A sweet little interview with Voyage MIA on my love for skin and being an entrepreneur. Enjoy!

I’ve had an innate fascination with the way the skin reveals the inner self and have been drawn to holistic habits ever since I can remember.

I received my skin and massage licenses, as well as a Bachelors in Holistic Medicine and from there, worked for over a decade throughout luxury spas, health food stores and with skincare and makeup lines in all types of settings. No matter which part of the industry, I always felt a need for a more intimate environment for skin.

My work today is rooted in treating client’s skin through holistic modalities and specialty facials I’ve created that all focus on bringing skin into balance through encouraging the skin’s own natural healing abilities. I work to treat the root of skincare concerns while guiding my clients in discovering their best skin through all avenues of internal and external lifestyle practices. Much of my work is also based in Ayurveda, which is one of the oldest Systems of Medicine in the world and is based on living in tune with nature.

Has it been a smooth road?

I don’t think any entrepreneurial road is smooth. For me, personally, my biggest struggle has been learning to ebb and flow with the ups and downs of running a business. There is so much of the unknown in entrepreneurship and it takes a lot of getting used to. You have to learn to let go of comfort, whatever that may look like to you.

Explore ideas without commitment. You may think you love something, you jump off the cliff and a year later, you discover it’s not for you, then you might have to spend some time digging out of the trenches. Or, you dabble in a few things that excite you, you find one of them lights you up and bam, it’s happening. Don’t have attachments to ideas. Allow your creativity to unfold.

I’m personally a big fan of the side hustle, as it creates more of a transition into entrepreneurship and is how I created my small business. You can keep some of the comforts of conventional employment while taking your time to create your business, really getting aligned with what entrepreneurship will entail for you without necessarily going into debt or becoming too overwhelmed. I’m more of a moderate risk taker so the side hustle transition into entrepreneurship has worked well for me and is still a journey I continue on, as many entrepreneurs have a continuous flow of ideas.

Entrepreneurship isn’t always smooth but I cannot imagine it any other way. The unknown may sound intimidating but it also lights me up because there is no cap on what I can achieve and you cannot put a price on my freedom.

There will always be work to do on the road of entrepreneurship but the important thing is you are up for the challenge. If you are not up for the challenge, it’s probably time to move on.

Journal, write things down, talk out your ideas, discover what success looks like to you, learn the stories of successful entrepreneurs in the world and your industry and the best advice someone ever told me… work smarter, not harder.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Minimal Beauty story. Tell us more about the business.

I am a Holistic Facialist specializing in natural, results-driven beauty. Many of my treatments are based on Eastern Modalities and a blend of different facial massages, always supporting the skin’s own innate ability to heal itself. I am most proud of the work I do in helping my clients to discover their best skin.

A lot of people are on this journey of trying so many products, spending so much money, all with a lot of frustration and no results. I help them navigate through the conventional beliefs and habits of quick fixes and “must haves” to becoming intuitive with their skin and adopting a less is more, quality over quantity mindset. I get a lot of “I wish I didn’t have to wear foundation”, so that’s a goal I always enjoy working towards with clients.

What sets my work apart is the unique fusion of both science and botanical-based treatments, products and lifestyle practices that create the foundation of my business.

Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?

I am very fortunate that my father has been my mentor and still is. He built a very successful business from the ground up, still works hard every day and he absolutely loves it.

I’ve never been a “networking” event person, but I would definitely say to be out in your community and places you are naturally drawn to. That is where you will find your people. I don’t “network” but I’ve naturally met clients at my yoga studio, dog park and the coffee shop just from being in my own element.

With Love,
Jen xx