Ep. 59: How To Not Be Basic In PMU With Sandi Jones of Couture Brows
Do you want to have a successful beauty business? Do you think you can do that while being basic? Absolutely not.
But don't worry! My good friend microblader and educator, Sandi Jones of Couture Brows, and I are here to teach you how you can not be basic and help you become the beauty business boss of your dreams.
Creating a successful beauty business is hard but it's even harder when you're just doing the same thing as everybody else. There are a lot of us out there, right? You need to help yourself stand out. You need to be, well, not basic.
That's why Sandi and I teamed up for this episode.
In this podcast, we're gonna break down all the tips for not being basic:
1. Finding your specific 'why' - what keeps you motivated?
2. Pouring passion into all you do
3. Keep the haters hating
4. Collaboration over competition
So, are you ready to take your beauty business to the next level and learn how to be not basic? We've got your back. Listen to this episode for all the deets!
Here are the episode highlights:
‣‣ [10:52] Sandi starts by telling us about her business, Couture Brows, what she does now, and where and how she started.
‣‣ [17:54] With such a crazy business that's growing all the time and a hectic schedule, I ask Sandi how she stays motivated.
‣‣ [20:41] Really getting into the theme of the show, Sandi and I talk about what makes her not basic. We talk about the level of passion she has for the things she approaches.
‣‣ [25:43] A lot of people who want to build a permanent makeup business won't succeed - and it's because they feel entitled to success without actually wanting to put in the time and effort.
‣‣ [32:26] Our next step to not being basic: keep the haters hating and keep the haters jealous.
‣‣ [41:25] This right here is so important. Collabs are a great way to make connections, foster community, and grow your business organically. Sandi and I give all our advice for collabs and our experiences with collabs early in our careers.
I DON'T WANT TO BE BASIC! (Listen Here)
I had so much fun on this episode with Sandi and I know you loved her too! You can keep up with her and all things Couture Brows on Instagram, right here!
You can follow me, Sheila Bella, on Instagram @realsheilabella!
Here are the links that were mentioned in the podcast and more!
Grow Your Gram
Online Course Workshop
FOR MY LISTENER BOSS BABES
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FOR MY READER BOSS BABES
You can enjoy a transcript of the podcast here.
Sheila Bella:
Welcome to the Pretty Rich Podcast, where every woman is the heroine of her own story. I'm your host, Sheila Bella, and I built a million dollar beauty business from nothing. So maybe if you listen enough you'll start to believe that you can do it too, because if the perfect job doesn't exist, well, you can create it. If the job you want isn't hiring you, you can unapologetically hire yourself. Each episode will equip you with empowering conversations on how to grow a lifestyle that's pretty rich in love, beauty, wellness, and financial wealth.
I'm Sheila Bella, beauty business coach, celebrity brow artist, global success speaker, author, serial entrepreneur, wife, mother, friend, daughter and your forever positive beauty biz sales guru. Let's go.
Hey, what's you, you guys? It's Sheila Bella. Welcome back to Pretty Rich Podcast. I just love hanging out with you guys. Before we begin I wanted to ask you a question. Are you a permanent makeup artist and you want to scale your business? Maybe you're a permanent makeup artist that just got their certification and it's the first three months and you still don't know what to do. You feel like you're kind of guessing. You're kind of just copying other people's actions like the whole Instagram thing, and the before and afters, et cetera, et cetera. Or maybe you're seasoned already. You're seasoned, you're working pretty much alone or you might have an assistant, but now you're ready to scale. Maybe you feel like you're working way too hard but you know you really need to be working smarter and not harder, and maybe you're at a point where you need to build a team. Well, Pretty Rich University is now open for enrollment. Pretty Rich University is something I've been doing now for a little while and it's a community that's completely online with other individuals who want to do the same thing, who want to scale their PMU studios but don't know how.
Because I've done it, I know what it's like to not have any clients and I also know what it's like to have too many clients, and now having been in the business for nine years, going through all the ups and downs, I can teach it. As a matter of fact, I've been teaching it to other PMU artists who want to scale. There is so much room for growth in this business, and I think what happens is a lot of artists are just that, they're artists. If you have an inkling that maybe you didn't build your business on solid ground, maybe you kind of just threw it together and it's duct taped together basically and you're just kind of guessing your way through it. I'm here to tell you that I can teach you a real business plan. I can teach you the strategy that I used to create a seven figure business in three years in the world of permanent makeup, and if I can do it, you can too. So if you want more information on coaching and enrolling in my Pretty Rich University, go to sheilabella.com or send me a DM on Instagram, duh, @realsheilabella.
Okay, so today's guest is very successful. I freaking loved getting to know her in this episode and I know you will too. Her name is Sandi Jones. She is the CEO of Couture Brows. She is incredible. Such a kind and beautiful human too. She has seven PMU studios across the country and she has the world's best microblading program. Isn't that awesome? She trademarked that. It's a 10 day program, and I have to say, it sounds pretty incredible. I can't wait to introduce her to you guys. You guys are going to be so blown away by this interview. But first girl, let's just catch up. Let's catch up right now.
It is back to school week, okay? And I didn't know, this is my first time being a mom with two kids at two different schools, and I didn't know that I should've probably taken the transition week off. If you're not a mom yet, you should know this, because I didn't know this, and nobody told me. There's a lot of things that nobody tells you about being a mom. Here's the truth, right? I've been a working mother since my oldest son Beau was born about four, almost five years ago, and now I'm a mother of two with my two-year-old, Grey. All while running a company, trying to stay in shape, okay, being as attentive as I could be to my husband, I got to be a wife too, maintaining friends, I need friends, right? Coaching clients, doing this podcast, my microblading clients, just trying to keep my sanity. But when it comes to parenting we're all just kind of guessing. Half the time I still feel like a kid in charge of another kid, and I had one of those weeks this week. It's confusing because I make sure I give them a lot of attention but not too much to where they can become complacent. You try to have open communication, right?
