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25–Kimberly Beckley: Rethinking Beauty School Dreams
26 Plays6 days ago
In this episode of The Unfolding Thought Podcast, host Eric Pratum welcomes Simplifying Beauty founder Kimberly Beckley, a lash artist, salon owner, and soon-to-be academy director with 20 years of beauty industry experience. Kimberly isn’t your typical beauty professional: she’s driven by the idea that real success comes from running a human-focused, sustainable business—not just chasing trends or hustling 24/7. Kimberly opens up about:
- Her own journey from corporate environments to entrepreneurship, seeking a healthy work-life balance for herself and her staff.
- The hard truth about the 37% annual attrition rate in cosmetology, fueled by beauty schools that fail to teach real business fundamentals.
- Why she believes enhancing someone’s natural beauty is about far more than aesthetics; it’s a confidence boost that can ripple through every area of a client’s life.
- The parallels between beauty-school promises and the broader higher-ed “sell”—and how a lack of practical training can leave people saddled with debt or a failing business.
- How her new academy will offer not just technical skill-building but also the strategies you need for running a profitable business while maintaining boundaries and sanity.
If you’ve ever been curious about how a heart-driven entrepreneur can rewrite the script for future generations—this conversation is for you.
Topics Explored:
- From Corporate Burnout to Lash Artist - How Kimberly transitioned from a stifling 9-to-5 life into cosmetology—and why she wanted more autonomy for family and self-fulfillment.
- Why Beauty Schools Fail Aspiring Entrepreneurs - The reality behind beauty programs: great at teaching state-board skills, terrible at teaching business fundamentals.
- Building Confidence vs. Selling Trends - Kimberly explains why she’s big on “there she is again” moments—helping women recognize their authentic selves.
- Cutting Through the Hustle-and-Grind Myth - Strategies Kimberly uses (like 90-day reset periods) to avoid burnout, stay profitable, and set boundaries, proving you can love your work without sacrificing your life.
- Parallels to Broader Education - How the “bill of goods” about limitless earnings in beauty school mirrors the promises some traditional universities make—without giving students the “blueprint” for actual success.
Links:
- Simplifying Beauty (Salon Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/simplifyingbeauty_salon/
- Email Kimberly: kimberlybeckley@simplifyingbeauty.com
- Connect with Kimberly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-beckley/
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz: https://amzn.to/42qGemI
- Traction by Gino Wickman: https://amzn.to/426FxzX
For more episodes, visit: https://unfoldingthought.com
Join the conversation by emailing Eric at: eric@inboundandagile.com
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Transcript
Introduction to Unfolding Thought Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Hi, I'm Eric Pradham. Welcome to the Unfolding Thought Podcast, the show for leaders and deep thinkers who demand more than the usual fluff. If you're the kind of person who moves on from a book, video, or podcast, the moment it stops making you think or introducing you to something you can use, I hope you'll feel right at home here.
00:00:25
Speaker
In each episode, we uncover the deeper, often overlooked forces that shape our thoughts and behaviors so you can see yourself, your team, and the world from a whole new angle and then actually apply what you learn to grow and do better.
00:00:42
Speaker
On the Unfolding Thought Podcast, we aim for minimal filler and maximum insight, challenging assumptions and sparking new thinking every step of the way. Are you ready to dive deeper?
00:00:55
Speaker
Then let's get started.
Interview with Kimberly Beckley
00:00:57
Speaker
Today, I'm talking to Kimberly Beckley, founder of Simplifying Beauty and the soon to launch Simplifying Beauty Academy.
00:01:06
Speaker
I have to admit right off the bat, I am beyond uninformed when it comes to the beauty industry. So to those who live and breathe this world, please give me some grace as I attempt to do it justice.
00:01:19
Speaker
So why then am I talking to Kimberly? It's because she has a very different approach from what you might picture when you hear beauty salon owner. She's not obsessed with trends or chasing the next quick buck.
00:01:31
Speaker
She's focused on helping women feel like the best version of themselves and on training future beauty professionals to do the same. but in a healthier, more sustainable way.
00:01:42
Speaker
Possibly the most fascinating topic we touched on was the bill of goods. Some students get sold by beauty schools, promising unlimited income, but providing almost no business fundamentals.
00:01:55
Speaker
I realized only late in this conversation how parallel that can be to other educational paths like going to a four-year college, racking up debt, and feeling completely unprepared for the real world.
00:02:09
Speaker
If I hear from some of you listening that this topic is of interest to you, I might try to get Kimberly back to explore that aspect of today's conversation. Please email me at eric at inbound and agile.com or reach out in your social media channel of choice.
Kimberly's Journey in the Beauty Industry
00:02:26
Speaker
And now I bring you Kimberly Beckley. Kimberly, thank you for joining me. Would you mind telling me a little bit about your background? Absolutely. Well, I am the owner of Simplifying Beauty and the founder of Simplifying Beauty Academy, where I help busy women enhance their natural beauty and so that they can have more confidence and feel empowered through our customized beauty services.
00:02:53
Speaker
I've been in the industry close to 20 years. I started out as a licensed cosmetologist and My background is in hair. And then in 2012, I took my first training as a lash artist.
