Beauty, Business & Big Bags

0:00 Our interview with Carmen Evans of Ask Carmen TV was nothing short of enlightening. As an esthetician with over 15 years of experience, Carmen hails from a small town in Louisiana where she pushed past expectations and chose her own path. Her determination, guess what? It paid off. Building her business to the point to where she earned 40K in a single month and even 20K in just a single day. Her passion for skincare is still alive, but Carmen has discovered a new love. What's that content creation? Tune in as we explore how she's transitioning her talents into a new industry. So just hearing about Google Google and YouTube University is idealistically the best way to learn Everybody will know that that's Louisiana area. We have Carmen of Carmen Ask

1:35 TV. Almost said a$$, but it's Carmen Ask TV. Ma 'am, how you doing tonight? I'm doing well. It's actually Ask Carmen. Sorry, Ask Carmen TV. See, there we go. Well, that would make sense, yes. So, Ask Carmen TV. Let's start with that. Well, the background, you were an esthetician for over 15 years. Your content creator as well, podcaster. Yeah. I had my own podcast and I've been kind of slacking on it. And I actually had just had the thought the other day, I was like, oh my gosh, you know, I need to start back. being on other people's podcasts. And before I could even make a post or anything, you reached out to me. So I was like, oh, well, OK, here we go.

2:34 What did they say? Look at God. So let's start with the esthetician in doing this, because I've interviewed a couple of different estheticians, and I understand what that industry looks like. What made you want to go down that road? I actually had no idea what an esthetician even was when I got started. So like you said, I am from the boot. And years ago would have been, what, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Then the filmmaking and movie production came up here. I'm up north of Louisiana. So then I had already kind of fallen in love with makeup on my own.

3:21 decided I would like to do makeup on movie sets. Okay. When I said this I had no idea at the time you had to have an aesthetics license to do makeup on the movie sets. So I went to school only wanting just to get you know my little piece of paper so I could do makeup but actually when I went to school I ended up falling in love with the whole shebang. even way back then they told us that the field was going to be growing tremendously but of course I'm like well they'll say anything you know they want to keep coming to class but actually it has grown a whole lot. So it's really exciting for me now seeing all the baby estheticians and people just now into the field because I feel like so many of us helped to pave the way you know. started, people were like, you're an esth - of what? So you don't do hair? And now you are seeking out estheticians. So it's really cool to see. But so yeah, that's how I got started.

4:26 Now, do you still currently practice being an esthetician? Is that your discretion? Well, I have been, I really hate to say this, but I have been trying to quit for years now. But I successfully built such a large clientele. And I have so many people who refuse to go to anyone else. So it's a big problem to have. So I've been in this pivoting between politics and content creation for about three or four -ish years now. And every month I'm like, this is it. You know, this is my last month taking appointments. I said that again this month. It's my last month taking appointments.

5:08 And then next month I'm going all in on that. No, I'm not sure I recently found as Mono I forgot the time but there's something for people who are only able to really focus on one thing at a time me so for my Aesthetics career that was awesome because I had just complete tunnel vision like it all this other stuff But now that I'm wanting to do something else Just make that radio show and I have some deals for y 'all. There are some companies that I've been going, researching, looking at the different products and services that I want to turn y 'all on to. So go to my deals page, check them out. Any one of them that you want to interact with, want to do some business with, you'll get a promo discount as well when you try their product, Banked Out, B -A -N -K -E -D -O -U -T -T. Slide over to that page, check out what I have to offer, and let me know. it's been interesting starting oh it sounds like it's been a hard habit to break yeah i saw something a few years ago that said change is actually mentally hard so think of yourself walking through a trail of snow just over again and now you've made this big trench in this snow and you want a different direction or started, you could have easily turned and gone another direction. But now you're so deep in it, it's hard on your mind

6:39 to do something different. So I'm not too hard on myself with this, but at the same time, I am like. No, I definitely get it. So starting on the content creation a couple of years ago, what made you want to do content creation? And then what space within content creation did you start up with? So I will. piggyback a little bit back onto the aesthetics career again so I can't be just totally upset I call them my brow babes at my brow babes because all the years of having one -on -one chats with them and talking them through different major life events and just all the things I feel like that is what I'm really supposed to be doing you know I browse of course I mean that's great but I think I love it and my clients love it because of the chats that we have. Even now that I've been just barely, I do one weekend a month and barely seeing anybody.

