Switching to Soft Wax DOUBLED MY PROFITS in One Month

Summary

Podcast Summary: Beauty with a Twist – Episode: Switching to Soft Wax DOUBLED MY PROFITS in One Month

Host: Dede
Guest: Jennifer Del Cruz (Jenny), Waxer at Janity Artistry, Pearl City, Hawaii
Release Date: August 1, 2025

In this insightful episode of Beauty with a Twist, host Dede welcomes Jennifer Del Cruz, affectionately known as Jenny, from Pearl City, Hawaii. Jenny shares her remarkable journey from a social worker to a successful entrepreneur in the beauty industry, detailing how a strategic switch to soft wax dramatically doubled her profits within a single month.

---

1. Introduction and Guest Background

Dede opens the episode by introducing Jenny, expressing her excitement about having her as a special guest. Jenny nervously recounts her first solo flight from Hawaii to San Diego, highlighting the courage it took to embark on her entrepreneurial journey alone.

Notable Quote:

"[00:42] A: Can I just tell you guys, we started planning this how long ago?"
"[00:43] B: Oh, I think April. April is when I like, hey, I posted. I'm coming."

---

2. Transition from Social Work to Beauty

Jenny delves into her professional background, explaining her initial career as a social worker—a role she found increasingly unfulfilling due to burnout and exposure to client traumas. She recounts her prior experience in the beauty industry, having worked at Sephora for five years and practicing permanent makeup during her time as a social worker.

Notable Quote:

"[01:21] B: I started my business during the pandemic. Actually, I was a social worker for about two and a half years... and then I decided I want to become a waxer."
"[02:03] B: I want to give people the confidence of, hey, like I may be big... but I want to give people the confidence back."

---

3. Building the Waxing Business

Jenny outlines the early stages of her waxing business. Starting part-time in a small studio room, she quickly expanded her client base by promoting herself as a waxing specialist accessible to everyone, including plus-size clients who often find waxing services limited and uncomfortable.

Notable Quote:

"[05:00] B: So I started working really hard in SC school... I started promoting myself in a way where like, hey, everybody can get wax."
"[06:30] B: And that's where I build on and I tell a lot of people. I don't have the time to be somebody else."

---

4. The Strategic Switch to Soft Wax

Jenny recounts her pivotal decision to switch from hard wax to soft wax—a move that transformed her business. The high costs and logistical challenges of sourcing hard wax in Hawaii led her to explore more efficient and cost-effective alternatives. After attending a workshop led by Jane Payne, Jenny adopted soft wax, which allowed her to perform treatments faster without compromising quality.

Notable Quote:

"[16:10] B: I started being invested in the way that her technique was, how she sold herself... within the first month I had doubled what I made just as a hard waxer in just soft wax."
"[19:28] B: And now with the speed of, of soft wax... I've been able to take my waxing from 20 minutes to maybe the fastest wax I've done is like six minutes."

---

5. Business Growth and Overcoming Challenges

With the switch to soft wax, Jenny's clientele surged. She moved from a shared part-time space to a full-time private room, significantly increasing her working days and service capacity. Despite facing disagreements with her initial studio owner, Jenny's dedication and strategic marketing—particularly through viral TikTok content—cemented her success.

Notable Quote:

"[07:00] B: I was able to go from four days sharing a room with somebody... to working seven days a week."
"[06:45] A: Yeah, well, I'm like, why would I...? "

---

6. Enhancing Client Relationships and Personal Resilience

Jenny emphasizes the importance of genuine client relationships, leveraging her background in social work to connect authentically with her clients. She discusses the emotional toll of handling client traumas and how therapy helped her maintain her mental health, ensuring she remained a supportive and resilient business owner.

Notable Quote:

"[22:27] B: I think when you don't take people's things personal, it doesn't affect me as much as it used to before."
"[26:00] B: I was engaged in the beginning of the year... but also, I'm here taking care of you. I'm here taking care of me."

---

7. Mastering Social Media and Branding

Jenny shares how authentic and relatable content on platforms like TikTok played a crucial role in her business growth. By being herself—humorous, genuine, and approachable—she attracted a loyal client base who appreciated her transparency and personality.

Notable Quote:

"[33:10] B: I just wanted to be myself... my one TikTok, I think it’s like at 3.5 million right now."
"[34:43] C: Yeah."
"[33:47] B: And when I started doing workshops... clients see my personality from your phone and be like, okay, she seems cool."

---

8. Advice for Aspiring Waxers and Beauty Professionals

Jenny offers invaluable advice to those entering the beauty industry. She stresses the importance of authenticity, consistency, and avoiding comparison with others. Emphasizing hard work and the significance of building a supportive community, Jenny encourages new professionals to stay true to their values and continuously strive for personal and business growth.

Notable Quote:

"[52:07] C: Yeah."
"[52:08] B: And I think for, for what it's worth, you will find the people. I always tell my students, you will find the people who want to come to you. You just have to put in the work."
"[54:25] A: But know that if you are not consistent, it's done."

---

9. Conclusion and Inspirational Quote

As the episode wraps up, Jenny shares an empowering quote that encapsulates her philosophy both personally and professionally:

Notable Quote:

"[61:12] B: Make the world your domain, Honestly. And to stay beautiful. Because you are beautiful."

---

Key Takeaways:

• Strategic Adaptation: Switching to soft wax allowed Jenny to streamline her services, reduce costs, and serve more clients efficiently, leading to a significant increase in profits.

• Authentic Branding: Maintaining authenticity on social media platforms fosters genuine connections with clients, enhancing loyalty and expanding clientele through word-of-mouth and viral content.

• Resilience and Mental Health: Balancing a demanding business with personal well-being is crucial. Jenny's proactive approach to managing emotional burnout through therapy highlights the importance of self-care for sustained success.

• Community Building: Creating a supportive network among beauty professionals and continuously educating herself and others contributes to personal growth and industry advancement.

• Consistent Effort: Persistence, consistency, and the willingness to adapt are essential for overcoming challenges and achieving long-term business success.

Jenny’s inspiring story underscores that with the right strategies, hard work, and authenticity, beauty professionals can significantly enhance their businesses and achieve remarkable growth.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, guys. Welcome back to a new season and episode of Beauty with a Twist. I'm super excited for this new episode because we have a special guest all the way from Hawaii. You guys go ahead and introduce yourself.

[B]

Hi, everybody. My name is Jennifer Del Cruz. I also go by Jenny. I am the waxer at Janity Artistry in Pearl City, Hawaii.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. I'm so excited. I'm literally sweating you guys. And I'm shaking in my boots. But you can't really tell. But I'm.

[B]

I'm nervous. Are you nervous?

[A]

I'm nervous.

[B]

I'm more nervous than you, girl. Hello. I flew here.

[A]

True.

[B]

All the way from Hawaii over the Pacific Ocean.

[A]

Guys, how long was the flight?

[B]

Wasn't too bad. Five hours. But hear me out. It was my first flight by myself. By myself.

[A]

You've never flown by yourself?

[B]

Never.

[A]

Did you get low key, like, lost, or did you go early to not.

[B]

Get lost very much? That I was on time to the airport and then getting on my flight, I was, it's cool, it's cool. I'm chill, I'm chill. And then getting out of the into San Diego, I was like, oh, okay, this is not that bad. Boom. Easy.

[A]

Can I just tell you guys, we started planning this how long ago?

[B]

Oh, I think April. April is when I like, hey, I posted. I'm coming.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. I was so excited. I was like, is she really coming, like, all the way from Hawaii?

