I’ve known Scarlett since we were knee-high in tutus. We became friends at just three or four years old and, even an ocean apart, we are still lifelong friends. I often find life sad in that sometimes friends are only meant to be in your life for a season or chapter. So, it gives me extra joy that my oldest friend is still my longest friend.
Growing up, Scarlett was always a go-getter, very intelligent, and full of the perfect amount of feistiness to get things done. Therefore, it’s been super unsurprising to me to see her open her own business and reach an incredible level of success in just a short time, and at such a young age. Not only is she a badass businesswoman, she is a bloody amazing friend. She has always been there when I needed her, and she is incredibly supportive of everyone around her. She is also the most fantastic mother. A triple threat – a brilliant businesswoman, a brilliant woman, and a brilliant mother.
There is nothing she cannot do, and I am immensely proud of the woman she has become. There is something really special about seeing the one person who has been there your entire life become successful and happy. I couldn’t be happier to share her interview with you!
What is your job title?
I am an Advanced Skincare Specialist and Beauty Therapist. Owner of Pure Beauty- Skin & Beauty Clinic on Anglesey in North Wales.
What was the hardest thing about opening your own business?
For the first two years I worked from home and slowly built up an excellent reputation with a loyal client base. The hardest phase of starting my business was taking the next step to own a salon premises and become and employer of on average four members of staff. The challenge was to extend the client base to ensure that our reputation was maintained at a high standard whilst bringing in enough income to finance my employees, provide the best training for their own professional development, and allow my business to expand with advanced treatments and award winning brands.
What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
The perception of beauty therapy is that we provide physical changes to the body to make a person feel beautiful, however when you work in this industry you soon come to understand how much impact we have on a person’s mental well-being and confidence. My best example is a young woman with severe acne and scarring, that was painful and affecting her mentally; loss of confidence, emotional, lack of sleep from worry and genuinely feeling unattractive. As a beautician this broke my heart and I was determined to help her. I was honest, I knew it would take time and she was willing to go ahead. We worked together; every two weeks she would come to my clinic to receive a facial treatment that I had recommended. She also worked alongside me by treating herself and using a list of skincare products that I had prescribed. Within six months her acne had disappeared. TEAMWORK.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your younger self about entering the beauty industry?
Make sure you know who your support network is going to be. For me it was my Mum and Dad (who have both owned successful businesses). For someone else, it may be your college, your local council, the Professional Beauty Community, and most importantly your local small business support network. You will always need someone to bounce ideas off and accept constructive criticism from so that you can develop and grow successfully.
How has COVID impacted the beauty industry?
This has been massive. Due to the long-term effect of this crisis, I made a very difficult decision to downsize my salon premises and make redundancies. This has allowed me to protect my business branding, my reputation and my own income, which I felt were at high risk of being lost if we had try to continue using the same business model from the pre-COVID era. Now that lockdown has been lifted, I am already seeing a positive return to the business. Meanwhile, I have been able to use this time to take Pure Beauty on a journey to become focused on my advanced specialist treatments only.
Has motherhood impacted the way you work?
I could tell you that as a mother I have become “more time-efficient and excellent at multi tasking”, but the truth is my little boy was born before I started Pure Beauty and therefore I don’t know if I would have had those skills regardless! I had Oscar when I was 20 years old and as many young mums would agree, this provided me with the greatest determination and drive to succeed. My son and I have grown together with this journey. He doesn’t know a world without me owning Pure Beauty!
What is your proudest career moment?
In 2018 I was nominated into the North Wales Young Business Awards (NWYBA) for “Salon of the Year”- their mission is to collectively raise the profile of excellent young businesses in North Wales. I honestly didn’t think I would even come close to winning this amazing award, being surrounded by so many fantastic young business entrepreneurs, so when my name was called out and I collected that trophy I actually thought to myself, “Wow! after six years of hard work and dedication to Pure Beauty, my salon has become a success.” It was a very, very proud moment and one I won’t forget.
What is the secret of success?
