Vanessa and Silvia 

[00:00:00] Welcome to this week's episode of Beauty Babble. Today, we're talking about beauty, education, and business with Vanessa DeMello and Sylvia DaCosta. They're the founders of Beauty Depot and the Aesthetic Institute Training Centers in Calgary, Alberta. With over two decades of experience, they've established a leading beauty distribution company and an internationally accredited aesthetic training center. 

[00:00:23] And if that's not amazing enough, they've also been best friends since preschool. Vanessa, Sylvia, welcome and thanks so much for joining us. I'm really excited to hear your journey and pick your brains a little bit as well. Thank you for having us. We're excited. We're excited to have you guys too. So let's begin. 

[00:00:41] Like, how did you start? . Share how it began. Don't be a you go. Well, like DoreDarined that we've known each other since we were three years old. And we went all through elementary, junior high, high school and [00:01:00] university together. And it was our final year of university and we both did business. 

[00:01:05] I majored in finance and Vanessa majored in marketing and we knew that we had a passion to do something together and start a business together or And so Open up a franchise or something. Cause we just had that passion and really we would always play together and play school or play store, or, you know, we just always had these great ideas of, of like helping customers. 

[00:01:30] And you know, what, what could we do to kind of. fill our time and back in the day when we didn't have phones and you played and you kind of were creative. So in our final year, we took an entrepreneur entrepreneur class and we said like we need to do something when we graduate because I was working at the bank at the time Vanessa was working as a manager at Canadian Tire. 

[00:01:53] As an inventory manager and we knew that that wasn't really for us and we wanted to be more creative and use our brains and, [00:02:00] you know, do something. And along came this opportunity really to purchase. And so it was a kind of a business idea, so, which was Beauty Depot. We knew somebody in the industry and she introduced us to the lady that was selling it and said, you know, you should do this. 

[00:02:18] And she actually approached Vanessa because it was more of like a family member of Vanessa's. And she's like, well, I'm not doing it without Sylvia. So, Vanessa, do you want to continue? Yeah, it's true. So, you know, and, and yes, like. Again, I think at that time, maybe there was some naivety, naivety in terms of, you know, should we actually do this and what would that look like, but at the same time, we, we were at, we had that young entrepreneur, entrepreneurial spirit where it's like, hey, you're 21 years old. 

[00:02:52] What do we have to lose if this doesn't work out? Okay. And, you know, it was a relatively small investment for us to take over [00:03:00] this person's business. And our families thought we were crazy because we had, you know, just spent a lot of money, five years going to university. And I don't think they thought that, you know, opening a beauty supplier of someone else's sort of retiring business was a good idea. 

[00:03:17] But nonetheless, I think that entrepreneurial spirit is what led us to give it a try. You know, our parents were supportive and we were still living at home at the time. Of course, we weren't married, didn't have kids. And so we, it was June of 2000, actually. So 24 years ago this month that we, we started it and we really went into starting this business as like a project. 

[00:03:45] I think that's what we compared it to. It kind of was a feeling for us of, okay, here's a business that was essentially failing because if you saw what we purchased. Everyone would probably think we were crazy and like, well, why would you, what? What did you buy? Exactly. So it, it [00:04:00] really was, when we talk about it, it kind of feels like we purchased a concept which was a beauty supplier. 

[00:04:05] And we, we looked at it sort of as a challenge. It was similar to a program we took in our fifth year of university where we studied failing businesses and how to revive them. And so Sylvie and I kind of, you know, essentially you had to do a business plan and it was a lot of hard work and you know, getting our hands dirty and really treating this as an opportunity. 

[00:04:29] Like let's give it our absolute best shot, you know, to, to start something and see where it went. So, that was the start of our business, June 2000. Happy anniversary. 24 years flew by, I bet. Yeah. Yeah, it sure did. And so you started off as distribution, what would, what did you learn in those first few years? 

