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Podcast Announcer
The following podcast is a Dear Media production.
Jill Dunn
Welcome to Breaking Beauty the Podcast.
Carlene Higgins
All about the breakthrough people, products and moments in beauty.
Jill Dunn
We're your hosts, Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins.
Carlene Higgins
Hello and welcome back to Breaking Beauty Podcast. I'm your host, Carlene Higgins and I'm here with my fierce co host Jill Dunn. Hello darling.
Jill Dunn
Hi Carlene. And hello Breaking Beauty Pod fam. We're almost at the weekend. You know we're coming into your feeds for a little bonus this week and longtime listeners know that we are two beauty editors turned beauty podcasters. And we're in your feeds each and every week chatting about the breakthrough people, products and moments in beauty. And today we are delighted to deliver an uninterrupted bonus episode on this Friday in partnership with our friends at Lead the Rolfs Group Global Institute powered by l' Oreal Professional usa. So this is the award winning, first ever college and university degree program designed specifically for beauty professionals. And it's fitting that we're chatting about this now given that tomorrow is National Small Business Day. Yay. And so many amazing individuals own a small business in beauty, whether they're a salon or spa owner or an independent creative in the industry. So love that this timing seems just right.
Carlene Higgins
Yes, and Lead by l' Oreal is single handedly transforming the beauty industry from trade to profession by offering a Bachelor of Science degree in beauty and wellness. So cool. And today we're joined by Francis Tesmer, founder and CEO of Lead Ralph's Global Institute. This is Francis's sophomore appearance on our show. She first joined us back in 2022 and she is with us alongside Sherry Lynn Smart, who graduated from the program last year.
Jill Dunn
And Sherry Lynn is a Redken Regional Education Manager at l' Oreal. I love Redken, by the way. Get me that Sabrina Carpenter hair, please. Have he begun her career as an educator and an artist back in 2001 and now she leads in salon and virtual training experiences, empowering beauty professionals throughout the education and industry innovation.
Carlene Higgins
Yes, and I know a lot of you listening are in the biz as well. So if you're interested in a career in the beauty industry or you're already a beautician, maybe you're interested in a degree that can help empower your business or propel you to executive status at a beauty company, you're definitely going to want to tune in today.
Jill Dunn
And just ahead, we're going to be chatting about how the LEAD program works, the new international apprenticeship program launching this year, and what Sherry Lynn's experience has been like Having gone through the program.
Carlene Higgins
Yes. And for more information about the program that we're going to be chatting about today, you could visit leadinstitute Dot degree. Welcome to the show. Frances and Sherry Lynn, thank you so much.
Francis Tesmer
Is wonderful to be with the two of you and happy to be here.
Carlene Higgins
Amazing. Francis, you were on the show. We talked about this just before we jumped on the mic. This was a few years ago now and I kind of want to rewind to how you got this whole program started. So you collaborated with a team of academics and higher education specialists over the course of 11 years, I read, to create this, you know, innovative higher education degree program. So tell us what, why it took over a decade and what was the breakthrough moment that finally made your vision a reality?
Francis Tesmer
Yes, absolutely. Everybody, forever, for a long time has seen the beauty industry as like a secondhand industry and its workforces as, as, as a group of people, as a population that are not so important, maybe not so educated, maybe not many, many things. So that understanding of the beauty industry itself, and particularly the workforce has been in the beginning. Now we are over that, for the most part, a challenge, right? So when you go to the academia and say, I want to create a degree for this population, the very first thing is like, what do you want to do and why? Right? So you have to overcome that piece of it, right? Let me explain to you. The beauty industry is over $800 billion. The beauty matters. Beauty has impact, we need beauty, and so on and so on. So just that psychology or the image or the understanding of people on all front, including beauty professionals themselves, was a challenge to begin with. And then of course, you have to navigate all the system within the academia world that on its own has its own politics, has its own system, legal system, administration system, etc. Etc. So that's that part of it that, that really took a long time to, to do.
Carlene Higgins
I mean, honestly, congratulations to you because I do think that, you know, there may have been again, certificates that you could create. You know, anybody could probably create some sort of educational institute, but that could be at a community center and give a certificate. But to actually have a bachelor and a diploma at a proper degree, I imagine is, is challenging and a whole different thing, you know, you're so right.