[B]

Okay, Hawaii.

[A]

So tell them what you do. Tell them about your business.

[B]

Ooh.

[A]

Well, how you started everything.

[B]

I started my business during the pandemic. Actually, I was a social worker for about two and a half years. And yeah, I was a social worker. You know, I did the whole big girl thing, graduated college, got a regular job, realized that I do not want to do this. And during the while I was a social worker, I was already doing permanent makeup. So I already had my foot in the door in beauty. I worked at Sephora for about five years. Did makeup.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Love beauty. As much as I hate to say it, like, retail is not for everybody.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So after I had left Sephora, got my big girl job, I was like, I still need something fun. So I started doing permanent makeup. And then I decided during the pandemic, I was working in a nursing home, and I was just like, this is not for everybody. Yeah, you take on a lot of people's traumas. It's a lot of burnout. And for me, I was like, I need another career. That one is fun, but also has, like, Revolving clients. So, you know, I had the conversation with my mom. I was like, listen, I can't do this no more. Like, I. Medical just made. Being in the nursing home made me hate being in like any type of medical field. It just was all about money, you know? So I told her, I was like, I want to go back to aesthetic school. I want to become a waxer. I want to specialize only in waxing. I knew from the jump in aesthetic school. Want to do facials. I don't want to do lashes. Why? I listen, talk your listen. I think it's the low key. Adhd, autism. Okay. I, I say it's undiagnosed. I always tell people it's undiagnosed. Undiagnosed, Undiagnosed. Like you guys, I'm, I will get diagnosed one day, but I just cannot sit there for 45 minutes to an hour. Just don't get me wrong, I love getting them done.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I just don't have the personality. I want to, Yeah. I want to talk about like, girl, what you doing?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

But at the same time, I know it's supposed to be relaxing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I did get a lot of compliments though, in like SD school where my, my instructors were like, you have good hands, you have good pressure. I know I can give a good massage. But I didn't want to do it. I don't want to do it.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

And then even with lashes, I tried. My fingers are on. They, they just uncoordinated. I can't do it that way. But I also realized that I was doing permanent makeup in Hawaii. There's a lot of people who started doing permanent makeup. And I'm not, not, I'm not saying that you can't make a great living off of it. There are amazing people out there who do permanent makeup.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

But the retention of clients is. There's only so many eyebrows you can tattoo. There's only so many touch ups you can do. So I know a lot of people out there are doing workshops and classes to teach people. And out in Hawaii, it's not regulated as severe as other states because I know Vegas, you have to do an apprenticeship. Hawaii, you just need the tattoo and stuff and take a course or whatever. So for me, I was like, I do permanent makeup, but I want to do something that's going to bring me constant clientele, like the retention back. And with waxing as a plus size girl, getting waxed was hard for me. And I was going to, you know, the place we don't talk about, but you know, love that. Yes, we know who love my waxer out there. She made me feel comfortable enough to be like, girl, I got you. This is going to be quick. This is going to be easy. And I wanted to be what she was for me, for other people, and give women the confidence of, hey, like I may be big, I may be a mom, I may be this, that and the other, but I want to give people the confidence back. Like, you don't have to be this to get this. I feel like the beauty standard. Like out back at home, a lot of people don't talk about like getting waxed and I'm. For me it's just all about hygiene, feeling good about yourself. You want, we live on an island. You want to go to the beach? You want razor?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

So I started working really hard in SC school. Like, yeah, I did all my, my modules, I did my facials, I did my synergy, I did my lash lifts. But that didn't excite me as much as waxing. So coming out of the pandemic, the moment we got the okay from the state to go back, I was like, k, boom. I'm taking all my permanent makeup clients that I had to reschedule during the pandemic, but also started offering $50 Brazilians models. Like 45. 45, 45 to $50 clients. And a lot of my clients were my brow clients. Then I started building. I started building. I started working with my timing. I started off in a small room in a studio that I was working part time, three days a week. Then I started getting more clients because I started promoting myself in a way where like, hey, everybody can get wax.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Why are you not getting wax? This is why you should get waxed. And I started getting a lot of clientele. Then I started working up to four days a week. And then me and the me and the owner didn't get see eye to eye about certain things. So I ended up leaving that location and now the location I'm at. And there I was able to go from four days sharing a room with somebody. We were both part timers. Then I was able to move into a full time room by myself, working seven days, seven days a week. And then I started building. And it was because I have like tiktoks that go viral all because I'm just being myself.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And that's where I build on and I tell a lot of people. I don't have the time to be somebody else. On social media and in person, the biggest thing a Lot of clients tell me is like, wow, you are the same person on social media and in person.

[A]

Yeah, well, I'm like, why would I.

[B]

Want to be somebody else? It takes too much work to put up a front on social media. I don't have time. I got multiple personalities in my head. I don't have time to do that in person. You know what I mean? So after that, I. It was so funny. It was a random Tuesday, and I tell people this story all the time. My. My boss or the owner of the space I was in, she was like, jenny, the end unit is going up. It's open. It's vacant. And I was like, what are you talking about? She's like, the landlord asked me if we want to take on that unit. And I was like, okay, so what does that. What does that have to do with me? She's like, this is your time. This is your time to go into your own unit. And I was like, raquel. She's like. She's like my big sister in the industry. I'm like, raquel, I don't have the funds. I don't have the help. You know, I'm single. I don't have a man who works in construction or a dad or a dad who works in construction who can help me build up this. It's just me. So she's like, I feel like you can do it with the amount that you. With the amount of clients you are seeing, and you want to move into education. This is your time. So, boom. I called my best friend. I was like, listen, I can't leave work. I have clients till 5. I need to sign this lease today. Pull me out a grant. I will give you a grand tomorrow. Like, I cannot go to the bank. I don't have time. Right. Like, to put down to secure my spot. Within, I think, maybe three weeks, we were able to make that space workable. I had to get my licensing, all of that within three weeks. Within three weeks, I had to be in my new unit June 1st.

[A]

Damn.

[B]

Yeah. And I was working in there. My room that I was already in became taken over by somebody else come June 1, and by the graces of God, I was able to do it. But from June to maybe September is when I actually took the time to build it out. And then in September, I had a studio blessing where my closest friends and family came to celebrate what I had did on whatever time limit, whatever resources I had. And that, to me, had to be the biggest. Okay, I can do this. This has to be the biggest accomplishment Again, being single, being in the most expensive state. I had just moved into my. My own space, like, on my own, like, living situation. I moved into my condo the year prior, and then I got the keys in April, so, like, within six months of each other.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

So I knew I had to work. I had to work. I had to. I started doing workshops more, and it became. It became so real. Like, I never thought I would be like this. I never thought I would be this. In the industry, you know, there's people out there who have beautiful spaces like yours, but it was just me. And I did that all just by being myself.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I think now that I've been there for almost three years, I'm just like, what's next? What is next?

[A]

Coming out here, you guys.

[B]

Everybody wants. Kidding me. California. Dang. But I keep telling people that because of where Hawaii is going in the beauty industry and how expensive it is even to rent a space, a lot of people get discouraged on trying to fulfill that, you know?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So for me, as the Capricorn in me, I'm always like, work, we're working.

[A]

We'Re working, we're working.