So I try to have open communication with them by being understanding, but there's a fine line because you also have to be a disciplinarian so that they grow up to be an actual contributing citizen of society. You want them to eat healthy. Oh my gosh, my parents give them so much sugar and it drives me crazy. So I want them to eat healthy without being too strict, right? In case they develop an unhealthy relationship with sugar and junk food. All of these things are so confusing, especially with my almost five year old Beau. He's just so aware. He's five, right? Or almost five, and he feels like a mini teenager almost. You see glimpses of what he's going to be like as a teen. He's negotiating too. So where is the freaking line? What's too much? What's too little? And kids don't come with manuals. I used to think that parenting books were the manuals, but they're all kind of biased, right? They all give different advice. One book says you should sleep train, another book says you should have family bed. I mean, there's a book for everything.
So I remember when I first became a mom, three months into it I was so, so confused. I was in tears because, well first of all, I'm sure that was partially postpartum, right? But I asked for advice on Facebook, and never do that. Never ever do that. People have really high opinions and they're not afraid to give it, and they're conflicting opinions on Facebook. I thought I was just going to get one answer, but then here underneath this question was a whole thread of people arguing with one another. So yeah, never ask for parenting advice on Facebook, especially if you're a new mom who's already depressed and feeling bad about herself and her worth. I stopped, okay. I stopped asking for people's opinions on social media because it just made me cry, and I became even more confused. So mama, my heart and soul goes out to you too. If you're a mom listening to this, if you're a stepmom. Oh my gosh, my mom was one. If you're a single mom, a working mom, a stay-at-home mom, like whatever, okay? No matter what, it is not easy
If you're not a mom but you know moms, you're friends with moms, or your own mom, the best thing you can do for any mom in your life is to give zero judgment. Yeah, I don't care if you breastfed or bottle fed, whether you work or not work, in my eyes, you rock, because you're trying your hardest to love your children the very best way that you can. Those little suckers, ugh, their little voices. Oh my gosh, now I'm tearing up. I love what I do. I love what I do with you guys, but all of it really, as much as I love this, it pales in comparison to the joy I have when I'm parenting, yeah. If any of this resonates with you, repost this episode or send me a message. Tag me, let me know that that resonated with you. I love hearing from you guys.
Okay, back to business. Yeah, Sandi Jones Couture Brows. She's going to tell us how not to be basic. How not to be basic in PMU.
Hey everyone, what's up? I have a very special guest and we are recording live today. We're recording from Los Angeles, California, and I have Couture Brows's very own Miss Sandi Jones.
Sandi Jones:
What's up, guys? Today we are going to teach you how not to be basic.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, she totes came up with that.
Sandi Jones:
Well, we kind of both did at the same time.
Sheila Bella:
[crosstalk 00:09:58]. Yeah, we kind of did. We're like, "That's the one."
Sandi Jones:
Yep.
Sheila Bella:
How not to be basic.
Sandi Jones:
It was like that Step Brothers moment, and we just became best friends.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, with the bunk beds.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
Okay. But before we can teach everybody on not to be basic in permanent makeup, I want to first of all, before we pressed record you were telling me a little bit about your background, and I have to say, you guys, I'm super intrigued by this woman, this beautiful woman in front of me. Yeah, she's way, way more than just her Instagram profile, and all of the amazing beautiful physical qualities that she has.
Sandi Jones:
Oh my gosh.
Sheila Bella:
Dude, where did you come from? Oh my god.
Sandi Jones:
I don't know.
Sheila Bella:
You are such a boss babe.
Sandi Jones:
You're a boss babe. You inspire me. When you invited me to be on the show I was so excited. So just glad we can share this special moment together.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. Okay, so tell everybody what you've created, where your business is now before we tell them where you came from, because you guys, it's going to be polar opposites and you're going to be like, "Oh my gosh, this is crazy." So where is your business now, Couture Brows?
Sandi Jones:
So Couture Brows we are the home of the world's best microblading program.
Sheila Bella:
Trademarked.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, trademarked, TM.
Sheila Bella:
So smart.
Sandi Jones:
We have a really great program and we really want to do what we call the ABCs in microblading with all of our girls. But in addition to that we also, we don't just do a training, we don't just host a training, we make sure that we set up shop wherever we're going to do a training so that afterwards our students can come in and do a free apprenticeship, a 60 day apprenticeship.
Sheila Bella:
That's amazing.
Sandi Jones:
Which is awesome.
Sheila Bella:
How long is your microblading class? Because most microblading courses are two, three days.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
How long is yours?
Sandi Jones:
Because we are the only accredited program in the United States, our program is 10 days. We're allowed to do that. We have our post secondary education license in all of our states and we are allowed to do more than just a three day class. So we have a five day online training and a five day in classroom training. Six days if you want to add an extra ombré or something course. Then afterwards you'll get 60 days of free booth rental or apprenticeship at our location.
Sheila Bella:
Free both rental or apprenticeship, 60 days free.
Sandi Jones:
Yep. They don't have to pay anything. They get to come in and they get to take their clients, and it's fun, it's safe, and there's always an instructor available to help them design the brow or help them with any permanent makeup.
Sheila Bella:
That's amazing, and you have locations all across the country, right? You have seven locations.
