Ep. 65: What To Do When Someone Copies Your Beauty Business Idea
You know, more than anybody, that real entrepreneurship is an internal process of constant innovation. You're like a little beauty business ninja. Hopefully your outfit's pink. Mine would be.
I can't tell you enough how painful it can be when someone just copies your business, any aspect of it. Anything that you put your hard effort and passion into that just gets nabbed by another person to use for their own benefit? I mean, if you've gone through it you know, it sucks. But it's not the end of the world. Take it from me, I've been there countless times. I've been hurt but people I barely knew and people that were really close to me. I've been hurt by people I thought I could trust. It all sucks.
But I, and my business, have survived! And I guarantee that there are people reading this that are nodding their heads along like "Yup, Sheila's right again. Been there, done that. But I made it out." So, in this episode, I'm going to talk all about what you should do when someone copies your beauty business idea. I'm here to help you guys. From one beauty business entrepreneur to another, don't let those copy cats get you down.
Here are the episode highlights:
‣‣ [07:40] First of all, let's get real: those of you who have had parts or ideas of your business stolen before, did those copy cats actually succeed? Like, when you really think about it, are they anywhere near as successful as you are right now?
‣‣ [09:16] Real, true entrepreneurship will be the difference here. What sets you apart from you and your copy cat really? Are you a true entrepreneur? Because your copy cat, I assure you, is not.
‣‣ [13:18] What's the difference between two almost identical businesses? Let's be real, there are a ton of beauty businesses out there. So many microblades. They all provide essentially the same service, right? OR do they? Do some businesses provide more heart than others? Do you feel connected to those companies more? Does the person that copied you have the same heart in their beauty business as you do? Think on it.
‣‣ [16:31] I'll be honest about my own experience being copied. It's never easy. It's never not frustrating. But the true entrepreneur will be okay. You'll be okay.
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE COPIES MY BEAUTY BUSINESS IDEAS!! (Listen Here)
You can follow me, Sheila Bella, on Instagram @realsheilabella!
Here are the links that were mentioned in the podcast!
Grow Your Gram
Online Course Workshop
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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 PD 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 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, and daughter, and you're for ever positive beauty biz sales girl. Let's go.
What do you do when somebody copies you? Whether it's a student you trained and then took your exact training manual and is now teaching the exact same thing? Oh my goodness. Even just like after a week after you've trained her. Or let's say it's an employee, former employee who basically took your exact business model, maybe even your logo, your decoration, and then opened up shop less than a mile away. Or what if it's somebody that you let into your circle? Perhaps they pretended that they were helping your event, your class, your business, and then went ahead and did the exact same thing, same graphic, same model, same marketing strategy. Ah, so annoying. I don't want to say that it's just annoying. It's really freaking painful. It feels like betrayal, right? Especially if it's somebody that you genuinely cared about and gave your all to, really invested in.
If this has happened to you or somebody you know, you're not alone. And today we're going to talk about what to do when somebody copies you. But first a reminder about the Pretty Ambitious Summit.
Hey, have you ever been to a permanent makeup conference and thought, "Oh my gosh, I'm kind of falling asleep. Oh no!" Have you ever looked at the speakers up there and thought, "Wow, I wonder how they did it. How are they up there? How did they build such influence? And how did they build their businesses? How are they always booked out with students and clients for months and months?" Ever wonder how she built that online course? And thought, "I wish I could do that." Or think, "Oh my goodness, how did she develop such amazing products and become profitable doing so? What are the steps I need to take in order to do the same?"
Well, you can find out at the Pretty Ambitious Summit, March 13th through 15th, 2020 in Santa Monica, California. Finally, the ultimate girl power live event for PMU boss babes like you, where the focus is on growing the business side of things, where you can learn PMU marketing, product development and mindset strategies. So you can finally break through whatever is holding you back. For some of you, it might be knowledge. But for others, it might be lack of confidence, or it might be both.
My whole mission with the Pretty Ambitious Summit is to create what I needed 10 years ago. I needed this event, and here it is for you now. Myself, all the incredible speakers and master coaches, right by the legendary beaches of Los Angeles, will surely transform you, in this enlightening and educational business and mindset weekend. And it's a write-off, hello, free vacation, right? Free vacation with your PMU brow besties. And if you're coming alone, no problem, because this weekend was designed for you to meet your tribe. This is an opportunity for you to build your own table the same way I did, the same way we all had to do in this industry.
