Jenna: Hey guys, it's Jenna, the owner of elevate and Nelson, BC, and the founder of Elevate Beauty Education and now Elevate Beauty Supply as well. I just wanted to take a second to introduce myself, tell you guys a little bit about I am, and then I wanted to get into how to pick a lash trainer. I've been answering this question a lot for so many different people.

And so I just thought that this would be a great thing to cover for everyone. So I am the owner of Elevate Lash Lounge in Nelson, BC. Um, Nelson is a small boutiquey or a trendy type town who never knew what volume lash extensions was. So in a very short period of time, I went from someone with a very basic beauty education to getting my training, opening a studio in a under a year.

Uh, Over a hundred thousand dollars in revenue. So I was very successful in doing that. And that was just the start my first year. And it's just been up and up since then. So yeah, it's been a great industry and I'm so grateful to be in this industry. And that is why I am trying to spread the knowledge because I believe in so many small towns that opportunity is still, it's a golden nugget that hasn't been visited yet. Not like in cities where it's completely exploited. Everyone is a lash artist, but in these small towns, we still need people educated. And this is where the golden opportunities are coming from. And you'll still see in lots of small towns, the most common question.

Is still sometimes what are lash extensions, and only that it's a overwhelming fear of volume lash, extensions and just miseducation. So anyways, it is my mission right now to spread as much, uh, education and learning and how. People in my situation, just kind of be successful in the same way that I have been.

Um, now that I'm at the point where I'm fully booked with my clients, my cup is over running. So when you have more than you need, the best strategy is to build a longer table, not a higher fence. And that's what I'm trying to do right now, um, by just like really sharing and giving back to really the community so that it can.

Thriving because where there's no education, there's no growth and there's no community too. It's really lonely that way. So there no education within four hours of my studio and the education that is, there is more directed towards a city vibe, which I have noticed. So I'm teaching what I know, and that is small town vibes, how to kill it in a small town and navigate your business very quickly with your training.

Um, just to get out there the fastest. So I wanted to take the opportunity to just take the time and talk to you guys about how to pick your lash extension course, whether you're beginning or whether you want to learn volume, it's very important. And you know what? I might not be the right instructor for you.

I will be the first person to admit that for you. I do not want someone training under me who is not going to be successful. I really, really am doing this just. Out of love for the industry. I want to see it grow. I want to see you successful. I want to see you bringing this to other towns where there aren't a lash extensions, because I believe in this so much.

Okay. Let's talk about how you might make a decision of which course you're going to take. So, number one, I think would be pick someone that you know, and respect and who you like their work. Um, you don't want to be going to someone who does not do the kind of work or like doing the kind of work that you really want to be doing.

So in my instance, perhaps my specialty is rebuilding damaged lashes or mature lashes that, um, Lashelle said. People could never have lashes on them, like natural lashes that are too weak. The natural lashes that might not work with classic lash extensions, overly specialized in the more natural look of mega volume.

And not to say that I don't know how to do really dramatic mega volume, but will I do mega volume on a client with, um, damaged lashes that is like completely blacked out? No, I'd probably do a more natural looking style to rehab those lashes. So, you know, it depends on what you're looking for. What I call city lashes is not something I typically do.

It's not something that's typically asked for in communities that are a little bit more natural, five. And especially places where people don't know about lash extensions. First, they tend to be a little bit more cautious markets to start with. If you're in a town that's never experienced lash extensions, I would really research the vibe of the community and try to learn what is going to be best received by the community, but also what you're going to be most excited about.

So if you're in the city and you want to do city lashes, maybe you go to the person who's like doing this. Really like 15, 16 mega volume blackout lashes, because although I can do that, that's not what I specialize in. And I find that the type of client that can actually support those with their natural lashes is few and far between.

So, um, it's not something that I'm really dedicated or excited about in my community because I am about really serving the people that are going to benefit the most. Are looking in the mirror and they're crying because they have never seen themselves with their natural lashes because maybe they have aged.

They have lost that natural look and that youthful vibe of their own lashes. So that's more about what I'm about. You'll have to decide what your goals are and find an instructor that is going to be matched with you. So learning style is another thing to really think about. Is this course going to give you what you need for your learning style.

And right now there's so many different ways for us to do that as educators. So, um, we are tending to go a little bit more towards an online vibe because. So much more accessible for people and we are able to provide so much more support in person and has been a really great way. And if you can find a course that has in-person elements.

That's awesome. But through COVID I definitely did train a girl from nothing and with her. Uh, three short months and us never meeting, she went and did my lashes and they were amazing and pretty much within two and a half hour timeframe. So I do know that this is possible through online as well. If that's like something that you can adapt yourself to doing.

And honestly, if you were not an online person, I would challenge yourself to do that because, uh, one part of your business is definitely going to be advertising and promotions and navigating that online. So for me, I had lived out of cell phone reception for maybe like six years before I did this lash extension course in the middle of nowhere in like out of cell phone reception.

And, uh, like people in third world countries are like, what? You don't have cell phone reception. Well, in the interior of BC, Canada, we don't have cell phone reception in a lot of places. So because we're not on our mobile devices all the time, I just didn't have that experience. Like I was, I was like Google mail.

What's that? Um, Instagram, I didn't have an account. So I really did challenge myself when I started in this industry to learn those things. And I would really challenge you to as well, if you are not, um, into the online vibe and that can be something. Really does help you do, but if you're just not in that mind frame and you only want to do it in person and you don't want to conduct yourself online at all, then I would say, just stick to an in-person course, for sure.

So product lines are very important too. We just launched elevate PD supply. That's coming out in the next, like literally couple of days here, we have gone through and developed our own products over the last two years and tested them out in our studio. I found that there was a lot of things that. We're like Ms.