Sandi Jones:
We have seven locations and we're going to be expanding even more. We've got our corporate headquarters is in Salt Lake City, Utah. We've got a really cute studio in Beverly Hills, Boise, Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, New York.
Sheila Bella:
Amazing.
Sandi Jones:
It's so fun.
Sheila Bella:
I mean, you basically created what I think to be something of immense value for our industry today. Where would you find that? I've never heard of anything like that, and it sounds absolutely perfect.
Sandi Jones:
Thank you. Yeah, I guess me and my other partners, my other instructors, we built the program off of how we would've wanted to learn. We would've wanted to do some stuff online and come already knowing a lot of information about microblading and then having that practical time with our instructors. Yeah, that's how I would've wanted to learn. Then afterwards just leaving and trying to start your own business is so challenging. That's another thousands of dollars. So they get to come and they don't have to pay for a booth rental right upfront. They don't have to go find a space to work, they don't have to get their business license. They even get to be under my insurance for 60 days. So yeah, so it's huge. I think the continued support really makes a difference.
Sheila Bella:
Huge difference, my goodness. Which brings me to another entrepreneurial point. You are very successful, that's a fact, and I think what that stems from is that you just created what you needed.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
You gave the people what they wanted.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
You gave great training at an affordable price and just with all the bells and whistles, and you're like, here. I feel like it's really that simple. Just give people what they want.
Sandi Jones:
Totally.
Sheila Bella:
It's the same thing. I feel very close to this idea, be what you needed 10 years ago.
Sandi Jones:
Absolutely.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, and that's why I do whatever it is I do, it's the same thing. Oh, I would've loved to have had that.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
That's amazing.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, I think, like you said, it makes a big difference in the industry. It produces better work in the end and there's not so many horror stories, and then it creates more value to the industry because some people have a bad taste in their mouth about permanent makeup, and it really can be this amazing phenomenal thing that can change lives if it's done correctly. The way that it can be done correctly is with proper training.
Sheila Bella:
Absolutely. Let's go back.
Sandi Jones:
Okay.
Sheila Bella:
Let's go back to Sandi Jones, right?
Sandi Jones:
Yes.
Sheila Bella:
As a child, tell us a little bit about your upbringing and where you came from.
Sandi Jones:
So throughout my adolescence I had a pretty rough upbringing. I have a bunch of siblings and we all come from different dads and none of us have ever met our fathers. We were in and out of foster homes for about pretty much our whole lives. Some of us had it better than others. I felt like I always had to prove something to somebody, and I don't even know what it was. I think that's maybe where a lot of my motivation comes from. Growing up in foster care in Utah and Los Angeles, it's difficult. There's a lot of ups and downs and a lot of things that you probably shouldn't have to see at such young ages. It makes you grow up faster, which, I mean, I feel like now I'm living young, which is great, but I grew up really fast. I don't look back at it negatively because it made me who I am. So I feel strong because of it, but I also want to inspire others. I don't want anybody to ever have to feel or go through what I went through, and that's why I always try so hard to be as supportive as I possibly can.
Sheila Bella:
Mm-hmm (affirmative), absolutely. That's incredible. You know what? I have to say too, I was listening to something else this morning. It was just a reminder that whatever it is that you've gone through, you need to turn that into something powerful.
Sandi Jones:
Totally.
Sheila Bella:
You need to turn it into something that will serve you, because if you don't transform it into something positive, then you're going to-
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, it's going to eat you alive.
Sheila Bella:
... emit. Yeah, you're going to emit that pain to others around you, the people you love.
Sandi Jones:
Totally.
Sheila Bella:
I mean, yeah. Even though if you had parents or if you had bullies at school or anything like that, anybody who's ever been an a-hole to you in the past, thank them. Thank you for that because you made me resilient. I am who I am today. You humbled me, you made me work hard. All of that, all of those negative experiences really contributes to who we are, and our character, and our grit. So yeah, the only way to approach it really is with gratitude, which is so weird to say.
Sandi Jones:
Totally. Yeah, I mean, it makes sense. I mean, I am grateful to be humble and I want to always remain humble. I always remember where I came from, and remember why I started, and just stay, like I said, stay motivated. That's going to help.
Sheila Bella:
How do you stay motivated?
Sandi Jones:
How do I stay motivated?
Sheila Bella:
We can do one of the tips. One of the tips, how not to be basic.
Sandi Jones:
Okay.
Sheila Bella:
One of those. One of those things.
Sandi Jones:
How I stay motivated. I actually have ... I teach my students this too in their business and marketing, is I actually have this book, I call it, it's my number one tip. Remember I was telling you earlier, my number one tip, I have this book and I call it my marketing book, but it's really just my inspiration book. The first chapter of this book is kind of my vision board and my inspiration, and then from there on I do all of my marketing stuff. Every time I open up the book I want to remember why I started. My vision board is actually a lot more simple than people think it would be because I have so much going on in all these stores, but I really just I look at my future and I just really want a simple life and I really want to make it for myself, and that's really how I stay motivated. It's that if I work really, really hard in the next 10 years, then I can like peacefully afterwards, you know? Which I probably don't know if I will, but.
But let's say it, how not to be basic, be fearless.
Sheila Bella:
Be fearless.
Sandi Jones:
Be fearless.
Sheila Bella:
You've just kept going, you just kept going, because coming from a background like yours, coming from an upbringing like yours. How did you break away from that and how did you transform into the seemingly fearless woman that you are today? What did it take?