Everyone has their own individual definition of success. Success builds up over the years of hard work and dedication you put into your business. Fact. It is so true that people who find true success don’t achieve it by accident. They are very intentional and do the hard work to figure out what matters to them most.
A few important lessons I have learnt over the years that have helped me strive as a business owner are-
•Beating negativity. Understand that the road to success will not be unending, continual joy. There will be difficulties, setbacks, and moments where you question your commitment and passion to your role.
•Don’t define yourself by others’ success. You’ll lose sight of your own goals and merits, and it can often promote feelings of upset and failure. CONTINUOUSLY praise your staff, yourself & your team, your business will flourish so much nicer this way!
• Embrace failure. This is always a hard one! Failure always illuminates a truth about the methods you used, or the particular goals you pursued. Someone very famous once said “failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Very true, wise words
• Focus on survival. The most important goal when beginning a new business, is simply to keep going! For the first couple of years your business will bounce along nicely! After that you will start to see the bigger picture! Don’t set your sights too high or wide or establish unrealistic goals for yourself. Make work comfortable!
Simply set a goal, create a plan, take action and stay motivated. This is how Pure Beauty works for me. Slay your goals girls! It is possible, I promise!
Would you do anything differently on the road to success?
I wish from the word “GO” I had known the lessons I have pin -pointed in the above question!
Over the years, especially the beginning of Pure Beauty I would often sit and over think about things. Everything. To the point of “am I good enough?” “Is it good enough?” “Did I do that right?” “Damn I could have done that so much better...” Sleepless nights due to stress and lack of confidence.
Ladies, IT IS NOT WORTH IT!
Clients often say to me “Scarlett I come to Pure Beauty, because of you.” They say they notice my professionalism and my obvious passion towards my career. I find it so hard to accept compliments but I’m learning too...slowly!
These are things that you don’t often see in yourself, until you sit back and breathe for a minute.
One thing I would change? if I could go back in time and re-do things, it would be to simply realise you are who you are! People will come to you because they want to, & if they don’t? Well that’s okay as well! You are trying your best!
One tip from me- fall in love with the process of becoming the very best version of yourself.
Take it in your stride. Step by step.
When did you know you were successful?
When I won the “Salon of the Year” award in 2018 I knew I was doing something right by Pure Beauty! I also got recognised by Crystal Clear Skincare, a global award-winning skincare brand. I have worked with there products for nearly seven years, so when I was asked to become a Crystal Clear Skincare Ambassador that was a lovely compliment. My work has often been featured on there global website, and in professional beauty magazines.
How is it running a female-owned and operated business?
I’ve always enjoyed being my own boss! However, owning a female operated business can also be very challenging at times as well. Successful female business owners often have particular personal characteristics as well as business skills. We can be highly motivated, creative, energetic and not afraid to take risks. But even armed with a few of these qualities I’ve learned over the years that you need to be prepared for some setbacks along the way.
The beauty industry is extremely competitive and constantly changing to bigger and better things. It is an industry that will NEVER stop growing. This can often be hard as you sit and question, will this new treatment work for me? Is it worth the money? Will it be a popular treatment for long or is it a spur of the moment pamper? I have needed to trust my gut instinct on quite a lot of these things and learn what works for myself and my client base.
I have done some courses along the way and have always been supported by “Business Wales” who have been amazing throughout my journey! I am also continuously backed and supported by my branded beauty reps. Ideas and help from them can go an extremely long way.
It can be helpful to speak to other women who have set up a business. I have got a few very close friends who also own female operated businesses, we are always in touch and I find it very helpful being able to bounce ideas off each other!
Social Networking is also amazing! Being confident and getting your business out there can seriously help boost your reputation and gather new leads. My business Facebook page and Instagram page are amazing ways for me to learn more about the industry and meet other people in my current situation. I have made online friends who I chat to everyday! We talk constantly about business skills and how we can improve our performance. Sharing “tips and tricks” can really help to boost your confidence and knowledge and success.
Here's the social media pages for Pure Beauty -- check them out to see more of what Scarlett and her team do!
Instagram: scarlett_purebeauty
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