How lashes shaped my career by Zoe Szypillo

I'm Zoe, I've just hit the big 30 and I'm based in glorious Devon. I grew up in the city of Exeter and feel very blessed to live in such a beautiful area. I'm surrounded by countryside and beaches and only a two-hour, direct train route to the hustle and bustle of London. I was introduced to Nouveau Lashes by a good friend who runs her own spa in Exeter. She knew I had a passion for make up and asked if I wanted to join her in learning all about lashes. I haven't looked back since. I'm now running my own business which I am just about to launch, Zoe Bowie.

I predominantly offer make up, using mineral brand Jane Iredale & specialising in weddings and make-up consultations but a huge part of my business is also eyelashes. I only use NL Products & offer Extend, Express and LVL Enhance which compliments my make up & other treatments beautifully. I would say my business is 50% make-up 50% lashes.

I am salon based in one of the most sought-after areas in Devon, Topsham. Topsham Hair Design (THD) is highly luxurious and offers some of Exeter's most experienced & respected hair stylists. It's a small boating village on the outskirts of Exeter but is incredibly trendy with its aspiring Michelin restaurants, vineyards and the 'Best Farm Shop 2015' in the country, Darts Farm. All these attractions make it incredibly desirable drawing in a lot of holiday makers from all over the world.

There's a heavy presence of salons in Topsham which keeps me on my toes but I always think competition is healthy, it drives me to always be one step ahead. I do this by investing in training and ensuring I am using brands and products that help me achieve consistent and long lasting results. When a client comes to me, I want them to leave feeling a million dollars, on the inside and out.

As we therapists know, we are constantly up against someone who's offering the same treatment but cheaper. My advise is to firstly look at what your USP's are and then work out what we're offering compared to what they are. So what drew me to Nouveau is it was already a well established and respected brand with a growing marketing campaign. These are already huge selling points as you know you have a solid backing who can provide you with advertising material & social media to help promote. You could also look at the glue others are using, Nouveau's Ultrabond Adhesive dries in seconds, is low vapour, heat and humidity resistant, allergy friendly and is not toxic to the skin.. could this be your USP? If you have competition in your area with someone who's using Nouveau extensions like I have, look at other ways of making your treatment different, like including a complimentary eyebrow shape with every full set, or something that's low cost to you but will make your client feel special and want to come back.

NEVER THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO LOWER YOUR PRICES TO GET BUSINESS, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND THE WORK YOU DELIVER AS THIS IS YOUR TIME AND TIME IS YOUR BUSINESS.

This is where I started looking into LVL, I noticed a gap in the market where I would be the only therapist in Exeter to offer this. I knew this could only be a positive and benefit to me. Extensions are busy and I do have regular clients but LVL has taken me to another level... It's a much quicker treatment so financially you will benefit and you can take more bookings as once you are confident in this it will only take you 40-45 minutes, maybe less. Although this treatment will cost you more in products the results are longer lasting so client satisfaction is guaranteed. It's also a very natural treatment so if you have someone who isn't sure if they want extensions, you could offer this instead. It's all about being able to educate your client in all these different lash techniques which are available. I'm still learning after every LVL client but I'm confident that over the next year this will only maximise my business.

I don't work full-time as i'm a single mum with a three-year-old who is my main priority but I strive to be a good role model to her instilling a strong work ethic in her life. Finding a balance is always tough but it's doable especially in my business. You make it work for you.

My goals are to educate myself in further make-up and eyelash training. When my daughter is at school, I would like to work every day with a permanent base, perhaps running my own salon & team. Of course I'm financially ambitious but the main thing is to keep on enjoying what I do.

Zoe x

Continue to follow Zoe and her work over on her Website, Facebook Page and Twitter.

Zoe was not paid nor any of her words edited for this piece. If you'd like to share your training journey with us, please email us on [email protected]

For all training opportunities with Nouveau Lashes, click here to find out more or call 0844 801 6820 to speak to our Training and Education Specialist Team.