Nailed it.
(Nails by Talia @ The beautique)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, (or perhaps more realistically, spending time away from social media) you’d know that we’re in the middle of running two very successful influencer workshops. We’ve been overwhelmed by how much love they’re getting, but it largely wouldn’t be possible without our incredible venue, The Beautique. So we decided to interview the incredible Jess Peris, so you can learn all about this amazing business, venue space and the woman behind it.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your business?
I’m Jess!! I’m an owner/operator of a small business called The Beautique, a beauty space located in Franklin. We expanded from my home studio just shy of 5 months ago. The Beautique was a dream to be a space for more than just beauty. Whilst our aim is to offer top-of-the-line services including specialised nail art, we also simply just want to provide clients with a beautiful environment to go to, and to be a part of. Our space has also been used to host workshops and pop-ups, and we have a specially curated range of gift items and products from beautiful businesses around Australia.
How did you start your business and where did the idea come from?
Long story short - I went to study a short course in makeup and got persuaded by my mum to do the nail course, so I could do her nails for free. She offered to pay for it so I laughed and said okay! I fell in love with nail art immediately and decided to pull my parent’s garage apart to create my first little tiny studio. I literally saw a door - opened it, and realised clients could walk in from the front gate and get into the studio without entering the house. Funny how opportunities happen when you open doors!
Have you always seen yourself starting/running a business?
No, definitely not. Funnily enough I recently remembered how my friend’s gifted me a psychic reading when I turned 19 - and she said I was not going to be doing what I was studying at university, and that I was going to run my own business and I was going to be very busy. I can clearly remember the fear in her eyes as they widened when she said the words “very busy” haha! All I could think was, I literally don’t know a single thing about running a business. She didn’t say what kind of business it would be, I don’t know maybe she planted a seed…?
What do you find are some of the most challenging aspects of being an entrepreneur?
I actually never refer to myself as an entrepreneur! Not sure why! But I guess in answer to the question, I’d say in short, everything. There are mental, physical and emotional challenges arising all the time. The issue is wanting to do so much but not having enough hours in the day (or money), and wanting to make everyone happy. Also, expanding The Beautique took a solid 3 years to happen, and for a long, long time, I felt as if I was going 2 steps forward, 6 steps back. It started to look impossible and I came close to throwing in the towel. Trying to push forward and remain positive whilst loving what you do, is challenging, to say the least.
What is the best thing about running The Beautique?
I love going to work! It’s surreal - and having amazing staff. I still feel so weird about being someone’s boss - a real boss! It honestly feels awesome to have dreamt up this grandiose environment in my head for so long, and actually have it come to life. We’ve had clients call The Beautique their “Happy Place”, and it honestly means the absolute world.
If you had any advice for people starting out on a business journey, what would you say?
If you have a passion, and you have that idea and that twinkle in your eye - the answer is yes, do it, give it a try. If you’re scared, it’s actually a good thing - it means whatever you’re wanting to do is achievable and you know it, because if it was out of the question you wouldn’t be scared, you’d just turn around and walk away. You know you can take that jump. Building a business and brand also can take a lot of time so don’t expect any quick benefits, and make sure you have the appropriate skills and passion to start your business - don’t just do it to make money fast or because everyone on Instagram is an “Entrepreneur”. There are no shortcuts, and having a business is never as glamorous as it sounds, and you need to be willing to put in the hard yards. I own a salon but I’m still a shit-kicker in so many ways. Don’t be arrogant, ask for help and advice, know your worth and work hard!
What's in the future for you and The Beautique?
Heaps! We’ve always got ideas in the pipeline - we’re expanding our services soon and introducing something really exciting to our upstairs Beauty Room. We want to continue to refine and improve on what we’re good at, but we also want to be able to offer our clients new and exciting things… stay tuned!
You can follow Jess on instagram @thebeautique.byjessicaperis
or check out the beautique here http://www.the-beautique.com.au