[B]

I love Capricorn, you know, she's Capricorn Girl. But I think now a lot of people always ask me, like, do you want a salon? Or, like, to have renters? You know? And I'm just like, I don't know. I've always been the type of person where I never wanted to be the boss of somebody. And this year, I had the opportunity to hire on two girls who work under me. And I still think that. I still think that I'm not the best boss. I don't know how to lead. I lead by example. But I also have to remind myself that in this position as a leader, you have to change the way you speak to people. Again, lead by example. I'm more so like, let's work together. Not, I'm your boss. This is what you need to do. And it's something I tell my employees all the time. Like, I love you guys, but please don't get mad at me if I tell you that you need to do this, that, and the other in the studio, because we need it to run. If I give you feedback about what you're. What clients are saying, I need you to, like, not be mad at me. Like, this is for you guys to grow too.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And the biggest thing, too, I tell a lot of people is that the girls who work under me or the girls that I teach, they are not my Competition? No, the girl down the road is not my competition.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I attract who I attract, and with me, my students, I love them so much, I will actually send clients to them. People will be like, hey, do you have somebody on this side of the island? Yeah, absolutely. Go to her. She trained under me. She's a great person. Go to her. Because as much as I would love for you to drive 45 minutes away to me to hang out with me, when you can go 10 minutes down the road in your neighborhood, and that's just, like, my way of sharing the wealth, in a sense, and making sure that my girls get taken care of because they have families to take care of. They have kids, they have, you know, a mortgage to pay or whatever. So I have no problem with sharing clientele. I have no problem with doing that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So over there in Hawaii, like, tell me the pricing with Brazilians and stuff.

[B]

Because I see you booked.

[A]

What's out girl? When I see her schedule, you guys don't think it's like, oh, my Gosh, I have five Brazilians. No, I'm, like, talking 30. Okay, 25, 30. No, I'm not exaggerating. Literally, she's like, this is how many from what time to what? Tell me.

[B]

So right now, the average is about 70, 80. That's also what. At our big. Okay, big company is at. It's at 75, 30. And I see clients every five to six weeks. But for me, I see clients. At one point, I was seeing at least 25 a day. Then I started getting burnt out, and I started to realize, hey, your energy is drowning me. You know, I love my clients, but they come in and I'm. I'm. I'm an empathetic person. I take it all late. Oh, my God. I be crying with them.

[A]

And I text them later on.

[B]

I'm like, how are you? Yes, yes, yes. And I. I know in my heart that being a good person and being there for them will repay in the end. Because just as much as I check in on my clients, my clients check in on me. When I be going through things, you know, or like, when something happens, they know. Because I've always been the type of person to share my story or share what I'm experiencing, not for pity, but because to tell people, like, hey, you are human. What you're feeling is real. And the biggest thing I tell a lot of my clients is that God put us together for a reason. You came to see me for a reason. And we have both benefited from this type of relationship. And waxing back home. Like, I have so many clients who are like, oh, my God, I'm so scared. I'm so scared. Why? Just come. Just try it. Like, yeah, just try it. Just do it. Be like, Nike. Just do it. Because at the end of the day, what. What do you have to lose? Take a chance, you know? And back. Like, at home, Brazilians were not very talked about, you know, like, in the beauty industry now because of how popular it is.

[A]

Yeah, that's what I was gonna ask you. Like, how is it over there?

[B]

I. Girl, I'd be trying to get people to just come because I'm tired of y' all shaving. I'm tired of y' all shaving. I'm tired of getting the text like, hey, I'm so sorry I shaved, girl, what do you want me to do? Why are you telling me? Sorry. Tell your coochie sorry. You. You're gonna have the irritation. But I think the thing I tell a lot of people is, like, let's not talk about, like, the. The hardest part is people look at it from a sexual standpoint.

[A]

True.

[B]

And, you know, I. I'm not gonna lie. I started off making those types of content, and I don't want to say that that's not funny anymore, but, like, I wanted to. I wanted to transition how I like.

[A]

More education.

[B]

More education.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Why you should get wax. You got all these issues down there, girl. You got hygiene issues. Do it. You want to feel clean, you want. You don't want hair sticking out of your bikini, then by all means, get waxed. And I think, too, a lot of people are like, oh, I'd rather do laser. Oh, I'd rather do sugar. Do what fits your budget. Do what fits your pain tolerance. Do what fits your schedule. I will send people to la, Laser. I will send people to the sugar girl down the road, because you're gonna.

[A]

Whatever it is.

[B]

Whatever works for you, girl. Just don't shave. I would rather you cheat on me with another form of hair removal than shaving a Venus razor.

[A]

Not the Venus.

[B]

Not the Venus razor or the Bic. Do you want the Bic razor soft? The yellow hood?

[A]

Oh, my gosh. I don't even. I don't even own one, so I.

[B]

Don'T know, but exactly.

[A]

Yeah, I get it. I mean, especially I want to talk about the subject of, like, difference of waxing. Like, the type of wax that there is. There's sugaring, there's hard, there's soft. But I don't feel like people know the difference. I'm A hard wax girly. I've been like that since I started six years ago. I only do soft wax for the brows. However, I've seen a lot of people transition to soft wax. So convince me.

[B]

Okay, let's see. I was a hard wax girl forever. And I think it start. It stems from esthetician school. They tell you like, this is the only way to do it.

[A]

Shout out to Meriden, though. I love them. They're in all esthetician schools over here, period.

[B]

And a lot of the things that we were taught was that you can't go over the skin more than once. You're going to lift the skin. The labias are very sensitive. I get that. And then I started the price of wax started to get very, very expensive. And again, I live on an island shipping wax. I was paying at least $600 for shipping.

[A]

Oh yeah, I can imagine.

[B]

I'm just like. But the amount that I wax on, the volume that I wax, I needed to have stock consistently. And when, when things were getting low, I'd freak out because like, hey, wait, I need to order at least three 80 pounds of wax.

[A]

And not all waxing companies ship over there, right?

[B]

Not all. We do have black coral out there, but they don't, they don't sell them on the largest. They weren't selling on the larger, the bulk sizes. So Bri from Rebel Wax was doing whatever she can to help me with sending wax to Hawaii. She would give me a discount and I would, you know, I'm very grateful. And I still use Rebel for like, you know, in the, in the nose. But I then decided, case, looking at my overhead, how much it costs for me to ship wax here on the amount of what I'm charging for a Brazilian, I had to do the math. Then I started seeing Jane. We love Jane Payne, Jane Lady Pang. And I started being invested in the way that her technique was, how she sold herself. And then she started doing her waxing summit. So I flew up to San Jose last year and I took the work, her workshop with her team. And it was great. Like we were hands on from the jump. It was a great investment, honestly, because when I look at my numbers, I had, I think I had messaged Jane. I think the first month I had doubled what I made just as a hard waxer in just soft wax. Then I was purchasing wax from Jane on the level of two cases every two months. Then Jane presents me with the opportunity, do you want to be a distributor in Hawaii? And I was just like me, just me, like, you Know, like, you can go to anybody else, but you chose me. And she's like, I feel like with your, your students, you have the clientele and you have the students, you can make distribution happen. So I was like, okay, you know, I'm moving into a house. I have the space to store the wax. All these, all this, that and the other.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So then I started getting wax. I got the pallet to me and I looked at it and I was like, wow, this is a great opportunity. I can't believe Jane chose me to be a distributor out there. So other than my students who have purchased wax for me, there are other estheticians out in Hawaii who have purchased wax for me. And I've also shipped wax out of Hawaii. It was cheaper for me to ship wax out of Hawaii than for me to ship wax to Hawaii. So on the level of shipping wax, say, from, on average, it's like $70 for a case. But when I ship out my, whatever, nine cans, it's like $12. So I make, I make some type of profit from this. And now with the speed of, of soft wax and the prep and the, the products that I have, with lady paying, I've been able to take my waxing from 20 minutes to. Maybe the fastest wax I've done is like six, six minutes.

