How It All Started ...
I’ve sat here for a little while, trying to figure out how to start what could be such an extensive blog. And as much as I continue to sit here and wonder what people want to know the most, I always go back to how I feel as a customer, client, consumer… which would be that I want to know anything they are willing to share that could help guide and educate me, and so with that, let’s dive right in.
WHO IS JORDAN?
Growing up, I was always someone who had been very curious and driven, continuously challenging myself and wanting to grow. I played competitive soccer, loved to write in my diaries, focused on painting and drawing whenever I had the chance and spent a lot of time with friends. Unfortunately, as I continued to grow, I had a close family member going through struggles of alcohol and depression, which led to a lot of abuse as a child. This particular person would call me names, yell, and tell me between the ages of 12-14 years old that I would work at Mcdonalds, make less than everyone else, live in a tent and become nothing - upon many other things. He commented on my appearance, and who I was growing into. I was consistently belittled and dismissed. This sent me into a major depressive state of mind, where I put up a shell, and had troubles truly knowing who I was.
As I continued to grow, this person came in and out of my life for many reasons and ultimately continued the same behavior, leaving me to sit in feeling these feelings. I held onto my one hobby that I had prior to the abuse which was playing competitive soccer, and when it was time to move on from that at the age of 17, I was confused and scared to what the next steps were.
During this abuse, I had also developed a personal struggle with my skin, and when I was in search for something to focus on that was solely mine, I found skincare.
Fast forward to when I turned 20. I was still full of anxieties and depression, and turning to alcohol and cannabis at a very young age, using and abusing these forms to “numb” myself. I finally decided enough was enough, and to take a leap of faith and enter into the world of Aesthetics. During this, I held onto those words I was told as a child, and knew that I had the power to change and let go of this - because I was not this. I focused day in and day out on the program, graduating with Honors and being asked to compete in the World Skills Competition. I excelled and won Gold for Alberta, and came 4th overall in Canada.
I finally felt like I had accomplished something. I felt proud of myself.
From there, I knew I would never take this feeling for granted, and I was not going to let this go.
It was time to change what I was always told, and had believed for so long.
JORDAN’S JOURNEY, June 2016 - Sept 2018
After graduating from Aesthetics, and competing in the World Skills Competition - I was left feeling like “now what?”. How do I move forward from here? What are my next steps to creating the life that I am longing for? How do I make the most out of this feeling of purpose?
I knew it was time to give into the universe, and follow the guidance that would come my way. So, I continued living and I was ultimately approached by a woman who wanted to do a start up business in the west of Calgary. She rented one room, and asked for me to go to Ikea to set up the space, design the treatments and to grow my client base. I did just that. My grandma was visiting at the time from Denmark, so my mom, her and I all went and took over ikea. Unfortunately, as we were about to launch, the woman fell in love and moved to Winnipeg, leaving the business behind and me in a state of still feeling the “now what?”.
One day, I was searching Instagram and came across a profile that was providing lip injections, something that I never knew was a treatment, but I was instantly drawn to. I was never necessarily self conscious, but it was something I felt I wanted to try.
After 3 appointments with this particular woman, we connected on certain levels, learnt about each other, and she later approached me and asked if I would like to be a part of her start-up business. We worked tirelessly together from the beginning - painting, setting up CC system’s, ordering materials and so much more. I was given full control over the Aesthetics portion, from designing treatments, researching products, setting up the entire space etc. I felt like this was finally the opportunity to show what I was truly capable of.
I was so excited to be a part of this company, settle in, learn, and grow within a community of like minded people. Little did I know that it was going to be making me feel similarly to what I felt growing up.
I quickly found myself scared, nervous, depressed and knew after 7 months that this was no longer the environment for me. Our values had never aligned the way I thought they were going to, and for a third time, I was left feeling “now what?”.
It was time for me to take full control of my future, happiness, career, and to not allow anyone to put me on a rollercoaster of emotions in regards to my biggest passion. I knew it was time for me to take another leap of faith, trust in myself, the clients that I had built over my first year, and go for it. It was time for me to start my own business, and put every ounce that I had into this.
THE JOURNEY OF JRAD SKIN, Opened Dec 2018 - April 2022
My state of mind at this point was, “I need to build this business as quickly as possible so I do not lose my clients”, “What can I learn from both experiences”, “What will I not do”, “What do I want to do?”, “What branding do I see?”, “What should the clinic feel like?” - I was running in a million circles knowing I needed to act quickly and efficiently.
After one week of leaving my previous place of employment, I approached a friend who had connections to realtors that I asked to show me locations for rent in downtown Calgary. I saw roughly 8 places in a matter of 1.5 weeks, while reaching out to skin care brands, corporations who you would purchase machinery from, and signing up for accounts that contained medical supplies. I started my website, and created a business plan that I would work on for hours and hours, lacking sleep and running on pure passion and adrenaline.
