Success in the beauty industry: how to organize your business and achieve harmony? Interview with Karolina Kupczak
The beauty industry offers many opportunities for growth, but most people’s goal is the same: to create a profitable and rewarding business.
We know that many of our clients repeatedly ask themselves: how do you achieve success in the beauty industry? Maybe you are doing it right now?
Every path is different, but there are a few universal principles that lead to the desired goal.
We talked about it with Karolina Kupczak, owner of an aesthetic medicine practice, training center, organizer of Beauty is my Business workshops and the More than a Woman conference; author of a book, podcast and creator of the first online training platform for the beauty industry in Poland, and owner of the Another One clothing brand.
The interview is available on our Med&Beauty Uniform channel on YouTube.
The list of achievements of Karolina Kupczak is long. How did she accomplish it? By her own admission, some of the advice sounds like a cliché, but it is important, and becoming aware of certain principles of running a business, confronting one’s predispositions and weaknesses allows one to better adapt to the business world.
That’s why we asked her some questions. We hope that her answers will become an inspiration for all those who are taking their first steps as entrepreneurs. Draw from her experience.
Business takes courage – breaking the first ice
Business plan ready, first treatments behind you, but still can’t move forward?
As Karolina notes, many people are afraid to start a business, rent premises and operate on a larger scale due to paperwork, fees, fear of lack of clients and low income. It ‘s also easy to compare themselves with industry giants who intimidate with their resources, such as beautifully decorated salons.
And it’s already easy to back out at this stage, but it’s important to remember that everyone started somehow at some point.
Therefore, the first step in your business should be to overcome fear and act, even if every action is accompanied by fear. He will pass, and each step you overcome will bring you closer, giving you the courage to take more steps.
You don’t have to invest in an expensive cabinet with marbles, just act with your current resources. An example? You can receive clients at home or sublease space in large salons, but you should work – provide services, grow and expand your client base. Determination and a desire to grow will bear fruit.
What’s more, when setting up a business or renting their first premises, many people find that the paperwork is not so scary and gain confidence, and each subsequent step seems easier.
Humility and willingness to learn – without these, it is impossible to enter the industry
It is possible to succeed without studies.
These are Karolina’s words from our podcast. She herself did not graduate from college, but invested in her development by doing numerous courses, trainings, workshops and practicing. That’s how she gained knowledge and today she teaches other specialists herself. At the same time, she continues to expand her competencies, because she knows it is essential in such a dynamic environment.
From her words comes another important message: one should not settle on one’s laurels, but keep looking for new inspiration, sources of knowledge and honing skills.
This is why the beauty industry is so exciting – there is no room for boredom.
It should also be added that it is never too late to learn. How many stories are there of people in their 30s or 40s deciding to change their professional lives?
There is no shortage of older female trainees at Karolina’s training courses. She recognizes that in business it is not age that matters, but mindset: someone who has an open mind will accept knowledge more easily. The problem can be sensitivity to criticism, unwillingness to learn, giving up through mistakes and failures. It is important, therefore, to build an attitude that is ready for growth and passion that knows no limits.
Another of our interviewees, Iga Sadowska-Wilczynska, had similar thoughts. You can read more here: These things you need to know about the beauty industry
Not just services – business is built by marketing and customer service
In the beauty business, marketing is a “second job.”
Building a brand is a must. It’s not enough just to master the techniques of permanent makeup, special occasion makeup, beauty treatments or nail construction – you also need to know how to talk about it.
There’s a reason why beauty salons and beauty salons hire people solely for marketing, mainly that focused on social media. Customers are looking for specialists in social media and an attractively maintained profile acts as the best advertisement.
Success in the cosmetics industry depends on efficient promotion. In the beginning, you need to make an effort to learn how to create aesthetically pleasing content and efficient communication, but this translates into customers and thus – higher earnings. As a result, the company is growing and can afford to hire a person to whom marketing duties will be delegated.
Don’t you like to take videos, photos and post them online? Think about your limitations, ask yourself where this resistance comes from. Break through, give it a try and watch the results. A growing number of likes and requests for services can make you like the activity. And it’s worth having them mastered. Why?