I would get things from five different lash companies that I liked. And they were like, not the way I liked them. So I went through and created a custom line for my studio up until now. I've only kept these things to myself. Like the training programs were from my employees and all the product lines were for myself or for my employees.

But now I'm just opening that up. There's only so much you can do yourself in. I have really realized that over the last couple of years, so you will want to research which product lines you will like, but you might also know. So you really do have to trust your instructor and make sure your instructor is actually using your line because I have done training programs where I've actually gone there and done the I'm not going to say where, but, um, I have gone and taken the training programs and artists themselves.

Like the instructors are not using the products that they are giving you in the kit or that they are promoting in the course. They will interrupt you to other product lines, potentially if you're lucky that they actually. But, um, I just saw someone open up their last doors and it was like they had no lashes that were from this course on.

And I know that's just sometimes the game. But I would just challenge you to find a course. That's going to be giving you product in your training program that you're actually going to want to use, not just like beginner crap. That's like you're going to grow out of right away. Maybe cheap stuff that no one else wants to use.

You want to learn, um, how to evolve your practice and your instructor will have already learned that. And if they're using the product lines that they're giving you, then that's a good indication. Um, can you be hard to relate? See that unfortunately, but you will have to have developed some sort of trust in that and you should be looking for that as a good sign for.

So I would say another thing that is really, really, really important is client education. And how are you going to get support after this course? And how are you going to learn to actually work in your studio or your home and with clients in your market that is actually going to benefit you? So, um, the markets are so different.

What I specialize in particular is small towns, rural. Interior and a little bit of a big city vibe, but definitely not like, um, everyone is connected here. Everyone knows each other. So your reputation is really important and that's where things can go wrong for a lot of people starting out in the city.

I feel like I could be wrong about this, but. When you're dealing with a market of a hundred thousand or a million people, it's a lot different than dealing with a market of like 10 to 20, maybe 40,000 people or less, and the way you navigate your business and the way you treat your clientele, the way you educate your clientele.

Educating your clientele is huge when you are working in a market where people don't know about lash extensions, that is going to be your biggest hurdle. And I can tell you the biggest thing that I was asked when I first opened my studio was what are lash extensions? That's just like foreign for like the last, I dunno, I'd say five to 10 years in the city.

If you ask anyone what are lash extensions, they are going to know where they're going to be. Like, why would you use. I wonder why, I don't know, there's lash extension places everywhere. So, but you were fighting different things when you're in a small rural town. And if you were dealing with an instructor who is used to a city market, they're going to be used to dealing with people in a different way and navigating their personal relationships and building a clientele in a different way.

So it depends if you're from a big. That's probably more where you want to go, because I don't have as much experience with that. But if you were looking to kill it in a small town and show everyone how awesome lash extensions are, and just really develop your business super quickly, that is something that I have done and I can show you also how to do it.

So another factor might be, how long has he been trainer been in the industry? This is a double edged sword because I find. It's you can be in the industry for eight years and do like one set of lashes, um, a month or a year. Even it can be an industry for three years. You can, you'd be doing 12 already back to back-to-back slamming out clients who are happy with five-star ratings and having a really successful studio.

Those are two different things. So please make sure you research your educator just because they have a really good Instagram does not mean that they are going to be a really good educator. So please look behind the Instagram, check out through use of their studio checkout, um, who this person is in the background.

Sometimes even booking a service with them, just to see like, kind of what they're like. Finally, I'd say that having a teacher or an instructor that is also still in the industry. Is really important. The longer you were out of the industry, the more out of touch you get with product lines and clientele and artistry.

So it's really important to stay fresh with those things. So find someone who is still in the trenches and killing it, and they will be able to show you too. You might want to meet them. Note that if you are picking a good trip, They are going to be busy. They're going to be booked and busy. Their time is very valuable, but they're going to be also excited to talk to you, meet you and address all your concerns.

So if they don't get back to you right away, it's probably not the worst sign. It doesn't mean that they are not interested in helping you. But I think within 24 hours is a good guideline because you do want to have that support after. When you are in the course. So that's a great way to kind of just like gauge how responsive they are going to be with you and your concerns.

So I hope that I've helped you out in this video. It's just a short little one. I just wanted to like, make sure that I was touching base on this a little bit, because I am getting this question a lot. I've seen a lot of people get trained and not be successful in this industry or continue. And I think that's like the most devastating thing and it's such a waste in all different ways.

Um, and unfortunately, a lot of the times I think it is mismatched training. There's been a lot. Who don't necessarily struggle through getting past all the things that they don't learn in other courses. Um, when I did that, I kind of just went like balls to the wall with my business, honestly. And, um, I just had no choice.

I had maxed out all my credit cards, opening this business. I had like all my lines of credit I had. So fully deep that I, it was good in one way, because I really needed to figure it out, which is awesome because it paid off in the end for me, but it was such a big risk. And I just see there's a lot of people who aren't willing to make that sacrifice.

Maybe there wasn't a course out there that was better suited to them. So they didn't have the opportunity to learn that other information they've taken a course that's maybe not prepared them and they just don't do anything. So please, if you have any questions, reach out to me and I might not be the right choice for everybody, but I can help you in the instance that you are looking for a good program, potentially.

Um, no matter what it is, if you're in a different town, I might be able to connect you with another trainer as well, but we are also launching online training programs and I'm so hoping that this is going to reachable. Girls and other small towns in the interior, possibly in Washington. Yeah. All over, because that is a market that is definitely under serviced with education.

And I have a ton of experience that I would just love to share with you guys. So thanks so much. Um, if you have any questions, please reach out to me via Instagram. My Instagram is@elevatelash.ca and my name is Jenna and I would be happy to help you by.