00:03:06
Speaker
And then in 2019, then specialized in lash artistry. So lash extensions. And then salon also does spray chants and brow services.
00:03:17
Speaker
But I... I have been quoted to say I'm not like your typical beauty professional because I am not driven by the aesthetics alone. My ah drive is really I'm more compelled to help women kind of embrace who they are, even through services that might seem little more luxurious or out of the norm, but so that they can show up authentically in their lives.
00:03:42
Speaker
So you spoke to it a little bit there, and I'm glad you you got to it so early, actually, because I was intending to ask you about this. We talked maybe a month ago or so, and you said something like what you said here, which was that either you never imagined that you would work in this industry or that you're not like the typical person that would work in this industry. and A little bit of what that suggested to me was the scenario that a lot of high school students go through, which is they see the guidance counselor or whatever else it is, and they do some assessment and they say, oh, you're the type of person that should be a teacher or be an artist or whatever else. And
00:04:37
Speaker
Your statement suggested a bit to me that had you asked someone else, they would not have said that this is a career that you should pursue.
00:04:50
Speaker
So is there something that led you to get into this industry in the first place? Or was there something maybe that changed your mind? Or was that not even on your mind when you first got into this?
00:05:02
Speaker
Wow. Okay. So entering into the beauty industry was a matter of circumstances for me. it in this This answer has many facets to it.
00:05:17
Speaker
I always knew i enjoyed what beauty services are, how they made me feel. and So I was fully aware that I enjoyed the feeling of that I got after I got my hair done or that I did a full face of makeup.
00:05:35
Speaker
But I was not encouraged to go that route. And then in my circumstances after going to college, and going a different direction, i became a mom.
00:05:48
Speaker
I had worked in corporate settings where it required me to overcommit and not be present and not have any kind of autonomy.
00:06:02
Speaker
And so in my late 20s, I went into beauty school and I went full time and that was an interesting era because a lot of my fellow students were about 10 years younger than me.
00:06:14
Speaker
And then what I discovered was that it wasn't all about the services. it It brought me back to the idea of it's not about a look, it's about a feeling. And so one of the to answer the question about not being like a typical beauty professional,
00:06:37
Speaker
it's not that I'm trying to make the statement like I'm not like other girls. It's that my approach is definitely
Challenges and Issues in the Beauty Industry
00:06:45
Speaker
different. It, because I took on the mindset of not ah being fully about the look or the trend, but how we can create an experience for our guests, that's where I'm different because then it allows me to not fall into a stereotype and of hustle or grinding or all the things that most beauty beauty professionals are known for.
00:07:10
Speaker
And i think that stereotypes so are actually dangerous. So that kind of is why I feel like I'm not your typical beauty professional. Okay, thank you. That helps and suggests a line of questioning that I want to get to in a bit. But first, I think a little bit of what you're saying brings to mind for me that it's easy for someone to think that getting your hair done, your makeup, your lashes, anything else like that is purely superficial.
00:07:46
Speaker
But I think you've even just said that these services can uncover or help to produce some deeper or greater confidence in your clientele.
00:08:02
Speaker
So I'm curious how the look that someone feels that they they have or the thing that they see in the mirror after getting some form of treatment, how that ties into or affects their sense of identity or maybe even self-worth from your experience.
00:08:27
Speaker
You may have heard of their saying, when you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you do good. and And i think that just embodies what you're asking. So because operate in enhancing natural beauty at Simplifying Beauty, instead of, you know, forcing trends or, you know, trying to recreate someone differently,
00:08:50
Speaker
And we focus on authenticity so that a person can feel good in who they are. That way that they can show up for every aspect of their life. a one One of the things we hear a lot when our clients at the end of a service is they they'll get up, they'll look in the mirror and they'll say the phrase like, oh, there she is, or she's back.
00:09:15
Speaker
Because it's not that they're trying to be anything different than who they are. They just want to be the best versions of themselves. So it's, it's just the reality of, of if you're trying to be something else or become something you're not, you're not going to show up wholeheartedly and you're not going to be able to produce the work, produce the energy For whatever in whatever capacity that you're going to operate in, whether that's at work or with your family or, you know, among your peers. So, yeah, it's just the idea of of that confidence boost because you see that you're there and you're ready to show up.
00:09:58
Speaker
I think I heard you saying when you talked about being in the corporate world or however it was that you phrased it. I think there was some implication in what you said, so please tell me if I'm wrong, that there was a bit of either not being who you really were or wanted to be, or there was some misalignment or anxiety that was created through, i guess, the day-to-day experience.
00:10:34
Speaker
And it sounds to me like, not just in this conversation, but also in previous conversations that we've had, that you were able to find some satisfaction or fulfillment in these types of services.
00:10:51
Speaker
And that because you went into this business, you're able to help other people that find that same satisfaction or fulfillment through these things. You're able to provide that same feeling for them or that same experience.
00:11:07
Speaker
And it's not that this is for everyone necessarily, but rather, I think I hear you maybe not necessarily saying, but implying that for any person to be able to go and experience something or to work in a place that really helps them find and be the person that they want to be.
00:11:32
Speaker
that you happen to find it through this type of business. And so you mentioned training. you you're I forget exactly how you put it, but I know you're going to be starting lash training.