[00:04:51] If you can share a little bit about doing the business side of Excel of the fact that you are actually not from technically the industry, [00:05:00] then you are now, I mean, you're part of it. But not knowing you took it as a project, which I think is really a unique way of saying that because a lot of people do the reverse and they come into the industry, take the course and then go into business. So what are some things? That you could share that you learned or maybe were surprised by positive or constructive. I mean, for us, we, I don't think I'd ever had a facial or had my nails done or had anything like it just wasn't, that wasn't part of my normal routine. Like I had my hair done, but that was about it. 

[00:05:32] So really coming into this industry was just so brand new and really quite foreign. Like, yeah, we used to make up and that kind of thing, but We, the learning curve was huge because we had a mentor that helped us the one that, you know, kind of said, well, this lady's selling the business and, you know, she had a school at the time. 

[00:05:52] So she really helped us. We would call her and say, somebody's calling, what are filaments, you know, or what are implements? I don't even [00:06:00] know. So, I mean, the learning curve of just all the different products. That was a huge undertaking really. So we started going to trade shows because we had to learn and we had to network and, you know, it was just finding those right people to kind of help you and guide you and, and say, Oh, these are the products you should have. 

[00:06:18] This is what you need. And that kind of thing. So that in the product sense of establishing the business, that was that, but there was a lot of learning curves just in regards to everything. That a business entails, like, you know, dealing with the government and dealing with expenses and, and inventory control and, and it was just Vanessa and I at the time, right? 

[00:06:39] So, I mean, that was doing everything in the business, like doing deliveries and doing setups. And, you know, we really, like, we would go door to door to all the spas and hand out marketing for us. The biggest thing was just creating. relationships and networking and getting out there and introducing [00:07:00] yourself and seeing what works and what doesn't work. 

[00:07:02] But I mean, for us, like it was, it became our passion and, and we never looked at it as like the option to fail and to close this was never an option. It was like, this is what we are putting our heart and soul into, and we are going to make this work, you know, and that was, That was a lot of work, a lot of fun, and a lot of learning. 

[00:07:23] And honestly, the 24 years just fly by, and I think like every day we're still learning something. Yeah, completely. No, completely. But it was, it was fun too. And I think, again, like, I feel like looking back, it kind of was like, you know, our parents joke with us, what, like Sylvia said, we used to play teacher and we used to play store for many years, probably longer than most teenagers did. 

[00:07:52] We were, we had no phones. Yeah, there was no computer. Well, there were computers, but we did, you [00:08:00] know what, even in our very first year, we didn't have a website. There was internet really wasn't available to like, I think we first got our website at 2001. I remember someone came in to help us, and that was so new to us. 

[00:08:12] So, you know, literally you're creating a price list and I think it was Excel at the time and, and we were going like door to door to salons and handing out our price list, introducing ourselves and, you know, going into high schools, meeting the cosmetology teachers and, and I think, you know, a lot of it really was, it comes down to people and personalities. 

[00:08:35] And, you know, You know, did, did people like dealing with us? And I think, you know, our enthusiasm for wanting to do this, and also not having an ego is a part of it too, and being really open and receptive to mentorship and feedback. Because when we look back, it really was, I think what, what, what helped us tremendously was having mentors. 

[00:08:58] And aligning ourselves [00:09:00] with great people who had done it a long time before us, and we're willing to help us, but still not trying to control us because we have that creativity and vision for ourselves. And like Sylvia said, we, we didn't want to fail. That wasn't an option. And it ultimately, I think it comes down to your attitude and your hard work. 

[00:09:21] That's what gets you through all those difficult times in your business. So. Well, yeah, definitely wasn't easy. Yeah. And you made a comment. And I think just to give perspective to people, you started out with the two of you, how many people work for you now, in everything in total, it's about 50. Yeah, over 50 people. 

[00:09:44] We have over 20 instructors at our school now. And maybe even more than that, then we have support staff like technical. Yeah. support staff you know, including even like our accounting people. And then we've got all the people at beauty [00:10:00] Depot and the school administration as well, quite a big school administration. 

[00:10:04] So there, and then our, our wonderful warehouse team too. So we have that division as well. So a lot of people to manage for sure. And you know, you certainly can't run a business with how it is growing with all those different divisions. Without that team, right? And actually recently we just opened up a medical spa too, called Rain Med Spa and Wellness. 

