My love letter to the TSC team...
I don’t often like to write about my “success” because it makes me feel as though I think that I’m holier than thou or that I think I’ve made it. Which is false but there is a fine line I am going to dance on today because I have to acknowledge certain people that have really supported me and helped make TSC what it is today. Which is far more of a success than I ever anticipated it to be. And if you’re reading this thinking; “How is your company successful Hayley?”, I’ll break it down:
I’m debt-free with sustainable income of clients that have surpass my monthly goals for the last year and also have a steady revenue from passive income streams with affiliate programs and my online courses/ebooks. I’m in no way rich but I’ve accomplished a lot of my goals in a much shorter amount of time than I thought possible. Now I am at a place where my really big goals are actually starting to feel like they are a possibility. I’m also writing this after having struggled with one of the worst bouts of anxiety and depression that I’ve had my entire life so if I seem a little more enthusiastic than normal, it’s because I’m finally in a place where I can express gratitude for being on the other side of darkness. I want to have this in writing so I can look back at it regardless of what happens from here on out. As cryptic as that sounds, I mean it as a motivator in case I fall back to a feeling of hopelessness so I know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
That all being said, my true motivation of writing any of this came from an innocent conversation with one of my oldest friends who was visiting at the beginning of June. He had no idea that I had a team working for me or even half of what my daily work looked like other than posting on instagram and doing facials. To any business owner, you know that the work is often unseen and always never ending. But it also is usually a collective effort from those who support us to keep going whenever we’re ready to give up. For one of my closest friends to not know my team by name meant to me that I have failed to properly represent my business on multiple platforms. So today, I want to share a love letter to the people who make TSC. The folks who have magically appeared when I was sinking to lift me up and put me back on track. Some say leap and the net shall appear, well they are my net as they are the ones who keep me inspired with their endless faith in me. They are the arms that wrap me when I’m nauseated from exhaustion and complete defeat. Somehow they have unwavering loyalty to me and for them I am in complete gratitude for my wealth of luck to attract them into my life.
TSC obviously wouldn’t have existed without my husband, James. He’s the one who allows me to use our humble abode as a healing space for strangers to come into and vulnerability share their health history with me. Without him, I would be lost. He holds the mirror up to everything I need to see within myself in order to become the best version of me. He’s the foundation of it all.
Then there’s the magic of the first few people who saw the light in me enough to offer up their services via barter as I was clearly not making enough money to pay them for their services. The first is Polina of Estok Creative. She was the artist that drew up the first design of my logo, crafted my website, and casually decided that I should create a blog and a newsletter. Which as we all know, was a great decision to help me flourish in more ways than I thought was possible. Without Polina, I wouldn’t have thought to use instagram for business or even put myself on the internet at all. I would still be posting memes and food pics that no one cares about and completely shutting off the possibility of reaching an audience that is yearning to hear what I have to share.
Around the same time that I was working with Polina, I started meeting clients who would become a huge part of my business by sharing their artistic gifts with me. My photographers Taylor, Brandon, and Kristine are all amazing humans that I consider friends. They have all come into my life to capture the moments in TSC that would be shared with all of you. Each photo on my site, social media, etc. are from their creative vision to capture the essence of what I do in a photograph. I don’t know how they do it but they make me feel beautiful and myself even in just candids where I’m walking around my apartment fixing up flowers or rubbing Josie’s belly. They are the creatives that capture the stories I share with all of you. Which leads me to the artist, Michelle Favin, who designed my second logo and created custom art for my treatment room. As a client, Michelle was able to truly tap into my energy in her art with the delicate watercolor pieces that symbolize what TSC truly means to me. And I can’t forget to mention my beautiful clients Joanna and Amelia who have helped me craft my online courses by taking a chance on me. I seriously had no idea how to create content past this blog, but they helped me find my real voice so I could teach to a broader audience. These humans are all magic in my eyes and how the universe brought us together only deepens my belief in fate.
