Ep. 143: SELL YOUR PRODUCTS WITH SPA STRONG, BEAUTY BUSINESS MARKETING STRATEGISTS AND MASTER ESTHETICIANS ROYAL AND M’LISA ELLIS
The reason you're not as successful as you want to be is because you've given yourself another option.
You HAVE to get over yourself.
We're serving up some tough love in this episode, okay? Because I love you - I do. I want you to succeed. I want you to be the BEST you can be.
But if you are just dragging yourself down day after day, woe is me, complaining and crying about how hard it is for you to build this business of your dreams right now - for WHATEVER reason - that's just not it, mama. Look me in the eye and tell me you're your best self right now. Go on. Do it. Exactly.
Life happens okay I get it. COVID hit us all! It came in like a little wrecking ball and knocked all of us down and we didn't even see it coming. But you know who made it out a winner last year? Those who didn't quit. The people that didn't give up. The people who got knocked down, cried about it for a little bit, and then got their butts back up and got to work. The people that win are the people that make life work for them.
For this episode, I brought on some real butt-kickers. They are SERIOUS and if you're serious about selling your products and building a SUCCESSFUL beauty business - then you have to listen up now. This is no-nonsense. This is real. I'm not even going to hold you back anymore. Just go listen.
Here are the episode highlights:
‣‣ [10:52] I want to first introduce you to M'Lisa and Royal so you get to know them and their business, Spa Strong, a little bit before we jump right into the good stuff.
‣‣ [18:49] Here we start to talk about two different camps of people: those who let the pandemic HAPPEN to them, let it control their mindset and control their business, and those who switch it around and go "okay how do I make this work." No excuses.
‣‣ [05:22] You know what the difference is between entrepreneurs who burn out and those who reach success? It's that continuous reinvestment.
‣‣ [25:17] Let's talk about how M'Lisa and Royal found their calling, started Spa Strong, and their new course, Sell Your Products.
‣‣ [26:37] The importance of knowing your audience.
‣‣ [27:38] How do you recession-proof your beauty business?
‣‣ [29:45] Here's the thing - a lot of us want more clients, right? More clients = more money. BUT how do you work on NURTURING the relationship you have with your existing clients? How do you get them to come back and reference their friends and family?
‣‣ [37:30] We're not quitters, okay? And if you want to be a successful entrepreneur - you can't be a quitter either. Here I ask M'Lisa and Royal to share their stories of how they never quit.
MAKE MY PRODUCTS SELL! (Listen Here)
Royal and M'Lisa are so inspirational and they really know how to kick your butt into high gear don't they? Find out more about them and their coaching program on their website and follow them on IG here!
You can follow me, Sheila Bella, on Instagram @realsheilabella!
Here are the links that were mentioned in the podcast!
Pretty Rich Bosses
New Clients Consistently
Text me! (310) 388-4588
FOR MY LISTENER BOSS BABES
You can enjoy this podcast by downloading it on iTunes here.
(Life Hack: Subscribe to Pretty Rich Podcast to get the LATEST EPISODE downloaded to your phone AUTOMATICALLY)
FOR MY READER BOSS BABES
You can enjoy a transcript of the podcast here.
Sheila Bella:
It is so important as a business owner to keep every dollar in your business and to maximize every sales opportunity in the beauty business because we have overhead, we have staff, we have to pay for supplies, insurance, rent, our software. Oh, my gosh, the list goes on, you guys. And so today, we're going to be talking all about what you might be missing out on. And that is selling your products, selling retail products in your salon or studio can be a very lucrative way to gain a lot of business, create side income that you wouldn't normally have.
And yeah, it's kind of a standard if you own a salon, spa, or studio and a lot of artists are not taking advantage of this. They're not taking full advantage of this. And so today, we're going to break that down for you on today's episode of Pretty Rich podcast. Welcome to Pretty Rich Podcast, where you're totally the heroine of your own story. I'm your host, Sheila Bella, and I built a seven-figure PMU beauty biz, and a seven-figure online biz without a degree, without a fancy website, or a sugar daddy. And if you and I hang out on here long enough, you're going to start to believe that you can do it, too. How about that for a side effect of listening to this podcast?
Because you really can. I know you think I don't know you, I have no idea who you are. But I do. I really, really do. Because I am you. I was you. And I believe we are all on the same journey together. My perfect job didn't exist so I created it. The job I wanted, wasn't hurting me, wanted nothing to do with me. So I skipped the line and hired myself as CEO, just like you can. So consider me your secret beauty biz BFF. In case you need to be reminded on a weekly basis, that power is never just handed to you. You have to take it. Are you ready, beauty boss? Let's jump in.
Hello, hello. Hi, everyone. Welcome to Pretty Rich podcast. Today I'm chatting with Royal and M'Lisa Ellis. I love them so much. They are my coaching clients, and they're our coaches, too. They are estheticians and spa owners, and they teach other estheticians and spa owners how to build profitable and sustainable spas charge their worth, and attract quality, loyal clientele. And they do all of this through transforming business practices and increasing authority and confidence in themselves. And might I say they're so good at it. I love chatting with them. Every time I talk to them, I get so energized. I feel so good. It just puts me in a really good mood. And you can tell in this podcast that we're friends. There's even a couple times where like Will walks in. And yeah, him and like Royal are just like talking.