Sandi Jones:
I have really, my siblings, even though we didn't necessarily grow up together because we were in different homes. My siblings and I we just, we keep each other motivated because we all came ... It's important to have people that went through similar experiences, and we all went through very similar things. So we get to thrive off of each other. Then, like I said, I've always had this thing where I felt like I had to prove something to somebody, and I'm always looking for the next opportunity and how I can grow my business, and how I can expand, and how I can get my name out there even farther. When you feel like there's nothing else you could possibly do in marketing, then you've kind of failed. I have students that come to me and they're like, "Well, I did my Instagram and I did my Facebook." And I'm like, "That's great, but if you feel like that's it and now you're not getting clients, then you're failing yourself." It's like you have to be always working, and when [crosstalk 00:20:08].
Sheila Bella:
There's so much you can do aside from just social media.
Sandi Jones:
There's so much.
Sheila Bella:
I feel like people just focus on that and they think that's all it takes.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah. There's two, they think the two social media sites, when really you need diversity in your marketing, and that's really going to help you grow even more. When you feel like if you're sitting there, and you're sitting on the computer and you feel like you've done everything you possibly could and you're still not getting clients, that's when you're failing yourself because there's so many more things, yeah. Make a list, that's what's in my marketing book. Is also a list of all these things, all these different ways that I can market myself.
Sheila Bella:
Amazing. So tell me, what else makes you not basic?
Sandi Jones:
What else makes me not basic? Gosh, I think I'm pretty basic. No. I'm so passionate that I feel like no matter what, no matter who comes to me or who's talking to me about anything that they're having a hard time with, I'm so passionate, I just really want to help people so much. I feel like a lot of people in the industry, they are kind of stuck up, and they're not really approachable. That to me is basic. If you feel like you can't have a conversation with somebody, that's boring, right?
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, yeah.
Sandi Jones:
Be generous and really just get in there and help other people, and be approachable, and have intimate conversations with people, and be passionate.
Sheila Bella:
One of the things that I really subscribe to is to not to create a business but create a mission and make it your business.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
I feel like that's what you've done. So where does your passion for others come from?
Sandi Jones:
I feel like I've just been hurt so many times throughout my adolescence, and then after your adolescence you go into your really vulnerable years where all the hurt is still coming through, and I just never want people to have to experience the feelings that I felt. I know they're going to. I can't protect the world, but I think that would probably be my answer.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, yeah.
Sandi Jones:
Just want to protect people.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. You know what else I've found really interesting? Is I see people like you and really influential leaders who can speak to people, not just to people, but through, into people. I think a lot of the reason why people like that are effective, like yourself, is because they've been through it themselves. They understand the pain, and how can you possibly be an influential person who serves people, who can help people, who can really speak to the problem if you don't know it deeply yourself? And that's probably also why you've come so far and created something so amazing for our industry.
Sandi Jones:
Thank you. Yeah, I mean, I can't speak for other people being "influencers" on Instagram or anything like that, but I do know that I try to do everything with passion and I want to share my passion with other people, and I want other people to know that if they come into contact with me, I will invest in them emotionally.
Sheila Bella:
That must be hard. You have like, what did we say, like 1,000 students across the country, right?
Sandi Jones:
Yes, it is very hard.
Sheila Bella:
That's a lot of emotional investing.
Sandi Jones:
It is hard.
Sheila Bella:
I don't think I have that many people on my phone right now.
Sandi Jones:
It is hard. It is hard. I always I tell my students like, "Just if you really need me, call me and I will answer." Because it's-
Sheila Bella:
Do they all have your number?
Sandi Jones:
Yes.
Sheila Bella:
Wow.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah. Every morning I wake up to about, 66 right now, it's a pretty good day.
Sheila Bella:
Holy moly.
Sandi Jones:
But anywhere from 70 to-
Sheila Bella:
All from students?
Sandi Jones:
Yeah. From 70 to like 200 messages, and I just tell my students it's going to take me sometimes up to 24 hours to get back to you, but in the morning when I'm drinking my coffee or at night is when I respond to everybody. Throughout the day if somebody really needs something, if they have a client that's being very dramatic about a certain situation, they can call me and I'm available.
Sheila Bella:
Holy crap. You must not have kids yet.
Sandi Jones:
No, no kids. No husband, no kids. Just Couture Brows is my baby.
Sheila Bella:
That's amazing. Oh, it's amazing. So I don't give out my number.
Sandi Jones:
Oh, I have her number. You guys, it's-
Sheila Bella:
She's a better human. She's a better human, everybody. I'll take it.
Sandi Jones:
I went through so much crap as a permanent makeup artist when I first started because of my terrible training that I guess I'm just like, I went through so much crap. I had the craziest clients in the whole world at first. I think that that's another reason is like again, me wanting to be mama bear and protect everybody. I don't want people to feel like if their crazy client is threatening them, that they don't have anybody to turn to or try to talk to about it. I can call the client directly and usually reconcile pretty easily.
Sheila Bella:
Whoa, girl. Is that exhausting?
Sandi Jones:
Yes, but it's also a service that I provide. It's just something that it makes me feel good.
Sheila Bella:
Can you call our clients to reconcile?
Sandi Jones:
Yes, I will.
Sheila Bella:
Laura, Laura.
Sandi Jones:
Let's get a Couture Brows customer service hotline right now.
Sheila Bella:
Get Sandi Jones's number on speed dial up front. Sorry.
Sandi Jones:
Google my business page, is my phone number now.
Sheila Bella:
I freaking love you.
Sandi Jones:
Aw, thank you.