00:11:46
Speaker
And i think part of what you want to do is to be able to not just train more lash artists, but also help someone who maybe was in a position similar to you or is in a position similar to where you were in the past, find a job where they can have that fulfillment and bring that to other people.
00:12:05
Speaker
Is that right? Yeah, and it actually even goes deeper because in the beauty industry, the where we enter into these trade schools and trade schools have turned into these for-profit institutions.
00:12:21
Speaker
And i mean, everybody's got to make money to pay their bills and I get it. But the unfortunate part is these these institutions are only training to the level of getting their students to take the state board certification.
00:12:37
Speaker
These students aren't getting anything else beyond that. So at best, you have a student who comes out of beauty school and they have a little bit of skill and then they enter into ah workforce.
00:12:51
Speaker
And if they choose to go independent, if they choose to work for themselves, whether it's creating, operating as a booth renter or, you know, taking on a salon, they're never taught any bit of business for foundational or fundamentals.
00:13:07
Speaker
So in efforts in launching the Simplifying Beauty Academy, which is it's an academy that will teach not only the skills to perform the same services that I offer, but it's going to go in depth in teaching the business fundamentals.
00:13:26
Speaker
of how to operate as it an actual business so that it creates a more sustainable, a more profitable situation for beauty professionals. Because most beauty professionals, I mean, there's a high turnover rate in our industry.
00:13:41
Speaker
So, I mean, I'm one of five students that we were a core set of students and in our class and we hung out all the time. And I'm the only one after nearly 20 years that's still in the industry.
00:13:51
Speaker
And on average, the industry loses about 37% of their workforce. Beauty professionals leave the industry because they're they're just not able to sustain a business because they weren't taught how to operate.
00:14:09
Speaker
And in our academy, and we're hoping to create a blueprint for for students. Because unfortunately, without that knowledge, without understanding the fundamentals, without knowing the proper steps to operate, they fall into the hustle and grind.
00:14:27
Speaker
And if I could kind of go back, circle back to the idea of stereotypes being dangerous, what ends up happening is that the information to operate as a business or a business owner is not It's not taught.
00:14:43
Speaker
And so what ends up happening is beauty professionals will then fall into that stereotype of, well, I'm just a beauty professional. I don't need to understand these processes. I don't need to understand data tracking. I don't need to understand, you know, bookkeeping or marketing strategy or anything like that.
00:15:01
Speaker
And Then this perpetuates a problem of now they're only worried about making the next dollar, which then impacts the guest
Entrepreneurship and Business Fundamentals
00:15:10
Speaker
experience. And then there's this massive like, you know, trickle down effect is that if you're only hustling to make the next dollar, then are you really putting out a good service and experience for your client for them to then feel that, that boost of confidence. So it really can create this ripple effect of just, like I said, perpetuating into this like vicious circle of can't get out of it. Can't get ahead of it.
00:15:36
Speaker
Can't really make progress. You're just worried about the next dollar. Some of the satisfaction that you found in being an entrepreneur, do you think that some of that relates to being your own boss or feeling like you're building something or you're able to do work in your own way in a manner that's different from If you were a lash artist or whatever it is within someone else's salon, or if you were back working in the corporate world, do you think some of the fulfillment that you find relates to being an entrepreneur?
00:16:16
Speaker
Definitely. i think I love that question because my experience having worked in the industry for corporations was is that a lot of the decision makers don't even have the experience as a beauty professional.
00:16:31
Speaker
So they are 100% data-driven, but not even data-driven. They've set goals. They've set their standard based off of numbers, not experience.
00:16:42
Speaker
So that's what makes me different is I can see the balance, right? So when you ask about, does it impact or make a difference that I'm my own boss versus working for someone else? Absolutely. Because, you know, it creates a level of excitement and enthusiasm that then, you know, spreads into how I'm showing up.
00:17:04
Speaker
And ah interestingly, I just, you know, at the time of this recording, I finished my 2024 taxes and For the business, you know, I had to pay and I i had shared with my husband, like, you know, as a small business, prior to learning these fundamentals and understanding business concepts, if I were still in that mindset of hustle and grind, I would have been mad that I'm paying taxes.
00:17:29
Speaker
But as a small business, I'm actually proud that I'm paying taxes because then that shows that I'm profitable. So, I mean, it's it's such a weird mindset at this point, because, yeah, I mean, who really wants to pay more money?
00:17:46
Speaker
But that's a sign that my efforts, everything that I've I've. created for this business is working. So and it seems so silly to get excited about it. But I know that excitement will just just kind of fuel my next decision, my next ideas. And that's something that definitely would not have happened working.
00:18:07
Speaker
For you know a corporation where I'm being told that these are the numbers and this is this is you need to hit it, but then not given any license to think creatively or you know do it in a way that would have come naturally to me or shown up wholeheartedly.
00:18:24
Speaker
And so while this particular industry or entrepreneurship is certainly not for everyone, your hope with the Simplifying Beauty Academy is that for those right people, you are able to give them a similar experience.
00:18:45
Speaker
Is that correct? Yeah, I i hope that any student that goes through the Simplifying Beauty Academy would feel that they are given the information that they can apply to their to their process.