So today we're going to talk all about selling your products and the opportunity that is often missed. And you know with salon and spas and studio owners, when it comes to retail products, there's so much money to be made. So don't leave money on the table. Listen to this podcast in its entirety. And oh my gosh, M'Lisa talks about her homeless story, that little thing she did called homelessness twice. Oh, my gosh, it's so inspiring, right? And she did it because she was addicted to success. Not drugs, success. That's why she was homeless. A lot of people did it because they're addicted to drugs. She did it because she was addicted to success.
And like I always say, addiction can be used as a tool for good, right? Because I remember, I don't know, 10 years ago, I was addicted. I was addicted to external validation. It doesn't always have to be a substance. It could be just a dopamine hit from something else, and I was addicted to male attention. That was fun. I thought that was the best life could get. And then I had a family and kids of my own and I'm like, "No, no, no, that was nothing." I was addicted to external validation. It was my only source of fuel so I did anything and everything I could to get it including betraying myself, it was that good. I thought it was that good. What a joke, right?
Yes, it sucked because I would settle for scraps of love because if even for a moment, I could pretend that it was real. So addiction is really powerful. And it is unfortunately in all of us. Addiction is laced in our DNA. We can be addicted to things. So let's stop fighting it, and instead let's just accept that that is the way we're made. We are addictive creatures. So just because your mind and society tells you that addiction is a bad thing, doesn't mean you have to believe it. Addiction can be used for good, it can be a good thing, we decide what story to tell ourselves. And in my opinion, the human body's capacity for addiction is fantastic. If you could hone it, and use it for good, you can use it as a tool to make whatever you want happen.
Because now, 10 years later, I'm addicted to things. I'm still addicted to things. But now I'm addicted to the feeling I get after doing hard things. After doing hard things like public speaking, oh, my God, it's hard. It's hard. It's still hard. It's not as hard anymore on this podcast. But sometimes before I go on live as I go, it's really hard. I'm addicted to public speaking. I'm addicted to working out. I'm addicted to business success and business building. I am addicted to therapy. I'm addicted to the feeling I get after pushing my limits. Yeah, and also, more than just that, let's talk about the actual thing, things that I'm addicted to.
I'm addicted to feeling competent. That feels so good. When I can look at myself in the mirror and see that I know what I'm doing on something, that feels so good. You get addicted to feeling like a boss. And I'm not saying at everything but it's certain things like, "I'm really competent at that. I really know how to make money online." I'm addicted to proving to myself that I can after so many people told me that I couldn't. I'm addicted to proving the naysayers that they're wrong. I'm addicted to peace, especially when I have family day on the weekends are when I turn it off. I'm addicted to peace. I'm addicted to knowledge. I'm addicted to humility. I'm addicted to feeling confident. I'm addicted to feeling feminine in my role as a wife and a mother, I love that.
What else am I addicted to? Serving my students. I'm addicted to pouring and giving value into other's lives and seeing it make a difference. Yeah, that's a dopamine hit. That's super addicting. I'm addicted to feeling gratitude, counting my blessings. I'm also addicted to feeling appreciated. But in order to be appreciated, you have to give value first. So I guess, in a nutshell, I'm addicted to making myself valuable so that I can spread that value that I've created within myself to my tribe, everyone I meet, and everyone I love. So today, I'm going to share with you the awesomeness, dopest couple ever, Royal and M'Lisa Ellis who are clearly addicted to success and to giving value and they're going to pour into you today, you guys.
But before I bring them on and replay this live for you, I want to remind you that for your chance to win a free program inside Pretty Rich Bosses, all you need to do is leave a five star review on iTunes, leave your Instagram handle in there, like sneak it in, post it on stories and tag me, and it will automatically enter you in this month's Pretty Rich Program Giveaway. And I choose a winner at the end of every month, and I'll be announcing it right here. And not to mention I just super appreciate it when you guys leave a review. I work so hard on this podcast and I read every single word, you guys. So thank you so much. Without further ado, here's my live on how to sell your products with Royal and M'Lisa Ellis of Spa Strong.
Hi, everyone, what's going on? Okay. All right. So today, today, I have Royal and M'Lisa from spa strong. And we are going to be teaching you guys sharing a little bit about how to maximize your income through product sales. And for you estheticians you probably already know that product sales could potentially make up the majority of your revenue in some cases. I know it's very successful spas whose the majority of their income comes from product sales. And for permanent makeup artists or lash artists, you might not be utilizing this amazing revenue tool. So today we're going to talk about how to maximize your income through product sales. And we're going to dive, as always, into self-confidence and personal growth, and development, et cetera, et cetera. I can't wait for you guys to meet Royal and M'Lisa. Here we go. Hello. How are you guys?
Royal Ellis:
Good. How are you doing?
Sheila Bella:
Good. Good like a boss. Where's your mug?
Royal Ellis:
Whataburger, like a boss.