So quit trying to do it alone, because beauty bossing is hard. It's so hard, right? And it can be such a lonely road. We know that, you know that. And here you will find like-minded ambitious and kind women who get it, who get you the way nobody else does in your own circle at home. They don't know, they don't do PMU. They're not trying to do big things. Right? My friends in this industry have been so valuable to my growth and my business. And seriously, I want to meet you. I want to see you guys face to face. I want to hear your stories and get to know what you're all about.
So if you crave inspiration, genuine connection, and you're ready to level up your personal and professional game, you need to be there. Tickets are selling out fast. VIP tickets are already sold out. So you got to get them before they're all gone. If there is a small, still voice inside of you telling you, "Yes, this is for me, I need this. I need to do something different." Don't overthink this one, because you deserve to be in that room. Invest in you. You deserve it because your life and your business can only go as high as you grow as a woman.
So go to prettyambitioussummit.com, and I'll meet you at the top where ambitious women empower each other. So good. So good. Right? Oh my gosh. The summit is going to be so amazing. I cannot freaking wait.
I actually just got back from a Lash Con. Oh, it was incredible. I'm still reeling from the weekend and it wasn't even my event. I got to say, I got even more excited about my event because I saw firsthand how transformed and inspired people were and how much they learned. Live events are different, they are. And I'm excited to see you guys there.
Okay. Today, what to do when somebody copies you, or if you're worried somebody will copy you. By the way, it's part of it, pain is a part of it, people copying you as a part of it. Can we just get that out of the way? If you want to run a successful business, if you want to be a hashtag boss babe, people copying you is a part of it. I know a lot of you guys listening right now are nodding your heads. I can hear it. Yes, yes. Yeah. You're in your car. You're at the gym. People think you're crazy because you have your headphones on and you're nodding your head going, "Yes, Sheila Bella." Y'all have been burned, people have taken advantage of you, trying to duplicate your business idea. How dare they? After everything you did for them?
Let me guess though, let me guess, because this has happened to me, they couldn't do it, right? For those of you are like, "Well, kind of..." Take a closer look. They couldn't do it. They couldn't do it like you, they couldn't replicate you. And let me guess too, for those who this has happened to you, your business is probably fine. Right? And I'm not saying it's not okay. Oh yeah, it's definitely not okay. Yeah, like, come on.
But let's get back to those copycats. I mean, they're basic, right? And basic people can steal, I suppose, just a momentary snapshot of your idea, wherever you left them at. If they were in your business, that's what they got. They got the snapshot of whatever, 2016. Or let's say it's a student that you trained, she got a snapshot of your training. She has your manual. That's it. Let's say the salon across the street. She got a snapshot of your logo, your colors. Maybe she talked to a couple of your clients and she has an idea of your business model and your marketing strategy. Great. Good for you, Basic Bonnie, let's call her Bonnie.
So Basic Bonnie has a snapshot of all of your ideas. And now she's off to Vistaprint to duplicate tons of you. But here's the real deal, okay? If you are a real entrepreneur, meaning you've experienced the pain of betrayal, the pain of disappointing people, the pain of rejection, the pain of loneliness, all of these things come with being a business owner, it does, you're a real entrepreneur. And you know, more than anybody, that real entrepreneurship is an eternal process of constant innovation.
You're like a little beauty business ninja. Hopefully your outfit's pink, mine would be. And you're just dodging things and creeping up on people, and clients, and Facebook ads. You're always innovating, Kung Fu fighting. So if you're afraid of letting people inside your business, because you're fearful that they will just take all of your clients, your ideas and your branding and leave, I hear this all the time, take heart because they will never think like you, they won't be able to pivot like you. And honestly, do you remember how hard it was to build this business of yours? I mean, do you have amnesia? This was no joke. Or do you remember the headache it was to put up this event or create that products? Jeez. Grit, real grit isn't something you can just cut and paste.
Stay with me. I'm going to address it all. And for those bosses that this is speaking to, you know that people might talk a big game, that they're going to start their own business, but they have zero, zero idea what it takes until they actually try. They're just full of words, "I'm going to do this. I'm going to do what you're doing, because you make it look so good and I want that." It's flattering. But what they'll end up doing is producing a low resolution image of your business.
