Running a business can be sooooo frustrating! Right? Sometimes I just wish the zombie apocalypse would happen today. I'd be on the sidelines cheering for the zombies. Being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. Over the years I have learned that is best for me to stay quiet and not really say anything when I'm hurt or angry. Generally, I don't really say anything wise or do anything really productive. In today's episode, I'm going to share some tough love. Some of you like to use your ...
May 12, 2021•30 min
When you started your lash business were you aiming to be the K-Mart of lashes or was your dream to one day be more like the Nordstrom of lashes? (Does anyone even remember K-Mart?)Being a high-class establishment that is known for taking care of its clients isn't just something you throw together by accident. You need to build systems, establish high standards for customer service and you need to have the best equipment. I see a lot of lash artists work hard to be great at lashing but then cut ...
May 07, 2021•33 min
As a business owner, I have often dreamed of having superpowers. "Oh look, the bank account is low on cash...no problem, I'll use my superpowers and print money (legally) with my trusty lash utility belt".Okay...none of that works or makes any sense. I just wish I could snap my fingers and fix things. Sadly I have yet to develop any powers that just fix problems like unhappy customers or cash flow issues. In today's episode, Tussanee and I sit down and talk about a power we have developed over t...
May 04, 2021•17 min
We all have setbacks....to be human is to have to deal with setbacks and losses. For many people when a setback comes, they seem to embrace it and use it as the reason why their life hasn't gone as they hoped (I would have had my own lash salon by now, but my potential landlord smells like popcorn and I couldn't work with him). Some people like Sarah Robertson get pushed down by very difficult setbacks (in her case Multiple Sclerosis) and yet somehow rise above the excuses. Sarah and others like...
Apr 30, 2021•49 min
Want to stand out from your competition? I know we do with our podcast (we are thinking of starting Taco Lash Tip Tuesday soon on IG to help us differentiate ourselves from the 1000's of other lash podcasts). Doing something out of the norm is really how you're going to make your business rise above the sea of sameness. There are a lot of good lash artists in the market...so you need to find little things that can set you apart (We're the only lash podcast with a pug as our mascot!).In today's e...
Apr 27, 2021•15 min
Have you had to close your salon and start over at a new location? If you have, you know it can be very difficult and discouraging.For me, I had to start over when I was in the FBI witness protection program after I testified against the world-renowned gangster "One-Eyed Billy Bob". Okay...that's not true...Billy had two eyes...but you get the point...starting over because you had to move or because you put your life on the line to be a "star witness" is something most of us hope only happens on...
Apr 22, 2021•51 min
How's your work/life balance? Is there really such a thing? For me finding a perfect balance between life and work has been about as difficult as finding hair on my head. Sad but true. Finding balance for me is a myth and in today's episode, we give you a sneak peek into what is going on with our business between now and the end of June.We have a lot going on and wanted to share our process on how we are going to get through this crazy time (we don't share this in the podcast, but I'm guessing t...
Apr 20, 2021•28 min
How much has your life changed since the pandemic hit us back in March of 2020? For us, the pandemic brought about a lot of change. We had to cancel the LashCruise (lost a bunch of money on that), close Tussanee's lash business and I decided to let my beard grow way beyond what was natural or socially acceptable. It was a tough time with all sorts of changes being forced upon us (thankfully only my family had to deal with my changing beard). As I've gotten older, I've gotten a little more comfor...
Apr 15, 2021•1 hr
Every once in a while...I'll get a DM, email, text, or maybe post online from a concerned artist letting us know we are hurting the lash industry. It usually goes like this:(Playing the part of the "concerned lash artist" is Cardi B.)Cardi B: Hey mother $%#&@...you are one lame #$&!!!Okay, that actually has never happened to us...at least not that aggressive...but we have gotten messages telling us we are bad for the industry and are hurting naive lash artists. (BTW who thought Cardi B w...
Apr 13, 2021•44 min
Do you have dreams of being a lash salon owner one day? How about having your own product line? Or maybe you want to be a circus clown with huge lashes. (Wait a minute...That's my childhood dream...just forget about it). If you are like most lash artists I know, you probably have some ideas and dreams of what you want to do someday (What? You don't want to lash alone in a room for 40 years?).If you are a dreamer, this interview is for you.In today's episode, we sit down with Kellie Pillors, owne...