Sheila Bella:
My goodness, my goodness. Yeah, definitely I'm not as generous as you in that way. I'm generous in other ways. Does it ever get too much? Does it ever drain you? I know Couture Brows is your baby. Here's the thing, your passion shows. The result in it shows. It's kind of like people tell me all the time like, "Oh, I don't have time to work on my business." Or, "I don't want to do that or I don't want to do this." People who are business building who are permanent makeup businesses, they're just full of excuses, right?
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, like almost entitled or something. They just feel like because they took a class they should get clients, and that's not how it works.
Sheila Bella:
If their Instagram looks just as good, they should have clients. But I think you have to treat your business, this is going to sound really strange, you have to treat your business like an affair, like a steamy love affair.
Sandi Jones:
I love that.
Sheila Bella:
Right? Because think about people who do have affairs, I'm not condoning affairs, I'm monogamous, thank you very much. Hi Will, I love you. But think about people who do have affairs, they find time.
Sandi Jones:
Oh yeah.
Sheila Bella:
They forego sleep, they have 15 minutes to make out in the parking lot, and they're just like, "Yes. I'm in it." And I think in many ways you have to treat your business in the same way. You have to be excited about it. I feel that way. If I have 15 minutes to write a post, or interact with my followers, or podcast, I'm just I'm all in. I make sure I smell good.
Sandi Jones:
Totally.
Sheila Bella:
I make sure I look for that affair, so to speak. Of course, you would give your "lover" your personal number.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
Because you want time with them. So I think a lot of it is the environment you set up for your business. You've created an awesome environment for your business for yourself that you enjoy being in, and of course you're going to be generous because you love it, you want to be there, and you smell great.
Sandi Jones:
Thank you. Shower this morning.
Sheila Bella:
I made a list of everything that I felt was wrong with the permanent makeup industry. What does your list include? Let me share some of mine, okay? Cattiness between brands, I don't like that. The clicky, clicky, clacky thing. It's like we're in high school. Lack of business training bugs me. Gross display of competition in the Facebook groups for sure. I think there should also be more face-to-face relationships. I feel like we're just all hiding behind screens, and that is not human. Also, I didn't like it when trainers would just train you and see you along your merry way without being transparent about their systems and strategies and the grind that it really takes to make it in this industry. Well, I took my list and I sought to change it, and that is how the Pretty Ambitious Summit was born. What I've created is something I'm so passionate about. It's a two day live event whose sole mission is to turn everything that I see wrong in this industry upside down. I'm excited because this is the very first girl power, self-development, and business strategy conference specifically for PMU boss babes like you.
You guys, I'm so excited. This event is designed to make you feel amazing and give you all the tools you need so you can crush your goals. It is time for change. I want you to learn what's necessary to succeed, unfiltered, no holding back information. That's exactly what I told the speakers, and that's what they've committed to. I have the best, most generous kind speakers who are so eager to help you succeed. If you want to see all the speakers, just go to prettyambitioussummit.com. My mission is for you to leave Los Angeles with your own personal and business breakthroughs. But you can't do it without support, so we're going to give you that too. This event is designed for you to meet your people. I can't tell you how crucial my PMU friends have been in my own journey, and you deserve that too, sister. Tickets are more than halfway sold out. I can't believe it. VIP tickets sold out last week, and the event is still six and a half months away. What that tells me is that our industry is hungry for a positive movement such as this. You deserve to be in that room, so grab your seat before tickets run out. Again, just go to prettyambitioussummit.com and I'll see you at the top where ambitious women empower each other.
Yeah, so that's a tip.
Sandi Jones:
But yeah, you asked if I ever get exhausted or tired.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah.
Sandi Jones:
The interactions with people doesn't make me exhausted. I don't think I'm one of those people that absorbs energy. I try to if anything change the energy. But the part that really gets exhausting for me is that I work seven days a week and when I'm not working I'm usually on a plane flying to my next location to set up for my next class and work again, because like I said, we have locations all over and our courses are a week long, and we have a course every week. So that's the part that really gets exhausting for me, is just that sometimes I go back to Salt Lake City and in my loft with my dogs, and I'm like, "This is the life." But then I can't do that for more than 12 hours before my ADHD kicks in and I'm like, "I got to do something. I have to." My friend was over the other day and she was laughing because she came over just to visit with me in my house and she brought some Starbucks coffees, and she was like, "Are you ever not moving." Because while we were talking I was cleaning my whole house. It's not like a huge house, I was cleaning my little loft. Yeah, I always have to be moving. There's just something inside of me that just feels like I need to keep going all the time.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, yeah. What next is on our list of how not to be basic by Sandi Jones?
Sandi Jones:
Okay. How not to be basic? Well, keep the haters hating and keep the haters jealous.
Sheila Bella:
Oh my god, I love that she said this. Tell everybody how you learned this or where you got this.
Sandi Jones:
So Vanderpump Rules, Lala Kent is one of my favorite humans in the whole world.
Sheila Bella:
They're your clients, right?
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, they're my clients. She I think at first was really nervous about all the publicity and all the bad comments that she would receive, and I think that-
Sheila Bella:
For tattooing her brows?
Sandi Jones:
Well, not just that, any time she would do anything to her face cosmetically, or wear an outfit that somebody disagreed with, or just something that, literally so petty, but it was probably ... And that would be anybody that's in the public eye. It's kind of nerveracking to have people hate on what you're doing and you're just trying to better yourself or what you think is bettering yourself, and people are bringing you down constantly, but then she realized it was really it's like a publicity stunt, right? People love to hate you, and if they're not hating you, then you're not doing something right. People are not jealous of you, then you're not doing something right. Usually people only speak out of jealousy. They're not going to hate on you if they're not jealous. If you go get your lips done and they can't afford to get their lips done, and they're super jealous, they're going to be like, "Ew, people shouldn't do that." Or if they are not healthy or exercising, and they're maybe gaining weight or something, and you're at the gym every day, and you look really good, and you're wearing some cute outfit, people are going to be like, "Oh, you shouldn't wear stuff like that." So people just hate because they're jealous, but in the long run if people are hating on you, then you're not doing it right.