As I started to get the hang of this whole self-employed, at-home, holistic esthetician and blogger thing, I was asked by another beautiful friend to mentor her in the beginning stages of her career. In exchange, she would support me with clients and organize my work life. Jessi Heinze is now one of the most sought after estheticians in LA working at Skin Worship in Beverly Hills. Not to take credit for her hard work, but I hope that her time as my apprentice helped her see how valuable she is to the community of holistic estheticians in LA. She taught me so much along the way too which opened up the door for two more beautiful apprentices to come in and share their craft with me. Rochelle and Luisa are now working hard at some of the most incredible up and coming spots in LA that focuses on green beauty education.
This brings me to the ride or die women that I am insanely grateful for each day because they are the team I never thought I deserved or could have. Erin, my social media manager, is someone I’ve known since middle school. We were in show choice together which made us close since we would see and rehearse with each other for hours daily. I always loved her energy and friendship. Shortly after high school fell into the trap of becoming facebook friends while moving into different parts of the world without keeping too much in touch. Until about 2 or 3 years ago when Erin was visiting LA and we got a chance to get reacquainted. She fit back into my life really beautifully but I didn’t anticipate that shortly after our meeting in LA that she would apply for a position with me. I was in need of support to manage my social media because the amount of content I was pumping out at the time was keeping me on my phone and computer from early in the morning until late at night. My break was doing facials which just wasn’t acceptable to me anymore. She swooped in and helped me immediately because of our long history together and my immediate comfort with her. This girl has made my growth on social media organic, authentic, and sustainable, which I never believed was impossible. We don’t buy followers, engage with bots, or say yes to things for a paycheck. She keeps my social media as honest as possible and helps me filter through the endless DM’s and comments to make sure that I’m actually on track with what it is that y’all are interested in. Anytime I need a social media break, she’s got my back. We’re going on almost 2 years of working together and I honestly couldn’t imagine TSC without her.
That leads me to my right-hand woman, Julie. I can’t even begin to describe what this woman has done for me and my business. We met after she visited LA and got a facial from me for her birthday 2 years ago. We clicked and I was bummed that she couldn’t turn into a regular client since she lives in Colorado. What I didn’t expect was that she would reach out to me about helping me with simple admin stuff (if there is such a thing). As a controlling Virgo, I wasn’t sure if I needed help because I was so used to doing everything. From laundry, to booking appointments, to weekly newsletters, to follow up emails, to bookkeeping, to ordering products, etc. I was basically working 12 to 15 hour days with no days off in the week so I was bound to crash hard and soon. Julie came in with a genuine interest in helping me thrive. I was shocked that someone just wanted to help. She created systems to help automate so much of my business and took care of the little things that added up to a lot of things for me. She’s since grown into a role of designer for many of my projects including my recent ebook! But mostly, I love Julie because she sees me for who I am, at my messiest, and never judges me for making mistakes, feeling tired, or getting upset over nothing. She constantly lifts me up and is apart of my everyday now. Without her, I can honestly say that TSC would have shut down. I would have given up and resisted the growth I was about to have. I feel like without her, I wouldn’t be half the woman I am now. With a purpose, boundaries, a voice, and the ability to let people in to help. When I think of TSC, I think of how Julie is really much more than an admin or a graphic designer - she’s the heartbeat.
So if I’ve done a poor job properly representing my team, that’s on me. They are the best people I know and I’m grateful everyday that I get to work with them. And that they believe in me enough to help me actualize my dreams. With so many people I’ve probably left out of this to thank, I also have to acknowledge each follower, client, and supporter of my content. You are all my muses and I am honored that you trust me in your skin health journey. I learn more from you than I’ll ever be able to fully realize in this lifetime. Thank you for everything. Truly.
Before I breakdown and start sobbing in gratitude, I better end this here. However, no TSC team appreciation post would be complete without a shout out to my spa puppy Josie. She gets me outside, helps me pause so I’m not working endlessly, and fills me with love when the empath in me is completely drained. I hope you enjoyed getting to know my team and please know that it takes a village in order to realize your dreams. I put in so much work but surrendering to the process and letting people in has truly taken me to a new level I never thought existed. If you’re in a position of hesitance, it’s okay because that’s just your vulnerability which is often hard to recognize. I’m here to tell you that opening up will only open the doors to the reality you’ve always dreamed of.
Thank you for reading and have a beautiful week! Until next time, take care. Xo - Hayley
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