In Carolina’s words:
What will you do if suddenly the marketing person leaves or you terminate the contract with the marketing agency overnight, without a replacement? Then you will deal with it yourself, at least until a new cooperation is established, but you will be independent, and the continuity of publications and coverage will be maintained. You will be in control of the business.
Once marketing brings results, there is another issue to take care of: customer service. Focusing on his needs, a personalized approach, and being respectful, courteous, giving some kind of attentiveness too, gives a sense of being taken care of, inspires trust and makes him want to come back to your salon.
Build customer relationships in multiple stages: encourage on social media, and then with the quality of your services and comfort during the visit.
How do you attract customers? Give something more from yourself, create a story
The service will defend itself if it is good and no marketing is needed?
Just will your service attract customers if you are one of many specialists in the market?
The beauty industry has it that there is a lot of competition and the people who break through are those who have great skills, can take care of clients in a professional way, but also… tell stories.
It’s about finding your differentiator and attracting you through personal branding. Customers are often driven by emotions, they want to work with people they feel affection for or feel an attachment to the brand. They are built by showing more than just the results of the treatments, namely: the brand owner, the behind-the-scenes operation of the practice – such life from behind the scenes. Of course, in social media.
Admit it, do you yourself like to see such coverage of company operations, or do you enjoy following certain individuals?
Openness, transparency, but also the idea of self, originality, ingenuity and courage to show oneself can do real wonders, especially in business.
Just remember: don’t copy other people. Find your own way of doing things.
Present yourself with class, see: Elegant medical jackets for the beauty industry
Does every beauty professional have to become a trainer?
Karolina gave us interesting thoughts on overcoming professional stages.
The accepted career path in the beauty field is as follows: providing services, setting up a salon, hiring a team and then teaching others, mentoring. Meanwhile, not every person finds themselves in this role.
First of all, not every person can teach. It takes patience, the ability to impart knowledge. You also need to like it, and simply not everyone is fond of it, but under pressure, they take up teaching.
Meanwhile, this is not the only goal, a requirement to be met.
One can be a fulfilled and valued professional by working exclusively with clients. It is not always necessary to follow trends, established patterns, but to look for your unique path. It is not necessary to achieve all levels.
For that, think about what makes you happy. Your job satisfaction is very important, and when you force yourself to do other things, you may feel burnout.
At the same time, take care of Plan B, expand your competence, add a new service. The bottom line in business is to have an alternative source of income. It will help you increase your earnings, but it will also give you a sense of security in crisis situations.
For Karolina, the training allowed her to operate when she was unable to perform treatments due to an accident.
We ourselves are constantly improving our products and constantly introducing new designs. See our NEWS, of which we are proud.
Learn from mistakes – these teach best
He who does nothing makes no mistakes.
In business, as with any other endeavor, you will make mistakes. More or less costly, but they will be. Through them you may feel disappointment and doubt about your own competence, the sense of doing business.
And believe that every person who today runs extensive businesses, holds positions as CEOs, etc. has experienced such situations.
An example is Karolina herself, who organized an event for women where only one person came. She admits that this was one of the most difficult experiences in her career. She did not break down. She analyzed her mistakes, learned her lessons, and then began to conduct Beauty is my Business workshops, which attract crowds of female professionals.
If she had given up after the first conference, she wouldn’t be running the industry’s popular training courses now.
Don’t be discouraged by failures – treat them as lessons, because thanks to them you will know what to do and what not to do to make each subsequent project a success. You will learn to take risks and try new things that will lead you to build your business dream.
Is that all you need to know about business? Of course not. It’s an endless topic, covering many areas, such as hejt, work-life-balance and many others. Most important, however, are the basics, which we’ve covered here, but you’ll learn more interesting facts and unusual stories from our podcast with Karolina Krupczak, available here: Med&Beauty Podcast x Karolina Kupczak. Her energy is downright contagious.
Our interviewee points out that her own business requires hard work, perseverance, passion, but the independence, fulfillment and happiness it brings is worth the sacrifice.
Her story inspires you to believe in yourself, take risks and never give up. Whether you’re at the beginning of your journey or already in business, her tips can help you build your brand and achieve your professional dreams.
Create your professional business image with Med&Beauty’s offerings. Our medical blouses, tunics, jackets and dresses are perfect for the beauty salon. These are hits among our beauty customers.
