11/09/2022
What do successful people do? They get up, and they show up! In this inspirational episode of ASCP Esty Talk, Lauren Snow joins Ella and Maggie to discuss unwavering habits of successful people and navigating past metaphoric pitfalls and booby traps.
ASCP Esty Talk with Maggie Staszcuk and Ella Cressman
Produced by Associated Skin Care Professionals (ASCP) for licensed estheticians, ASCP Esty Talk is a weekly podcast hosted by Maggie Staszcuk and Ella Cressman. We see your passion, innovation, and hard work and are here to support you by providing a platform for networking, advocacy, camaraderie, and education. We aim to inspire you to ask the right questions, find your motivation, and give you the courage to have the professional skin care career you desire.
About Ella Cressman:
Ella Cressman is a licensed esthetician, certified organic formulator, business owner, and absolute ingredient junkie! As an educator, she enjoys empowering other estheticians and industry professionals to understand skin care from an ingredient standpoint rather than a product-specific view.
She has spent many hours researching ingredients, understanding how and where they are sourced, as well as phytochemistry, histological access, and complementary compounds for intentional skin benefits. In addition to running a skin care practice, Cressman founded a comprehensive consulting group, the HHP Collective, and has consulted for several skin care lines, including several successful CBD brands.
Connect with Ella Cressman:
Website: www.ellacress.com
Website: www.hhpcollective.com
About Maggie Staszcuk:
Maggie has been a licensed esthetician since 2006 and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Stephens College. She has worked in the spa and med-spa industry and served as an esthetics instructor and a director of education for one of the largest schools in Colorado before coming to ASCP as the Advanced Modality Specialist.
Connect with Maggie Staszcuk:
P 800.789.0411 EXT 1636
E MStaszcuk@ascpskincare.com or AMI@ascpskincare.com
About our Sponsors
DMK:
Founded by botanical visionary Danné Montague-King, DMK is the World Leader in Paramedical Skin Revision™. Our revolutionary concept of REMOVE. REBUILD. PROTECT. MAINTAIN.® aims to match an individual’s biochemistry with the appropriate skin therapy. DMK believes that the origin of most skin conditions is a result of disharmony within the skin. Using the principles of biochemistry, DMK has formulated a range of Enzymatic Treatments and Home Prescriptives that encourage the skin to return to its most balanced and healthy state. For skin care professionals whose business depends on generating long-lasting clinically-proven results, DMK’s education-first approach has become essential. Hundreds of salons, spas, and even industry experts have recognized the effectiveness of the DMK concept, witnessed by thousands of people worldwide whose lives have been changed forever.
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Once you become a Certified Acne Expert, you’ll unlock access to continued education, protocol support, marketing, and helpful tools to grow your business. Whether you have clients dealing with occasional breakouts or severe acne, Face Reality has a game plan for you.
Connect with Face Reality:
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About Associated Skin Care Professionals (ASCP):
Associated Skin Care Professionals (ASCP) is the nation’s largest association for skin care professionals and your ONLY all-inclusive source for professional liability insurance, education, community, and career support. For estheticians at every stage of the journey, ASCP is your essential partner. Get in touch with us today if you have any questions or would like to join and become an ASCP member.
Connect with ASCP:
Website: www.ascpskincare.com
Email: getconnected@ascpskincare.com
Phone: 800-789-0411
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ASCPskincare
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ascpskincare
0:00:00.5 Ella Cressman: DMK is the world leader in paramedical skin revision education, with certification programs designed to give licensed professionals a thorough understanding of the skin and an in-depth study of the DMK concept of remove, rebuild, protect, maintain. Created by the botanical visionary Danne Montague-King, DMK offers skin revision training and education for all ages, skin conditions and ethnicities in more than 35 countries, harnessing the body's innate healing mechanisms to change the health of the skin. Learn more at dennemking.com, that's D-A-N-N-E-M-K-I-N-G dot com.