[A]

God, you're going to pull my vagina hairs in six months.

[B]

That's hot. But, but the thing is, I tell people, a lot of my clients are like, they're fast paced girlies. They want to do the in and out. They're okay with the in and out. Some people are on their lunch, some people want to quick in and out.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

They, and they're okay with that. Whereas I know there's a lot of talk in the beauty industry like, oh, you're not being really thorough with your waxes because you're, you're, you're doing it under seven minutes. You don't build client rapport. And I tell people I can learn about my client's whole history within seven minutes because I have the social worker aspect. Right. I know the right questions to ask. But my, my dialect when I talk to clients like, how'd you find me? Is this your first wax? If you ever been wax before, what type of wax were you waxed with? And I've had girls like, I've done sugar, I've done hard wax, I've done laser. But, you know, you make it so tempting to come try. So I'm like, yeah, let's try it. And every client I have Changed from or every client who have seen me and they've gone soft wax. They're like, this doesn't feel as hard as hard wax. And let me bring it down. I think the biggest thing is the application and the pulling and the tugging of the hair with hard wax and then that lip part. Right. So I'll tell clients like, you go with what feels comfortable for you. I'm not going to convince you to choose soft wax. But when I transitioned, I think I lost maybe two clients to. Because they were like, oh, the soft wax is too much for me. And I get it. So I refer them to my girls who do hard wax, and they're fine, they're happy. I will never tell a client. Well, like. Well, then screw you for not wanting to come to me because I changed my method. Go where what works for you. And that's how I've always been.

[A]

Yeah. So I asked this Marlo.

[B]

I don't know what episode it was.

[A]

But I asked somebody, can you make a relationship with a person under. Because, you know, I have people that do it in 30 minutes or they book out. They don't necessarily wax in 30 minutes, but they book the time gap per 30 minutes. And I asked her, I was like, can you build a relationship in the 15 minutes that you have to wax? And she was like, no. And I was like, you know, I. I have a 30 minute gap too, but. Because I feel like in the beginning when I started waxing, I started doing it from home. Six years ago, I started from home. And then I built this.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I burnt myself out. I was doing like 20 to 25, just like you. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I am exhausted. But, you know, I loved that I did that because it got me here, but I just killed myself. Like, I literally would come, like, literally be at home, and like, I couldn't.

[B]

Even, like, talk to anybody.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

My social battery was not there. And then at the time, I was dating this guy and he was like, well, you're not giving me time. You're not giving me attention and this and this and that. And I'm like, okay, but do you pay me? I'm building a fucking empire here for, like, what do you pay me, sir?

[B]

I think. Hear me out. I think when you don't take people's things personal, it doesn't affect me as much as it used to before. And I'm. And it may sound really like, oh, my God, she's just talking. Whatever.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Once I started going to therapy and I stopped taking things so personal. Like, taking people's trauma in my social battery. Like, yes, I'll be tired, but I will not let it drain me. Yeah, that's the biggest thing. Because I would have clients who would talk about their consistent shitty ex boyfriends or shitty baby daddies, or my job is this. My family is this. And it's constant. It's always like, they haven't done anything else to, like, change that. I kind of changed my mindset to be like, well, you know, I know that that's what's going on, but what's a good, positive thing happening right now? What's the. What's one thing you're looking forward to? I try to change the conversation so that it ends on a positive note. Because I'm always like, how are you doing? And they're like, oh, my God, this, that, and the other. And I'm like, okay, so what are you looking forward to? Because I refuse to go back to that dark hole of like, oh, my God, my client had a shitty day. So. So I'm gonna have a shitty. Yeah, you know, and I think personally, from my perspective, I went from 45 minutes to 30 minutes to 20 minutes, and I'm still at 20 minutes.

[C]

The gap.

[B]

The gap.

[A]

Just in case.

[B]

Just in case, right? You're running late. We need to check out. We wanna talk more. Like, there are some clients who wanna take up my full time and tell me everything. And then there's some clients, well, I gotta go now. I gotta go back to work or my kids are waiting for me. And I've never had a problem with building a relationship with my clients. If anything, I'm like, I feel like I talk too much. I feel like that's why I can do that. And I have clients who just don't. Are not as, like, hyper as me. So, like, I'm always like, so, what do you do? Where are you from? How'd you find me? I ask the basic questions, and then when they don't want to give you.

[A]

Kind of get the vibe.

[B]

Yeah, I catch the vibe. I'm like, yeah, we're done. You know, see you in five to six weeks. Make sure you exfoliate. If you need a 50 grit or if you need an agent 88, I can. You can purchase it now. And sometimes clients just come because you are basically. How do I say this? You are like a breath of fresh air from their chaotic life. And maybe they just need to be quiet in your appointment. I mean, it's going to be awkward because I'm trying to do this and you're not responding, but it is what it is. I don't take it personal anymore. I used to take a lot of things personal when I started off in this business. I. Whether it be somebody. No showing me or somebody trying to talk bad about me. I just. I used to get so hurt because I didn't. I used to base my value off of the negative comments when I should value my work and my business on the amazing people I get to see. The. The great networking I've done, the great relationships I've built, the. The babies that my clients got pregnant from, their wax from, you know, and then they bring their babies and I'm like, oh my God, you're a product of what we did here. My best friend. No, literally, my best friend got pregnant because. Really quick because of. Because of the wax was so good, you know, twice back to back. Her babies are back to back.

[A]

So. No, let me ask you, have you gone through something traumatic that you kind of put yourself in a situation where you were like, should I pour my. Like, should I talk about myself with my clients? Or like, do you tell them personal stuff that is going on? Or.

[B]

Again, I feel like a lot of people can read energies and whether I. Whether a client comes in and they'll be like, what's wrong, Johnny? Like, something just feels wrong because I'm not my hyper self. Right. I did. I was engaged in the beginning of the year, you know, and then he had chose to leave two weeks after our engagement. And I did redo my 30th birthday because he asked me to marry him on my birthday. And I told him, I don't want that. I don't want you to ask me on my birthday because that's my day, you know, and he did. With the ring I didn't want. Fuck. But besides the point, like the trauma that it left me with. Again, if this was old me not healed, not going in therapy, I would have crashed out. I was. It. It was. It was hard, but because I knew that in this moment I still have to run a business, I.

[A]

Girl, did you turn your emotions off?

[B]

Not even. I. I took two days to. To sit with it. I texted my assistant, I'm like, hey, this just happened. I need you to work the next two days. Mind you, I already had posted it on my page saying like, hey guys, I mean, guess who's a fiance?

[A]

I remember that.

[B]

Yeah, that was cute. Like, you know, it was cute. It was. But when. And then clients started bringing champagne and engagement cards and flowers and my Assistant texted me. She, johnny, like, this client brought this. This client brought that. So I'm like, okay, I do. I want to sit here and text everybody, be like, hey, please, thank you for what you did. Which I love. Thank you for thinking of me. Because in Hawaii, that's how we. We share special moments. We give gifts and all that stuff, Right? So I had got on my Instagram, I'm like, hey, I don't want to go too much into detail about this, but for everybody who has brought me a gift or who thought about bringing me a gift, please don't. Because I was engaged and now I'm not. And I'm taking the time to heal. I'm taking the time to figure it out and all these things, right? So when we finally had our last conversation, and he was like, I love you, but I'm not in love with you. I'm not ready. I cannot commit to you. I need to go do this and work on myself. Like, I wish, you know, all those things.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, okay, why would I fight for you? Why do I need to convince you to love me? I'm not going to do that because I can turn this around. And I look at all the people who do love me. My clients who love me, my friends who love me. All of them. Who. Who. Because I have such a. A positive, you know, thing on social media.