Sheila Bella:
Hello, one second. Okay, so I'm just going to pin this comment. I haven't done that yet. Okay, guys, so what I'm doing right now is I am pinning the link to Spa Strong's newest course, Sell Your Products. I'm pinning it right here. In case you guys wanted to take advantage of it because it is something that we are going to be talking about. So for those of you who are listening to the audio version of this, don't worry, I'm going to put everything in the show notes. Hey, hi, you guys. How are you? I missed you guys. I saw you guys were on Claire's Live yesterday.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yes. It was so fun.
Royal Ellis:
It was fun.
Sheila Bella:
She's crazy, right?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah. She's amazing. We had such fun time.
Sheila Bella:
She's crazy. She doesn't give no F's, you know what I mean? So I love her. Okay, so we met when I was on your podcast last year. Is that a year ago, right? And then so you you guys became coaching clients, and then became friends. And now you have this amazing course, and this amazing business. For those people who might just be listening to you or finding you right now for the very first time, can you tell them a little bit about yourself and like what you guys do?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Absolutely. So we are Royal and M'Lisa Ellis. We're the owners of Spa Strong. And I'm a licensed master esthetician and a licensed aesthetics instructor, and I've been in the industry, the beauty industry since 2008. And then Royal?
Royal Ellis:
And so I just actually medically retired as a police officer in October. And I was a police officer for Los Angeles for five years. And yeah, after that, and throughout my ending years, being there, I transferred into aesthetics, coaching.
M'Lisa Ellis:
And I know that sounds like kind of a weird combination like ...
Royal Ellis:
Standbys.
M'Lisa Ellis:
A police officer and the aesthetics and beauty industry. But through having my spa studio, and working in the industry for years, I realized that a lot of the training that we get as beauty professionals is like, "This is how you do your services. This is how you combine the right ingredients to make a good regimen for your clients." But as far as dealing with the public and communication and confidence and running your business and things like that, there are tons of options out there. I mean, you have a great coaching program, there are other great coaching programs, but there's a definite need to talk about setting boundaries with clients and improving the business side of being in this industry. And so that's what we focus on now with Spa Strong.
Sheila Bella:
I love your branding. I was just listening to your podcast this morning about how your branding was born. And so you said that your branding before was Pink and Peach?
Royal Ellis:
Yeah [crosstalk 00:13:03] far back. Yeah, it was-
M'Lisa Ellis:
You will see it.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, and I think that's something that a lot of people, they brand their businesses just based on what they think people will like, and not based on who they truly are. And apparently, everybody likes pink and peach. If that's who you truly are, you're fine. Okay, so let's start out with a little bit of rapid fire. Okay? Real quick. How long have you guys been married?
Royal Ellis:
Three years? [crosstalk 00:13:33]
M'Lisa Ellis:
I haven't figured that out yet.
Sheila Bella:
How long have you been dating?
Royal Ellis:
Four years.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Four years, four-and-a-half years?
Sheila Bella:
Four-and-a-half knowing each other total. So you guys got married a year?
Royal Ellis:
After 10 months?
M'Lisa Ellis:
After 10 months.
Sheila Bella:
After 10 months, oh, my gosh. That's amazing.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah, it was quick.
Sheila Bella:
Okay, we're going to dive into that because I have to ask about that. What's your favorite quote right now?
Royal Ellis:
My favorite?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Oh, my favorite is, oh my gosh, I say to myself all the time. It's Marcus Aurelius, "My true self is free. It cannot be contained."
Sheila Bella:
Oh, wow. You say it to yourself all the time? Why do you choose that one to say to yourself?
M'Lisa Ellis:
You know why? I love that like Marcus Aurelius, he was a philosopher. And I just I love stoic philosophy because, for me, I'm naturally kind of high-strung and intense. So I need influences in my life that help keep me grounded. So Royal [inaudible 00:14:45] me for that. But in my spare time, I have to really make sure that I'm holding on to influences and reading materials and things that help me stay grounded and focused so I don't [inaudible 00:15:02].
Sheila Bella:
So you don't what?
M'Lisa Ellis:
So I don't lose my mind.
Sheila Bella:
That's a good one. And you know, you and I both love The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. What about you, Royal? What's your favorite quote right now? What's your wallpaper paper on your iPhone right now?
Royal Ellis:
My favorite quote? I'm going to be real. A lot of the quotes that I've been thinking about I come up with.
Sheila Bella:
I didn't say by someone else. That's even better.
Royal Ellis:
What am I saying? What am I going to say?
Sheila Bella:
What do you say? What do you say?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah, what do you say yourself?
Sheila Bella:
You say a lot of things.
Royal Ellis:
Yeah, you know, I do.
M'Lisa Ellis:
I know you do.
Royal Ellis:
So one of the things that I say to myself a lot lately and to just our clients is that the reason you're not as successful as you want to be is because you've given yourself another option. When you take away all the options, that is when you will have the most success.
Sheila Bella:
Thank you. Thank you. That's also in my heart. You have to burn the boat. You can't have a plan B, because the plan B is ... Yeah, I'm reading Dan Crenshaw's Fortitude right now, I don't know if you've read it.
M'Lisa Ellis:
I haven't.
