Meet Arieanna Smith | Wax Specialist & Salon Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Arieanna Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arieanna, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Since opening my business in 2019 I’ve always struggled with finding a healthy work life balance. The struggle that i believe most entrepreneurs especially first generation, is the feeling of not wanting to miss out. For me, I felt like i couldn’t miss out on any clients because “what if i never have a busy day again?”always was my motivation. So in turn i worked 12hr days and took 20+ clients 6 days a week. After a year i realized this wasn’t a sustainable work model and would ultimately leave me feeling burnt out and unhappy with the life that i have Created for myself so i began Slowly cutting back my work hours. Still scared that this would decrease my cash flow but it didn’t. Now I’m down to two days off and i only Take about 6 clients a day. I’m now able to enjoy the fruits of my labor and have been able to give my client load to my employees. Having a healthy work life balance is so important and will essentially keep you motivated to keep going and excited for work. As an entrepreneur i believe the excitement of your work is needed to keep a business successful.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe what sets us apart from other wax centers is our attention to detail. We’ve been able to create a sense of community with our clients which makes them feel comfortable at our store and keeps them coming back.

I’m most proud of my ability to gain so much clientele that I’ve been able to build my employees books with their own loyal clients now.

Getting to this point definitely wasn’t easy and still isn’t. With the good of course comes the bad but I’m able to overcome all situations be refocusing on my vision and remembering why I’m doing this.

A valuable lesson is to not take anything personal! This has been so instrumental with how i operate my business and why i believe I’ve been able to keep my business relationships over these years.

I would Like the world to know that although it sounds corny that it’s true if i can do it anyone can. Im a college dropout with no mentors or family that have done anything like this and I’ve been able to pull myself through and make my dreams come true.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For a weekend in the city i would recommend for a fun night out at Frames for bowling and drinks There’s a cute restaurant in Soho called Short Stories with the best staff always a pleasure going there’
For dinner stopping at Cecconi’’s they have the best pasta and city views to match and you might see your favorite celebrity there as well!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe much of my success to my mother as she was the first one to believe in me and paid for me to go to esthetic school. Also my loyal clients that have followed me and my business throughout this journey. Lastly, shoutout to my wax lounge team! The ladies here definitely keep the store running and have been a major part in the expansion of my business so thank you.

Website: https://www.thewaxloungenyc.com/

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Image Credits
@takingallbetts @_shotsbymo