[A]

Like a bond. Like, I feel like when I met.

[B]

This year was like a bond.

[A]

Like, are you good, girl? Like, you know, I'm not good.

[B]

I'm not good. But we go figure it out.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. The last thing I need is for my clients to have that, to not benefit from that. You know, I don't need my clients to miss out on their wax because they're going on vacation or they're getting married. And it was really hard in the beginning, but once I started the thing. This is the thing my therapist said, Talk about what hurts you so it feels normal. I feel like if you hold it in, it just eats you up inside. Right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So I will tell clients, like, yeah, this is what happened. But I'm okay. I'm here. I'm here taking care of you. I'm here taking care of me. Taking, like, making. Taking clients after the engagement fail made me feel wholesome again and made me feel like, okay, if I can't. If nobody can pour love into me right now, I'm going to pour whatever I have into my clients. Because without my clients, I wouldn't have a good business. Without my clients, I wouldn't be Living on my own, without my clients, I wouldn't have this special bond, you know? And even, like, you guys, like you said, you reached out to me. So many of the girls in the States have reached out to me. Texting me after. I even said, like, please don't call me. Please don't text me. Everybody, they don't listen. Y' all don't listen. But I got it. And that showed me that, you know, if. If right now is not the time for love, I'm gonna get it somewhere else. And I got it. I got it from my community. And that, to me, was just like, you don't need that, Danny. You got it. You don't need that type of relationship. And right now, you just have to work on yourself.

[A]

So that's fine, too.

[B]

Exactly. So that's when I was like, okay, boom, I'm gonna hire another girl. I have two girls working under me. I was able to, like, start doing more workshops. I was sending out more wax to people. Like, after the. The breakup, it kind of just gave me more opportunity, whether it to go continue my gym life, you know, make new friends, come out to San Diego and Cal and. And out to California to do this. Like, it gave me opportunity to grow, but also not be bitter. It gave me, like, don't be mad. Yeah. Like, I didn't have after. I didn't want it to change my heart. That's the biggest thing. Because I'm again, I'm an empathetic person. So when somebody tells me that they're going through, I will cry. But I didn't need people to feel sorry for me. I needed people to be like, she's strong. She got this. And continuing to run a business after all of that, girl, I bounced back quick.

[C]

Oh, that's so.

[B]

I think I had messaged Jane my first. After I had hired on the girls, I was like, we just hit 25k for this month. She's like, that's fucking great. Oh, sorry. She's like, that's great, Johnny. Do it again. And we've been. And it's just. For me, it's just like, I don't. I don't need a man right now. I would like one. Don't get me wrong. I want to be a mom. I want to be a wife. I want to have the business and all that. But you know what? My clients are great. They bring their babies. You know, I'm a tia. I'm a tia. Yeah. I'm an ate. You know, that's what we say in Filipino. I'M an ate. So at the end of the day, it was hard, but the bounce back was even better. The bounce back was much better. Wish. Wish nothing but the best for him.

[A]

And that's gonna end it like that.

[B]

I mean, whatever.

[A]

But so, like, it just made you kind of, like, more hungry. As in, like, I'm gonna be chasing the bag. Like, this happened because of this reason. Now I'm just gonna chase the bag even harder because it just.

[B]

It just made me want more for myself. And if I couldn't again, if I couldn't get love poured into me, I'm a poured into myself and I'm important into the people who love and care about me.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, and at the end of the day, signs will be there. Whether it's any type of relationship, whether it's a romantic relationship, a working relationship, or even like, friendship, the signs will be there when it's not meant to be.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So that's all there is, folks.

[A]

So tell me, how did you make a name for yourself out there? Kind of like you already did your pmu, right? But like, how. How did you become, like, this person that's doing workshops now? People are taking your classes. You're big on social media. I see you're recording some. You were recording something the other day, and it looked like you're introducing yourself.

[B]

Something like you're.

[A]

You're doing big things, girl. So tell me, how did you build yourself in such place?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Over there.

[B]

My thing is who. How do I answer this question? I just wanted to be myself, right. And whether it be funny, whether it just be me talking shit, but I still wanted to show my personality. When I started building my business, then I started doing these tiktoks and these reels and. And my one TikTok, I think it. It's like at 3.5 million right now.

[A]

And was it the most random TikTok ever that you didn't.

[B]

It was the POV or first time wax with me. Right. And I got a lot of traction from that.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And when I would get clients from that, the TikTok, they're like, oh, my God. You were literally the same. You talk the same, you are the same. You're funny.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I'm just like, well, yeah. Like, why would I want to be somebody else? Right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And when I started doing that, for a long time, my name on Twitter was Coochie Queen. When or when Twitter was X or when X was Twitter. Yeah. My name was Coochie Queen.

[A]

Coochie Queen.

[B]

Coochie Queen. So because I had this social media presence, I would go out with my friends and we would go to the bars or the clubs. They're like, oh, my God. Coochie queen.

[A]

Shut up.

[B]

They would say that they would see the club or the bar. They'd be like, that's coochie. That's Johnny. That's a coochie queen.

[A]

That would take me out.

[B]

And at first, like, again, I was partying. I was having a great time. Yeah, I'm the coochie queen. And then it started getting to the point where, like, I'm getting, like, at the doctor's office, and people would be like, hey, like, you're the coochie queen.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So you kind of needed to change a little. I'm Jennifer. Nice to meet you. If you want to get waxed, like, I can definitely, like, do that for you. And in Hawaii, the community is very, very small. So whenever, when that video went viral, boom. So many people like, oh, my God. Have you heard of Jenny? You've heard of Johnny?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I would be in, like, Target in my most hobo is clothes. Like, I would be in, like, sweat, sweatpants, hair tie, chilling with no makeup on. And people were like, hey, you're the girl that waxes coochies.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I'm like, yeah, I'm Jenny. Nice to meet you. Oh, my God. I want to get waxed by you. Yeah. Whenever you're ready, book an appointment. I got you. I started, like, taking it and started rolling with it, but it'll be like, hi, I'm Jani. Nice to meet you. You know, because you're like, you didn't.

[A]

Want to be known as that. I mean, you are the coochie queen, but you didn't want to be known as that.

[B]

Like, that was my only personality.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

So that happened. And as I started building on and then I started doing workshops, and then I started teaching more people. A lot of. A lot of the community was just like, we know Johnny. Johnny does this. And Johnny has her own studio. And this girl took a workshop with Johnny. And a lot of my friends in the industry, they also have, like, viral videos or whatever. But I like to be on there because I want clients who are. Who have been like, oh, I'm nervous. I want to do it to get to know me through a screen. Because sometimes texting is not. There's not enough, or dming is not enough. I want you to see my personality from your phone and be like, okay, she seems cool. And that's literally Verbatim. What I get like, oh, I saw your TikTok. I saw your real. And you seem so cool. You seem so genuine and caring. That's what made me want to get waxed by you.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I think that's where a lot of people lack the customer service skills in the industry. You can be. You can do the bomb ass brows, the best lash lifts, the best facials or whatever, but if you don't have a personality to relate to your clients, it doesn't have to be relatable. Just so nice.

[A]

Like, behind.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You're not.

[B]

Here's my thing. Here's my thing, right?