Apr 08, 2021•52 min
Need some ideas on how to grow your business? If you're not using partnerships you're missing out (I know I missed out in partnering with my best friend Steve Jobs and Apple back in 1977...still kicking myself). Back when Tussanee first started her lash business in the lash dark ages of 2005 (we used rocks as tweezers), she partnered with a lot of local businesses and associations. If she hadn't come up with that idea (I was against it like I was with Apple), she wouldn't have gotten busy as qui...
Apr 01, 2021•1 hr
What is going on with premade fans? I know a couple of smaller brands who have completely run out and I know of at least two major lash brands whose inventories are low. Is this premade fan lash apocalypse that the lash prophets warned us about? Or maybe the lash gods are mad that some of us sold out the industry and started to use premade fans...it's judgment day. Okay, enough of the silly excuses. The truth is the premade lash industry has been hit like many industries by the Covid shutdowns a...
Mar 30, 2021•22 min
I have really grown tired of the endless amount of DMs I get from you "busy" lash artists asking me for advice on how to get rid of all these high-paying clients that book out for years in your schedule. I know it's tough for you. That said in today's episode we want to offer some help and encouragement to those lash artists who are still struggling to get their books filled up. If you are struggling to get your books full, we know your pain. When Tussanee first started doing lashes in 2005, nob...
Mar 25, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Do you currently feel stuck with your business? Do you ever struggle with what to do next with your business? Do you want to see big changes but just don't know where to start? (I had this hope with my hair but I gave up.)If you are struggling to make changes in your business, you are not alone. Change is difficult...change is scary (being bald is scary too but we'll save that for another podcast). It's amazing to what lengths I will go to when it comes to avoiding change or making big decisions...
Mar 23, 2021•20 min
The LashConference (AKA LashCon) is entering its third year and today Jenelle Paris, the CEO of Lash Affair and host of Lashgasm Radio, interviews us about our experience with the LashConference. Normally we interview others about their life and business adventures but today we thought we'd share Jenelle's podcast that we were on recently where we go into some lessons learned from past LashCons and give you a peek into some of the things we hope to do this coming year. There is a second half to ...
Mar 19, 2021•56 min
A year ago this week, we had to shut down our business and we had to cancel the ill-fated "Lash Cruise". It was a tough week. On the news, we were being told we just needed to stay home for two weeks to help "flatten the curve". I had a sinking feeling two weeks would not be enough. We ended up being closed for more months in 2020 than we were open. That all said, looking back I have to say I'm so thankful for the shutdown. Yes, money got tight and there was a lot of fear about what was going to...
Mar 16, 2021•19 min
Do you have a dream of owning your own lash salon one day? Of course, you do. Everyone wants to have their own lash empire someday where your staff will feed you grapes while you sit on your lash throne made of spoolies. Okay...maybe that's a little over the top. That said, most lash artists I know hope to have a salon one day (spoolie lash throne not included) but running one is no small task. While you might be a great lash artist, becoming a great business owner requires a whole new set of sk...
Mar 12, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Does your lash business provide the best customer service in your community? If I were to visit your business, what do you think would most impress me about your customer service? (Please don't say, I developed a close connection with my guests...everyone says that). I know many of you think your customer service is second to none, but what really makes your business stand out? Is it the reception area? Your in-room etiquette? What makes you special? In today's episode, we talk about giving your...
Mar 09, 2021•21 min
If you were a beauty professional in 2020, it most likely was a horrible year for your business. I've seen some of my lash friends throw in the towel and just decide to move on...and I don't blame them. In many states and countries around the world, they've deemed us as "not essential" and forced us to close our business (many have opted to work underground....time to open up our "speakeasy" lash salons). While sadly we have had to say good-bye to some wonderful artists this last year, this has ...
Mar 04, 2021•59 min
Are you ready for another social media app? If you're like me back in early January, I'm sure you're saying "NO" as you read this. You might be thinking, "I'm already on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Yelp, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Vine...I don't have any more time!!! Arrrrgh! If I have to post on one more feed, I swear I'm quitting this life, moving to Pennsylvania for a more simple life and becoming Amish".I get you...that is how I felt too and after living the simple life in ...