[00:10:29] So that's another business for us that we're really excited about. That's awesome. I wanted to go back to something you had said about not having the technology or the website at the time, so you're forced to do that door to door. When I listened to that, I feel like it was almost a blessing in disguise because I feel like a lot of the challenge that businesses have right now is a high dependence on online or digital [00:11:00] marketing and you lose that face to face and getting to know somebody and just the feeling and the vibe you get from when you meet somebody. 

[00:11:08] Can you, can you talk a little bit about that? Yeah, so when we started, Vanessa, we had the yellow pages. And honestly, we just opened that book up, went to the salons and spas, wrote letters to each person, drove around in our cars and dropped it off. And for us, like you said, I feel like that was a blessing because we still operate our business with that, trying to have that face to face or that connection with people. 

[00:11:35] So for example, when we have events or something important coming up, we get on the phone and we call them. Yeah. And we say, we're having an event come this Saturday, can't wait to see you. We're going to have refreshments. And I think that it's surprising for many people. Cause like your phone barely rings, right. 

[00:11:52] And it's a text message or an email. And I think that that really just like, that's what we've built our business on was that human [00:12:00] connection and establishing relationships. So for us, that's extremely important. And for 24 years, we still do that, still contact our clients and want them to come and, you know, take the time to, to meet them. 

[00:12:13] And that's why we have also a storefront too, you know, cause I mean, a lot of people, they just go online because it's more cost effective, but that's not what we built this. Business on and that's very important to us. It's just keeping those relationships and and knowing your clients by name and you know, knowing what's going on with their lives. 

[00:12:32] So it is a blessing because right now you can get lost and so many things. And where do you put your money? And how do you spend it? And are they seeing it? Are they, you know, like, so I think that that's Well, even to, yeah, and to add to that as well, you know, at our school, we receive multiple inquiries every day, students who are interested in registering at the Aesthetic Institute, and one of the things that we ask them, you know, when they're contacting us is to [00:13:00] provide us with not only their email, but their phone number, and it's a habit, it's something that I've trained our team, not only do we email that person back, when that person gives you a phone number, You call them and most people are usually like, hello, I'm like, hi there, it's Vanessa calling from the Aesthetic Institute. 

[00:13:19] You emailed us about an hour ago. Oh, oh, yeah. Hi. And you know what, when you just said, you know, in addition to sending you an email, I just personally wanted to introduce myself. As I know. that you're interested in coming in for a tour to meet with us. And I'm sure you're very excited about coming into the industry. 

[00:13:38] And I just wanted to give you a little bit of preliminary information. People are so impressed by that, you know, that you, again, you reach out, you connect with them, they hear your voice, they hear your enthusiasm, and they feel connected to someone and supported. And that's about making that incredible first impression that matches, you know, usually a perception that someone [00:14:00] has about you already, because you've got a great website, or they've read your Google reviews, or they've been referred to your business. 

[00:14:06] But for us, our philosophy is how do we make every interaction that five star experience for someone that's a memorable experience. And like Sylvia said, it is, it comes down to relationship building. Another thing that we, you know, we teach our students that really how do you differentiate yourself when you're going to look for a job? 

[00:14:26] And one of the things we've said is, you know, yes, of course, everyone's going to email the spa owner their resume, but how do you make a bigger impact? I always say to them, get dressed up, put on a nice outfit, print your resume on the nicest piece of paper that you have. You, even if you don't make an appointment, go inside, you know, introduce yourself in person to the spa manager, even if it's the receptionist or administrator. 

[00:14:54] And make eye contact, make an impression, be a visible person that is not just [00:15:00] an email and an inbox, right? And so, again, these are some of those old school philosophies that Sylvia and I had that we want to share with our students that differentiates them. And when, when, when they do that, you know, it's crazy because we have such a high rate of success of students getting graduate, or getting employment upon graduation. 