Sheila Bella:
I feel like I'm listening to it over and over again, just because it's just so good. And he talks about how there's no plan B. I guess there's like Dan Crenshaw shirts that say, "No Plan B." And he talks about how in BUD/S, the Navy SEAL training, and I'm fascinated with this, I guess, they make it really easy to quit. Because they torture you and only one out of five men survive. They make it really easy to quit. So in order to quit, I guess there's a bell in the office that you got to ring three times. But I guess in BUD/S when you're out there, and you haven't slept in a warm bed for weeks, you take showers in the beach, and the salt water where the salty saltwater is burning the tiny little cuts in your body, they keep telling you how there's coffee and donuts.
It's really easy to quit, there's coffee and doughnuts. And I guess they bring the bell, they bring the bell, and they put it right in front of you so that you know that it's really easy to quit. And what that does is it filters, identifies the men who have the shortest path to plan B, the shortest mental path to plan B. We can all quit so easily. But that bell for me, it's not in front of me. It's not there. So there's a difference between pivoting and quitting, I think. But I just thought that was such a cool analogy. And it's such a cool story for life. The bell is right there. Anyone can quit for any reason at any time. But are you going to take it? So that's why when you said it [inaudible 00:18:10] oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah, there's no plan B, burn the boat.
M'Lisa Ellis:
It's so true.
Sheila Bella:
Okay, so book that's changed your life?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Oh, so many. I mean, you just brought up The Obstacle is the Way. I've read that one several times before, and I just read it again a few months ago, because you recommended it again. I totally, totally love it. It's about the hard things that come up in your path that seem like they're rewarding your plans are actually the opportunities. And so when we don't look at trials as total impediments, but we look at them as opportunities for pivoting opportunities for growth, then we're able to use whatever the universe throws at us to continue on and do bigger and better things than what we even thought possible [inaudible 00:19:07] the obstacle.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, COVID. COVID was what was one of them. It was the great revealer. It's like, are you going to use this? Are you going to use this to your favor? Or are you going to use it as an excuse?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah. And we've seen that so much within our audience with beauty professionals, it's like there's kind of these two schools of thought, because it seems like not very many people that are just kind of mediocre and floating, they're not decision makers. But two schools of thought that we're seeing is people who are, "COVID happened to me, there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing you say can help. Nothing I do is going to solve the problem. So I'm just going to be here, and I'm going to quit. I'm mad at everything." Or there are people who are like, "You know what? COVID happened, but there's still opportunities. And I know this is where I need to be. I know I'm capable. I know I can make things happen. I'm going to focus on what I can control." And they're under [inaudible 00:20:11].
Royal Ellis:
Absolutely.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Even in this time of pandemic, and I would [inaudible 00:20:15].
Royal Ellis:
It's like they switch it for COVID happened, but not to me.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, absolutely. I am in that camp, in that camp and that mindset. Royal, this question is for you. What do you have to say to the people who think we're being insensitive? That's for you.
Royal Ellis:
What do I say to people who think we're being insensitive?
Sheila Bella:
When we say like, opportunity doesn't go away. It just changes location, it just shifts. And there's a lot of people who are using this pandemic as an excuse and not a reason. But what do you say to people who think, "Those three. They're so insensitive."
Royal Ellis:
Can we keep [inaudible 00:21:07] it?
Sheila Bella:
Yes, that's why I'm asking you.
Royal Ellis:
I won't say a goddamn thing. Because their mindset, they've already made the decision. There's nothing I can say. There's nothing to say. Even to get into it with them. You're hearing it from us, there's other ways, but you've already made the decision that you're not going to be open to other opportunity. So I'm going to talk to people who want to listen, and who believe there are other ways. So I don't say nothing.
Sheila Bella:
See, I know I'd get a straight answer. How do you use COVID as the way and not the excuse? How did you guys do that? I'm here to ask the real question, I'm sorry.
M'Lisa Ellis:
No, it's good.
Sheila Bella:
[inaudible 00:21:52] interview.
M'Lisa Ellis:
I mean, I feel like we were definitely in the boats have been burned situation. As Royal ...
Royal Ellis:
I was injured.
M'Lisa Ellis:
He had been injured.
Royal Ellis:
I was coming up on medical retirement and dying. We had already made the decision two years ago that Spa Strong was going to be what it is, but a lot sooner. Because my coffees and donuts, literally as a police officer, were running out. So I knew I had to use my knowledge and everything I've learned quickly to help and touch as many people as I could fast.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. Yeah.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Oh, go ahead.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, so you guys pivoted last year?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah, I mean, we didn't have an option. We just had to make this work. We knew that he wasn't going to go back to being a police officer. But my situation had changed, and so we were like, "Whatever we have to do." So we started digging, and we found resources. And we figured out what we were doing. We are branding right, all of that kind of stuff. And we couldn't take no for an answer. And it was like we have to support ourselves, and this is the way we've decided we're going to do it. So whatever it takes, let's make it happen.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, yeah. I just love you guys' attitude about that. So I mean, last year, around March of last year, I was the poorest I'd ever been after making seven figures all of a sudden, because my salon was shut down. And that was thriving and doing really well. And then my event was shut down, and then we had all these emails for refunds. And then all these girls are out of work and stuff. And then it was just the darkest, scariest time, and like the world was ending, remember that? That whole thing in March, and no one knew that it was happening. It was raining, it was March 12th, 13th 14th? It was raining and we're just like, "Is this really happening?" I thought it was like the apocalypse or something like that.
