I never set out to be a business owner. I never set out to own a spa. I never set out to be a leader in the clean beauty movement and I especially never set out to be an enthusiastic person in a direct sales company. 

But I also am not any of those things by accident. 

It started with making a hella scary decision to leave a quickly growing paycheck from a job in tech to start an entry level job in the line of work that had been on my heart since i was a child. I didn’t go into the beauty field right out of college because I thought I had a degree and should try to do something that required a degree. But each day going to work felt like the ultimate chore. I kept wondering, what can I do that I wouldn’t want to call in sick daily?  What if I could actually find a successful path in the beauty world that didn’t seem like a step backwards?  Also, does my experience playing with makeup and skincare products even mean that’s my “passion”??

I had to explore it. I stalked Bare Escentuals, Benefit and Sephora all of which were headquartered in San Francisco where I lived, for months. I finally found the *perfect* position for me and applied to Benefit Cosmetics. I applied several times, i went in person to introduce myself to the hiring manager and drop off resumes in person. I wanted that job. And I didn’t get it. They said I lacked the actual counter and hands of professional experience. Defeated, sure, but I was also sure they’d made a mistake. But rather than sulk I got busy and started applying to all the cosmetic retail jobs I could find. I was offered a job as a counter manager at Macy’s and Nordstrom, an offer with MAC, a management offer with L’Occitane and a 2nd interview with  my favorite high end incredible spa in the city. 

This was the place I’d treat myself to with a big commission month or spoil clients with. It was a job I’d aspire to manage one day in theory. The nicest most in demand spa I’d ever read about or seen. I took the 2nd interview and immediately accepted the offer to be the owner’s assistant (a step up from the front desk position I’d applied for! Already making progress!). I questioned my decision many times over the years as my tech friends started buying homes in the city and I was barely making ends meet. But I kept growing and learning from the best in the industry. My desire to go into corporate cosmetics faded as my experience and depth grew in the spa world. I took on a second job in order to stay in the spa world full time as the financial burden of living in San Francisco increased at a much greater rate than my spa paycheck and I said yes to every project and opportunity that came across my desk. 

I learned how to run a small business, hire, train, create products from scratch, source ingredients, real estate plan for new locations, marketing, sales, interpersonal communications amongst a wildly diverse staff of 60+ teammates. It gave me grit and a deeper desire to succeed. A few years later I was working hand in hand with the owner to open a new spa concept together. I evolved into a spa consultant working to learn from and grow other’s spa’s specific pain points or entire departments. I became an advocate for cleaner ingredients in our entire industry. I became a mentor in the clean beauty community and grew a team of 300 peers nationwide, offering trainings and educational content to help people learn how to make safer decisions for them and their family. 

I finally started earning an income i was proud of. An income I’d given up hope for years ago convincing myself I’d chosen a job I really like and flexible schedule i could work around my family for a lucrative career. And that hope was restored once I gave Beautycounter a try and I saw that not only could i help clean up the industry i was ery much a part of already but there was mega financial gain by doing so. I could do well while doing good! I finally stopped worrying I’d made a poor financial decision by leaving the tech world. 

I didn’t know how to actually set goals back when I started in the spa world. Manifesting? Nope, never heard of it. But I vividly remember a point in my job I said out loud, why can’t I make money doing something I actually like? Like, I don’t know, can’t I sell makeup or something in a corporate setting?! And it hit me, why can’t i? And that night I started looking. As much as I had reservations for leaving what I knew I also knew the longer I stayed the more money I would make and the harder and harder it would be to start over again. I truly didn’t think that if i started making more money it would make me all of the sudden start feeling excited about this career path. I knew I had to make a change and soon. And I believed if I stuck with it, even if I had to start at minimum wage people would see my drive and potential and I’d work my way up, what or where “up” was, I had no clue. 

The point of this story is do the thing! Sure, maybe you’re far ahead of me in life lessons and personal growth so you actually have a goal, and plan a vision board, great you’re closer than I was to getting where you want to be, but follow your gut and that first scary step in the direction of what you really want to do. Being in the field that’s right for you, that feels like fun instead of obligations hanging over your head, it makes the whole work ‘grind’ so much more worth it and easier to work your butt off to actually *make it* one day, and if you don’t stop too soon, you absolutely will!