[00:15:22] And I'm not saying everyone's doing that. But I do think that it's part of, you know, the, the image that we're really trying to portray is it's professionalism, and it's about customer service and relationship building. Good question on that to add to that. So before they enroll, is there anything that if you can share a little bit, do you, do you prepare them for that because I think in our, in our world today, not just in the beauty industry, it is lacking that personal face to face skills. 

[00:15:50] We hide behind the technology of it all. And do you help them understand at the beginning that success? Or is it just a process through your training? [00:16:00] Because I look at what's across, I'll say more Canada is my exposure. And I see so many people that, you know, they, they text and they're shocked like that. 

[00:16:09] I won't personally text them back. It's like, I'm not texting you. It's like, we're going to, Pick up a phone and have a conversation. And, and it's not as it's surprising, like you said, people are surprised by someone on the phone and they almost feel uncomfortable talking and they're in this industry. 

[00:16:24] So, and for sure, people industry, what can you share with that to the new, new, new students that want to be students or even the professionals that are in it now? Yeah. Well, I, I think a really good example of that is in our Sadesco Beauty Therapy program. You know, the students all take turns being in on reception. 

[00:16:45] So that program is unique in that there are about 700 hours of practical experience that are built right into the program, where the students are not only practicing on each other or on models. But they're practicing on the [00:17:00] public and real clients that are coming in. And yes, these students are calling people to come in. 

[00:17:05] They're calling to remind them. It's not just a, you know, an email or a text that the client is receiving. But there is a lot of face to face interaction with the client. That is really built into the professionalism of this program and skills, you know, literally where you're walking the client upstairs to the spa room, you know, they're filling out their questionnaire and their client consultation. 

[00:17:29] We're walking them into the treatment room. We're walking them back downstairs. It's the courtesy and we're focusing on retailing and again, establishing a relationship with them too, and following up. And, you know, I would say that our, our instructors very much follow that philosophy of going the extra mile for the client and understanding that there are so much competition in our industry, but how do you build that special experience? 

[00:17:56] You know, even one of our long term instructors, Betty Ann [00:18:00] Newton, who's been with us 23 years, I just love when in her facials level one class. What she has done from the very beginning is she creates with a towel. It's a beautiful heart, you know, that she puts at the front of the bed for the client. And she really focuses to on, on compassion and creating that memorable experience for your client that is more than just a robotic service. 

[00:18:27] Right. So I would say very much ingrained in in everything that we're teaching our students is about building a special relationship with your client and really making it memorable for them and authentic. So, yes, I, I think it's critical and, and if you don't do that, it's really hard to have client retention. 

[00:18:48] So, and I think to just to add, like, even from the very beginning, when somebody calls or somebody wants to come in for a tour, we, Vanessa interviews, Vanessa or the admin team interviews [00:19:00] every single person that wants to enroll. So it's not just. You know, online you can for one class or whatnot, but for diploma programs, they actually have to come in, have the face to face meeting or Zoom meeting, and Vanessa does, or the team, a interview, basically, with the student. 

[00:19:19] And I think for many of these individuals, this is their very first time that they're ever having an interview and having to answer questions about themselves, you know, and what are your passions? What do you want to do? What do you want to get out of that? And I think for initially that that is a big stepping stone for many. 

[00:19:37] And Vanessa said, like, in that room, there's so many tiers. Because I do think that there's maybe a lot of people that don't have those kind of conversations or are able to open up with somebody, you know, a stranger, essentially, and just talking about like what I want. And there's a lot of young students, you know, so I think just initially starting off and coming into the industry and coming, like, [00:20:00] In that our meeting, I think that's essential too. 

[00:20:04] And that just kind of leads into everything else that they learn and do. And I think that that's a huge stepping stone for many of those. Yeah, that's a great point, Sylvia. I completely agree. And, you know, again, it's like, we're, we're trying to establish a benchmark of our school that starts right from the get go. 

[00:20:21] It's not at the end. And, you know, we talked to our students about professionalism and image and dress code and how you present yourself. Eye contact, you know how and you see that like you see from the it's 90 minutes that we spend with each person from every student that's coming into any diploma program and they're blown away by that because they say, you know, sometimes I go to another I went to another place and they spent six or seven minutes with me and the focus at the end was just sign here. 