00:19:01
Speaker
Something that's going to give them foundation, security, and not fall into this idea of and one of the biggest challenges working in our industry is a work-life balance. and And so I'm hoping to kind of break that cycle.
00:19:18
Speaker
When you say work-life balance in this industry, are you thinking about those situations, like I think you've referenced a few times, of someone just having to hustle, you know, they're having to make the next dollar, maybe instead of quote-unquote building a business.
00:19:38
Speaker
And so to make the money that they need or want to make, they're having to put in more time than perhaps they would like to and so maybe there's someone that like you either found some sense of fulfillment or satisfaction in these services and or they wanted to be in this industry and i suspect it's often both of those but then they end up burning out because as i think you're saying you got the the technical training or the training in the artistry or i don't know exactly how to put it but you didn't get what you needed to have the minimum basic requirements to run a business the You nailed it.
00:20:29
Speaker
Absolutely nailed it. lot of times someone will come to the industry and they will, if they want to work independently, if they want to be their own boss, they don't even understand how to set their pricing.
00:20:40
Speaker
So they'll typically just price it off of, you know the person across street. So, and even then that person across the street probably didn't even know how to set their pricing. So are they profitable? Maybe very likely not.
00:20:52
Speaker
And what ends up happening is there are bills, And then there are fluctuations in this industry. We have slow seasons, January, February, slow seasons in our industry.
00:21:03
Speaker
lot of our clients get their Christmas bills, you know, their credit card bills from Christmas, and then they have to make that decision of what they need to cut. And sometimes beauty services are that. And so not understanding the fluctuations in the market, not understanding how to price properly, there is a scarcity mindset within budding beauty professionals.
00:21:26
Speaker
And then they will lack boundaries. So they don't have committed work hours. And if they have a client reach out to them and they think that they need to get this client in, they will probably ah work 14, 16 hour day.
00:21:43
Speaker
And like you pointed out, will burn themselves out to the point that then they don't feel like even if they're passionate about what they do, this isn't worth it. You know, so then they leave the industry.
00:21:55
Speaker
I think I recall reading on your website, maybe, that your business or your business model focuses on giving busy women more time.
00:22:08
Speaker
and And whether it says that exactly, or maybe i was reading between the lines. I'm wondering, have you noticed how limited time and hectic schedules push people to neglect whatever it is that they need in order to have not just the self-care, but as I keep referring to it, you know, a sense of fulfillment or a sense of satisfaction, both in terms of the clientele you serve and also, as we're just talking about,
00:22:41
Speaker
the people in the industry who are providing those services, they run out of time. They're the the busy women, quote unquote. And now they're neglecting what they need in order to be sustainable.
00:22:53
Speaker
Yeah, it is an ironic situation, right? So you have, like you pointed out, beauty beauty professionals who are overworking themselves and therefore, you know, are burning the wick at both ends and but yet are trying to sell to their clients the idea that they should take care of themselves.
00:23:13
Speaker
So, yeah, it is a very ironic situation. And so I do believe that, you know, the that simplifying beauty helps our clients with, in the name itself.
00:23:26
Speaker
So our services just kind of streamline our clients' beauty routines. So when we say gives them more time and more confidence, you'll find that our clients are tend to, they'll get their spray tan, they'll get their brows done, they'll get their lashes done.
00:23:42
Speaker
And because they feel like they're pricked together together, twenty 24 hours of the day, they don't really need to spend their time on any other, you know, whole much. They don't need to spend much more time on putting on makeup or mascara or anything like that.
00:23:58
Speaker
So we've streamlined their beauty routine. And then with the Academy, giving our students that blueprint to operate and best business practices, then we're allowing them to create that balance to where you know they are themselves taken care of. They don't have to stress about, they'll have more financial freedom. They'll be able to understand boundaries. They'll have policies in place when it comes to client interactions that they're not overstressed. They're not giving more of themselves. They're actually able to take care of themselves.
00:24:35
Speaker
I want to go back real quick to maybe when you decided to start your own business. I'm guessing like any entrepreneur, you had plenty of doubts.
00:24:47
Speaker
Those probably in one form or another lingered or you had different doubts as you've gone along. Many entrepreneurs do. so I'm wondering how any initial doubts that you had about starting your own business or naming it or where you chose to locate or anything else, how those compared to any sense of empowerment or like you even just mentioned with filing your taxes, how it compared to your eventual feeling that you are on the right path and doing the right thing.
00:25:26
Speaker
Well, let's be real, Eric. Let's acknowledge the fact that when you're an entrepreneur, you're going to have doubts all the time. even and mean, like it's up and down. So I still occasionally have a doubt if I'm delusional, if that you know my efforts are...
00:25:42
Speaker
A pipe dream. But, you know, there are signs that are at least for me, signs that are that I'm on the right path. And, you know, you brought up like location and this and the name. And and because it's I mean, it's interesting how I came into the business.
00:25:59
Speaker
I think like maybe most entrepreneurs, I didn't 100% believe or know that I was going to do this. And not even on the level of doubt.
00:26:11
Speaker
It was i went independent working as a solopreneur, just wanting to take care of my clients so that I could be home with my family. And then as I got good at the skill, as a as I became a better artist, fortunately, I was recognized by other beauty professionals and then requests came in for help.
