Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Tarleton.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started off in the beauty industry as a makeup artist while I attended the University of Texas. When I graduated, I jumped straight into beauty school to become an esthetician. My plans even before I enrolled were to open a lash salon with multiple locations. I attended Ann Webb Skin Institute and took a variety of lash extension certification classes. My focus was always lashes when I was in school. I have been lashing since 2011 but made it my full-time career in 2014. I started lashing out of my home and was even mobile for a little while but finally ended up renting a small room inside of a salon suite building. I have always been into art AND business so running a salon was right down my alley. I grew my clientele pretty quickly as I was really meticulous with my work and I made sure my clients were always happy. It wasn’t long before I started seeking commercial property to open my first storefront.
The day before I turned 25, I opened my first location in Westlake. About a year later, I was opening my second location in Cedar Park. Once Cedar Park opened, something changed for me. I stopped desiring to open additional locations and started realizing that something is pulling me in a different direction. I love running my two salons, but I now focus a lot of my time and energy on training and product development. I am releasing my own line of professional products for use within salons. I still am very heavily involved in the operations behind Pink Lady Lash, but I’m happy to be able to expand the company in other ways as well. I also spend a lot of time doing my podcast, Lash Boss Radio!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are struggles every day. I think it’s kind of fun to learn and grow from mistakes and to tackle issues but sometimes at the moment, it isn’t so fun. Running a business means you’ll be doing a lot of problem-solving. The biggest struggles have been scaling the company and also making sure that the company is financially healthy. The amount of capital needed to start and operate a business is insane! But it can be done with a lot of planning and execution. As far as scaling, it’s hard to properly train someone (it can take months!) in time for the company’s needs. We can get super busy and need additional staff, but if we hadn’t started training someone at least a month ago then we end up turning away business. It’s easier now to keep up with the demand. But for a while, it was tough, especially if someone quit or we needed to replace someone.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Pink Lady Lash – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
All we focus on at Pink Lady Lash are lashes. We do eyelash extensions, lash lifts and tints. We are experts in our craft because it is all we work on every day! I personally train every single artist that works here so there is consistency in quality. We have been awarded the Best Lash Salon in Austin for 2017 and 2018 by the Austin Chronicle. Since I am an educator, I travel to train and also host classes for outside artists at the salon. I train my team on a regular basis so that we all stay up to date on the latest techniques. The Pink Lady Lash artists are exceptionally talented, we even get noticed by artists around the world for our level of work. It makes me really proud!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I hope to move into bigger locations in both Westlake and Cedar Park in the next few years. I also hope to see my own line of products in other salons next year once we launch. We are also building a YouTube channel for Pink Lady Lash to help educate both clients and artists about lash extension safety and artistry.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3801 N Capital of Texas Highway C160 Austin, Tx 78746
700 E Whitestone Blvd Ste 101 Cedar Park, Tx 78613 - Website: www.pinkladylash.
- Phone: 512-368-5458
- Email: booking@pinkladylash.com
- Instagram: @pinkladylash
- Facebook: @pinkladylash
Image Credit:
Wildrose Photo Studio
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