Sheila Bella:
It means you have something.
Sandi Jones:
You have something to be jealous about, and that's great. It's a good feeling.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. It sucks though when you're confused of what that is before you know what that is.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, and there are some hurtful comments that no matter what you can't just be like, "Oh well, that's flattering." Sometimes it's just hurtful and that sucks,
Sheila Bella:
I know, I know. Yeah, I know. It took a long time for me to not be affected by it.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
According to Dave Asprey, 4% of all humans in the entire world are just wired to be negative. They're wired to be trolls, and you know what? That kind of makes sense. So the 4%, if you put yourself out there, you're going to get them, you just will.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
You're not exempt from the 4%, none of us are.
Sandi Jones:
I just block them.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah.
Sandi Jones:
My Instagram, my social medias, all my sites are about positivity, and not that I don't like constructive criticism.
Sheila Bella:
Absolutely.
Sandi Jones:
I welcome it, or if somebody has an opinion like, "I don't like this style." That's great, it's not for everybody. But there are some people, like you said, that are just straight up trolls.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, trolls.
Sandi Jones:
I just block them, because I don't want to deal with it, you know?
Sheila Bella:
Yeah.
Sandi Jones:
I used to feed into it back in the day when I first started by Instagram, and tried to defend my skill, and my art, and the permanent makeup world and then I just felt like, you know what? It's just a waste of time. Instead of defending yourself, market yourself. Go talk to people that do think that you're positive and do love what you're doing, and that's going to enhance your business.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, absolutely. I love that. That's so true. I remember too when I first got in this business and then I did somebody that was in the public eye, I remember there's a video about it. Yeah, there's a video on YouTube.
Sandi Jones:
I have a video too that I hate, a YouTube that I hate, but continue.
Sheila Bella:
Oh my god, yeah, I hate it.
Sandi Jones:
I hate it. I have a YouTube too. It was one of my first people too.
Sheila Bella:
It's still there but I can't take it down-
Sandi Jones:
Same.
Sheila Bella:
... because yeah, she's really popular.
Sandi Jones:
Same, and mine yeah, same. I'm always-
Sheila Bella:
Did we just become best friends?
Sandi Jones:
We totally did. It sucks, and I just felt like ... And this was early in my career too, so I was still ... I've always been very sanitary, but there are some things that I was still learning about.
Sheila Bella:
Yes. [crosstalk 00:36:36].
Sandi Jones:
So it's in the video, and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, that's totally not my, that's not me anymore. That was when I was just an artist, I was still learning." And I would just, yeah.
Sheila Bella:
Oh my gosh, totally. High five right now. Snaps everybody.
Sandi Jones:
Snaps.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, I have that, and I was like, "Dang it." I remember actually going to a training out of town and then when that video came out. When that video came out I was in the worst place you could be, which is in the midst of other permanent makeup artists. It would be different if it came out and I was just in my studio, not around a lot of people. But then it came out and then I walked into class, and then apparently that video had been circulating in the Facebook forums and there was a ton of negative comments underneath.
Sandi Jones:
Oh my gosh.
Sheila Bella:
This woman, so sweet, I forgot her name, but she came up to me and she's like, "I'm really sorry. That was really mean of them to say." And I didn't even know what she was talking about.
Sandi Jones:
Oh my god.
Sheila Bella:
And I was like, "What? What?" Then she was like, "You know what? Just I stood up for you." She said. I was like, "Okay." And she was like, "I stood up for you because we're all students, we're all learning, you know what I mean?" And I was like, "Oh my god. How bad was it?" And I looked at it again and I didn't see anything wrong with it, but now I'm like, "Oh smack."
Sandi Jones:
Same. I used to use those tools, this is how they taught me, was that you put the tool in the thing, you know?
Sheila Bella:
Yeah.
Sandi Jones:
And some people still use that method, I just use all disposables now.
Sheila Bella:
Same.
Sandi Jones:
Tina Davies is life.
Sheila Bella:
#ProTeam.
Sandi Jones:
So I just look at the sanitation, the depth, everything, the designing of the brow, everything that I did back then was just so wrong, and I totally, I'm a completely different artist now. The YouTube comments that I got were just the worst. The worst part about it was people were talking crap about my eyebrows. They were like, "Oh, her eyebrows are so bad I would never let her touch me."
Sheila Bella:
Were your eyebrows bad back then or are they the same?
Sandi Jones:
They're just naturally really bushy. I just have really [crosstalk 00:38:43].
Sheila Bella:
They look great right now.
Sandi Jones:
So the comments were like, "Ew, her face is so ugly and her brows are really bushy and asymmetrical. I would never let her touch me. She doesn't know anything about symmetry." And then just it went on, and on, and on, and on, and on and I just read every YouTube comment.
Sheila Bella:
You read every comment?
Sandi Jones:
I shouldn't have, I was crushed afterwards. The YouTuber was so stoked. She was like, "Oh my gosh, did you see? I posted the video." And I was kind of mad at her. It wasn't her fault, but I was kind of mad at her.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, it wasn't her fault. But oh my gosh, that's so mortifying.