I knew that a loan was my next step, and the process of this was extensive - bank meetings, approvals and so much more. The same week I was approved, was the same week we signed our lease for the space on 4th street. If I’m completely honest, the start up costs for a business are massive - you need to think about every little detail - Credit Card System, Booking System, Materials for reception, decor, computers, phone bill, warranties, rent, insurance, profit vs expenses for each treatment performed, product purchases, materials for shipping, business cards, payroll, paying yourself, toiletries… not to mention the demolition we did to the space to make it our own which included, new flooring, painting, removing and rebuilding walls and ceiling, signage, baseboards… the list goes on. These costs ranged anywhere from $200k-$250k, and you could say that my stomach dropped as far as a stomach could ever drop.
December 2018, we officially opened! It was the start of a new beginning, and I was so ready to put all of the hard work to use. It was just me and my mama, Susanne, running the show. January 2020, we hired the beautiful Kendal (who is never allowed to leave.. haha). Finally, I was feeling like I could have some additional help with client demand, and begin to flourish this business the way I had always envisioned. Then - just like everyone else - we get hit with COVID, March 2020. This was something I most definitely never put into my two year business plan, along with something that no one could ever prepare for. The amount of stress and inflammation that built up within my body, and reflected through my skin and internally was significant. But, not once would I complain, or ever believe that I would not push through this trying time. The feeling of “now what?” came and left, as I knew that I was never going to let this slip. Resilience and perseverance, along with a lot of love and support from everyone around me kept us going.
We just turned 3 years old in December 2021, and I never paid myself - I only ever received my tips from clients if I was fortunate enough. I have just started giving myself a bare minimum to help with extra personal expenses.
I will not lie to you and say that this has been the easiest thing to do, because it really is the opposite. Running a business has sent me into burn out, losing myself outside of work, dermatitis, acne, internal inflammation and never giving myself a day off. I know that looking back there are moments that I would not regret working every day, because it brought me to now finally being able to have free days and knowing that the business is stable, but ultimately I have learned the hard way that you are not capable of showing up your best self if you are running on nothing.
To say the least, it has been one hell of a ride.
TIPS ON BEING A SUCCESSFUL AESTHETICIAN
When I first began to focus on building my clientele, I knew a starting point that I needed to ask myself was, “what kind of services do I want to provide?”, “what clientele do I want to attract?”, “how do I see myself as an Aesthetician?”. Once I took the time to really allow myself to dig deeper into these questions, I then found myself naturally attracting those people. I also knew that social media was a huge (and free) way to source and promote, and so it all began in 2017. I came up with a story that I could remain consistent with as it would occur on days off, provide information to clients that would set me apart, and show that I was knowledgeable. Skin Sunday came to life, and from then till now, Skin Sunday still remains as a huge topic of conversation between my clients and I.
Along with consistent Skin Sunday posts, I was activaley on social media 6 days a week, minimum. Showcasing techniques, giving as much information as possible, and providing results on instagram. I will never forget once I posted my very first before and after, how many emails came in after this. It all took off from there.
That feeling was something I was never going to let go.
I don’t believe one shoe fits all in this industry. There are a range of Aestheticians that provide a range of different services. I personally believe that you need to find your ideal services to perform, and become the absolute best at that.
I knew that from personal struggles with acne, congestion, inflammation, that that was what I wanted to be my main focus - but I never wanted to take away from those who never had those struggles and still wanted a service performed by me. I wanted to cater to all skin types, skin concerns, and perform services that I would always love. I decided to blend together Medical + Holistic services and make it my own.
Here are 3 things that I would tell future Aestheticians,
Never lose sight of your passion
Always think of ways to continue education and bettering your services
Consistency is key
TIPS ON BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR
This is a tough topic for me, as I truly believe that I am still learning and always will be. There are no rule books for being an entrepreneur. Drive, passion, creation and consistency are what continue to motivate me. Changing the way the world looks at Aesthetics motivates me. Our clients motivate me. Being creative and thinking of continued new ways to elevate our space, services, and how we educate our clients motivates me.
Being a safe space for my team to come too, motivates me. Motivating and pushing them motivates me. Having a nurturing environment, a calm and happy safe haven is what I will always continue to strive for.
Having this entrepreneurial role has been extremely fulfilling in so many ways - it has taught me a lot about who I am as a person, who I want to be, how I want to show up, how I need to balance life and work, relationships with people and how the smallest things can mean the biggest difference. I have fought endlessly to have this passion of mine blossom, and I will never let it go.
I’m no expert, but here are my 3 DO’s and DON'TS as an Entrepreneur,
DO
Consistently APPRECIATE your team members
Trust your gut, and never stray away from this
Remember how you started, and hold onto your passion
DON’T
Think you can do everything
Take on too much at one time
Let failure stop you
FUTURE PLANS
As I mentioned above, we just turned three in December 2021, woohoo! This was a huge accomplishment, and something that I hold very close to my heart. For those closest to me, and even some of my closest clients know that I have had a 10 year plan since I started, and to see each year become closer to where we are striving to be is humbling.
A bigger picture thought process has always helped me formulate a plan for growth for the business, and for myself as an individual.
As much as I want to share what all of these plans look like, I also believe in holding the dearest things closest to your heart… and with that, I look forward to having you along the ride and us sharing when we know it feels right, in every way.
To sum this blog up… for all Aestheticians, or future Entrepreneurs. Always remember your WHY.
To my adoring mother, supportive brother, and our little havanese prince Max - thank you for never giving up on me.
“Do everything with love”
Jordan Radke