00:26:34
Speaker
And then having worked in salon settings that were toxic and watching other people experience just some of the unprofessional practices in their work settings.
00:26:48
Speaker
I knew that I wanted to create a work environment that was collaborative, but then also helped employees not take on a lot of the burden of working on their own and give them the flexibility.
00:27:02
Speaker
So it's just been an interesting journey because i almost feel like this was ah vision given to me and not necessarily one I created.
00:27:12
Speaker
So, I mean, it's, it's. But you, you, I think maybe you had that experience over a longer time than a salon treatment, but you had that experience where at some point you sort of looked in the mirror and said, there she is. Yeah, absolutely. Because when I was operating as a independent artist, because I've been in the industry a long, long time, marketing efforts have changed differently. I mean they've just changed over the even the last 10 years, right? So, you know, it's only been maybe the last 10 years that social media has been a huge influence in marketing, especially in our industry. So, yeah.
00:27:54
Speaker
I've been really fortunate that my book of clients have been built on word of mouth and just just being able to do good work and people noticing that. And when you went showing up and recognizing that, OK, there she is, was a journey in itself, because as the marketing for our beauty industry changed in the last decade,
00:28:17
Speaker
10 years, i I really struggled the last five years because I know that I was showing up inauthentically and not as myself because I was falling into those stereotypes because I was seeing what other people were doing.
00:28:34
Speaker
So you would get these people on Instagram that are in my industry that are now considered almost celebrity status,
Marketing Authenticity and Personal Branding
00:28:42
Speaker
right? Then influencers and And and no hate to them.
00:28:46
Speaker
They show up and they are who they are. But I was just mimicking what they were doing, thinking that that's what i had to do. And it was a struggle. And I think it actually did negatively impact my business slightly because, you know, it's human nature for people to notice that you're not showing up authentically.
00:29:06
Speaker
So when I made the decision a couple of years ago to like, no, that's not me. And that's not how I can operate. I can still use social media as a tool, but I can't just mimic what other people are doing because it's worked for them. I need to find what works for me.
00:29:21
Speaker
And, you know, the reality of it is doing that and and discovering who I am versus trying to become something I'm not is what's been the biggest success.
00:29:33
Speaker
I think in life as much as in your career, if not specifically, or even more so in entrepreneurship, that there's that journey toward wisdom.
00:29:48
Speaker
it It sounds like you've had, you know, you come out of, i think, cosmetology school or esthetician school, if I'm using the correct terminology, because I think in the state of Illinois, there are two sort of training models. Is that correct?
00:30:07
Speaker
Yeah. they So cosmetology is an umbrella of all services. So if you're a licensed cosmetologist, you can perform hair, skin, nails. And as an esthetician, you can only perform skin services. So Okay.
00:30:22
Speaker
Yeah. So you come out of one of those schools, just like maybe. So i think right before this episode releases, I will release an episode with a friend of mine, Jeff Meredith, who has been a longtime copywriter.
00:30:37
Speaker
And in my discussion with him, he references... something about some copy for something being written and sounding like it was written by a copywriter in their last year of college applying to get their first job.
00:30:55
Speaker
And you know you sort of follow all of the best practices or you just do what everybody else is doing. And then hopefully for a lot of us, we gain the wisdom through experience.
00:31:10
Speaker
to realize that, well, hey, if you're on Instagram, Kimberly, something ain't working, you know? And now maybe it's not that you are modeling everyone else's behavior.
00:31:26
Speaker
could be any number of things. But hopefully we learn over time that there are certain things that work because they generate money, because they make you happy, because they allow you to get home on the schedule that you want to get home on or whatever else that it gives you.
00:31:43
Speaker
And not that you stumble through your marketing only to continue to have some sense of dissatisfaction and never find out where that comes from.
00:31:55
Speaker
Yeah, I think that is a universal issue, regardless male, female industry, because we tend to are Are you familiar with Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements?
00:32:10
Speaker
I've heard of it. Yeah, it's a really great book that gives you some life philosophies to kind of go by. And it's the, i and he explains in the book that there's a, we are conditioned And we have to, when we become independent from our feelings, so we've already spent our first half of our life with our parents conditioning us, not in a negative way necessarily, but you know what the expectations are, what the rules are in the house and how we need to behave.
00:32:45
Speaker
And then there's society's conditions. And so a lot of times people forget that We don't necessarily have to be what others expect of us.
00:32:59
Speaker
And a lot of times when we fall into that and live by that conditioning, then we don't have the joy. We don't experience joy. We don't experience the happiness because we are trying to be something we're not.
00:33:13
Speaker
We're not. So there's a level of just kind of peeling off and and taking the layers off of all of this Lifetime of conditioning to discover who you are so that you can truly experience the world around you, who you're, you know, who you truly are.
00:33:31
Speaker
Yes, I agree with you that this is universal. And i think that's some of what I've been thinking about in particular around your experience as an entrepreneur that, you know, your services might very well help a much wider swath of people than seek you out or even realize that they might find some benefit.
00:33:58
Speaker
There are plenty of people that have no interest in them or they just wouldn't have the same impact on that person. And yet that person would find similar benefits in something else.