[00:20:51] And so that's what we're trying to establish from the beginning is that this is an experience. This is a journey for you of growth, personal [00:21:00] and professional development. And our entire team is really on board with that. Again, I can't stress that enough, that it's the instructors and the admin team and all the support staff that are there to provide that exceptional experience for people. 

[00:21:16] Yeah. Do you actually I mean, you've met so many people, how many in that interview realize or start to doubt themselves with the insecurity that they have because they realize they, they are maybe don't have the, the technique or the, the The practice of working with people, how do you navigate that for them? 

[00:21:39] Or do you just say you don't, you're not a fit for this industry? I'm being very blunt right now. I know you would never say it like that. You know what? You can kind of feel it. Like the way, like Sylvia said, that interview was very much designed to challenge people. And for us, it's a bit of a test for us, to be honest, to make sure that they've done their research and they've really given thought.[00:22:00]  

[00:22:00] So one of the questions I ask is what do you think would be the most rewarding or fulfilling aspect of being a working esthetician and 90 percent of them will say, well, it's my love for people. It's wanting to help people. I have a passion for beauty and I, you know, something along those lines. Someone comes out and they're like, oh, it's just for the flexibility of, you know, I want flexibility or it's because I'm going to make great money. 

[00:22:28] They shouldn't say that to me. What's your response? Do you share? How do you respond to that? That's not my language. I no, I have to be, it's, it's a red flag, that's all. And so I pose some more questions for them and just say, you know, You know, I understand that flexibility is important, but as we kind of go through, I'll just challenge them more and say, you know, I think this is something you really need to give some more thought to. 

[00:22:55] We also ask, you know, what does your family think about you coming into this [00:23:00] industry? I'll ask them for, tell me three strengths about yourself. And, and honestly, if I truly think it's taught for someone, I'll, I will. I certainly there's no pressure to book people. And if anything, what we do that is unique is we encourage people to go home and to think about this, because it's a big decision. 

[00:23:18] It we are not a business that is trying to get people to sign on the line. And I think that's unique as well. Because when you're really confident and secure in what we're doing, I would rather someone take a week, think about it, make sure that they're making a good decision. And then enroll with us. And in fact, with Sidesco students who are applying, I make them wait four weeks until after they've applied. 

[00:23:42] And I do reference checks on those students because it is quite a grueling program. And those students, I'm telling you, it's like they've won Miss America. When I call them to tell them they've been accepted, most of them are crying. And then that's when I know I'm like, yes! Yeah, [00:24:00] we've got a great student here. 

[00:24:02] So that shows me that they're coming. But truthfully, I feel like honestly, like Suzanne, I think we seem to really attract the right people. And it is word of mouth at this point, almost everyone that's coming is word of mouth and referrals. So usually you end up with some really great students. And it's It's odd when we get someone who's not there for the right reasons. 

[00:24:24] When you, when you talk about word of mouth and referral, that's usually the best, right? Because it guarantees a little bit more confidence in the person that's coming, coming to you. But on the flip side of that, what do you do for your digital marketing and how do you show up on social media? In a way that connects how you are in person and the experience that you provide in person, how do you show that online? 

[00:24:50] Sylvia, do you want to start? I mean, we have a team that does that because I'm horrible at social media. I don't really post a lot. But I think for [00:25:00] us, I mean, when we do any marketing and such, we try to use real photos as much as we can. Because that is authentic. That shows you. So when you're coming in, when you see our website, those are pictures of our school. 

[00:25:12] So it's not, you know, it's, it's in line with one another. We don't want people walking and be like, Oh, this is not, this is not what I envisioned when I, you know, searched you up. So for, for we use obviously Instagram and Facebook and such. And again, we try to Focus on real people and our instructors or our students taking classes, you know, I think it's such a, you can go in such a spiral with. 

[00:25:39] Social media and making sure that you are targeting the right people and and that it's actually getting out there. But for us again, like we Vanessa, if you want to add, but more real photos and capturing the moments of people and students being. On location. Yeah. And we don't do [00:26:00] sponsored ads. You know, to be honest, it's funny because one of our girls is going on maternity leave. 

