Port Elizabeth beautician Shanel Halgreen, 32, is passionate about adding that magic touch to the already beautiful women she meets.
The Brow Room owner specialises in lash extensions, semi-permanent eyebrow tattooing, lash lifts, henna eyebrows, brow lamination, micro-needling, skin peels, dermaplaning and plasma fibroblast treatments.
The mother-of-two opened her beauty salon three years ago and is happy with the freedom and being her own boss.
Please share some background on yourself and how the business was started
I started my small business three years ago in December. I was doing it part-time after hours and on weekends as I had a full-time job. I was in the freight forwarding and logistics sector for 10 years and to me it was a solid foundation on how to start your own business. I learnt so much in the industry, especially the customer service side of business. In 2017 I received my first opportunity to step into the beauty industry by taking my first course at Lovella Lash & Brow Artistry and, as they say, the rest is history.
What is your core service?
Eyelash extensions and eyebrow enhancement — the lash extensions are a firm favourite among my clients. I am qualified in lash extensions, semi-permanent eyebrow tattooing, lash lifts, henna eyebrows, brow lamination, micro-needling, skin peels, dermaplaning and plasma fibroblast treatments.
What makes your business unique?
I work one-on-one with my clients, which makes each service or treatment for them special, and they have my undivided attention and they trust me. Friendship are built where they know that they can come to me with any concerns and questions and always feel welcome, appreciated and comfortable.
If someone wanted to copy your business model, how would they start?
I started from the very bottom. Get your qualifications, build your relationships, market your business on every platform there is, start small and grow.
What are some of the biggest inhibitors your business faced before getting off the ground?
Being absolutely new to the industry and gaining clients’ trust to work on their faces, and an almost oversaturated market, especially in our city.
Do you have any tips for budding entrepreneurs or new business owners?
Take the leap of faith, start small, market yourself well. You only have one chance to make that first impression. Don’t feel defeated when business seems slow at first.
What are some of your biggest challenges in day-to-day business operations and your particular industry?
One of the biggest challenges I face on a day-to-day basis is if the client is brand new and not a regular, my anxiety levels shoot through the roof. The biggest challenge our industry faces is that others try to cheapen the market, and our services. Everyone wants to go to the most affordable or cheapest, which is definitely understandable in these trying times. We would all like to save a penny or two, but at the end of the day the beauty industry is a luxury service. Cheap art is not always good, and good art isn’t always cheap.
What is the best advice anyone gave you on success?
When I studied for my business certificate, my facilitator told me: If you want to be successful, you have got to work for free first. This is advice I swear by.
How do you measure or define success in your business?
Happy customers, positive feedback and good reviews. Most of my business and clientele is mainly from word of mouth.
What are some of the best practices that have made your business successful?
Having a warm and friendly attitude, and being passionate in what I do, reflects in my work. I try to be firm and stand my ground, but always remain humble.
What kind of advertising do you do?
I use my social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and most of my business is through word of mouth.
What is your company’s vision?
The Brow Room is there to enhance the already beautiful women. My clients are all beautiful, I am just there to add that magic touch and deliver the best service.
What is your target market?
My target market is ladies of all ages and from all walks of life.
What have some of your highlights been in running your business?
I get to meet the most interesting and beautiful people on a daily basis and that alone is a highlight every day.
How important is social media and an online presence for your business?
I think it’s super important. It’s where I can showcase my work and potential clients can see what my work looks like, and all my work is my own and not internet photos as I am strongly against false advertising.
Do you have any plans for expanding the business, and how would you go about this?
Not at the moment, I am quite happy where I am for now. I am not chasing money, but chasing a lifestyle and freedom and being my own boss. But we don’t know what the future holds.
How did you acquire funding for the business?
My husband has been a massive support and helped me start out. I didn’t require much funding as I started small and still consider myself as a small business. My business is home-based to keep overheads low and my prices reasonable. I am very blessed to have parents who own a large property where I can run my little business from.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from your business journey so far?
Do not let any one walk over you, and success doesn’t happen overnight.
What have been the greatest challenges and advantages of running your business in a city like PE?
PE is such a lovely city and I am super blessed to run my business here. The advantage of running my business in PE is that it has that small-town vibe so networking and building clientele is easy if your work and service are good.
What do you say are the three key traits of a successful entrepreneur?
Determination, honesty and humbleness.
What do you say are the key traits of a successful employer?
A successful employer is the one that leads their employees instead of dictating to them.
What do you wish people knew about your industry?
That it is in fact a real job — we might not sit behind a desk and host meetings, but it’s real, honest work and we are also human, we get exhausted physically and mentally.
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