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0:00:56.7 EC: Hello and welcome to ASCP Esty Talk. I am Ella Cressman, a licensed esthetician, certified organic skin care formulator and content contributor for Associated Skin Care Professionals.
0:01:07.8 Maggie Staszcuk: I am Maggie Staszcuk, licensed esthetician and ASCP's cosmetology education manager.
0:01:14.3 EC: And we're very excited, we've got a guest. But hold that thought for just a little bit, because before we talk about that, we wanna give a shoutout. Are you ready, Maggie?
0:01:21.8 MS: Ready for it.
0:01:21.8 EC: Okay, so this shoutout goes to Get Your Glow by Lauren ____. And I hope I'm pretty that correctly. She commented on our Instagram post asking what skin care ingredients do you wanna learn more about. Lauren, along with a few other curious estheticians gave great suggestions, and we want to thank you for that shoutout. Woohoo. And don't forget to stay pealed for our What The Deck Podcast, where we get all decked out on ingredients. If there's something you have been burning to know more about, drop a comment on that post.
0:01:53.2 MS: Today we are joined by another guest who you are all probably familiar with, and just in case you aren't, let's share and brag a little bit about Ms. Lauren Snow. In addition to writing for Skin Deep, Lauren is a licensed esthetician, executive consultant for the Beauty Biz Club, author and brand development specialist.
0:02:15.3 MS: She brings a powerhouse of experience, knowledge and unmatched enthusiasm for every client meeting. She is a brand builder and marketing maven who has passionately supported thousands of estheticians to grow their business, reach career milestones and achieve financial success in their own ways on their own terms. Hey, Lauren.
0:02:36.5 Lauren Snow: Hey guys, thanks so much for having me today.
0:02:36.9 MS: Glad to have you here. We're so excited.
0:02:39.6 EC: I think that last part that Maggie was talking about is key, that you've helped support thousands of estheticians to grow their business, and you do it in their own way on their own terms, and I'm sure that each esthetician that you come into contact with has unique qualifications ore unique isms, if you will, but there's probably some things they have in common that make them successful or help them achieve success. What are some of those common habits?
0:03:08.3 LS: Well, there's lots of habits that make people successful, and I think one of the biggest things to point out at first is that we all come from different backgrounds. So when you said "isms", we might have some previous problems with money or people telling us that we can't achieve things, negative voices in our heads or things that we've learned throughout our childhood, and sometimes those can get in the way of your success.
0:03:34.2 LS: But learning to grow and push through those self-limiting barriers, I think is very important when it comes to your success, but there's also a lot of things that people can do and develop habits over time, and those would be really fun to talk about today.
0:03:50.1 EC: I think that's something that I can relate to because I was just actually thinking about this. We had our 25th high school reunion not that long ago, a couple of years ago, and I won't tell you exactly what year.
[chuckle]
0:04:00.3 EC: But anyways, we had a 25th high school reunion a couple of years ago, and I think it's natural and human to compare yourself to others, and I think also in looking at the way I run my business now, some of the thoughts that I had, I mean starting a business right before an economic crash of 2008, some of those behaviors, some of those thoughts I still carry with me.
0:04:20.3 EC: And I was looking at those previously and comparing in that spirit of my high school reunion, this is important, so I'm bringing it back. It's comparing those beliefs to when we look at, for example, when we did the self-esteem podcast, when we look at other businesses and compare them, and why aren't we not at the same level, I can relate to those isms.
0:04:40.9 LS: I always go back to the quote, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Because what I'm doing and staying in my own lane, I can be very proud of, and I can say I've done the best job that I possibly can, but then if I go look at someone else in their own lane and compare my success to their success, I'm going to only see the highlight reel, I'm going to see them thriving on either social media or through their business branding or whatever they're putting out there, but you don't see what happens at night or in the off hours. They may be struggling financially, emotionally, in all the ways.