Francis Tesmer
You know, it's interesting you say that because a lot of people told me, well, why not a certificate? Why not a seminar? Why not? Because that's been happening and continued says no, why you are not letting this population have also access to higher education, accredited higher education nationally and internationally. Why do you think, A, they don't deserve that, B, they don't need that and see that that's not important to the rest of us. And the why do you think that? And then I would challenge them that, look, your mindset is wrong to begin with. You don't even know what these beauty professionals do on a daily basis, how much psychology they need, how much science they need, how much math they need, how much communication. I mean, the least goes business acumen, marketing. If we want to set them up for success, financial success. Not to mention that it is time for the world to respect this profession.
Carlene Higgins
This is why we've had so many outsiders come into the beauty industry and they say, you know, oh, I had nothing to do with the beauty industry. But they come along because they have the business acumen, but they don't have the hands on skills. But the, it's true, the industry has evolved completely and now we see makeup artists who are running very successful lines or, and some of them try to create a brand, but they may not be as successful because they don't fully understand it. So it's true that we're, you know, we're living in a different world now. And I think it's great that there's really this 360 education for people, as you say, to really invest in the industry that they're passionate about and get that payoff instead of always, you know, relying on, on just that one system where you're doing service after service and you can't grow beyond that. And Sherry Lynn, you're in a bit of a different spot because you work at a, you worked at a company already when you took the program. So I'm very curious to talk to you and find out what your experience was like and what made you decide to go back to school to get your bachelor's degree at leed.
Podcast Announcer
Well, first off, thank you for having me, number one. And number two, I'm super passionate about this industry. And why I wanted to go back to school is because I felt like I was super smart and I was successful in my industry behind the chair. Right. I moved to a corporate position, but I didn't feel like there was some gap that needed to be filled. You know, some of the business acumen as Francis was talking about, some of the self confidence you have when you feel like you earned this education that lets your voice be heard a little bit more. But really I needed to do it for myself and it really has changed my life and my career. How I always say, like, how, how I stand a lot taller today than I did like three years ago. So I did it through my work and I worked full time. I graduated with straight A's, and I learned so much along the way and some of the things that I could. Yeah, it was so great. I got to even speak at our graduation. Thank you, Frances, for that. It was, of course, it was amazing. But I think when it's really done mostly for not just myself, but other beauty professionals, because you can't even imagine how many people, how many people were impacting with this, because really, the hairdresser behind the chair, which we're calling beauty professionals today, really, they want to get to that next level. They need to know how to treat this beautiful profession like a business versus I heard you saying earlier that it was just like, not just service after service. Yeah, correct. It's service after service after service. But how do we treat this as a business? How do we raise the bar of the industry? How do we raise the bar of how beauty professionals see themselves and what they bring to the world? And how, again, do we let them make the best living that they possibly can? So this has really changed my life and how I feel about it, and I feel like now I have the tools to help the industry get to a higher level.
Carlene Higgins
Yeah, that's awesome.
Jill Dunn
So question for both of you, and we'll start with you, Sherry Lynn. How much of a time. Time commitment should a person expect to invest to get a degree with lead? Like you mentioned, you were sort of working full time. So how long did it take you in total and how did you manage it all?
Podcast Announcer
So it took me a total of three years from start to finish. The greatest thing about this program is that allowed my beauty school hours from school and my tenure in the industry, and it gave me credits towards my first year. Right. And so then after that, we went to regular college courses all the time. Then we also had additional courses from lead, which were really amazing as well, because that taught us relevancy of a different type of relevancy of how to bring it back to your everyday life, which I really loved, because that's what I'm doing. I'm still living every single day as an adult. Going back to school.
Jill Dunn
Yeah.
Podcast Announcer
So I would say three full years, and I would say a couple hours, you know, a day. If you have that is great because you're not only, like, you're learning, but you're studying. And as an adult going back to school. The first six months, I was learning how to be a student again. And Understand that work life balance. And then after that it became a lot easier once I could manage my schedule and really know to block out priorities of time. So what I ended up doing was being able to like time management is huge I think in the workforce. But to really know what was important to me. Eating dinner with my family was important. I blocked that on my outlook calendar 6:30 to 7:30 this to that study at this time. And it just went all the way through in little blocks of time.