00:34:10
Speaker
And, and so quite a lot of what I've been thinking about really is, you know, you're going to have, I believe the greatest impact and you're going to, you're going to impact the most people.
00:34:26
Speaker
by working in this particular industry. And you can, like I was saying about Simplifying Beauty Academy, that you can help to train more people to run their businesses sustainably, to hopefully be happy if that is really right for them.
00:34:46
Speaker
And they can positively impact more of those people who feel the benefit that that you get. from these types of services and for someone to be able to start an accounting business and do their marketing in a way that is true to them or to be whatever it is that they're going to be.
00:35:09
Speaker
I think a lot of us start out like that beginning copywriter And do you just follow the best practices. And hopefully you learn after five or 10 or 20 years.
00:35:20
Speaker
Oh, you know, the thing that's right for me is this thing. Now, unfortunately, as you said, you have a little bit over a one third attrition rate. I think it was, was that annually? That's every year.
00:35:32
Speaker
Yeah. 37% every year leave the industry. leave the string And I'm curious, actually, with the type of training that's required to get into your business, do you think that there's any impact, there's any contribution that is made to that attrition rate for people leaving the industry because there's marketing of some sort to convince people that
00:36:02
Speaker
that maybe really never should have ended up in the industry. Oh, I'll just go become a cosmetologist. And so they sign up for the program. And I don't know, it's cheaper than whatever the other options are, or the marketing is just so compelling.
00:36:18
Speaker
And they end up there. They never should have been there. And so the industry is kind of creating this. Do you think that's some of the contribution? Yeah. And oh, you you touched a hot button for me. You are absolutely correct.
00:36:33
Speaker
The because the schools have turned to be for profit. A lot of times what they're selling is a dream. So the and the dream is you're earning. and So a student will come into a school, take a tour.
00:36:45
Speaker
and And man, I hope I hope I'm not canceling myself because, you know, so a school a student will go into a school, take a tour. And usually what happens on a tour is that the educator that is really trying to fill the seat will create this idea of a dream.
00:37:06
Speaker
That when you go through and finish beauty school, you can be your own boss. Your earning potential is unlimited. You'll have all your dreams will be granted. But again, they don't teach the business fundamentals for that to actually. It's it is possible.
00:37:25
Speaker
It is absolutely possible. i am here to say that, like. I am my own boss. I am not, I do not have any financial insecurities at this time of my life. And so it is a, I, I prove that it's possible, but it took effort on my part.
00:37:43
Speaker
And fortunately not being like any you know, your typical beauty professional, you know, I knew where my weaknesses were early on in my, my career that I was able to get connected with the right people as far as, you know, ah good attorney to help me create policies, you know, the the legalese that are in my policies so that I can operate and interact with clients on that level, you know good bookkeeper and accountant to help me prepare for taxes.
00:38:15
Speaker
um So that's not stuff that is taught. The other disadvantage that I think, and I don't know if it's a disadvantage, I could use your help in maybe categorizing it, is that because beauty schools are set up really to teach you skills and not business, that kind of, and that education does not come, education in general does not come easy. It comes at a cost for a beauty for product professional.
00:38:42
Speaker
So when we go back and look at this per, perpetuated problem of not being priced profitably, not operating in a sustainable you know sense.
00:38:55
Speaker
You're not making the money that that would you could use as a resource to pay for this continued education to elevate and get better. And because with the cost of a this continued education, classes themselves, I mean, they start at $1,500, $2,000.
00:39:11
Speaker
fifteen hundred two thousand dollars Then a lot these classes, because we're my market's the St. Louis market, they don't come through this area very often. So there's travel involved.
00:39:22
Speaker
So it's this this type of education is not accessible for someone who's not set up profitably. And so, yeah, it's...
00:39:35
Speaker
it It does start at the beauty school level because they're selling a pipe dream and it's not necessarily pipe dream, but they're selling a dream that can only be achieved if you have the blueprint to achieve it. But that blueprint is not accessible to these individuals.
00:39:52
Speaker
I think that there are probably a lot of industries or circumstances that are quite similar to what you're describing. And yet even to maybe make it a little broader than just thinking about, oh, well, you know, that happens in...
00:40:12
Speaker
medical school or whatever it is. You know, there are plenty of professors that went and got their PhD and were never taught how to be teachers.
00:40:23
Speaker
And so, you know, you have plenty of teachers in universities that really provide a pretty terrible experience. That's not to say that that's most of them.
00:40:36
Speaker
right I think there are enough, though, that you know there are a lot more things than what you're told you're going to need. And certain things are taken out of educational programs or they're just never provided because that's not the highest priority.
00:40:59
Speaker
And i mean, we could draw some sort of comparison here to any number of things. One thing that occurs to me is, you know, with a push for tests, test scores in schools to be high, then, you know, more of a limited resource, more of the tax dollars need to go into certain types of teaching, more time teaching certain subjects or whatever.
00:41:24
Speaker
And less of those dollars go into things like physical activity or more kind of enrichment programs like having band or art or any number of things. And could I say that, well, that's an unmitigated bad thing?
00:41:42
Speaker
i don't think so. It's just that hopefully these cosmetology schools or whatever they are, are open about there are other things you're going to need. And it sounds like, at least in your experience, that's generally not occurring. And I think it generally doesn't occur other places because as I think you well know, it's so easy to dream of where your business is going to be in 10 years.
