LASH ARTIST OF THE MONTH: BLAZE LLOYD
MEET BLAZE LLOYD
IG: @fabulashlengths
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
"With lots of good training, some steady hands and a good worth ethic, anyone can make it happen"
WHAT GOT YOU INTO LASHING?
I started Fabulash 2 years ago as a home based business and I knew that I was on to something good when I was able to fill my books completely within six months of starting my at home business. By the time one year of working from home rolled around, I had over 20 clients on a waitlist to get their lashes done and that’s when I knew that the next step had to be opening up a store front location in order to accommodate clients on a larger scale.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE OPENING YOUR OWN STORE FRONT AND HIRING YOUR TEAM?
I moved to a commercial location on June 1st, 2019. The start up process for my commercial location was quite lengthy as my space had to be gutted and fully redone.
We decided to open our commercial location in an area that had free parking, was wheelchair accessible, and on one of Regina’s busiest streets in order to help our business to become more well known. My business currently has 4 employees not including myself.
The qualities I look for when hiring an employee include:
- Experience as a lash artist
- Hard working
- Attire that relates to current fashion trends
- Dedicated
- Honest
- Is able to easily make conversation
This is my Fabulash team!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO AN ARTIST LOOKING TO OPEN THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
I would tell them to save up lots of money as it takes a lot of capital to be able to open a business. As well, find an idea that hasn’t already been done and run with it. Don’t be afraid to take risks, work hard and stay dedicated. The biggest risk when I opened Fabulash was the financial investment that it took to be able to open up a business. Of course there are other minor risks but the biggest risk for our business was the huge amount of money that was invested to start up. It was a lot of pressure to make sure I succeeded.
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE INDUSTRY GOING?
The market for our business is growing exponentially. I see it as a continuing trend.
There is A LOT of competition in the lash industry. Especially in Canada as there aren’t any current regulations in the lash industry which means that anyone can enter into the market, even with no training or qualifications.
It is fairly easy to enter the eyelash extension market – with lots of good training, some steady hands and a good worth ethic anyone can make it happen.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I'm so proud that Fabulash is the first eyelash extension lounge in Regina. Our lash artists have multiple certificates in all aspects of the lash industry in order to create a well-rounded technician. I'm most proud of myself for taking the risk and being a woman entrepreneur at only 18 years old.
Want to see more beautiful work from Blaze? Connect with her on Instagram: @fabulashlengths
Become our next Lash Artist of the Month! To enter, make sure to follow us on Instagram at @lashaffairbyjp. Look for the LAM photo and follow the instructions in the description. Good luck and happy lashing!