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Meet Lindsay Smalley of Glowing Radiance in Fullerton

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Smalley.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a little girl, I remember always playing with other people’s hair and playing in my mom’s makeup. I started learning at a young age how to cut, style and braid hair and how to apply makeup. I was always into changing my looks. There was no YouTube or social media back then, so I had to teach myself how to achieve certain looks. Being a visual person, I am able to mimic what I see and so I’d practice until I was happy with the results.

Fast forward to the last quarter of 2014, when I decided to go to school to become a professional makeup artist. I graduated and became a part time freelance MUA. This was a fun time because I met and worked with some awesome people. I was honored with an invite to do makeup for Style Fashion Week New York 2015 and I styled hair for Style Fashion Week Los Angeles 2015. I was asked to do the following fashion shows as well, and while I loved what I was doing, something was missing for me.

I researched for months on what career I could have that was in the same industry I was in and I came across esthetics. I checked out multiple schools to find the best fit for me and enrolled. I loved school and I loved working on clients. I am a former certified nurse’s assistant, so combining this with treating clients for skin care was great. I was able to use my nurturing side with my passion everyday while in school. I knew I was heading in the right direction for my career choice. I received many awards and acknowledgements at school, so it was great to have people notice my hard work. But to me it was fun, it didn’t feel like work. This was what I had been wanting for a long time.

I reached out to a number of spas & salons to do an internship while I was in school. I was invited to do my internship at a wellness spa in the valley. I was hired to stay after I graduated school & got my California Esthetician license. I learned so much from that business owner about esthetics and running a spa. And growing up in a family business I was able to combined both environments in my mind and create a business plan for my own business.

When my long time friend, from grade school, decided to expand her business and approached me with an opportunity to start my own business and rent a room at her waxing salon, I thought this is it. This is the opportunity that is going to kick start my career. So after thinking it over I said I would love to start my own business. Granted starting my own business came faster than I thought, but I knew I had to go for it. No matter how scary it was, I had to try.

Starting my own business was the best decision I made, I absolutely love what I do. I continue to learn all the time about business, products, treatments, everything. There’s never an end to learning or growing, I’m enjoying the journey of life. I have an awesome support team and that’s made all the difference, they definitely made it less scary for me.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As one would assume, it’s expensive to start a business. And there’s more options out there for everything that you need for your business, so you have to research, compare, weigh your options, etc. There’s always homework when it comes to running a business.

Skin care product lines and products in general was overwhelming for me when I was starting out because there’s so many to choose from. I do tend to prefer those that have continuous education because things are always changing, there’s always something new out. I am also thinking about creating my own skin care line for my treatment room, as well as for retail.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Glowing Radiance is a business that does skin care and waxing services. People come to us for their skin care needs. We have many customizable facials to choose from and we provide full body waxing services.

A lot of research and thought went into creating a relaxing and welcoming environment for our clients. A tranquil place where they can relax and have their “me time”. It is really a blessing to be able to have your career be something that you love and are passionate about. It’s not work for me, it’s a pleasure. While the client is there, we want them to know and feel that this is their time. They are important and that’s the energy that is in our treatment room.

Another service we offer is oncology esthetics. This is a service that is truly a gift that we get to give to those who have fought and whom are fighting cancer. During the time they are with us, they can forget about what’s going on. They can relax and just be in the moment. That what we want for all our clients, to just be in the moment. To be able to relax and shut out the outside world for that hour that you’re having your “me time”.

Facials are so much more than treating the skin. It’s about wellness. It’s about being able to stop multitasking, thinking about the list of tasks you have to do, etc. Being able to realize that you matter too, and know that it’s not selfish to put yourself on your priority list. To realize that taking care of oneself, makes them a happier version of themselves. Glowing Radiance isn’t just about having glowing skin, it’s also about wellness and shining on the inside and that shine radiating outward.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a total tomboy. I hated dresses. I played in the dirt and just had fun. I am the youngest of 4. Having 3 older brothers probably helps explain being a tomboy. I am probably the most like my dad out of my brothers, we both are go-getters and he passed down the entrepreneurial gene. He’ll tell you he knew I’d be a boss since I was little. I had to overcome some fears of failure before I was able to let go and just go for it.

I learned that things that happen to us actually happen for us. Life lessons are important, how we react to these lessons is what molds us. I love learning how things work, how people think and why people see things the way they do. Listening and absorbing what others are saying is something I learned to do. I learned to listen to understand, instead of listening to respond.

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