Carlene Higgins
And so maybe you could tell us Frances, for our listeners, are there part time programs, are there in person programs like how is it sort of flexible to, you know, the new, the newcomer compared to somebody who already is, is working full time and might have a family?
Francis Tesmer
Absolutely. This program was created to be mega flexible for this population. We know most people in this space a 92% women. Many are single mothers or mothers in general or working full time. So we made this program right from the beginning with this population and their lifestyle in mind so individuals can do the whole thing online from anywhere in the world. And to Sherri Ann point, we give them, as you already know, basically one year of college free of charge without them doing anything and not even paying an application fee against their beauty license. They get that 100% free of charge. And then they only have two semester to get a college degree already that you're talking eight months to one year depending on if you're going to be full time or part time and then you go on to university for another two years and boom, you have a bachelor degree of science or you can stay with, with the associate degree. So yes, you can do the whole thing online or if you want to go in person, you can do that too. Most people rather do it online because they can manage their life at the same time. The degree was designed to take as little time as possibly humanly, academically, is at all possible and to give the student because the degree is customized to this population. All of the professors are trained first by us to understand the beauty industry, to understand this population and to customize the classes to serve this population. What was very important to us is that the knowledge they get, they can actually implement it in their professional life as well as in their personal life. Because at the end of the day it should all be about the student. Not some rules, not some policy, not some politic, but the students themselves.
Carlene Higgins
Now Sherilyn, I'm wondering, you worked in the industry already. Is there something that you learned that you thought, oh, I really see what I do on a Day to day, in a totally different way. In terms of something you learned a hundred percent.
Podcast Announcer
I will tell you. I learned a lot of, I would say, critical thinking skills of trying to put the pieces together. I felt like, again, working for a corporation, I was doing my job and I was hitting my goals. I was doing it well. But all of a sudden, it started to get a little easier, and I started understanding the why and the why and just different layers of business. And I think that is what really has helped me, like, to understand it. It's given me a bigger global view, too, of what we're doing and the why behind it. So I would say that is, like, the number one, because otherwise, I was kind of on the other side of it. How you say you're going to all these skincare things. In the hair care thing, I was doing a lot of the hair shows. We were doing all these beautiful looks. I mean, I did covers of magazines. I've done things like that. But it was always like, the end result of it was working backwards. And so I feel like now I'm working from the inside out.
Carlene Higgins
Yeah.
Podcast Announcer
With a different understanding.
Jill Dunn
Right. What was the. What was the class or the course that you took where you really were like, I can't be on TikTok right now. I gotta study. What was the one where you were like, I'm putting in the hours here, and maybe it didn't come as naturally. Like, I definitely used. I can recall plenty of courses, like physics and whatever, and I'm like, ugh, this maybe isn't my natural forte, but I'm glad I'm learning it and, you know, proud when you come out on the other side of it.
Podcast Announcer
Well, one that was really important to me was communication, because I realized that there were so many different ways of communication, and we do that every single day in our lives. And how everybody is different and how you're gonna communicate and different, like, cultures and how we. Yeah, I mean, we're all different. So it gave me a wider perspective of who I'm talking to, what I'm talking to, and how I would do that. And then the one that I might have to say that was the struggle for me the most was some of the finance classes.
Jill Dunn
Oh, yeah.
Podcast Announcer
Those are really hard to do and to learn. But I did learn so much. And, like, fiscally, I feel like I'm so much more responsible than I've ever been. And again, really understanding, just even applying some of the principles of money to life, like, it just compounds and compounds and compounds of whatever you're doing of like getting interest in it, but also like, how do I do that with my habits to make them compound on each other, you know what I mean? And just grow. So I feel like I was able to take some of that information and use it all over my life.
Carlene Higgins
Yeah, I love that. And Frances, I wanted to ask you about the new apprenticeship program that you have on offer now. Maybe you could tell us about that.