[00:26:04] She's the head of our social media for the school. And when we were just looking online yesterday when we do a search, we do come up organically as the first, when you type in esthetician training, we do come up first above all those sponsored ads. And another girl who is taking over social media, she handles it for beauty Depot. 

[00:26:24] She had just recently taken a class. On it, and she shared with us at our meeting yesterday that what she had learned is that truthfully clients when they see those sponsored ads, most people based on analytics, they go to the first person, right? That's not a non sponsored ad, because that's an organic ad. 

[00:26:44] So maybe it's because we've had our, our ads for I don't, I honestly am not sure how that works, but Yeah, we've just, we feel like that is not a good, not a good look for us to have to pay to do advertising. And, Again, I don't know, [00:27:00] I guess for digital marketing, we do a little bit of marketing when we're, you know, we'll do a sponsored ad if we're promoting a new course or a program. 

[00:27:07] But other than that, I think just the stage we're at in business right now is that we have built a reputation on the brands of digital. Programs that we offer, and that does seem to, you know, attract people, especially with the Sidesco International Program. And we do use MailChimp a lot. So, I mean, we have our database, and we do spot, like, targeted advertising and such, or MailChimps to them. 

[00:27:31] And our response rate on that is really good, but, yeah. But, you know what, we Yeah, and we do, it's every other day we're putting something out there on social media or a MailChimp, so if anything I say we work harder than we did 10 years ago with that, right, you always want to be present and you want to keep your clients having that visible touch with you, with what they're seeing in their feeds. 

[00:27:56] So yes, we've had to get a team of people to help us with that and [00:28:00] consistency too. Of your graphics and the professionalism of those graphics, but also, like Sylvia said, real photos and videos are important because your clients want to feel connected. They want to get to know who you are as a business. 

[00:28:14] That's awesome. But would you say that your in person and referral is where the majority of your whether it's for your distribution or your school, is that where the majority of your new clients come from or students? Yeah, we know that because we, again, like Sylvia said, we do those interviews. 

[00:28:32] That's the very first question. You know, please tell us how you've, you've come to learn about the aesthetic Institute and how have you come about that information? That's question number one. And, and it is, it's about 8 to 9 out of 10 people that it's a referral. That wasn't like that 10 years ago. Back then, it probably was more Google. 

[00:28:51] But you know, especially since we moved to our new building in 2017 We're able to invest in but the infrastructure [00:29:00] and to have, you know, quite a lovely training facility. I think that's made a big difference too. And when you do the tours, you know, you hear so many people say, wow, this is a real college. 

[00:29:10] Like it's, it's the real deal. And so we, we did invest a lot into creating, I think our accountants thought we were nuts. They flat out told back to Sylvia and I, and we were really offended. I can relate to that. I remember she told me when I had an opportunity of a small business quite a long time ago and, and they, and he said, Oh, don't do it. 

[00:29:33] Don't do it. I'm like, what? How do you not see the opportunity here? I mean, with the grain of salt of the accounting, want to keep financially appreciate that. We almost need a business consultant. Maybe to understand, like you said, you grew into a, a team to help keep moving forward and growing. And I mean, from your, your background and that, I'm sure that the decision didn't [00:30:00] come that difficult, but I find in our industry, cause there's so many solo entrepreneurs out there. 

[00:30:06] They're having that difficulty of when do you. Make that big step. And I remember that in my business, the spa, like, okay, I, I got to stay the same and, and stay where I am. I wasn't really happy about it. I wanted to grow more and I had to bite the bullet. Invest and grow and it was, and it's a hustle and I really appreciate you guys saying you're still doing it and it's easy, but people don't realize. 

[00:30:34] No, everything in between. Yeah. I think for us, like growing to a lot of it. I mean, you have to look at the numbers, but for us, it was our intuition and just the feeling that we had and when it just felt right to do it, because honestly, sometimes when you do look at the numbers, it's like, no, you can't like you're, you're, you don't, right. 