Holy moly, you guys know, I don't talk about anything that I'm not super passionate about and that I don't totally believe in. This next thing that I'm about to tell you about, you need in your life if you're a permanent makeup artist, and that is PMU School. It's free. It's a free podcast you can listen to every single day, that's five minutes long, and is guaranteed to uplevel your PMU knowledge for free. What? There is so much misinformation out there, and people train once, pay thousands of dollars. And in order to learn anything new, you have to pay again.
So if you've been looking for something quick, easy, and not boring to listen to, this is it. PMU School is how you're going to get a daily micro dose of PMU education. So you got to subscribe. It's a podcast for artists by experienced artists. So whether you're newly certified or an expert professional, you got to tune in to this free daily podcast and level up your PMU knowledge in less than five minutes a day. And it's presented by the American Academy of Micropigmentation Board of Permanent Makeup. PMU School will keep you posted and informed on your way to work every single day. Just type in PMU School on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. And I'll see you there.
But you are the HD. You're the high def, baby, 4K. Do they have 6K now? Yeah. Things that cannot be copied are, work ethic, morals, grit, innovation, character, basically you. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and I'm going to be brave, and I'm going to tell you guys what I really think. For those of you who are afraid to, air quotations, "create competition", so you don't want to share your tips and your trade secrets. If you have a lasting solid brand, if you believe in your brand, it means that your brand doesn't just solve problems. Because I say that all the time, it's a basic thing in sales. Does your brand, does your company, does your business solve problems? But if you really have built a strong brand, a seven figure brand, not just a six figure brand, your business not only solves problems, but it diminishes fear. What fears does your business diminish?
Let me explain. There's a lot of microblades out there, right? There's a lot of microblades out there. And at the end of the day, you may think that they're all kind of the same, or some of them are similar, they produced similar results, you wouldn't be able to tell one from the other. But think about the brand that diminishes fear. It's the brand that not only just sells stuff, it's the brand that educates, the brand that inspires, the inventor's face is always on the gram, it's personal. It's like a friend that you buy from, an expert friend that you buy from. And that's essentially what it means to have a strong, personal brand. Meaning people like you, they're invested in not your product only, but they're invested in you. That's lasting.
If you have a strong personal brand and you keep showing up for your community, you can sell anything. You can sell anything. You can sell butt cream tomorrow, and it would fly off the shelves because people love you. People know you, they like you, they trust you.
So if you're worried that you can be duplicated, it's because deep down inside, you know that you probably can be because all you are is a microblade, a product, an event, and there's no heart. Right? I said it, there I said it. What? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I'm going to get so much hate mail for this. But if you know your product has heart, you can relax, really, let your heart not be troubled. They cannot possibly duplicate you.
I don't want to sit here and tell you guys, "I'm immune to this. This never happens to me. I never get worried about people duplicating my stuff." I'm just like you, I worry. But, okay, here's the thing, I've actually lived it several times. So these days, because I've lived it and I realize it's not that bad because people can't really duplicate exactly what I've done, because it's really hard, I am way more at ease. Way, way, way more at ease than I was even just a few years ago.
I know people personally who have been burned by previous employees, fake friends and colleagues in the industry who've tried to replicate their exact thing and they're struggling, they're struggling. You think like, "Oh, so and so used to work for this huge person. Oh, they must be fine. They're set." Please. It's not true. They need help. They call me for coaching. Okay? So if it's not going to happen to these huge people that I'm thinking of, that I'm friends with, it's not going to happen to you. You will also... My ding, Oh, somebody just bought a ticket to the summit. Woohoo! Sorry. That's my PayPal ding. Anyway, you will also be fine, sister. I promise you. You are not so special that you're the only one that's not going to be fine.
With that said, I hope you guys have such a blessed week. Love you. Love you. Love you. Totally mean it. Send me a DM, and I'll catch you guys later on the Pretty Rich Podcast.
Grey, say, "Share with your friends."
Grey:
Share with your friends.
Sheila Bella:
Please review my mommy on iTunes.
Grey:
Review 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 you 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 or feed, 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.