7:39 Still, every time that I go and do browse, someone's like, oh my goodness, I really needed to hear this today. I'm so glad that we were able to talk about this. Other people don't understand. So I just feel like, There's so many women out there in the world, people of course, but you know, I've been working with women for all these years that need to hear these same things. So having chats with the brow babes all these years, I just feel like I need to be having those same conversations online. Who knew it's not so easy online? You know, someone that's talking back and forth with you, so much easier, so great. But then just sitting in the room with the phone alone, I'm like, A lot of people describe it to me as like, you know, feeling a little weird and stuff like that. Trying to do that particular process. Because like you say, when you're talking to somebody back and forth, that's conversation.

8:35 When you're just, you know, recording inside the phone, camera, whatever the case may be. You have to plan all your stuff. You got to really make it engaging. Because if, you know, they're not engaged, wherever there's a clicking off and you're not able to build your audience. So when you started like, you know putting out the content, what was the response from your community? It has been a good response, but I have gone viral for the most random things and I know everybody says that but it's like I'm trying to talk to y 'all about This important life and then a random video I throw up of me at the airport gets millions What was that video about? I was just showing people that they have minute suites. It's a place where you can actually sleep inside of the airport.

9:32 So instead of going out and getting your own hotel room and possibly missing your flight, I kind of found out the hard way that these things had been available in certain airports for years. No one knew. And so that's why you went viral. Because one, you solved something for people. Not even knowing what you did. Because you were just saying, oh, this is interesting. I never knew about this. And that's why. Like you said, people paying for airports and stuff. I mean, paying for hotels and stuff like that. Knowing that they got to fight against trafficking and all that stuff. You're back in line. You're right there at the airport. Eight, yeah. Exactly, take whatever. I guess they book a couple hours or something like that or whatever, take a little nap. It is to catch you in another fight which is way more convenient and easier. Yes. So I definitely understand why that went viral. So like you said, were you able to reel in an audience based off of the content that you wanted to present them? Yes and no. Okay, the bulk of the people on my page are from these different viral moments Another one was when I randomly threw up a video.

10:54 There were like 20 Trash trucks lined up outside my chiropractor's office. So I had just got some one of the meta ray bands I just Like, you know, it's all about to speak to the guys at that time in my hometown There was a city -wide power outage or something going on So people were throwing away like all sorts of food and just, I knew that they were having a tough time. So I just stopped to say, you know, I don't know y 'all, but I just wanted to say that I appreciate you and I know you have a tough ass job. I'm just thinking this is a little five second clip no big deal and millions of views on that. So here I am with my little, you know, notepad and ready to talk about avoiding burnout and all these great things. I get some traction, but like I said, the most followers and stuff, they came from these random shmando. But they're still with me though. They unfollowed me. But at the same time, I want to talk about this and y 'all are here. OK, so talk about what is it that you want to talk about then as far as the type of content you want to present to the audience.

12:06 What are you trying to do? Empower them? So many things. I now have put my focus on saying the things that I would have said to myself at the beginning of my career. I didn't know any other estheticians. I had never even heard of it. My family thought that I was just wasting my time. So I know their plight is probably not the exact same as it was back then in 2010. But still, I'm saying all those things I would have said Someone should have said to me back then I say to them So I do have people that are tuning in for this so that is exciting But yeah, I want people to know that whatever it is that you're wanting to do How ridiculous it sounds to other people? If you really put your mind to it and you know put your effort into it you can do it you can become successful doing something even if it's something that no one else has ever heard of and so In my case, I was told to go back to school for hair or nails, or you have to move to a bigger city, black people. There's so many negative things. Luckily, I do my best work out of spite. I love it. I love it. Is that a characteristic trait that you have then? You want to prove people wrong? Why would you say that to me? I didn't even ask for your opinion. So many of my greatest successes have been after someone told me it was something that I could not do so um so yeah