00:42:11
Speaker
It's really not fun in most cases to have to do the work between now and then to get to that dream. i I absolutely agree. I mean, I mentioned earlier when, you know, i still have those doubts and there are some mornings where, where will sit there and, and laugh at, oh, I'm in this now. I can't get out. But, but yeah, it it was, it's not just hard work. You're going to experience setbacks.
00:42:38
Speaker
You're going to experience challenges That you would never imagine. And, know, the dreaming part's the easy part. And you're absolutely right. Doing the work, showing up every day, being consistent.
00:42:54
Speaker
That is the hardest thing to do. And regardless of whatever industry and what regardless of whatever passion you take on, it is the hardest thing to do to keep that same level of commitment together.
00:43:06
Speaker
And I know for me, i have to every 90 days, like just I go away to reset. I think you and I have talked about Gina Wickham's attractions.
00:43:18
Speaker
You know, every 90 days, i I take two days and do a complete reset. And, you know, I take time away from my normal day to day.
00:43:31
Speaker
I look at what I am trying to strive for. And I also look back and see how far I've come. Because a lot of times when we set goals, we tend to set them high.
00:43:45
Speaker
And if we only measure like... where we're at, how far we are with that goal. Because a lot of times we don't hit the goal. We maybe hit 80% or 90%.
00:43:57
Speaker
And if that's all we use as our measurement is like, well, I didn't actually hit it. Then, then you might lose momentum. You might lose motivation because you're being defeatist. But if you can look back at like, Hey, but look at this 80% I did, then that's where you're going to get, start feeling impressed. Like, yeah. And I did that. I completed that. I got that done. And you know, that's still that's still progress. That's still movement. And that's what part of my reset time is to exactly is to look at what I've done and and give myself that pat on the back.
00:44:29
Speaker
You know, you mentioned becoming a parent and, you know, I have kids as well. And who knows, because my kids are still fairly young, who knows what will stick with them and what won't. But that's kind of the appreciation or mindset that I attempt to talk with them about is that if you're playing a game,
00:44:57
Speaker
you know, you you play basketball or whatever it is, you have a dream that you're going to be the best player and that you're going to win. And most of us are not going to be the best player or win every game.
00:45:09
Speaker
And yet, from the beginning of a season to the end, my hope would be that your performance improved. And hopefully you do win a couple of games.
00:45:20
Speaker
But even if you lose every game, you more than likely improved. And hopefully you appreciate that. But if you put in the work to get better and you still lose all of your games i hope that you realize that there was benefit in doing that work and you know a story i suppose that i can relate to that and some of the other things that you were hinting at i've heard entrepreneurship described in this way before Someone said, would you scoop dog poop for $1,000 per scoop, you know, per pile?
00:46:00
Speaker
And someone says, yes, of course. Well, would you do it for free? And they say, no. And the person that I heard making this, you know, by telling the story said,
00:46:12
Speaker
Well, that's really what entrepreneurship is. Some days someone's paying you to do the work that they don't want to do. And other days you just have a big pile of poop on your hands and no one's paying you to deal with it.
00:46:25
Speaker
Right. That's awesome. That's awesome. And very accurate. Very accurate. But when you're getting that thousand dollars, you know, the payoff is still pretty good.
00:46:37
Speaker
You know, it's my husband does laugh at the that i I went from and working your average 40 hours a week to now working twice as much.
00:46:48
Speaker
But the payout really is as, you know, i don't know. think this sounds too enlightened, but the payout really is the ripple effect you were talking about.
00:46:59
Speaker
You know, the idea that that to be the impact it has on others in such a positive light. that money cannot buy, can't pay me enough for. So yeah, I mean, I'm sure as heck will work an 80, 90 hour a week to know that there's going to be maybe maybe in a few years, only 25% of the workforce leave in the beauty industry. yeah.
00:47:24
Speaker
Well, and i think based on some of what was said earlier and also something that you've said to me before, you know, you can have that ripple effect as you just put it through providing training and helping people come into your industry and run a sustainable, profitable, fulfilling business.
00:47:49
Speaker
Each entrepreneur is going to have their own minimum bar that they need to get over, whether it's a certain amount of money or ah certain hours or whatever it is, because they're all going to have different situations, right? Whether they have a bank account, whether they have a spouse that supports them or any number of things, but you can have that ripple effect there.
00:48:07
Speaker
A lot of entrepreneurs will have a similar challenge impacting more people to what I suspect you have as well.
00:48:18
Speaker
Many entrepreneurs struggle to go from being the business themselves or providing a certain kind of experience, you know, the Kimberly experience or something of that nature, having having me join your business and can Eric provide the Kimberly experience or the simplifying beauty experience?
00:48:39
Speaker
And so you can have that ripple effect in a number of different ways, but wherever you may struggle to provide the Kimberly experience, for example, in your own business, you are seeking to go about it in at least one other way through you helping people who might have some similar drive to you or find some similar fulfillment in running their own business and finding themselves within this industry when, you know, maybe they weren't prepared anywhere else to to do what they need to do to run their own business.