Francis Tesmer
I'm so excited about that. I don't know where to start. For the first time, those who love beauty and want to make this industry their professional career, they can do that through apprenticeship program. They don't have to necessarily go to a sort of a classic or in some cases old fashioned, in some cases, better school. Not so school anyway. We have all kinds of school in the US Offering different program. They don't have to do that. Now is a parallel pathway if you wish to learn beauty through apprenticeship. Actually hands on inside of a salon now that's available to you for the first time. And one of the many beautiful thing about that a, you learn and you get paid at the same time. So that's really good. The other thing is that we are bringing the latest education, the most modern, technologically driven education, so all of the apprentices will have access to global beauty, global vision of beauty, practical beauty. And that in one year, in one year, they can in fact go out of the apprenticeship program and be a great beautician, which in many cases that's not the case. When you go to a classic sort of beauty school. And it's not the fault of beauty school, they have to follow certain system, certain things and so on and so on. It takes two years. But when the student go out, they actually don't have real life experience. They actually cannot perform great hair or great anything skin or make or whatever on client and actually earn top money and be successful. So this is the first time ever in the beauty industry in America that we are bringing this apprenticeship program. And it's a game changer. It's just a whole new way of, of learning and earning and getting your license and going out in the world and actually being successful. We're bringing virtual reality to our apprenticeship program. A lot of technology whereby for the first time on your phone, on your computer, you can learn how to cut and you can learn how to color.
Carlene Higgins
Wow.
Francis Tesmer
Yes.
Carlene Higgins
Now you can go to classes. There is a campus though, right? If you wanted to. Yes. You could go to the physical university in Arizona. Right? College. College. University. Okay.
Jill Dunn
Favorite place. Carlene.
Carlene Higgins
I love Arizona. I love it.
Francis Tesmer
Come on over.
Carlene Higgins
You always invited campus visit. I. I can volunteer for one of the haircuts. You know, the student haircut.
Francis Tesmer
You will be a fabulous mother you have now.
Carlene Higgins
Sherilyn, I wanted to ask you as well about. You did the program virtually. I wondered what that looked like for you in terms of networking. Were you able to meet other people, other graduates? Is there anyone you've kept in touch with or anything like that?
Podcast Announcer
100%, yes. With. Because we're in class and where it's all virtual. We see each other's faces just like we are right now, like on a zoom call or on a teams call or anything like that. And so you ended up getting to know a lot of your teammates or your other fellow students, and that was really great. And they were all interactive, so it was really great. Plus, especially the ones that we did through lead, because when we had everyone in the group together and then we would get to talk to each other. So when we met each other at the end of our journey, it was great. I felt like I already knew half people.
Carlene Higgins
Yeah.
Jill Dunn
Yeah. That's very cool. I remember when I was in college or, like a postgraduate diploma I got in publishing, and I'll never forget when our professor, like, at the beginning of the semester said, look around your. Look around the room. These people are going to be your colleagues in the future. These people are going to hire and they're going to have, you know, they're going to be the future of the industry. And I just, like, never forgot that because it just reminds you of the power. Power of networking. And a program like this definitely is going to introduce you to people from all over, I assume.
Francis Tesmer
I love that. So that networking also, I have to add, because we have students from all over the world as we are talking today, all over the world. So through this program, they also get to see other culture, other people, other system, because that's what beauty does. Beauty unites us. So we need to learn that. So that's also a focus. And Sherrianne and all the team, they've. They've collaborated, they supported each other. Just fantastic to see that happening in. In real life.
Jill Dunn
Mm.
Carlene Higgins
And, Sherilyn, I'm curious, before your degree and after, was there anything that happened for you in terms of a promotion or getting more recognition at work or anything like that?
Podcast Announcer
Well, I'm glad that you asked. Yes, I did get promoted to become the regional education manager, and then within that time, I got even more responsibilities. So now I have, like, seven direct reports, and I always thank my education for this. I really feel like I've earned my seat at the table. And I felt that again just the other day because I was in a meeting that before I probably would have never been privy to. And it was just nice again to learn more about what goes on, the thought process and everything else that happens to make the decision a business does. And so at that moment I was really very grateful for my education and just the confidence that I have gained from all of this. So. Yes, and there are people at that same seat at the big table that went to school with me too.
Carlene Higgins
How amazing. I love to hear that.
Jill Dunn
Rising tides.
