#61 How to Build a Business Your Clients Will Obsess Over with Ingrid Kent and Julie Phaxay
Episode Summary
This week on the podcast we welcome Ingrid Kent and Julie Phaxay, co-founders and owners of Haven Beauty Collective here in Minneapolis! Ingrid and Julie share how they each got started in the beauty industry, when they first met, and how they decided to go into business together in 2021.
Julie and Ingrid share their vision for Haven Beauty Collective. A warm, inviting, and comforting space for clients to come and relax while they are pampered. They also share their vision to use their business to educate and advise other women entrepreneurs through providing a space for them to continue to grow their individual businesses.
Although they run HBC together now, Ingrid and Julie have been solo-preneurs for many years within the beauty industry, and with that comes exciting experiences and stories along the way! They both share their favorite celebrity clients they've worked with (psst, one includes a Minneapolis LEGEND) in the past.
Finally, Ingrid and Julie share their advice to any listeners thinking of starting their own business!
In this episode you’ll learn:
0:55 Holly introduces Ingrid Kent and Julie Phaxay on the podcast
3:46 Ingrid shares her backstory of how she started in the beauty industry
8:58 Julie shares her backstory and how she started on the "traditional" college track, and what pushed her to leave it behind and follow her passion in the beauty industry
13:14 Julie breaks down what microblading is and why she is so passionate about it
15:40 How Ingrid and Julie met, and eventually went into business together
20:02 How their optimism helped them push through any COVID concerns as they built their business
21:55 What is Haven Beauty Collective and how Ingrid and Julie divide responsibilities and run the business
23:50 Why they decided to hire independent contractors vs. employees for their business
27:15 Ingrid and Julie share some of their favorite celebrity clients and experiences they have had throughout their careers
36:12 Prince NYT article Holly references
40:47 How Ingrid and Julie built their individual email and waiting lists and how those lists have evolved throughout their careers
43:55 Ingrid and Julie share their opinions on some of today's make up trends and why following every trend isn't the answer
49:05 Both women share their philosophies on the intersection of physical and internal beauty and how they kept that in mind when creating the Haven Beauty Collective space
53:00 The rationale behind naming their business and the process they took to land on Haven Beauty Collective
55:12 What is the future of HBC and the contractors they continue to work with and advise
58:44 Finally, Julie and Ingrid share their advice to any listeners out there who are on the fence of starting their own business