13:39 I would just advise other people to do the same thing you know tune out the noise wear blinders and just focus on the goals that you have set for yourself yes what's up I was uh going through your uh youtube uh channel and or uh instagram actually I went through both of them and I didn't document where I found these particular things for but the book dropping the mask from You did like break down We hear the word burnout, but no one tells you how extreme it can get. Going years without any boundaries, constantly pouring into others while neglecting yourself, it can lead to your body completely shutting down. And the recovery isn't quick. For me, it took years of talk therapy, mixed diagnosis, and medication before I even realized the real work was about relearning who I am and what I truly want. That's why I'm writing my book, Dropping the Mask, not just to share my story, but the tools that help me to rebuild because healing isn't about going back to who you were it's discovering yourself all over again. A burnout video and actually talked about how burnout is really a real thing and that you didn't realize it until you come to that realization. Have you uh have you dropped the book yet? I have not dropped a book yet so I'm finished but this is my first book so I didn't realize you have to go through several rounds of edits. different editors now and as much as

15:11 I want to release it I don't want to just throw out anything. So yeah so but at the same time I was always someone who was a perfectionist so I'm trying to not let that be. I haven't said anything about perfection. Perfection gets in the way of progress. Right right right so yeah so I am done writing it. but I am going through the edits right now. So soon be able to drop the book. So your burnout, right? What led you to understand that that's what you is experiencing?

15:56 Actually. at the time I had no idea what to call it. I didn't have the words to describe what I was feeling because you know I heard about burnout but people aren't really talking about how serious it can be and at the time I was just like oh my goodness I feel something coming. I'm thinking like a miracle or something is coming. I was like I'm feeling something. It's so close I don't know what it is. Whole time my body was shutting down. You know our body now I know that our bodies actually give us so many different signals But if you don't know what you're looking out for then you're just thinking oh, you know, this is normal I'm working this is the normal thing and then so many people again can't speak for the guys but so many women Burnout has become just the baseline So while you're saying, oh, I'm feeling this or I'm feeling that, well, all your friends, you know, I know so many hairstylists and tattoo artists, and everybody was feeling the same way. So when I'm saying that and sliding down the wall in my shop, it doesn't seem strange because everybody is feeling the same way. But I had no idea that it can really kill you. You know, I don't want to take it far, but I recently saw, I'm not sure if you saw, I don't remember what state she was from, but I saw they shared a thing about this lady that owned a restaurant.

17:23 The chef? Yeah. She went to sleep and never woke up? Yes. And so I'm like, oh my goodness. I could have died. I could have died. Yeah. I'm like, it's real. It's a real thing. And I don't think, like you said, I like the fact that you even talk about it and stuff like that because I don't think topics like that, like, you know, we'll get into your podcast and stuff as well, but. When people notice and decide like, you know, let's say build a platform, put their voice out there. They're always going with, you know, topics that seem like, you know, the surface level type stuff to where, you know, get a lot of clicks in their nature. We're not talking about the real substance of things like burning out. The fact that we put so much pressure on ourselves trying to compete and understanding, you know what I'm saying? That one, we don't have to, we're not really competing with one another.

18:12 We're competing with ourselves, first of all. But again, it's like how social media, when people want to present stuff so polished and making it like, I love the fact that you rose crowds like this. I didn't even try to react, but that really bothers me because again, when I got started, I didn't have anybody to compare myself to. really have a guide or a shining light, no mentor, but also I was not comparing myself to anyone. I was comparing myself to who I was, what I was doing before. So for me, it's been awesome. Like I said, to me, I've always just thought of it like when horses race and they wear the blinders, I don't know, but that's been all these years.

18:58 But now the girls that are in school, you're already talking about six -figure. And it's just like, if I hear six -figure year one more time, it's just. Well, first of all, like, I don't think, okay, so I love having conversations like this. You know what I'm saying? Business degree, concentration in marketing, ran multiple businesses. The best business I've ever had was a conference business for a decade. Plus we built it up to where we got it to $750 ,000 a year, right? Lots of money or whatever. have to sit in their pants when some people at the height of it on payroll and having to manage all that that's a lot of problems too but anyway when people talk about building a six -figure business i don't think they even actually understand what the conversion rates are going to be to get to six figures like you got a 20 product you want to make 10 000 you're uh only going to be able to uh to make that 10 000 you have to appeal to 20 000 because that is the 2 .5 conversion rate standard that's a little bit more but you know I gave it a couple extra points but people don't look up this type of information like for every 100 people you interact with you're gonna get 99 no's and then you get the one yes. Someone literally I well now I am in a bunch of the beginner esthetician groups and stuff I since I've been I don't want to say furloughed or on a sabbatical reduced hours whatever you want to call it. I now, like I said, I try to talk to them the way I wish