Carlene Higgins
Yeah. And it's true. I mean, no matter where you work. But I can imagine in a salon, like if you move up, you're going to need to manage people and if you don't have skills in that, it, it impacts everything like the actual work culture. And I can remember years ago, before I worked at a fashion magazine, I worked at a hair magazine and it was called Salon Magazine. And I remember, I always remember one of the articles because it was only distributed to salon, you know, salon professionals. And one of the articles was something about gossip in the workplace. And I thought, oh, what a funny article. But it really was tapped into the salon culture and it was trying to help managers to understand that, you know, that kind of culture can end up getting really toxic. And so just things like that that I feel like, you know, any way of helping to, to educate and foster that like a Lee. A leadership position. Yeah. To have like a healthy work environment is, is so key. Right?
Francis Tesmer
Yeah, I like to add something to that because what you just shared is so important. You know, as we all know, a lot of people from outside of this industry, they come and they own to be an entrepreneur. Right. Ever the beautician who. The salon don't understand why those entrepreneurs or business owners make the decision they make, have the processes. So it's always this, this, what do you call it, misunderstanding and, and all of that happening between the two, which is only because of lack of education and things fall apart.
Jill Dunn
Yeah.
Francis Tesmer
And the thing is in this industry when you don't understand, it turns into resentment, it turns into gossip in terms to everything that is non productive and by the way, is not beautiful. We are the beauty industry. Right. We should only have beautiful thing happening.
Carlene Higgins
We even, we even see it with beauty influencers. Like they're their own mini businesses now and they have teams around them and they may have started out as a teenager and now all of a sudden they're running a team and they're running a business. And you know, these are skills that, that could apply to so many areas really.
Jill Dunn
And Francis, I wanted to ask you, how many graduates have there been from lead at this point?
Francis Tesmer
We have more students applying that we can even manage. Right now we have over 500 that have graduated then in the lead program. We have nearly 4,000 students at the bachelor level. Sheriann is among the very first team member that got the bachelor because it takes three years. Now we have a second group of going that have already graduated on the college level and now they are in university and we just got it started. So yeah, we're really excited.
Carlene Higgins
That must have been very fulfilling watching the first. The class of 2024 with their university degrees.
Francis Tesmer
Oh my God. I am going to send both of you the video of our graduation.
Jill Dunn
Okay?
Francis Tesmer
You are going to cry. I promise you. Teamers of joy. Sherry lan was the speaker at the graduation. She made all of us cry, of course. The whole. And we did a very elegant, top of top line graduation. And we wanted to celebrate it for the historical moment that it deserved. And it was so. It was.
Carlene Higgins
That's wonderful. I was gonna ask, are there limos? Were there limos and champagne involved? I get the feeling that there was.
Francis Tesmer
All the way. My champagne, all the way.
Jill Dunn
It was.
Francis Tesmer
It was an incredible day. I. I will remember that forever and ever. And every time I look at it, I cry again.
Jill Dunn
Amazing.
Podcast Announcer
I mean, the tears thinking about it too.
Jill Dunn
And Sherry Lynn, with the position you're in now, which is, you know, you're. It sounds like you're absolutely crushing it in your career. And looking back, I'm curious, would you recommend doing it, you know, right after high school or after beauty school or working first, getting the real life experience? What's your perspective?
Podcast Announcer
I would. I think it doesn't matter. I think wherever you are in your life is what you're going to get from it. Like, I went to beauty school. I was in high school at the same time, so my experience would be something different. But I think like, whatever you're doing, like, if you are. If I was just out of high school and I had started earlier, I'm not going to lie to you. There's a part of me that says, like, how much more could I have done? And that is actually one of the things that turned me on to doing this is because I had a conversation with my mom and she was in the hospital and I had told her, she asked me if I had any regrets. And I said the One thing I wish I would have did differently was get a formal education. And she asked me why. And I was thinking, because I'm successful today, but think about how much more I could have gone if I had that other half of it. So I would. So I would say do it when you can. It's never too late, right?
Carlene Higgins
Absolutely. Now, Frances, are there any scholarships available that people might not be aware of?
Francis Tesmer
A ton. A ton. Since the beginning of the program until now, we have given multimillion dollar in scholarship. And we are always here to support everyone, to have access to this new life, new career and higher education. And actually, I want to share with you, since the beginning, we have brought so much more to the program. What I mean by that is that if you don't ever want to become a beautician, hairdresser, makeup artist, you don't want that. But you love beauty and you want to work in beauty. We've now created a degree. You can go straight into management without ever going to beauty school or apprentice or anything. Just go that direction and graduate that way or the other thing that is important. You could be in beauty school and you haven't graduated yet. You can take the courses while you're in beauty school, graduate from beauty school while you're taking the courses. We still give you credit against your license, and all of these things has been created. So to Sherianne Point, no matter where you are in your life, our only question is this. Do you want to be in beauty space in whatever position, yes or no? If it's yes, we welcome you on board and we'll make sure you get to your end result.
