work and filling yourself with legitimate knowledge will increase your self-value. That’s something no one can take away from you.
  3. There are no real rules! Now, of course, there are laws we must abide by, but in the grand scheme of things, there are many routes to take to own your success. When the presented paths are not your jam, don’t be afraid to start creating your own! Do you, and remember, with any path you take, give yourself grace. Loving what you do isn’t always beautiful, but it’s always worth it. Be nice to yourself. Your skin depends on it :-)

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Thank you for reading my story!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.yourbestieesty.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Yourbestieesty/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourbestieesty/

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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