20:30 someone would have talked to me. So a girl posted just yesterday. She was like, you know, what can I do to be a clientele of passing out cards every day and all this, blah, blah, blah. Everybody else is telling her just random BS. I asked her, well, how many have you passed out? 100 cards. Total. I wanted to just say so many things, but I had just said to say, you know, keep it up. Because the more people who know who you are and what you do, the more people that will look with you, but you can't expect you put out a hundred. They're booking. I, I, I. Could you know, again, this word, see, this is what I like because you have 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur plus because you work for yourself and being an institution. So you understand entrepreneurship and business at its core. Yeah. there's a lot of people who don't even understand it and with social media nowadays they're making it look like oh anyone can do this well if anyone can do it everyone will be able to do it yeah now they are real deal graduating from beauty school and immediately opening their own salons well now they have the suites everybody is sweet no go ahead speak on it you you know that industry things you need to learn outside of getting your license and this is not to discredit anyone getting your license and finishing beauty school is an amazing feat i went with many times i was a big

22:03 hot pregnant just it was a stressful time but still i had so much more that i had to learn before i was ready to open my own salon and even when i did open my own salon i'm forever taking more classes i've got all sorts of business books over here it's just it's so much more that goes into it but what i will say is not everyone is this way not everyone is just jumping straight out you know not asking questions there are some who know okay i don't know a lot about x y and z you know i'm looking for a mentor i'm looking for this but I just would hate for someone to go through all the steps and things and then just to give up so quickly because they didn't have time to learn anything else. Yeah. And it was a poorly poor strategy because even like you said, finishing business, I mean, the beauty school is a feat in itself, but that's like the foundational level. Then jumping out there in a suite. I don't care if it's a one room thing or if you're trying to get like three, four rooms.

23:20 First of all, the moment you enter commercial space, you're playing a whole nother level of business. You got to think about the fact that those bills, that rent, that insurance, a lot of money getting is coming every month. Those taxes, they're coming every month. about these bills are not stopping so you're feeling sorry for yourself or you don't understand and you're having a pity party that commercial uh real estate person does not give a damn so it's like it's not that i want to scare them i know that they can succeed i i'm doing browse i was able to build a home travel the world all these amazing things of something that people told me i could not do in this area In my hometown, the median income is like $40 ,000 a year for a family of four. But doing brows, I was able to make that much in a month. So it's like you're in a certain area, yes, but you can't let that limit you.

24:31 So it's just so many things. It's so many things, but for those, now I know. and this is great that we came to this. Now I know it's important to work with the willing. This is something that I wish I would have personally learned way back at step one because even at the very beginning, for some reason, something inside, I always like to talk to other people and encourage them to do the thing. So even when I just, I finished school, I worked at Ulta and then I'd booth rent it in a hair salon. Now mind you, it was a 40 square foot broom closet, really, what they were renting me for $100 a week. But in my mind, this is my own spa. This is my own space. I am self -employed. I'm having meetings in a 40 square foot broom closet trying to tell other people how they can do the same thing. So just, I don't know. I just always felt, I don't, I call it something inside, you know, to help other people, but. Some people want you to do all the work.

25:35 Yeah And that's actually what burnt me out more than yes Like you said you come across as like a very caring spirit, right? But then sometimes in business that's to your detriment because you care so much and you can't want it more for them I was so done. Hello when I was starting entrepreneurship back in 2005 I wanted everybody to do it. I was about to solve everybody problems and I'm out here doing stuff, whatever, but I'm showing up way more to them. I'm sacrificing and I'm not getting anything out of it. So, you know, almost like, uh, almost quit a couple of times. Yeah. I was like, I'm about to hang this shit up and do something that's easier because it wasn't worth the way to go. Um, but I didn't, which is great. Um, and you know, I'm able to do what I do now. So yeah, I definitely get that.

26:28 Like you said, you have to invest in those that are willing to invest in themselves. And if they're not willing, there's no reason to even work with them. Because you already know, you have the experience to see the writing on the wall right now. Younger you, you know what I'm saying? But you had to learn, just like I had to learn. So now you're at the, you're the best version of yourself now. So I definitely understand that. So tell us about, you know, starting a platform, Ask Carmen TV and, you know, so the podcast was also called Ask Carmen as well or? So people are supposed to send me a question. I answer it. So stuff like this. But like I said, people aren't. Maybe they're not wanting to be vulnerable or maybe they. to look like they don't know.