0:05:18.1 LS: So comparison really is the thief of joy, and I encourage everyone to remember that. That success is defined by how you define success, it's not defined by how I define it, or by you or Maggie, it's defined by each individual person.
0:05:32.9 MS: I think that is so well said because we do only see what we perceive as the positives in everyone else, and everyone has something going on in their life, we just aren't seeing it.
0:05:44.0 LS: We all have stuff. Yeah. We all have baggage, just how we pack it up and unpack it, I think is a difference in what the perception is. But when it comes to success, I would encourage people to try to define success. That would be the first step in developing traits of a successful person. Because like I said, it's individual.
0:06:03.1 LS: So when you define success, what does that mean to you? Everyone has their own different measurement of success, and whether that's financial security, where you can send your kids to college without debt or paying off your own debt, maybe it's something like being able to qualify for a loan for a home.
0:06:21.6 LS: It could even be things like not having to read price tags at the grocery store because you know that you have money in your bank account and that's gonna be enough for you to pay for your groceries. Or paying your rent if you're a booth renter or renting a space for your spa.
0:06:35.1 LS: So you gotta define what that type of success is. Maybe it's quality time and relationships with your family, maybe that's why you're working so hard and you want to be successful so that you can have that time with your family. So what does success mean to you, and define how will you know when you've "made it"? Or made it to one?
0:06:56.4 EC: Yes. Do you ever think like... Do you ever talk about that in your mentorships, like having a goal, meeting it and then going to the next one? 'Cause sometimes when you set a goal, like I want to have a house and I want to have a Cadillac, this was my goals. My goal was a Cadillac. I want a Cadillac.
0:07:14.6 EC: In order to get a Cadillac, I have to get a house with a garage. In order to get a house with the garage, I need to work this much more. In order to work this much more I need a two-bedroom something, rental.
0:07:24.0 LS: Yeah, I find that the most successful people have an addiction to goals. Right? So the goal post keeps moving. You get closer and closer and closer and the goal post keeps moving. So you say, "I'm gonna get the Cadillac," but you're gonna get all of these things with it. Or maybe it's not a Cadillac anymore, maybe it's a Maybach. Life just changes and your goals change.
0:07:46.9 MS: I think it's interesting how you laid that out, Ella. You're not just saying, "My goal is that I'm going to be the most successful esthetician making a million dollars and have that Cadillac." You're saying, "First, I'm going to hit this milestone, then this milestone, then I'm going to hit the milestone," and you're setting the stage on how you're going to get that Cadillac.
0:08:06.6 MS: Because it's easy to say you have these goals and what are your goals. I don't know, I just know that I want to be super successful as a esthetician, and how are you going to get there?
0:08:18.5 EC: Right, right.
0:08:23.2 LS: So the measurable goals is really important, so the next thing I would advise someone is to have clear goals. So you've defined success, what success means to you, but then have the clear goals. So once you define that, then you can make measurable goals, you can create a road map.
0:08:35.8 LS: To make an analogy, you wouldn't get in a car and drive somewhere and not know where you're going, right? So you wouldn't go to work every day and work for nothing with no goal in mind or no purpose in mind, so having that clear goal is really important to your success.
0:08:53.3 EC: That is a great analogy.
0:08:55.5 LS: Well thank you. [chuckle]
0:08:56.3 EC: Dang girl, I love it. [chuckle]
0:08:58.7 LS: Thank you. Write it on a Post-It note. [chuckle] So do it long-term and short-term goals. I find that those are really helpful because the short-term goals, whatever works best for you, everybody's different. Sometimes I like to have clients set a one-month goal, a three-month goal, sic, nine, 12, because that's the type of personality they are. Other times it's a three-month and a nine month and then a two-year.
0:09:23.4 LS: So my big grand goal is to own my own spa, and then in my nine-month goal is to have enough money to put a down payment on a building or buy all of the necessary equipment that I can move into this space. And my one month goal is to get a marketing plan in place and have some strategic plans in order to execute that. So setting goals and doing the long-term and short-term goals are really, I feel incredibly essential to truly being successful.