[A]

Y' all get into it because I already know where this is gonna happen before you even start. I had a client the other day. She was brand new. She was a walk in, and I had 10 minutes to spare. And she was like, can you wax me down there? And I was like, yeah, of course. I sat her down, put her in the bed, whatever. And she was like, after I finished, she's like, that was the most quickest. But most. Like, you were so nice and kind.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I was like, well, what do you mean? She's like, well, I've gotten waxed before. And she was just so rude. And like, she said, I'm so vulnerable. My legs are open. But like, she just was mean. Like, she didn't even talk and anything.

[B]

And that's my thing. Brazilian waxes are the most vulnerable.

[C]

Like, yes, yes.

[B]

You have one shot to make this client come back. And if I'm not kissing your ass or trying to learn about you or making you feel comfortable, I'm not going to retain you as a client. Right. But back home, a lot of it is competition. It's a lot of competition. The girl down the road doesn't ask you. It's. It's big out there. But for me, again, I tell people there's 8 billion people in this world. I'm not. I don't care if my client goes somewhere else or if this girl goes to my student. I will attract what I attract. And I'm blessed to have amazing clients and blessed to still get new clients constantly because of an old video I posted two years ago. And I think the hardest part is when we all first start off, we compare ourselves to others. Right? Comparison is a thief of all joy. And I used to be like that, but now I'm just like, why am I going to compare myself to somebody else? I want to compare myself to who I was two years ago. Because the Janney two years ago has healed so much as an individual and as a business, as a business person into something much, much more better. And I've grown, you know, and I think now with the way the beauty industry is going, everybody wants to do something, you know. Yeah, it's, we're in the era of content creation, TikToks and Reels and I'm going to quit my full time job to do this. And I get that. Do your thing, pop your shit if you can do it. If you have the grit and the drive, you have to be okay for the disappointments. You're going to have to be okay with the no shows. You're going to have to be okay with being slow. And at one point I was like, oh my God, I'm not getting enough clients. And I was like, what am I going to do? I even thought about getting a part time job. I really did.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

But by the, again, by the graces of God and like promoting yourself, marketing yourself, I just kept it pushing, kept it pushing, keep it, keep it pushing. Because I feel like after the breakup I got comfortable after I, you know, I, I became stagnant. And then I was like, no, I can't do this. I can't let that have a hold on me. I need more. What more can I do?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And at one point I had, I was only working like four days. I went back in for five days, then I started doing half days. Then I started, I started really learning my clientele and learning when I'm peak busiest. You know, I started looking at my numbers and I'm like, okay, this is, I made small tweaks and changes where I needed to and still I'm still making the, the 20K a month, you know, and that may not be a lot to some, some people and that may be a lot to some people, but don't compare my day, what is this, my year five to your year one period that I don't compare like Jane's what, 20 years in the game. I don't compare my year five to Jane's 20 years. Yeah, because. Or you're 20 years, you know, like I, that's not going to do me any good. Comparing yourself, comparing yourself.

[A]

And I feel like a lot of people that are barely getting into the industry or they're in there already in the industry, like we're seeing you 30 Brazilians booked in. And then they're like, well why do I get one Brazilian or two Brazilians? You know what I mean? And it's kind of, they look at.

[B]

You and they're, like, doubting themselves.

[A]

And that's what makes people quit.

[B]

Yes, absolutely. You cannot quit, even on the slowest day.

[A]

No.

[B]

Make your content. Post something. Like, go in for something.

[A]

Do it on yourself.

[B]

Do it on yourself.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

There was one day I did a. I waxed my eyebrows on my upper lip on my page because I had a no show. And that video got so many. So many comments because it was funny, it was real. It was me just being myself. And even if it was, know, a no show, I still made a little bit of, like. Like my $5 for my Instagram ads. Whatever, you know, it's still something.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And to show up for yourself means more than anything right now. In this day and age. You have to show up even on your worst days.

[A]

And right now, it's so hard. And I was like, you. I got so comfortable. I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, I'm. I was used to taking like 15 to 20 clients a day. Right. And I got so comfortable to what I was making that one day, it just stopped.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, it just. It was slow, you know? But for me, I was always. I'm not one person that's like, okay, if it's slow, I'm still going to come in. I'm still going to do what I got to do because I got a storefront. I got to make it. I got to make it happen no matter what. You know what I mean? So not giving up was one of the biggest things that kind of stuck with me. Like, you went this far to get this far.

[C]

Like, you.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

Nothing changes if nothing changes. Come on now, you know?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I think now with. With the AI, I'm like, AI ain't gonna walk. AI is not gonna watch a coochie.

[A]

Oh. So these videos, y', all, you know those funny ones on Tick Tock, like.

[B]

Well, how did you become a fish girl? Hello. I'm just like, AI cannot wax a coochie. I'm sorry.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, but the thing that a lot of clients tell me is that the thing that, you know, in this recession that we might go through, clients are just like, danny, I still value you, and I budget you into my waxes. Yeah.

[A]

I mean, to my day to day.

[B]

Yeah. Like, I will never give up my waxes. I'll give up my hair, I'll give up my lashes, but I will not give up my waxes. And that to me, I feel. I feel loved. And I. I'm grateful. Even if I have a 7 client day. To a 24 hour, 24 client date. I am grateful for whatever I have.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, my family don't even know what I do. Honestly, like, they just know you wax. They just know I wax, but they don't know on the level of the scale that I do. And I think it's funny because I do videos with my mom and I get all the aunties in her age, they love it. They're like, nobody taught us how to do this when we were younger. And I'm like, well, let me tell you, let me teach you. And they love it. And you know, they value that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So let me ask you, what's one of the best business decisions you think you've made for your business? Where it was like, okay, this is, this is one of the, like, let me tell you mine. My best decision. I don't have employees anymore, as in like hourly. I only have one in my assistant. She's been here for six years. That was the best decision for me. And I know that some people have, you know, 10 employees and they do this and they want like a franchise. I understand. But I feel like for me, I was drained because I was responsible for them eating at home. And that took a toll on me. And mentally and physically, I went home and I would just work, work, work. Okay. I. Even though as a business owner you never stop working, even on your days off, but I feel like me doing that and having five employees under me, I was working 20 times more than that.

[B]

Absolutely. Like you said, you are responsible, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I think for me, the biggest positive thing I did was taking that wax course with Jade because it has opened up another threshold for me. Not just for me, but also for Hawaii. Like back home, it was only hard wax. And now that a lot of people are more open to waxing, I'm not just putting money in my pocket, I'm putting money in my girls pockets. And by being able to make waxing more, you know, faster or more accessible, you know, they also get to feed their kids at home. You know, I have a dog, I don't have a kid, but I feed Deuce now. You know, Deuce gets fed real well because of my clients.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And it also not only just gave me the opportunity to make more money, but it also allowed me to build a community and make networks. Like with Jane, them all the girls on from Teddy Bear Lauren, she also took Jane's workshop. And for me, like, that's what I needed because we don't have this at home, we don't have Community at home. So I've been trying to build, bridge that gap, a community over there where back home the trade shows are more like hair. The classes are more hair barbers. We don't have. We don't have a lash con in Hawaii. We don't have that.

[A]

You don't have like an esthetician con.

[B]

We don't have none of that because everybody just thinks, oh, you, you own a beauty studio. Oh, you do hair or you do lashes.

[A]

Oh, that's like Cosmo first thing.

[B]

Yes. So I've been. This is like, one of the things I've been looking into is hosting a beauty besties brunch where just beauty professionals come together and just talk story. Oh, my God.

[A]

I do that here.