00:49:21
Speaker
Yeah, I definitely want to take out the trial and error part. ah You know, the the beauty professional who is getting into the industry is already maybe burdened down with trying to learn the skill because...
00:49:37
Speaker
My experience is that a beauty professional doesn't really become proficient in their skill, but only after five or six years after graduation. So, you know, if I can, if I could help skim off some of that time of learning business aspects and sharing what has worked in for me, then I'm happy to to help.
00:49:58
Speaker
You know, Kimberly, if someone listening to this remembers one thing about kind of some of those deeper psychological or social impacts, seemingly surface, what would I
Self-care and Broader Impact
00:50:16
Speaker
call them?
00:50:16
Speaker
Surface treatment, you know, like very early in this conversation, we talked about to that phrase, there she is, or she's back.
00:50:27
Speaker
you know But it has a, I feel like it's a thread through a lot of what we've talked about that there's a real you inside of that office worker that maybe they can find that real them in the same job, you know but it gets lost because the any number of things have occurred. you know Someone can find that them in getting some sort of salon treatment like what you provide.
00:51:01
Speaker
And so if someone if someone listening to this can remember one thing about the deeper sort of psychological impact that doing something to find the real you.
00:51:14
Speaker
Is there something that you would recommend to anyone? I suppose specifically your audience, right, as beauty professionals, but, you know, that someone should go away every 90 days and reassess and take take, express some appreciation for where they've been and the progress that they've made, or ah someone should take five minutes a day to do their Daily meditation or devotional or what is it that you would want someone to remember so that they can find them and fulfill them?
00:51:47
Speaker
I think what you're asking is is about self-care, which I know sometimes people just think it's woo-woo or indulgent. So self-care, the the phrase self-care has gotten such, I think, a negative route.
00:52:00
Speaker
But self-care is not about taking a bubble bath. It's not about going to the spa. It really self-care. prioritizing yourself so that you can reconnect to who you are authentically so that you could then show up in your best version and then, you know, give what you're capable of giving at its full extent.
00:52:27
Speaker
Um, you know, the, d everyone's heard the airplane oxygen mask, you know, reference, right? You got to put your oxygen mask first. So, I know that I shared that every 90 days I take 48 hours, but it doesn't have to be something as big or significant as 48 hours.
00:52:47
Speaker
You mentioned, you know, five minutes of meditation. it that's ah That is a good place to start. And maybe meditation isn't your thing, but if it's a matter of just carving out consistent time, whether it's first thing in the morning before everybody in your house gets up,
00:53:04
Speaker
And you grab your favorite mug and you go and you sit on your porch and you take the moment to look around and be aware of the sound of birds, the gentle breeze.
00:53:16
Speaker
Then what that does is that allows you to be present. And it allows you to start creating gratitude and awareness.
00:53:27
Speaker
And that's when your best version shows up. That's when you get your cup filled and you're able to just show up wholeheartedly. It'll impact your relationships when you are at your at your full capacity.
00:53:40
Speaker
You'll have better relationships with your family and your co-workers and just your friends. So um You run a salon that, of course, serves people in your local area.
00:53:53
Speaker
You will be launching Simplifying Beauty Academy. It might be launched by the time this podcast publishes, depending on your schedule, as I understand it.
00:54:07
Speaker
And you might very well serve people from a wider region. region depending on how far people travel because like you said there is within the beauty industry some need to travel if it sounds like it sounds like if you are not on the coasts or in some bigger city but then also at least in my experience with you you of course have connections in the space but you also i think have a valuable perspective
00:54:42
Speaker
on. I can't speak so much to the beauty industry and beauty professionals, of course, as much as i think one of the things that really attracted me to talking about you or talking with you, I should say, is the fact that someone you can play a role, you specifically, Kimberly, can play a role and desire to play a role in someone not being beaten down by being in the wrong job or the wrong career, or they really want to be in your industry but they never were taught or even knew to look for business training for example and so when we leave people of course in the show notes so have i will have links to anything that's appropriate you mentioned two books that i will put in there you know
00:55:33
Speaker
People who are not in the St. Louis area, I think can still really benefit from your perspective. And I don't know if they should go to LinkedIn or Instagram or if they should send you an email.
00:55:46
Speaker
But if someone has listened to this and they do want to check you out or otherwise get connected, where should we send them? Well, they can always contact me directly by email at Kimberly Beckley at simplifyingbeauty.com or they can follow our salon Instagram and that's at simplifyingbeauty underscore salon.
00:56:09
Speaker
I read those DMs. So if they want to send me a message there and then I am on LinkedIn so they can find me there as Kimberly Beckley. Awesome. Well, thank you very much, Kimberly. I appreciate you joining but me today. i hope that anyone who listens to this really found this very interesting. And like I said, i really wanted to talk to you because I find...
00:56:33
Speaker
what you bring out of not just your salon clients, but also what you desire to bring out of your academy clients to be inspiring.
00:56:46
Speaker
You know, that's something that I hope that we all find, whether it's in any form of education or any job or whatever else it is. So I appreciate you being here and hopefully we will talk again.
00:56:59
Speaker
Thank you, Eric. Thanks for having me and thank you for your kind words. Thank you.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:57:05
Speaker
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00:57:10
Speaker
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00:57:28
Speaker
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00:57:39
Speaker
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