0:09:50.6 EC: Hold that thought. We'll be right back.
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0:09:52.5 MS: Do you wanna give your clients clear, glowing skin for good? Look no further than Face Reality Skincare. Three-time winner of Best Acne Line in ASCP"s Skin Deep Readers Choice Awards. As the number one professional acne brand, Face Reality offers estheticians the most comprehensive online acne training to learn how to identify and treat even the most stubborn acne cases.
0:10:18.4 MS: Learn to use Face Reality's holistic treatment protocol, which includes in-clinic treatment, customized home care, and lifestyle guidance. Visit pros.facerealityskincare.com today to get started.
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0:10:39.3 EC: Okay, here we go. Let's give back to the podcast. Micro and macro goals is how I've said it because I didn't realize that that was long-term and short-term. [chuckle]
0:10:47.4 LS: Yeah, yeah, exactly. This is the same thing, same thing, just different terminology. And how you describe the Cadillac, that's reverse engineering your success, that's how you're gonna measure your success. So you're reverse engineering that to figure out, "Okay, how do I back into that? How do I get this? So these are all the things that I need to do in order to have that garage, to have the Cadillac, to have the house," and that sort of thing, and that's very important in goal setting and being successful.
0:11:13.3 EC: Just so we all know, I don't have the Cadillac yet.
[laughter]
0:11:17.2 EC: There's times I could have gotten it, but I'm like, "Okay, no. Not yet. Not yet."
0:11:20.0 LS: Well, maybe the goal changes, right?
0:11:22.7 EC: Yeah, the goal post moved, like you said.
0:11:24.8 LS: Yeah, and that's okay because that's... We're always evolving, and if we're not evolving, then what are we doing here? Right?
0:11:31.4 EC: Right.
0:11:32.0 LS: One of the key traits of successful people is that they have to be a student of life. When I look at successful people, they're always seeking more understanding and they have a mentality of, "I want more." They're hungry, they're curious and they ask questions. So ask questions about what you're doing as an esthetician. Is it working? And every time you seek information, you learn more and uncover more.
0:11:56.4 EC: I tell my clients too that the more you... And I didn't invent this quote, so don't give me credit. But the more you learn, the more you earn. So knowledge is power and it is so important to be a student of life in any aspect of your life if you want to be good at it. You can't just sit here and say, "I'm the best esthetician," and be in your room and doing these amazing treatments. If you're not staying on top of the trends or developing new techniques, you're not the best of the best. You just aren't.
0:12:23.0 LS: So that's really important, and I find that successful people are just very curious in general, curiosity seekers, they're learners, they're problem solvers, they're passion pursuers, and when you're passionate about something, you pursue things a lot harder. Wouldn't you agree?
0:12:39.0 MS: Totally.
0:12:39.5 EC: Absolutely.
0:12:40.4 LS: Yeah, it's like fearlessly. And then they're also happiness speakers, and that goes back to the passion part as well.
0:12:48.4 EC: I think that is one thing that is so cool about our industry specifically, is that there are times like the volume on passion can go up and it can go down, and there's a lot of external factors that influence that volume, but I think what's cool about our industry is there's always an opportunity to turn it back up or to re-ignite the flame, because there's a new trend, because there's a new way of doing something, because there's a new ingredient or because you heard an amazing podcast.
0:13:15.4 EC: There's all these other things that happen that reignite your passion, at least that's been my experience. Because there's times I'm like... I guess an analogy would be like, "I don't think I can make it to the top of this mountain."
[chuckle]
0:13:26.1 MS: Yes. Like, "Keep going. Keep going."
0:13:30.1 LS: Keep going. And that would be the biggest piece of advice I could give yo in understanding what successful people do, and I'm around successful people by my definition, just as a broad scope, of six-figure estheticians. With the Beauty Biz Club, we have so many estheticians that are hitting those marks.