And it was dark. No one knew what we were doing. And like I said, there was no money coming in, obviously, because my salon was shut down. My girls were out of work. No relief from the government or anything like that. And I personally saw it as a reason to drop 30K on a business coach. And my family thought I was crazy. But that's the thing, I don't know. I feel that's the difference. That's the difference. Yeah, success costs money. It takes investment. So okay, I want to know about ... Well, before we get into it, can we talk about your course, Sell Your Products, real quick.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah. This is something that I love so much.
Royal Ellis:
Probably the best [inaudible 00:24:56]. I'm saying that just I know you got a lot of courses, Sheila, but it probably is the best course of all time, all I'm saying.
Sheila Bella:
Okay, so I viewed it and I sent you guys my reaction, my honest, genuine reaction. While I was still in front of the computer, I filmed myself and I thought it was so well done. But yeah, go ahead, tell us about it.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah. So when I started in the industry, I started as a makeup artist. And then the reason I got into aesthetic, as I took a job at Nordstrom in the cosmetics department, and I was working for a skincare line, and I fell in love with products and ingredients. And I was just like, "This is amazing." And through just loving the products, I became a top tier salesperson in the department. And then I took that on with me to Sephora, where I was working at Sephora when I went through aesthetics school, and I was considered the top salesperson there. And I just fell in love with this setting clients up with regiments for success.
When I became an aesthetician, though, and I suddenly was working with higher quality products that have clinical studies, better ingredients, all of this stuff, I have so much more knowledge. What I found was that my sales went down when I got into the spa setting. And I realized after time that it was because I started talking to my audience, I was talking to other aestheticians. And I was talking to-
Sheila Bella:
Technobabble?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Right, exactly. Exactly. Because when you're on Instagram or whatever, we'll see all these posts that are like, "Oh, my goodness, you need such and such products, because it's going to help prevent against transepidermal water loss, and it's going to change your skin on a molecular level," blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And clients are like [crosstalk 00:26:57] and something about molecules, but I just want to get rid of my acne. I don't know. So this course is it's focused on helping aestheticians learn how to communicate with their clients, so that they can not only set their clients up with better success as far as results go, because they have to have the right products in order to see results paired with the treatments that they're getting. But it's also going to put more revenue in your pocket. And when we look at what's going on with COVID, and even in California, there's still shutdowns, you can't see this, so how are you making money?
Royal Ellis:
Yeah, so selling products makes sure this recession proof.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, I was thinking that, because we don't sell products at Sheila Bella. We don't, but then when COVID happened, I wish we did because ... So [inaudible 00:27:57] back up. I definitely feel like that it's such a missed opportunity for microbladers and permanent makeup artists, because they trust you. Like, "Oh my God, you're so beautiful." Or, "My girls are super cute," and they're like, "Oh my gosh," so they take her advice on our outfits like that, or our brow face. So why wouldn't they take our advice on anything else, right? Yeah, it's a missed opportunity. So you're in the small world [inaudible 00:28:23]. So from what I understand, spas make half of their revenue up to half of their revenue or even more on product sales.
M'Lisa Ellis:
They should. Yeah, that's the goal.
Royal Ellis:
Yeah. And that's what we like our clients to be like 45 to 50% of their income retail.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. So I know the difference when I go to any treatment, hairstylist, even my Medi-spa, whatever, just any beauty professional to give me a treatment when somebody is confident about a product that I don't even know that I need, I don't even think I need, when they're here. Do yourself a favor. You know what I mean, I know that this, whatever it is, when they're confident about it, yeah, I'll most likely buy it. Your wallet's already out. My wallet's already out, what's complex here? And then where else am I going to go to get this product? Back at that spa, back that that studio. And if it works, I'm going to take more of your recommendations.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Exactly.
Royal Ellis:
Absolutely.
M'Lisa Ellis:
And I want to bring up the point. You mentioned that obviously, we're in the spa industry. We work a lot with aestheticians. But you and I were talking a few days ago about my experience with getting permanent makeup done. And I'm not a permanent makeup artist, just know that. But years ago, I got my brows done, and it was incredibly painful and it lasted [inaudible 00:29:54].
Sheila Bella:
I'm so sorry.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Okay, three weeks it lasted. Since getting that done, I was like, "I swear off permanent makeup, it's not for me." But what I have found from talking to other permanent makeup artists in the industry, they're like, "Well, you have really oily skin, your skin probably wasn't prepped. You probably weren't using the right post-care. You're probably weren't putting something on your face that you need it to, to ensure that those results were going to last." So how simple would it have been for this permanent makeup artist to do a consultation on me a couple weeks before my appointment, and say, "Listen, I want to make sure you have the best possible results. So I think you need to start using this and this on your skin ahead of time. We're going to prep it, we're going to make sure everything goes perfectly."
"You're going to use these products post-care, this sunscreen, this type of cleanser, whatever it is, it's all going to be safe for your pigment. And we are going to get these brows looking the best for as long as possible." I would have been crazy about that. I was already investing several hundred dollars in getting that [inaudible 00:30:56]. Of course, I want it to last. So it would have been so easy to just sell me the product, I wouldn't have been upset. I probably would have ended up sending more people to her. So it's just something to think about in the permanent makeup world.
