Today we’d like to introduce you to Destany Thomas.
Destany, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began my lash career in 2016 at the age of 20. I started by just taking a lash extensions course thinking I was just adding a side hustle. I initially thought I was going to fauna an extra income so I can get through school. I was a dance major and business minor so I needed a job where I could manipulate my working hours.
Once I started taking appointments, I realized how much money could make. When I began working as a lash tech, I was a server at a sports bar called Hooters which to me was fast money and tips until I started to do lash extensions and realized I made way more doing lashes. I didn’t want to work out of my house and I didn’t think I could afford to have my own shop and didn’t have enough clientele to pay weekly booth rent. So my first location was a room inside of a transitional home. Crazy right? I couldn’t think of anything else so I went to a resource center for business resources for new business owners and they didn’t have any… but mentioned something about transitional and being homeless so I took the information. When I went home, I thought to myself well maybe I can use the room to lash and save my money by the time the six months transition is up I’ll have enough to work in a shop or get my own shop and within three months I had enough money and clientele to rent out a small salon suite. Moving into the salon suite was the best lesson of my life. Lessons come from tests and trials. I learned so much about renting, ownership, insurance, actually legalizing my business. I realized the many business opportunities that came with doing lash extensions not just a hustle or a side hustle.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
With any business, everything is not just a smooth road. Especially when you have all these plans for yourself and life humbles you with lessons. Learning business and entrepreneurship was the hardest part for me. It’s not so much that it was hard in physicality, but it was hard mentally. I had to change my mindset about money and economics first before I even understood that lashing could even be a business. So many people took advantage of the fact that I didn’t know about business. I had situations where a person overcharged me in rent, had infestation issues, and another time where I was paying an extreme amount of rent to someone who said they were the owners but were subleasing out to me illegally. I didn’t know how to handle these issues at first but I learned plenty during my ownership journey. During these times, I would read books and ask as many questions as I could to obtain knowledge.
Bawse Lash Extensions – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
After learning what I needed to know about business, I legalized my business and focused on lash extension products and lash training courses. I also still do lash extensions myself but my business Bawse Lash Extensions supplies quality lash products to lash artists. My business is known for training the best of the best lash artists in Los Angeles, CA and Phoenix, Arizona. I’m most proud of positioning the most successful lash artist, teaching them everything I didn’t know when I started and being able to strengthen the lash community with my expertise. Not only do I train the best but more than 30 lash artists that I’ve trained has started their own business and opened their own shops. Bawse Lash Extensions creates opportunity and jobs for future and upcoming lash artists.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is to me is personal. Success comes in all shapes and sizes. It is the win you receive after completing a new goal that you set forth for yourself. As long as you do not quit, you are successful.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4321 Crenshaw Blvd
- Website: Bawselashextensionsllc.com
- Phone: 3239018627
- Email: info.bawselashextensions.com
- Instagram: Bawselashextensions
- Facebook: Bawselashextensions
- Twitter: BLE_LLC
Image Credit:
Kiania Johnson @individually.focused on IG
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