Sandi Jones:
It is mortifying, and it makes you feel like you're never going to be successful in the industry. It's almost like high school, like you just got made fun of in the industry and you're just worried that it's-
Sheila Bella:
How could you ever show your face?
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, your reputation is just screwed.
Sheila Bella:
That's it, you quit.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
No, but there is hope. I feel like that's the worst case scenario.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
And we both lived through it.
Sandi Jones:
We both went through it and we're fine. Famous YouTuber and here we are. Our businesses are thriving.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. We're fine. So if you're going through a complaint, you'll be fine, but just keep taking classes. You're continuing education, keep learning, and you'll get there.
Sandi Jones:
Reach out to a mentor.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah.
Sandi Jones:
Reach out to a mentor and have somebody talk you through it because it happens to every single person.
Sheila Bella:
Totally, totally.
Sandi Jones:
And it doesn't mean that you're not ever going to be anything. In fact, make it fuel you, you know?
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. I'll show them.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, exactly. I have that. I have so much to prove all the time.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. Watch my work now.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
That's how I feel. I'm like, "Oh look, see. They don't look like that anymore." Every time I post something I'm like, "Look how good. Forget that video."
Sandi Jones:
I love the Timehop thing that comes up.
Sheila Bella:
Oh my gosh, the Timehop.
Sandi Jones:
Timehop and I'm like, "Where are those strokes."
Sheila Bella:
Yeah.
Sandi Jones:
It's great. It's fine. My clients liked it, and we used to like-
Sheila Bella:
They did like it.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
I have to say though that our public is getting smarter with all of the amazing artistry that's immediately available to people.
Sandi Jones:
Totally.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, our public is getting so smart. You can't just be like, "Oh, it's microblading." They can see the spine, even they can see the spine.
Sandi Jones:
They're like, "I don't want the transition over there, I want it over here."
Sheila Bella:
Oh my gosh.
Sandi Jones:
And I'm like, [crosstalk 00:41:00].
Sheila Bella:
I'm like, "How do you know that?"
Sandi Jones:
I know. But it's kind of great because I feel like more people are doing their research now, and they're doing more research on their courses, on their artistry, and I think it's good. We need standards in the industry.
Sheila Bella:
Agree. agree, agree. We'll talk about that later. So I also wanted-
Sandi Jones:
We need a standard police.
Sheila Bella:
We do, we do need a standard police. Okay, so the next thing we're going to talk about, about how not to be basic and how to grow your business exponentially, aside from just Instagram and Facebook is ...
Sandi Jones:
Partnering.
Sheila Bella:
Partnering.
Sandi Jones:
Partnerships. Partnerships are so important in any industry, any business.
Sheila Bella:
Collaboration.
Sandi Jones:
Yes. I love a good collab. I love a good collab.
Sheila Bella:
We're collabing right now.
Sandi Jones:
We are collabing. We should do a training collab.
Sheila Bella:
Let's talk about that, ooh.
Sandi Jones:
But yeah. So I love a good collab. Even when I barely first started microblading, I had the honor of collabing with a studio salon in Salt Lake City and I wasn't sure if I was going to make microblading work. She was like, "I have one studio available. The rent is really cheap because it's in the back." And it was a massage studio, and I was like, "Give me the closet in the back. I'll take it and I'm going to make it work." And I partnered with her in the sense that she would send me clients and I actually was either giving her a percentage or something, and then she also was mentoring me about businesses. She owns a bunch of studio salons in Salt Lake City, so she's pretty big and pretty well known, and she was a hair stylist for a long time.
When I started training she actually gave me a bigger room, and then a bigger room, and then pretty soon I had three rooms, and then I had to move into my own space in Utah because I outgrew her space, but I was so appreciative of that. As I got into training I started partnering with schools and offering microblading to beauty schools or cosmetology schools as an extra add-on service. That really enhanced my business, just reaching out and being able to talk to other people that were in the same industry ish, but not offering what I did and bouncing off of each other, kind of made my business flourish in a really small period of time too.
Sheila Bella:
So how many schools are you working with right now? How many different cosmetology schools?
Sandi Jones:
So we work with Paul Mitchell the school, the Aveda Institutes, Michael Vincent Academy, and then our biggest and best is the National Institute of Medical Aesthetics, and they're nationwide. They've actually extended the partnership to their partner schools. So now I'm partnering with partners.
Sheila Bella:
That's amazing.
Sandi Jones:
Like I said, it just has made my business just flourish, meeting all of these people and having the opportunity to be mentored by some of these school owners is fantastic.
Sheila Bella:
That's priceless.
Sandi Jones:
I recommend it to any trainer. If you're in an area and these beauty school girls they need good training, attach and start collaborating.
Sheila Bella:
So that's another mantra of mine or something also that I had to learn the hard way, is that collab, competition only gets you so far, but collaboration it's literally limitless, right?
Sandi Jones:
Yeah. So it took you and another woman collaborating, like sharing your brands together.
Sheila Bella:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Sandi Jones:
Exchanging information, exchanging ideas.
Sheila Bella:
I mean, so many amazing things can happen when we work together, we need each other. Imagine if you never reached out and you were like, "I'm just going to do this by myself."
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
You wouldn't be as big as you are today.
Sandi Jones:
Not at all, not even close. It was something I feel like I kind of did struggle with at first, is feeling like everybody was my competition. At first I really thought that, I really did, even when I opened up my second store. I still thought people in my area were my competition. You would see another artist out and about and it's like you wouldn't say hi to each other, but now I approach everybody and I honestly have become really good friends with some of the other people that own other academies, and I feel like it's a really great thing.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, I agree with you. I also think that the reason why, or part of the reason why myself, and I can see this now in other people, felt very insecure about collaborating with others in the beginning of my business because I wasn't putting who I was into my business. Think about it, if you have a product, let's say you have a microblade. Say you have a microblade and then your microblade you feel like maybe some other person copied your microblade and they look exactly the same, right?