0:13:44.0 LS: Yes they have challenges, yes they have things that they have to go through. Of course, we're all human. But what they do, like you just mentioned, is they get up. Every single time they get knocked down, they get up. And if you look around at people you admire, whether it's in esthetics or business or in your own personal life, look at how they live. They get up. They consistently get up.
0:14:07.8 LS: They might get up and listen to a podcast when they're uninspired, they might get up and go seek more education. When they get knocked down, they get up. When opportunity knocks, they take it. They get up and they take it, they're not afraid. A lot of times fear holds us back because we get that impostor syndrome where we were say, "Oh, that's not for me, that's for somebody else. I'm not qualified to do that. I shouldn't speak, I shouldn't put my name in to speak at a trade show because I'm not big enough yet."
0:14:38.1 LS: So if that's your dream, put your name in. Go for it. Go for it. Yeah, so taking the opportunity when it knocks is I think one of the key takeaways here, and it doesn't have to be a grandiose opportunity, it can be something simple, you know, doing something for a client, having a little client event at your spa. "Oh, I'm an introvert, I can't do that."
0:14:58.2 LS: Who says you can't? Sometimes the success comes just by being in the right place at the right time. I have... My husband is an attorney and one of his friends got this amazing book of business just because he was in his office at the right time, that another attorney from a different practice came in and said, "Hey, I need to give somebody this business. I don't do this type of law. Can you do it?"
0:15:26.4 LS: Now this guy has a billion dollar book of business just by being in his office, when it wasn't intended for that guy, it was intended for somebody else, but that guy was in his office.
0:15:36.6 MS: So to that point, you were talking about even just the small opportunities can build to something greater. And so always saying yes, being that yes man, is really about being successful too.
0:15:53.2 LS: Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because that is, you're exactly right. I think there's even a book about saying yes, because saying yes to opportunities that you normally wouldn't, stepping outside your comfort zone, that's where your growth is, and that's where you gain confidence.
0:16:05.9 EC: You said like having opportunity. Have you read that book by Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers?
0:16:11.2 LS: Mm-hmm.
0:16:11.9 EC: He's one of my favorite authors, but he talks about that, how people are in the right place at the right time, and how that contributes to these mega successful people. So not... So get up and get there.
0:16:21.9 LS: Right. Right. You can't lay in your bed, you can't lay in your treatment room when you don't have clients. You can't just hang out, you cannot be a hanger outer and expect the world to show up for you, and the busy bus is not just gonna drop off clients.
0:16:35.7 MS: Yeah, and I love what you just said, and sorry to interrupt, but when I first started out as an esthetician, I didn't know anything. Just coming out of school, I have no clue, and I had this mentor who said, "Act as if. Still make those hot towels, you still prep like you're booked solid." So it's all about opportunity in setting the stage. It's like if you build it, they will come. [chuckle]
0:16:58.9 EC: Manifesting.
0:17:00.7 LS: Yeah, absolutely. And there's so much you can do when you don't have a client. And with COVID, everything got kind of weird with the way that clients interact with estheticians or in the beauty industry and wellness industry in general, where we're seeing a lot more cancellations, last minute cancellations, we're seeing a lot of flakiness, but imposing your cancellation policy, having a business boundary in that way is really important.
0:17:22.8 EC: Ooh, say that again.
0:17:24.9 LS: Business boundaries are important.
0:17:28.4 EC: Yes.
[chuckle]
0:17:31.0 LS: Especially cancellation ones, 48 hours, I find it seems to be the sweet spot these days, just because people flake. Sometimes people get sick and it's situational where you charge them, but if your time is lost, time is money and you should be having that business boundary and not letting people take advantage of you.