Mar 02, 2021•25 min
Did you know that most of the lashes we use in our industry are made in China, North Korea, and Vietnam?"Of course I know that Paul...I wasn't born yesterday. Tell me something I don't know". Did you know if I close my eyes, I only see clowns? Wait...let me try this again!Um...did you know that Bella Lash is making lashes in the United States at this very moment as I type this made-up conversation? "What? You crazy Paul. That's impossible". True I might be crazy (we can talk about that on anothe...
Feb 25, 2021•52 min
Are you thinking of renaming your business? Are you about to open your first business but aren't sure what to call your new salon? If you said yes to either of these questions, you'll want to listen to this baby cast episode where Paul shares tips from one of his favorite books from 2020: "Hello My Name Is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick" by Alexandra Watkins. BTW...even if you said no to my questions, I think you'll find this episode to be very intriguing (of course I'm a little b...
Feb 23, 2021•14 min
Do you have a product you want to share with the lash industry? Do you know what it takes to take your product from an idea and make it into a reality? If you've been thinking of making a product, then this episode is for you. Mary of Cosmoglo sits down with us and shares the details of her journey. I'm sure it won't come as a surprise that her journey was not a smooth one and it's full of setbacks and hard lessons...in fact she is still today working on improving your product immediately after ...
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr
If you have your own business, you know that if you don't have enough clients or if you don't watch your budget, you could see your business fail. Initially, when you start a business these two things seem to be what most beauty bosses worry about...sadly there are a lot more things you need to think about if you really want to have a successful business. In today's episode, Paul breaks down five things that can destroy your beauty business if you don't handle them correctly. All these possible ...
Feb 16, 2021•30 min
Do you spend a lot of time on Instagram trying to build your following? Having a large following that is engaged with you is a great way to build your business...but it's easier said than done. In today's episode, we close out our interview with Ali (AKA Lash Anarchist) on how she built her following on Instagram. If you follow Ali you know her page gets huge engagement and it didn't happen by accident. Ali over the last three years has been very purposeful and just has a knack for connecting wi...
Feb 11, 2021•1 hr 2 min
What are your feelings about discounting? If you are like a lot of lash artists I talk to, many people feel discounting their services hurts their brand. I'd say that is true if you are fully booked out for three months and every time you raise your prices, your books stay full. If your name in your community is gold like this, then yes discounting will hurt your brand. That all said, I'm going to assume there are enough of you out there who are newer and are trying to build your following...or ...
Feb 09, 2021•20 min
Do you want to have your own lash salon with staff someday? If so you will not want to miss this episode. Salon ownership is an amazing calling and as a former salon owner, I have the utmost respect for people in our industry who pursue their dream to be a salon. I feel salon owners have the most difficult job in our industry. That said, I don't feel salon ownership is for the weak at heart. It's a tough road and today we sit down with Ali to talk about her experience of running her own salon (a...
Feb 04, 2021•48 min
Do you hate Yelp? Have you gotten a bad review on Yelp or Google? If you have been in business for a while, I'm sure you have. Sadly getting bad reviews is part of the job when you have a business. When we got our first bad review it destroyed our day...in fact for days Tussanee and I just keep talking about it. We questioned if it was a real review. We seriously doubted the claims the person was making. We felt violated! Has that happened to you? What we didn't know then but do now, is bad revi...
Feb 02, 2021•21 min
Have you seen a post like this? Angel the Lash Artist: "Hey guys I had a client come in again with dirty lashes....ugh! This is the 5th time it's happened!"Lash Minion: "What! It's time to fire that girl!"Lash Minion 2: "That's right...I've fired clients for less!"You know where this going...just a bunch of lash artists talking about how they all deserve better clients and that you don't need to work with someone who is late or never cleans their lashes. I get it...it's empowering to say "fire t...
Jan 28, 2021•32 min
Do you replace your glue dot multiple times during a service? If you do, stick around for this podcast as we hope to save you a lot of money by getting you to rethink this practice. Imagine if you only used one glue dot per client? How much glue would that save?Recently I've been seeing posts on IG reminding people to replace their glue dot every 30-60 minutes during a lash appointment. I even saw some people saying they replace it every 5-10 minutes. What? If you did a 90-minute appointment you...
Jan 26, 2021•16 min