Sheila Bella:
Or just I mean, or the lash world or any that ... Yeah, I mean, they already trust you. They already trust you and so many times, how many times do we look at our clients and go like, "Oh, girl. You don't say that. You don't say that." But yeah, it's like a good friend tells you when there's toilet paper stuck on your shoe. That's being a good person.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Exactly.
Sheila Bella:
So being a good person is putting moisturizer under husband's face because he looks like crap on Instagram sometimes. I'm just saying, I'm like, "You look haggard." Anyway, so yeah, you do that for your girlfriend like, "Here, here." I told my girlfriend because I love her. I was like, "You're eyeliner is always crooked. I need to tell you. So here are these eyeliner stencils that make it even easier to ..." And she was so grateful. I was like, "I think you're using the wrong brush, babe." And she was so grateful. So yeah, I mean, to be a good friend is to tell your girls the truth. They want to be beautiful. I don't know. So I'm that friend.
Royal Ellis:
It's just feel like you're doing them a disservice if you don't speak.
Sheila Bella:
If you don't speak, you don't sell ... Selling is a loving act.
Royal Ellis:
Yes.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yes, 100%, because they wouldn't be coming to you if they didn't feel they had a problem that needed to be solved. So if they want this problem solved, just like Royal said, you're doing them a disservice if you don't supply them with all the tools that they need to get the best results and have the best experience. Do your girls a favor and tell them what they need.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, tell them there's toilet paper stuck in the back of their shoe. Tell them their dress is up after they go to the bathroom. Someone told me that the other day, and I said, "Thank you so much. Thank you." She was like, "I'm just going to ..." she did it for me. You know how like when your skirt's tucked up in your underwear and you're like, "Dang it."
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yes.
Sheila Bella:
Dang it. How long had I been [inaudible 00:33:26]?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yes, I know. It's terrible.
Sheila Bella:
If you got a flowy satin dress, it happens to me all the time. I'm that one. And then my husband's friends are like, "Oh." So awkward. Like what? Okay, so, Sell Your Products. I think it's a missed opportunity. So this is all about how to maximize your income through product sales. The link is in my bio, and it's also in the show notes. And also it's pinned here in the comments. So go get it, you guys. Go get it, Sell Your Products.
Royal Ellis:
It closes tomorrow.
Sheila Bella:
Oh, really? Dang it. Okay, it closes tomorrow so don't lag. I want you to guys say you're going to make this the most profitable year of your life. Well, take action. Take action. And what is the price point?
M'Lisa Ellis:
It's $97.
Sheila Bella:
$97.
Royal Ellis:
Cake.
M'Lisa Ellis:
I know.
Royal Ellis:
Cake. A drop in the bucket.
Sheila Bella:
And double your income. Oh my, gosh.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Seriously.
Sheila Bella:
Seriously.
M'Lisa Ellis:
It is so good. We love it.
Sheila Bella:
I thought you guys did such a killer job. And I'm not just saying that because we're friends. I thought it was so well done in a way that it was taught in a way that I could never teach, honestly. It was so, so well done. Yeah, it's so thorough. It's really taking somebody from zero to hero. Because I think sometimes as coaches we make a mistake, I make this mistake sometimes of thinking that somebody is a little bit further along. But you make sure it's from zero to hero. So it can really service, it can really help anybody at any level. So really great job, you guys. I thought it was taught with so much thoroughness, and it was taught with so much compassion. I loved it.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Thank you.
Sheila Bella:
Guys, $97. Check it out. Okay?
I have come to realize that I have done a very poor job of reminding everybody, why the heck I have so much time to create content. Why do I have time to podcast? How do I have time to create so many reels? How do I have all this time to create inspiring posts, online courses, vacation with family even, et cetera, et cetera? I know you guys know that I'm a permanent makeup artist. But what you may not know is that the reason why I have all this time to pursue the things that I'm truly passionate about is because I've scaled my business. I've scaled my business to create two to $300,000 months in revenue. And I did it all through me not even having to be there.
Sheila Bella:
I have a permanent makeup studio that now employs seven full time artists. I used to have 14 and now I have seven. And the seven that I have have been with me for five years or more. How? How did I do this? You see, this type of financial freedom is what is available to you through the art and craft of permanent makeup. If you're a solo business owner, and you're looking to scale your business just like I did, and perhaps stop the groundhog day experience of going in and out doing brow after brow after brow, and you're looking to create jobs and opportunities for those who are deserving or perhaps those that you love, this is exactly the model that we coach people through in our Pretty Rich Bosses mentorship program.
Whether you're a veteran or just starting out in the industry, if this is something you crave, why don't you pick up the phone and text me for a complimentary strategy call on this free 60-minute strategy call. We'll use it to clarify what it is that you still haven't done in your business in order to get you to where you want to be. And all you have to do is text the word Free Call to area code 310-388-4588. Text the word Free Call to 310-388-4588. And I'll talk to you soon.