27:26 So on top of all the things that I said already, another thing is I have always taken other classes and gone to different cities and stuff. Even paying thousands of dollars, you're traveling to Las Vegas or wherever, people will go and sit quietly and not ask anything. That was never me. That was never me. I couldn't do that. Hey, no, no, no. I've got a question. What are y 'all talking about? We could break, but no, I've got a question. And I've never understood that because we're here to learn. I just thought I would put myself out there. You let people questions, but they're not asking me a lot of business questions.

28:08 They're asking me about the suites at the airport and stuff like that. So. Maybe you just gotta go to like some schools where they have business programs and start you know with the population to see who actually has the interest. I don't think a lot of people are interested in the business like they claim they are. I really don't because like when you look at the stats or whatever you know I had this diagram that I had posted probably about I would say over two years ago from the small business administration. And like 27 million businesses are ran by one person. And the one person is not even an employee of the business, it's just a young one. And then that made up like a good, I would say 90 % small business in the United States. And then the other two categories was businesses that fell between two to 10 employees, I believe, which made up Maybe around 8 % and the rest was 5 % or 10 or more.

29:16 So there's a lot of people out there, they're individuals. They're running businesses and they, you know, probably a lot of them start businesses not with the intent of starting a business, but because someone told them to. Because they were good at something. So, like, their thirst for knowledge really isn't there. Right. And then the ones who say they want to be in business are only saying it because they see other people doing it. Yeah. So, their thirst for knowledge is not really there. No. It's only those who actually dedicate themselves in the manner of, like, you know, whether they go to business school or they start something like you did, finish it, and their approach. is that of always evolution and growing, because you kept on going, you kept on going, and you sought out the information, whether, you know what I'm saying, going to conferences, stuff like that, seminars, reading books, like you said, all those are telltale signs of that you really want this. Yeah. For me, I'm not sure which category that I would be put in, because I feel like I was almost forced to become one.

30:35 Like I said, I worked at Ulta. There were maybe dermatologist offices hiring, not a lot of jobs. And even when I worked at Ulta, the hours were not really a good fit for me as a mom. That was always my thing. They even set us through a meeting. It was supposed to be encouraging us to be better employees for them, but it actually... This was the nail in the coffin for me to finally jump out and become an entrepreneur. So I come from a family of entrepreneurs. Both of my parents have had the same job my whole life, which isn't fine for them. So you're the first in your family to be the entrepreneur. Well, I have an aunt that she was a hairstylist when I was much younger, but she developed carpal tunnels. Because of her, I knew that what I was trying to do was not going to be a lifetime thing. From the very beginning, I had already said it was going to be, and this may be a ridiculous analogy, but this is how I thought of it. I said, it's going to be a lot like when you're trying to go play sports professionally. So I knew that I would have to be hustling, starting off, training, getting better. And then based on the effort that I put in, it would and how far I would go but I knew that I was not going to be able to do it forever. Now the crazy thing about it is I said that I was going to do this for 10 years and then start doing something different but

32:07 when my years came up like I said making money someone told me money hand over fist I'm just you know so I could not really see myself walking away at that point that I had originally set for myself so I worked what two, three more years outside of what I had set for myself before I got burnt out. I started training and really started training. Man, I was like, forget everything else, forget that. I got paid $20 ,000 in cash in one day. And this is someone who at the beginning of all this, I couldn't even pay. My rent was $5 .25 and I was splitting it with somebody else.

32:51 I couldn't even pay that. Like I was having a hard time with that. So to go with that. So what? People are what? People are giving me thousands of dollars? I'm feeling fine. You know what? I don't need a break. I don't need anything. No, I get it though. Because you know, you reach that level of success. You know, one, a lot of people do not reach. Just a miracle from a business standpoint. So you just have to push through and get to that level. And then it's, you know, the longer you stay in business, the more ambitious your goals become because you keep growing. But then also things, the dominoes start to fall or whatever, meaning that like they're falling in place because you've gotten gained all this experience. So you know how to execute things even more quicker and efficiently. to where the results start to pop up, as opposed to other people who's trying to get to a 20 ,000 year, let alone 20 ,000 in a day. So you see what I'm saying? You learn how to lick the little domino, make a file or whatever, because that's where all that sharpening your skill, you've been sharpening your business tools the entire time. Yeah. But now, like I said, People are posting come with me while I make $20 ,000 in a day And so if you're brand new and you see this you're that's your aim right there Forget the thousand dollar year