[00:30:55] Like it's, it's really taking that leap and [00:31:00] investing and taking the chance. And I think it's scary. It's scary. And I always say like, there's no way I'd be able to do it by myself, right? Like this is. Like Vanessa and I, we, we do it together and it's like, you need that support from somebody, you know, even if you are in business alone, but you need a mentor, somebody that you can talk to because it is up and down, like, you know, it's sometimes like, oh my gosh, it's so great. 

[00:31:24] And then, oh my God, how are we going to pay that? Like, it's, you know, many emotions. Yeah, and I mean, we still like you to this day, we still have to be very careful every time we're doing an expansion, you know, or whatever that might be, Sylvie and I try not to take out too many loans, either we try to save and make and make at least be able to pay some of it with our savings. 

[00:31:49] But the point of that is, can we put this money aside x amount, whether it's 10, 000 100, 000, whatever that is, Can we put some money aside and be [00:32:00] comfortable and keep growing our business without touching that so that's a good test to, you know, if you're constantly working in the negative and you don't have enough of a savings or a buffer put aside. 

[00:32:12] That's a little bit scary too because what happens when you do an expansion, and now the funds have run dry. So, you know, the goal is though, and we can always talk about this more another time but it's about really about having a plan. It's having a business plan. Like Sylvia said, having mentorship as well as his key, but we grew our business over baby steps and it was slow and steady growth. 

[00:32:36] It wasn't about, I think our, I think both of us don't have a huge ego either. And when you kind of put, check that and you're doing it for the right reasons, then, then it just sort of comes seamlessly. But if you're too eager to grow and expand and, you know, be known as this person that has all these properties and all of these businesses. 

[00:32:56] Sometimes, yeah, you grow too fast and then what happens you're you don't have the [00:33:00] infrastructure or the financial resources in place and we see businesses failing and they don't have a plan or a road map to their growth and success. So, well, this has been a great conversation and not that I want to rush you. 

[00:33:15] Before we end this, is there any final thoughts you'd like to share with our listeners? Vanessa? Yeah, I mean, I just, I think anyone coming into this industry, it is, it's a tremendous industry to be a part of, no matter what stage you are, if you're a newbie, if you are, you know, in it just for a few years, or if you've been in it for a long time, it is one that's always going to challenge you. 

[00:33:42] It's always growing and changing. If you love people, it's the right industry to be in and always be open to new ideas, new concepts and and education, because that is what will, you know, really set you up, I think, for long term success and [00:34:00] gives you the, the opportunity to network and meet people. 

[00:34:04] Because ultimately I would say, you know, it is our, our, our wonderful network of people that we have met, like you guys. You know, and, and just again, being open to trying new things. That's what, what makes it exciting and that's what, what it's a journey about beyond yourself. It's really about giving to others too. 

[00:34:26] That's why, why we're in our beauty industry taking care of our clients. So Sylvia. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. No, it has been. I think if somebody is. It's wanting to get into this industry. It's definitely the one to get into is constantly growing, constantly changing. And you know, take that step, like start with one thing at a time, but just take the step, whether it's in this industry or something else, you know, it's like you, you listen to your intuition, listen to your gut and, and don't be afraid to make a change or take a chance. 

[00:34:59] And, [00:35:00] you know, you might be  

[00:35:00] surprised in 24 years later. Where you're at and again, all the great people that you meet along the way and all the lessons that you learn. So, and again, I don't think that anything really, when you try something, you don't fail. It's a learning lesson, you know, when you move on from that and you do things differently after. 

[00:35:18] So, yeah. I love this. It's been fun. Yeah, I'm so glad you guys could join us. And I'm hearing a part two on this one. So that's exciting. 

[00:35:28] Thank you for having us. It was a lot of fun. It's always fun to tell our story, you know, we, you kind of visualize yourself back then of, of how you were and just, yeah, how much you've changed, but I still feel like Sylvia and I are the same people that we always were. We've just matured and had more experience now and here we are. 

[00:35:48] Days I wonder. You have to keep it fun. Absolutely. . Well, thank you so much. [00:36:00] This was amazing. . Thank you very much for having us.