Jill Dunn
And Sherry, Sherry Lynn, what did it feel like for you to get that, like, physical degree in your hand? And I mean, no big deal. You sounds like you're the valedictorian, so congrats on that. Do you remember the moment when you got that degree? What did it feel like?
Podcast Announcer
It was like the most amazing thing. Like, it was a great moment in my life. And I think about. I can still. I can still imagine going across the stage, getting, like, everything and getting the degree in my hand and so. And walking across that stage. It was. It's very. It's. Yeah, it's emotional because, like, it was something that. Like something that I was missing but I didn't know was missing. And I was really proud of myself. And my family was there. They were proud. My colleagues were there. Everybody in the cohort and everyone at, like, at the graduation, we were all just so proud of each other. And Talk about the support system. We did it together, so that's so great.
Jill Dunn
So tell me, Sherry Lynn, when you walked across that stage, you had the degree in hand, was there anybody that kind of came to mind? Maybe a former boss that like, you know, maybe didn't give you a fair shake in the past or something? Like, I'm kind of petty. So I. That motivates me when I have some haters, you know.
Podcast Announcer
Well, I will say I didn't have like any boss or anything like that, but I started to think about anyone who. I come from a family where I have a sister who's a judge, a brother who's an attorney, you know, a bankrupt attorney. And I felt like sometimes throughout my life I didn't get the same respect as I did because some people would look into our family and say, oh, she just does hair. And it was really. So for those people, I want to probably have a little bit of smugness to them as I walked across the state.
Jill Dunn
Rightfully so. Absolutely. You could be proud of that. Absolutely. Absolutely. I love that. Very motivating.
Carlene Higgins
Absolutely. And I. Let me tell you, I'm a little bit jealous of you right now because I'm in the process of starting my own skincare line and I'm trying to teach myself with help from some not inexpensive consultants on, you know, the basics, on the cost of goods and how to manage inventory and how to project sales and all of those things that, you know, I feel it would. Who knew that I was gonna land here? You know, I'm 50 years old, but life can take you in any direction. So I love that you can kind of hop on or hop off this bus and get the skills that you need at any age, wherever you are. It just, it's all about following your passion and getting paid, getting that bag, which is what everybody deserves. When you work hard and you're passionate and you do what you do with integrity, you should be compensated fairly. So congratulations to both of you. Thank you so much for joining us today and giving us an update.
Francis Tesmer
Thank you so much. Wonderful to be with both of you. But I have to say it is so, so wonderful, Sheri Ann, to see you and congratulation to all of your well deserved success. You again bring tears to my eyes. Very proud of you.
Podcast Announcer
Yes, thank you so much, Francis. Thank you. Ladies. Jill and Carlene, thank you so much.
Jill Dunn
And for all of our listeners, if you want more information about the program, you can visit Lead Institute degree. We're going to link to that in our show notes and on our website and we'll be back next Wednesday with our regularly special scheduled programming. Until then, have a great weekend and happy Small Business day. To all of our self employed, entrepreneur minded, budding beauty business leaders that are listening.
Carlene Higgins
Bye for now.
Francis Tesmer
Thank you.
Podcast Announcer
Ciao.
Carlene Higgins
Thanks for listening. You can find details on every product mentioned in today's episode along with our exclusive promo codes on our blog @breaking beauty podcast.com While you're there, be sure.
Jill Dunn
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Carlene Higgins
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Jill Dunn
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Carlene Higgins
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Jill Dunn
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Carlene Higgins
See you next Wednesday.
Jill Dunn
Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.
Breaking Beauty Podcast – Bonus Episode Summary: Small Business Day Special!
Podcast Information:
In this special bonus episode aligned with National Small Business Day, hosts Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins delve into the transformative impact of the Lead by L'Oréal program on beauty professionals. Partnering with the Lead the Rolfs Group Global Institute powered by L'Oréal Professional USA, the episode spotlights the innovative Bachelor of Science degree tailored specifically for beauty industry entrepreneurs and professionals.