Okay, next question. I want to know, because I know you guys have gnarly personal stories. And you can come on Pretty Rich Podcast without talking about your gnarly personal story. I'm sorry, okay, [crosstalk 00:37:46] podcast for you. Okay, so I want to know, for each of you, you both have never quit personal story, a time where you never quit. And I want to know about it in detail, one at a time. Who would want to go first?
M'Lisa Ellis:
You want to go?
Royal Ellis:
I never quit.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Your never quit story.
Royal Ellis:
You go, because yeah, I got to think really quick.
M'Lisa Ellis:
I started in, like I said, as a makeup artist. And then I got into aesthetics at [inaudible 00:38:22] a job at Nordstrom. And I decided to go to aesthetic school because this guy that I was in love with was not in love with me. But he wanted me to move to a different state so that we could be together. So I put in a transcript of my job, I decided I need a real reason to go so I'm going to enroll in aesthetics school. I moved away, the day before I was leaving, I called him like, "I'm ready to go." He said, "I'm not going with you." So I moved myself across the country. I enrolled in aesthetics school. The first day of school, they told me that they had essentially lied about my financial aid. And I wasn't going to be able to afford both my apartment and school so I moved into my car.
Sheila Bella:
That little adventure called homelessness ...
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yes.
Sheila Bella:
... that you spoke about.
M'Lisa Ellis:
So I moved into my car. And I lived in my car for about three weeks until one of my classmates found out and she had me moved in with her.
Sheila Bella:
Wait. You lived in your car.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yes.
Sheila Bella:
Where did you shower? And you slept in your car and everything.
M'Lisa Ellis:
So what I would do, fortunately, I moved to a state where I had gone to school before. And so, Sheila, I would sit in the Walmart parking lot underneath the lights, and I would go through my contact list and call everyone I know and say, "Hey, I don't know if you remember me. We had freshman English together. Can I sleep on your couch tonight?" And I would just go through my list until somebody would show compassion and be like, "Yeah, you could come stay over here tonight." Or, "You can take a shower over here this morning," or whatever. I mean, I had to hustle to not get sold into sex trafficking. It was crazy.
Sheila Bella:
Wait, hold on, you're smart for going to Walmart because they have 24-hour parking.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Exactly.
Sheila Bella:
So I just caught that piece of genius right there. So wait a second, that's crazy. So were there times where you would like stay a couple nights somewhere?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah, I mean, I had to.
Sheila Bella:
And this is all for to be an aesthetician.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yes. And then later, when I opened my spa studio, I moved back to that same state, I should never have moved back there. But because of the guy he convinced me again that he wanted me to move there again. So I moved back there. He didn't come with me again. And I opened up my spa studio, I had no idea what I was doing. None whatsoever. So after my studio sat empty for four months, I realized I couldn't afford both my apartment rent and my studio rent. And so I moved back into my car.
Because even though I didn't know what I was doing, I knew I had to make this business work. I had to. It had become my purpose, it had become my identity to say that I was this entrepreneur aesthetician. And it was my Plan A. And so I burned the boat AKA my apartment, and then that's when I ended up with my first mentor. And I started really learning about how to get my act together and come up with a strategy because I was just throwing shit on the wall and hope that it stopped.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wait, let's go back to the homelessness part. Hold on. I'm fascinated by it. So you had a studio, and since it was your studio, couldn't you technically sleep there?
M'Lisa Ellis:
I did sometimes.
Sheila Bella:
Okay. I know someone else who does that back in finishers jiu-jitsu in Bethlehem. He's locked in a studio, Will?
Will:
He slept on jiu-jitsu mats.
Sheila Bella:
He slept on jiu-jitsu mats. See, guys, what it takes to start a business. Melissa did that, too, [inaudible 00:42:16]. Melissa did that, too? Slept in her studio? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Will:
If you're not willing to do that, then ...
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, if you're not willing to do that, get out.
Will:
I think like probably someone [inaudible 00:42:27].
Sheila Bella:
Jump in. Jump in. You think about what?
Will:
Remember when ... Hey, what's up, guys?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Hi, Will.
Sheila Bella:
Can you hear him?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
Okay, go.
Will:
Did you remember when someone was like, "Hey, I want to start a fashion line." And I'm like, "Who should I get to build a website? Where should I get that?" And all this stuff. And you were like, "You do it. You do it."
Sheila Bella:
You do it.
Will:
Like, "Who do I pay to do this? Who do I pay to do this?" It's like, "No, you do it first." So I think that's just ...
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, yeah. Good job. Thank you for the input.
Royal Ellis:
Good job, Will.
Sheila Bella:
Goodbye. He said, "Good job, Will."
M'Lisa Ellis:
That's awesome.
Sheila Bella:
That's amazing. Okay. I'm fascinated. Okay, so you had your aesthetic studio and you had a car. Did it have a bathroom? Like a bathroom and a shower?
M'Lisa Ellis:
So for showers, I did the same thing, calling people and finding people to let me shower. But yeah, there was a bathroom in the studio and I had 24-hour access. And so I made it work.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, yeah. How long did you do that for?