0:17:48.8 EC: I get super irritated right now when people cancel, because it feels so laissez-faire to just like, "I'm gonna cancel," but I'm booked out eight weeks plus, so I'm set. My schedule is set. Of course I have a cancellation list, but if you cancel right before, day of, because of something so stupid. [chuckle] It's none of my business what the reason is, but in my opinion, because I'm angry, it's stupid, then it upsets to me.
0:18:15.7 LS: Right, right.
0:18:16.2 EC: I do enforce and I don't really like that. It doesn't feel good for me to enforce them. Previously. But a couple of weeks ago it happened, I enforced it and I sat back and I felt good.
0:18:25.0 LS: Right, it feels good because you're respecting your own boundaries. And it's funny because clients always give you a reason and it's almost like the reason, it would be better if you didn't tell me the reason because it's so upsetting like, "Oh, I forgot I have an appointment. Or, "Oh, I double-booked and I have a eyelash appointment." Or, Oh I'm gonna get my hair done and I'm so sorry, I'm just gonna run over."
0:18:44.8 LS: So they're telling you who they're choosing, and then it's like, "Okay, here's your invoice, let me know when you'd like to re-book, you can pay this and then re-book."
0:18:53.0 EC: Right.
0:18:53.8 LS: So yeah, I don't know, there's so many things that we could go into about success because there's just a lot of qualities that people have when they're successful, but my message and the key takeaway today, I would offer you is to do something to get up and start your day in a way that you get up for yourself, for your success and for your happiness. Throughout your day, get up, get curious. If you don't have clients go on social media and say, "Hey, I have an opening at 1 o'clock today. Last minute. If you booked right now, you can get 10% off," or some kind of incentive and fill your books.
0:19:28.6 LS: Or do a training, go to the archives of ASCP's education section and do some sort of training that's gonna enhance your life. It doesn't have to be something that's going to be direct, but something, be a passion seeker, you know? Something that ignites your beauty biz soul and lights it on fire.
0:19:46.5 LS: Seek more information on something that you don't understand that you've always wished you learned or know more about. I know Ella, seeing you grow so much in the cannabis industry and... Are you still doing all of that?
0:20:00.5 EC: I am still consulting, but just that was a really fun thing because it was science, it was formulation, it was plants. It was so many different things that it was amazing. So I did take that, I did... As a formulator it was scary, but I did apply, with some nudging applied to speak at some trade shows and I ended up on a trade show circuit, and then I ended up as sought after for my opinion, so it was really...
0:20:26.4 EC: And then I learned more, I didn't stop. And that's the other thing is because that's where I learned, well I knew, but it really solidified science is ever-changing, so that's my passion point.
0:20:35.4 LS: Yeah, I would totally agree with you. Just by knowing who you are is you're my ingredient girl, and that's why I always refer clients to you is because you know the skin, you know what's going to work and you just, you just know ingredients really well. So mad props to you on that, by the way. I like that.
0:20:53.6 EC: Thanks. I'll take it.
0:20:57.3 LS: "I'll take it," love it. So guys, when you have a cancellation, go out there, get more training, go get more clients. Don't be sad and say, "Oh well, I don't have a client, I'm just gonna lay here and scroll on social media." We do way too much scrolling in our lives, and it's not scrolling for a good reason, it's scrolling just to pass time.
0:21:13.5 EC: So get up, get moving, feed your soul and attract more clients. And I would challenge you guys to do this today, recognize something that you have a need for and show up for yourself.
0:21:26.2 EC: I love that. Now, listeners, we really wanna hear from you, what is your motivation? What makes you get up? How do you show up? Be sure to comment on our social media, especially Instagram and Facebook, or reach out via email at getconnected@ascpskincare.com. We wanna know all the details.
0:21:41.7 EC: In the meantime, thank you for listening to ASCP Esty Talk. For more information on this episode or for ways to connect with Maggie or myself, or to learn more about ASCP check out the show notes. And stay tuned for the next episode of ASCP Esty Talk.
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