[B]

Get to know people, get to, like, understand how people run business. And you never stop learning that way. Yeah, you learn more about how people run. Like, you guys, you run a storefront. You know, I don't know if I'll ever do that one day. I don't know if I want to get out of the treatment room like that. But it puts into perspective there are so many endless possibilities that you can do in the beauty industry, whether it's education, whether it's owning a storefront or owning, like, rentals. There's so much you can do, education, all that stuff. So I think that's what I want to bridge the gap back home.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And unfortunately, because of how expensive everything is, a lot of people are just like, oh, I want to take your workshop, Johnny, but I can't afford it.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Especially everything right now is just so expensive, you know, like, everything has gone up.

[B]

So.

[A]

But the beauty industry never dies, no matter what it is. It's like, yes, we'll have a really slow seasons.

[B]

But don't, don't let that discourage you.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Because people are going to want to take care of themselves no matter what.

[B]

No matter what.

[A]

No matter what.

[B]

And I think with social media, everybody thinks you can do it yourself. No, girl, I'm gonna tell you, even waxers who wax herself don't get the full of labia. I'm just saying, you know, so I see all these people doing do it yourself waxes on TikTok.

[A]

Shut up. Where?

[B]

I don't like, they're all, oh, okay, okay. So, like, I've seen girls do their own Brazilians. I'm like, I know damn well you didn't get your full butt cracked.

[A]

I literally wax myself and I don't get my full butt cracked.

[B]

I'm telling you, girl, how are you Flexible. That's how you got pregnant.

[A]

Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. I was like, I just had a baby. Come on.

[B]

But that's what I'm saying, you know? Like, I think the biggest thing now, a lot of people is like, I want to pay. I don't. I pay for convenience. So it's convenient for somebody to wax me. It's convenient for someone to do my lashes, because, girl, I know the. The. What is the new one? The. The.

[A]

The clusters.

[B]

Clusters are very popular right now. Girl, I will stab my eye. I will stab my own eye, you know, so I will just go to a professional. But again, it's what you value. It's what you're willing to pay for, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So whatever the. Whichever way the beauty industry goes, if I can just talk and educate somebody, that's enough for me.

[A]

Yeah. And you know what I love? I've been loving the educational posts. I've been loving posting them. I've been loving seeing them. I feel like, for me, though, I've posted so much educational that I don't want to be known as, like, educating other estheticians. I want to. I want to bring in clients.

[B]

Not necessarily.

[A]

There's people, there's different pages, like, education on, like, other estheticians.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then there's pages that are, like, bringing in clients. And I feel like, for me, I'm trying to educate my clients, but it's more going towards other estheticians, like, or they're kind of, you know, like, oh, I didn't know this, or I didn't know that, or they're kind of like, hey, I love the way you post that video. You just gave me inspiration. Now I'm going to post this video.

[B]

Amen.

[A]

You know, so for me, it's like, I love doing educational posts, but I used to do the funny post all the time.

[B]

Same. I would like to bring. Bring that back too.

[A]

But it's like, does it really bring. You know what I mean?

[B]

The propaganda is like, it's. It's tacky. Or, you know, that's. That's what everybody's saying. It's tacky.

[C]

It's.

[B]

It's immature. And I'm just like, no, just have a personality. Do you not have a funny bone? That's what I'm saying. It's just like, I. It's a hehe haha moment. But we can be serious too. Like, yeah, you. You want to go. You want to go have sex after your appointment? Cool. You gonna get folliculitis. But here's. Here's my thing. If you follow aftercare, if you eat the 24 hours, if you don't sweat, you won't have that. You know, sometimes you gotta. You gotta do the sandwich method. Positive, negative, positive.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You'Re taking me out. It's social work. It's a social work tactic. It's positive, negative, but you want positive feedback followed with something to change, then positive feedback. But you're doing great.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

See you in five weeks.

[A]

So tell me some advice that you would give to new upcoming waxes or what you tell them in your workshop. Like, people are feeling discouraged. Like, should I go straight to being solo or should I. Oh, girl, let me tell you. Going back to, like, should I open up a storefront? I love my storefront.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

It's known in the street. I love the location. I. It gets packed on the weekends. We get walk ins.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

Mm. But there is so much overhead to this that we've talked about it so much on my podcast and numbers and everything, but I think I love Ms. Will.

[B]

Ms.

[A]

Being in just an achievement realm and just being with my clients.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But then I look back and I'm like, where do I see myself in 10 years? Do I just see it running on its own and not having to work, you know, and not being in the treatment room?

[B]

Yeah, no, I get that. I think the biggest thing I tell my students, they are always just like, johnny, I'm so inspired by you, and I want to do what you do. And I will tell them cutthroat. This is not. This did not happen overnight. I was working as a social worker first full time, and I was doing brows and waxes part time. Once my. My side hustle surpass my nine to five, that's when I knew to leave. And again, living in the most expensive state, I had to hustle. And you can. Like the. The thing I tell a lot of my girls is, don't compare yourself to me. If anything, if you want to be like me, cool. But I want you to be better than me. I want you to do more than me. Whether you're doing Brazilians and lashes or Brazilians and brow laminations, do it. Do it. If you feel that you want to dabble into education, cool. Do it. But remember who you are and really look into your core values as a person, because people are coming to you for service. Like, yes, you can do it. I can do a Brazilian in three minutes if I wanted to. That's 90 of why people? Or that's 10 of why people come to you 90 is because of who you are, what you, what you portray yourself as, who you are as a person. How you make people feel, that's how you build great clientele. Don't get me wrong, there is a percentage of, a percentage of clients who come to you just because you're available, not because they actually know who you are and know your story. I have had people be like, I've been following you for years. I love your story. Thank you for sharing about your mental health. Thank you for sharing about your breakup. Because it made me more drawn to you because you made everything feel human. Girl, if I was just cutthroat and just only showed the good, nobody would come to me. Yeah, I feel like people are more relatable now.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, and for, for what it's worth, you will find the people. I always tell my students, you will find the people who want to come to you. You just have to put in the work. Whether it be late nights, whether it be early mornings, whether it be staying up, making content, editing videos, having your other half help you. Like there is so many endless ways to build yourself. You just Nike, just do it. Just do it. Yeah, I, I don't know. There's no, there's not a lot of advice I can give other than to just one, be yourself and, and do the work. Because none of this happened overnight. You didn't, you didn't build your storefront overnight. You didn't. And building your next one, it's, it doesn't happen so quickly. It's hard work, it's grit, it's consistency. Even on the days you don't want to show up, you have to do it.

[C]

Yep.

[A]

And a lot of times these, you know, again, social media is such a big place to discourage people.

[B]

Oh, absolutely.

[A]

And also schools too, they're not teaching them a lot of like business outside of, you know, what it is to be like going solo or working in a place. They're kind of just like saying here you got your state board, you passed it. That and that it is what it is. But I feel so bad for those students now because they are going into this really wrong. They're not, they're going into this like open minded, like, oh, I'm going to get clients right away and this is.

[B]

What it's going to be like.

[A]

But it's in reality, it's not like that.