Sandi Jones:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Sheila Bella:
I think the most secure entrepreneurs I see in the industry are those who put so much of themselves into their branding, into their line, into their business that they know that part of it can't be duplicated.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, it's unique.
Sheila Bella:
It's the people who identify their entire business identity with a product. I would be so insecure.
Sandi Jones:
Basic.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, that's so ...
Sandi Jones:
Super basic.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. It's like yeah, you can easily duplicate a product.
Sandi Jones:
Totally.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, I mean, I have eyeshadow palettes that look exactly the same.
Sandi Jones:
Totally. Everything at Sephora is the same right now.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, it's the same but I just, I buy more. It's a problem. So I really believe that true security comes in building a personal brand, because who you are can't be duplicated. If somebody else, actually I hope so, I hope somebody starts another permanent makeup podcast. That's be awesome, I'd love to collaborate with them, I'd be all about it because we need more.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah, right.
Sheila Bella:
It's like somebody says like, "Oh, there's this other PMU podcast." I'm like, "That's awesome. Let me reach out to them. I want to be their friend."
Sandi Jones:
Right.
Sheila Bella:
You know what I mean? Of course.
Sandi Jones:
What everybody does can be so unique to where-
Sheila Bella:
Absolutely.
Sandi Jones:
... you program can be completely different than this other person's program.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah.
Sandi Jones:
You guys can meet, and hang out, and it shouldn't be competition or you shouldn't have always an eyebrow raised.
Sheila Bella:
No pun intended.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
But yeah, I mean, you can teach, even your students and my students. We can teach the exact same thing and it won't ever come out exactly the way we do it.
Sandi Jones:
Right, right.
Sheila Bella:
That's what's awesome about microblading, it's like a fingerprint.
Sandi Jones:
It totally is. You can identify somebody's personal style when they get to a certain point I feel like in their career. I'm always like, "Oh yeah." I have a lot of my instructors that work underneath me, when their work comes up on Instagram I automatically know whose it is without reading the name because I can see their work.
Sheila Bella:
Aw, that's awesome. Okay, so we're going to wrap up the show. I can't believe it's already been 35 minutes.
Sandi Jones:
That's crazy.
Sheila Bella:
But before we do, I kind of want to end this time with a quick get to know, okay?
Sandi Jones:
Okay. Great.
Sheila Bella:
All right. So just quick answers. Here we go. Number one, favorite quote.
Sandi Jones:
Don't be basic.
Sheila Bella:
Number two, is there a book or a podcast that's changed your life?
Sandi Jones:
Not necessarily. I read so many books I think I get a little bit overwhelmed. I love books about business. Anything I can read about business and marketing, I always learn at least, try to take at least two to three things out of every single business and marketing book that you learn and make your own book.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, awesome. What is one thing difficult, just one, that you've overcome?
Sandi Jones:
Being able to actually put myself out there as an artist and think that I am worth it and that I'm just as good as other people.
Sheila Bella:
Number four. If you had a billboard in Times Square, okay, 24 hours, what would you want it to say?
Sandi Jones:
That's a really hard question. If it was about my business I would want probably it to say something in the realm of like I did it and you can do it too, and give information about a program or something.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah.
Sandi Jones:
I just think a lot of people are so uninspired or they just give up so easily. I don't know, I really try to portray that, that anybody can do it. You really can. There's just steps, there's just little steps and it gets you to where you need to be.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, I feel that way too. I mean, if I can do it, you can do it.
Sandi Jones:
Yeah. If I can do it, anybody can do it.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, absolutely. Then last question, what is your best advice for how to live a pretty rich life?
Sandi Jones:
Best advice, pretty rich life to me means that you are your 100% authentic self, and that you're fearless, you're motivated, and you're generous to the point of your capabilities. So if you have it, give it. That's how I think.
Sheila Bella:
I love that. If you have it, give it. Before we close, okay, that's wasn't the last question, this is the last question. How can our listeners find you and how can they work with you?
Sandi Jones:
They can have my personal cellphone number. No, I'm kidding. Yeah, just follow me on Instagram @couture.brows on Instagram, and we have a couple of websites. We've got shopcouturebrows.com and couturebrowsbeverlyhills.com if you want to find out about trainings.
Sheila Bella:
Amazing. Thank you so much, Sandi.
Sandi Jones:
Thank you.
Sheila Bella:
Ciao.
Sheila Bella:
Grey, say, "Share with your friends."
Grey:
Share with friends.
Sheila Bella:
Please review my mommy on iTunes.
Grey:
[inaudible 00:51:19] Mommy iTunes.
Sheila Bella:
Thanks for listening.
Grey:
Thanks for listening.
Sheila Bella:
Thank you so much for listening. It is an honor to be a part of your life. If you enjoyed this podcast or were impacted by this at all, please take a minute to leave us a five star review on iTunes and share it with a friend, screenshot it, post it on your stories, your feed and your timeline, and don't forget to tag me. I would really love to see that. My Instagram is @realsheilabella. Also, let's carry on the conversation longer. Join our private Facebook group just for Pretty Rich girls. Just go to Facebook.com/prettyrichsquad and check out sheilabella.com for more information on how to get more support on your beauty entrepreneurship journey and get going on your Pretty Rich lifestyle. Until next time.