Francis Tesmer, founder and CEO of Lead the Rolfs Group Global Institute, joins the conversation for her second appearance. She discusses the inception and evolution of the Lead program, emphasizing its role in elevating the beauty industry from a trade to a respected profession.
Key Highlights:
Challenging Stereotypes: Francis addresses the long-standing perception of the beauty industry as a "secondhand" field lacking professional recognition. She states, “[...] everybody forever, for a long time has seen the beauty industry as like a secondhand industry [...]” (03:41).
Academic Collaboration: The creation of the degree program required over a decade of collaboration with academics and higher education specialists to ensure the curriculum met industry and professional standards (03:41).
Sherry Lynn Smart, a recent graduate and Redken Regional Education Manager at L'Oréal, shares her transformative experience with the Lead program.
Notable Insights:
Personal Growth: Sherry highlights the boost in her self-confidence and professional capabilities, remarking, “How I stand a lot taller today than I did like three years ago” (09:38).
Balancing Commitments: She managed to complete the degree while working full-time, dedicating a few hours each day to her studies and emphasizing the importance of time management (10:57).
The Lead program is designed with flexibility to accommodate the diverse lifestyles of beauty professionals, many of whom are women balancing careers and family responsibilities.
Francis Tesmer explains:
Online and In-Person Options: The program can be completed entirely online or through in-person classes at the Arizona campus, catering to both newcomers and seasoned professionals (12:40).
Accelerated Learning: Students can earn their bachelor’s degree in approximately three years, with a customized curriculum that integrates beauty industry knowledge with business acumen (15:07).
Sherry Lynn discusses the invaluable networking opportunities facilitated by the program, fostering connections with peers globally and enhancing collaborative skills.
Key Points:
Global Perspective: The program’s diverse student body exposes participants to various cultures and industry practices, enriching their professional outlook (22:23).
Career Impact: Sherry attributes her promotion to Regional Education Manager to the comprehensive education and confidence gained from the Lead program, stating, “I feel like I've earned my seat at the table” (23:44).
Francis Tesmer shares the emotional and celebratory moments of the inaugural graduating class, underscoring the program’s success in empowering beauty professionals.
Highlights:
Emotional Milestones: The graduation ceremony was a poignant moment for graduates like Sherry, marking their achievements and the program’s impact (28:16).
Growing Community: With over 500 graduates and nearly 4,000 bachelor-level students, the Lead program continues to expand, supporting more beauty professionals globally (27:26).
Francis introduces the new apprenticeship pathway, a groundbreaking initiative allowing aspiring beauticians to learn through hands-on experience while earning.
Key Features:
Earn While You Learn: Apprentices can gain practical salon experience and receive payment simultaneously (18:02).
Technological Integration: Incorporating virtual reality and other modern technologies, the program ensures apprentices are well-equipped with both traditional and digital skills (20:56).
The Lead program offers extensive scholarship opportunities, making higher education in the beauty industry accessible to a broader range of professionals.
Francis Tesmer states:
Financial Support: “We have given multimillion dollars in scholarships” and continuously support students to access higher education and advance their careers (30:31).
Inclusive Pathways: Whether entering management directly or advancing from beauty school, the program accommodates various career trajectories within the beauty sector (30:31).
Sherry Lynn encourages aspiring students to pursue formal education at any stage of their careers, emphasizing that it’s never too late to invest in personal and professional growth.
She shares:
Jill and Carlene commend Sherry and Francis for their contributions and the profound impact of the Lead program on the beauty industry. They encourage listeners interested in advancing their careers to visit the Lead Institute’s website for more information.
Final Thoughts:
Empowerment Through Education: The program equips beauty professionals with the necessary skills to elevate their businesses and achieve financial success.
Community and Support: Graduates benefit from a strong support system and a network of like-minded professionals committed to advancing the beauty industry.
Notable Quotes:
For more details about the Lead by L'Oréal program, prospective students can visit leadinstitute.degree. Links and exclusive promo codes mentioned in the episode are available in the show notes and on the podcast's website.
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This summary provides a comprehensive overview of the bonus episode, capturing the essential discussions and insights shared by the hosts and guests. For a deeper dive into the conversations and firsthand experiences, tuning into the full episode is highly recommended.