BE NICE: ITS PAYS
When I first began my beauty business there was a ton of "gatekeeping" locally in my area. I wasn't even sure how to find colleagues outside of my town... I knew about Facebook groups for permanent makeup, but they were so intimidating! People on those groups can be quick to point out what you've done wrong and be less than supportive.
I wound up following a handful that I found to be positive and supportive. I noticed who they worked with or appeared to be friendly with and followed those folks, too.
After following for a while, I noticed something important:
The girls that get it, get it. The ones who don't, dont.
what does that even mean?
In THIS circumstance, it means the ones who understood kindness and inclusivity received blessings back. The more they allowed others into their circle and to sit at their table, the more their network (and net worth) grew.
As it turns out, when you're not very nice, less people want to be around you, lol! Go figure.
So I took this strategy and implemented it for myself.
I adopted a year of YES. I allowed others to sit at my table - even locally. You want to know my pigment line? Sure! Want to discuss WHY I use this numbing? Lets chat. Hey, here's a helpful tip as to why that brow turned grey! Oh, you want to do a joint giveaway? Im in. Podcast? Shoot me the link!
I stopped fearing competition and embraced collaboration. My audience grew. My reach grew. I said YES to services and collaborations even when it meant someone else gained more than I did. This allowed me to be seen in front of others audiences and again: my audience grew. My reach grew. Before I knew it, we were at 10k! We threw a PARTY! We tagged all of the girlies around the country who'd collaborated and been supportive throughout the year. Do you know what happened? They RALLIED around us! They celebrated our small victory-- even the ones who were no where near 10k. They posted our party to their stories and left us sweet voice notes. It was obvious how SUPPORTIVE the community we'd built really is!
Even more excitingly, my SKILLS grew!
My KNOWLEDGE grew!
I was learning how to market, to network, how other people achieved things and implementing for myself. Now, I can pass that on to other artists and beauty businesses to help them stop being afraid and start being powerful!
A natural byproduct of being kind was GROWTH. I think thats the best version of karma Ive ever experienced. When you put good in, you get good out. I'd like to challenge you to reach out to at least one "competitor" in your local area and turn her into a friend. One you can call when youre stock is back ordered and by a micro blade off of her. One you can go out for a drink with and vent about how annoying insurance rates are... A real friend - not someone youre nice to their face and secretly keeping score in your head!
Then branch out. Reach out to colleagues across the country - or continent. DM newer artists and offer support. Become a LEADER -- and watch these seeds help you bloom!