M'Lisa Ellis:
So rock bottom, that time it was about three weeks that I was living in my car. And I mentioned it to one of my clients just in passing. And my client was like, "You need to move in with me." And so I moved into her basement. And first of all, so grateful that she did that for me because I lived with her for months. But how embarrassing as a professional to have one of your clients have to save you? Because you don't have your shit together to be able to operate your own business.
Sheila Bella:
Did you give her free facials? I'm sorry [crosstalk 00:44:11]
Royal Ellis:
You probably did. You probably did.
M'Lisa Ellis:
I'm sure I did. I'm sure she was a lash client. So yeah, I did her lashes. But it was a gut punch to realize that I was wasting so much time, I was wasting so much opportunity. And how could she trust me as her lash artist if I couldn't keep my business-
Sheila Bella:
You're so committed. Hold on, you're just so committed to the identity of, "I'm a lash artist. I need to, no matter what, I need to stay a lash artist, aesthetician professional in front of this client." That that was your first thought. For me, at that time, I feel like I wouldn't have given a crap at that point. But at that point it's like, "All right, fine. I'm the person in your house right now. I'm no longer professional. Just thank you. Thank you." I would have given up on that dream that I'm ... But yeah, I hear you. The impression of me on this person. Okay, so that was your rock bottom. How did that feel?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Terrible. It was the scariest time of my life.
Sheila Bella:
Really?
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah, I mean, because there was no money. She could have kicked me out at any time. I had no place to go. And I had this lease on the studio and a handful of clients, and I didn't know what I was doing. So fortunately, having that mentor, and it was a situation where he kind of just fell into my lap. But I started realizing, oh my gosh, there are people who know things that I don't know.
Royal Ellis:
Yeah. You don't know what you don't know.
Sheila Bella:
Oh, my gosh.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Exactly. So things started changing, and it was about, I don't know, maybe a year and a half later that my business completely, completely changed. I moved into a big beautiful new space. First, everything completely turned around but it would have been really easy to quit. It would have been really ...
Sheila Bella:
Wow.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
Thank you for sharing that story. It's so inspiring. That's what it really takes. The road to your first 100K is just all hustle, hustle, hustle. It's just hard, hard, hard. It's like, for lack of a better word, just like masculine, masculine, masculine energy, where you're just like you don't care about comfort. You haven't earned it yet. For those of you who are starting a business, that's how it freaking is. It's like demanding that the universe recognize your dream and know who you are, and it's constant. And the thing is, is your voice needs to be louder than the voice of negativity and rejection, which when you're building a business is met everywhere. I can go back to that time so easily in my head, and I never want to forget, never want to forget.
M'Lisa Ellis:
Exactly.
Sheila Bella:
Never quit story. Royal, never quit story.
Royal Ellis:
It doesn't go into like aesthetics, is that cool?
Sheila Bella:
No. Yeah. We don't care.
Royal Ellis:
But so pretty much I grew up with both my parents, a good household, but I have an older brother. He's seven years older than me. I'm 27, and I was the fuck up. Like I was it. That [inaudible 00:47:51] far from the tree, you know what I mean? And so I would quit everything I started. Everything. I went to five high schools in a two -ear period. I was fighting in, getting kicked out, getting the switch, whatever. I was just quitting everything. And so I went to college, I underestimated college, and I was failing that as well. But what a lot of people don't know as I majored in fashion design, I was actually passing [crosstalk 00:48:21].
Sheila Bella:
And that's why you got good taste, the Versace robe.
Royal Ellis:
Exactly. Exactly.
Sheila Bella:
In pink, and pink.
Royal Ellis:
Exactly. But I do for career, I needed money to make money. And so my brother was a police officer. And I was like, "You know what, I don't need it. All I need is a high school diploma. I don't need a college degree. I'm going to go ..." I went for it and the crazy thing is I graduated high school from home school so I didn't even walk a stage. Never walked. My parents never saw me graduate. They were stressed out all the time switching me from school to school. And I went to the police academy. And that was the only thing I ever committed to. And I was like, you know what, I took it extremely personal because I had quit everything. And I was like, "I've got here, this Police Department's paying me, and I'm going to fucking graduate."
Sheila Bella:
Why that? Finally, what was the mindset shift in your head that-
Royal Ellis:
I owned my own bullshit.
Sheila Bella:
Okay, so you were just tired of the own consequences you created for yourself?
Royal Ellis:
Yeah.
Sheila Bella:
Basically?
Royal Ellis:
I was tired of looking at my parents and feeling ... They never show disappointment me but I just I felt it. I think that was me-
Sheila Bella:
That's worse.
Royal Ellis:
I just knew what I've done. And it was just hard to live with. So I was like, "You know what? Fuck this. I'm going to graduate. I'm going to do this." I got pepper sprayed. I got tased.
Sheila Bella:
Oh, which was worse?
Royal Ellis:
In a literal sense, I will get tased every day, twice a day for the rest of my life than get pepper sprayed one more time.
Sheila Bella:
Okay, that's what I keep hearing. So everyone, carry pepper spray. Not a taser, right?
Royal Ellis:
Okay. Oh yeah, taser's five seconds. I'm good. But it's five seconds. OC spray is days. If it gets you good, it's days. And when you shower and sweat, it activates again. I'm not getting pepper sprayed again.
Sheila Bella:
Okay.