[B]

Middle school doesn't teach you, you how to be on your own. A lot of beauty schools teach you to go work for somebody else. And that's why I always tell people that if you want to own your salon one day, do a six month plan, do a one year plan, work somewhere, gain the experience, build the trust in your clients. Then later on, when you can afford to be on your own, by all means. But remember, rent, your, your licensing, your supplies, all of that costs money.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So much money.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Until I, I knew my first year in business, I cut a loss. Second year I broke even. Third year I made my first six figures. I was so happy. I was so happy I did that. But I was like, I need more. I need to do more. Because this is not always going to be like this. And I think again, you just have to have the grit and the drive to do it. You can't give up. You cannot get comfortable. We got comfortable, but now we're just like, I'm uncomfortable. I'm very uncomfortable. Very. There is a fire under my ass and I need to keep going. But it's like also when you surround yourself with the right community, like people, you know, other beauty professionals who inspire you, like, I'm constantly inspired by my people.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's like, okay, they do that. Let me, let me see what I can do too, you know, because don't, don't get me wrong, I don't ever sit there and be like, yeah, I'm the best waxer in Hawaii. I don't ever say that. That. And even though people will say that to me, I'm like, no, no, no. I hate being called in. I hate being called an influencer because I'm not an influencer. I may influence you. I'm just a regular schmegular girl, you know, like that. I'm just a regular girl. I don't. All of this I pay for. I don't ever do anything for free like an influencer does. Or like, I'll post this so you can get this. I don't do that.

[A]

Yeah, I'm.

[B]

This is true grit. This is me.

[A]

Influencers make a lot of fucking money.

[B]

Absolute nerdy.

[A]

But they pay a lot of taxes.

[B]

I'm just like, if I got PR boxes like this girl, I wouldn't be doing this. You know, I would sit here in front of a camera and just shoot the shit. No, I didn't like this lip gloss. Don't buy it.

[C]

Or.

[B]

Yes, I love this lip gloss. Buy. You know? Yeah, but I don't have the. I don't have that. I don't like to be called that. So when I'm in Target or even In Costco, people will stop me, and I will talk to them like a regular human. I don't love that.

[A]

I don't ever be like, oh, standoffish.

[B]

Yeah. I like meeting people who want to come see me.

[A]

Yeah, me too. I like to be known as, like, oh, my gosh, she's so.

[B]

You're gonna chill. She's so chill.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Word of mouth in Hawaii, that's. That's how we get a lot of your. A lot of clients is word of mouth.

[A]

You know, I feel like when they meet me, they're like, oh, my gosh, you're gonna love Dee Dee. It is so nice. She saw this, and I'm like. Because I like to be known as that. I don't. Why the am I making me a. To you the first time I meet you? Like, because then if you. If you present yourself as that, you're.

[B]

Always going to know exactly.

[A]

I was like, oh, she gave me that.

[B]

She rubbed me the wrong. Yeah, again. But again, I used to be. There used to be times where I'd be like, oh, my God, I was. I was too much that day. And clients. I've had people say bad things about me. I just brush it off. Okay, you think I'm a shitty person. Okay, cool. Whatever makes you. Whatever helps you sleep better at night. Or whatever that saying is. Because at the end of the day, I know what I bring to the table and what. I know what I'm doing for my clients. I just want the best for everybody, you know?

[C]

Oh, I love you.

[B]

Literally, in business and for my clients.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So that's why I'm always looking for the next thing for my clients, and I'm always looking for the next thing for myself and my students. So before I left for San Diego, I emailed my students, this is what's going on. I will update you guys when I get back. We're going to have lunch. We're going to shoot the shit, and we're just going to talk. We're just going to talk and, like, see where everybody's business is at. But ever since I have, like, I've had, like, 12 students. They're all doing good. They're all doing amazing. They're all making good money. They have their own clientele. Like, that's all I want. That's my babies.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And then it shows a lot, too. Like, if they're doing good, that shows.

[B]

So much on you as a mentor. Right? Like, that's the one thing, too. A lot of people tell me that. I will. I will get texts like, hey, Johnny, I did this. Amazing. Do it again now. Double it. Double it. Yeah. And then it inspires me because if my student's doing that, I should be doing that too. And don't get me wrong, I hate. I hate making content. I do good at it. I just shoot. I just press record. And if I mess up, I mess up. I give myself at least like, four chances.

[C]

Stop.

[B]

And then I'm. Then I'm done. I. I will shit you not. I have so many videos that are unedited because I'm just like, I need a Milo or Marlo. No, let me tell you.

[A]

Let me tell you. I be doing the same shit. I record my day, right? And then I go home and I'm.

[B]

Like, I don't want to edit it.

[C]

I don't.

[A]

And then I don't end up posting it.

[B]

But see, I have a lot of friends back home who do the day in the life as a business owner.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

My friend Teal, love her. She's amazing. She has an active brand and she also has a Papala brand, which is the. The. Oh, yeah, the hats, right? And she's always posting, and I was like, girl, I want to be like, you should just do it, Johnny. Just do it. And I'm like, but Teal, like, I forget to record or I forget to do this. She's like, start it off. And I'm just inspired. Like, when you surround yourself with that type of people. Oh, girl. The inspiration comes consistently.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And then they're like, oh, you're. And this is the funny thing is like, oh, you're Jenny. You're. You're. You're Teal's friend. I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm Teal's friend. They're like, you're. You model for Teal. I was like, you know. You know, and it becomes a conversation starter. And that if I can get one client just over one conversation, why not?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

If I can get a student over one conversation, why not?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So at the end of the day, again, there's 8 billion people in this world. Your job is. You can do it. Yeah.

[A]

My girls say that I'm the one that posts the most because I'm like, yeah, I have to write one. And they're like, they don't post as much. I'm like, well, you guys need.

[B]

And I'm like, over here.

[A]

Like, I shouldn't even. I'm like, I should be posting way more.

[B]

Right?

[A]

But then I'm like. I said, I just feel like my social battery Just, I go home and I'm just like, damn. You know, because I do so much social media. I have this, then I have here, and then I have other things. Like I have so much going on. And then social media is just like.

[B]

I give myself boundaries. I used to be the type of person who doom, scroll and repost.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I'm not gonna lie, after the breakup, I took a break from social, from my business page and posting on my business page because I was like, bro, get your mental health in checked. But after that, I was okay. Now let's get back into it, you know, let's do the funnies, let's do the education. Because you can't, you can't lose that. Once you stop, once you go eat cognito for a year, girl.

[A]

That's it. Yeah, that's it. Cons, you're. If you're not consistent, it's, it's, it's done.

[B]

Don't get me wrong. I know so many people who don't post and they still get a busy schedule and I love that. Yeah, I'm scared. So let. Let me just keep doing what I need to do, you know, so that's just how I see it.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, thank you so much for coming on here for me. All the way from Hawaii, Pacific Ocean, period. Five hour flight by herself.

[B]

By myself.

[A]

We always end this pod. I didn't even tell you that. But we always end this podcast with quote, and I hope you could think of something. It could be anything. Just, you know what, A lot of my guests that I have, it's just something that they can relate to. Could be funny, could be not something you want to tell us to end this.

[B]

Make the world your domain, Honestly. And to stay beautiful. Because you are beautiful.

[A]

Oh, I love that. You know, all coochies matter too.

[B]

All coochies matter. Well, get rid of the razor.

[A]

Drop the razor.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

What did you say? Venus, Brad. I don't even know the brand.

[B]

Venus. Bic. Gillette. Leave it. Leave it. Call us and we'll refer you to somebody. You know, call me first. Don't. Don't go straight to the razor. Also, we don't know where that razor been. Ask your boyfriend where it was.

[A]

And if you're in Hawaii. Oahu.

[C]

Right?

[B]

Oahu. There you go. Come see me. Danny the artistry, Pearl City, Hawaii.

[A]

Well, thank you so much for coming out.

[B]

Thank you, my dear.

[A]

And I hope to see you again.

[B]

You know, give me a reason. I'll be out here.

[A]

Bye, guys.

[B]

Bye.