34:24 forget all the other steps You're wanting that right away and if you're not getting that result you feel like failure and that's the part that bothers me because Yeah, I think I've been there this lady, yeah Because like you said you need there are other steps prior to that. You don't get to go just dunk. You got a practice jumping So that's why I decided to write the book Because you know, I'm not wanting to scare people but just make them aware of things that can happen Like I said, I knew My aunt had the surgery. She started working at Libby Glass after that.

35:06 Instead, she never did hair again, not even her own hair. So I already knew that was a disability. But are people talking about that online? No. No, they want to talk about all the sexy stuff. They want to talk about the fruits of the labor and not the labor itself. And then the stuff that didn't work out. Right. I did a whole series or season of The Ugly Side of Entrepreneurship where I was exposing uh things like that and shining light to it because i'm passionate about business fashion about entrepreneurship and the way they sell it which i get like for let's say shark tank and you know the prophet and all those particular type of shows those shows are designed to be sexy those shows are designed to you know where oh yeah these people doing this and now they're doing 15 million dollars in sales later i'm like first of all you know yeah i ain't telling what these people went through to get to that You know, on Saturday, you're not talking about like, you know, where that money actually goes is once they got those investors and stuff like that, they want big money and they want it in multitudes of, you know, whatever ROI they want on it. So if it's two times multiple, three, five, whatever, you know, FFT starts to shrink real big. And then I'm like, there's all sorts of, you know, some horror stories for it. And just like the numbers in itself, businesses do not grow. like that. And then like the stat for like business in general, within the first five years, 67 % of businesses fail. Within the first

36:40 10 of those be going, 90 % of them fail within 10 years. That's a huge staggering number. Yeah. But they're not talking about it. The ones that people see 10 years later stood the test of time. and they were able to pivot and adapt to all the different circumstances that affected their industries. Right. Years ago at the very beginning, well not very beginning, I guess once other people started to notice that I was picking up speed and you know my clientele was growing, they asked, I'll never forget someone asked me, well they're starting to make all these machines that do the same thing that you do now. I can buy a stamp at the beauty supply store that does the same thing that you do. What are you going to do when those things become more popular? I said, well, one, I'll have the machine here because I know everybody can buy it. But whatever the case may be, whatever I have to do, I will pivot because this is, I have no plan B. I have no, this is what I'm doing. So whatever comes along, like I said, I'm taking a class every year to stay on top of it and to make sure that I know what I'm doing. But Another example, I really hate to throw the people under the bus, but these are conversations that I've been having with the folks. So a girl was messaging. She was like, well, what booking system do you guys use? Because I like this one, but it's $20 a month. And I would hope for something free. It took everything in me. I just say too much. Everybody else was

38:10 like, oh, this is free. Let's do this. And then this is free. I say, you know. I use this system that you're talking about. And yes, it is actually $24, but it's $20 a month. But I do not have to play phone tag with people. All my prices, my service information is listed. I get reviews that are posted. And when people search for someone in my area that's doing what I do, I come up because I pay the $20 a month. So for me, it's a great investment. But also, I have had a receptionist forever and a day. I mean, just so many things. You're not seeing it as an investment in your business. You're seeing, I've already got the sweet rent. I'm barely paying that now. $20?

38:58 I don't know. It really just, I have so much that I want to say, but I don't want to crush their spirits. But at the same time, this is $20. We're talking. How about the tire pressure experience? That type of thinking where they're not going to make anything because it's their mindset that holds them back from achieving the goal that they want. The whole point of a business to run efficiently and effectively, the more efficient you are, the more profitable you become. That's just what it is. That's pure business science, if you want to call it that or whatever. But you know, again, Like I've seen people like podcasting and stuff like that You know I'm saying like I've monetized my podcast in so many different ways that most people don't even think about how to monetize and I'm like I've landed clients just off in a free interview and then here I get like a twenty six hundred dollar contract So I'm like come on When you Go into with the right mindset Then you know and there's stuff that I pay for podcasting software. You know I'm saying to record and stuff like that um video editing software every month um with all the different plugins there's equipment you know i'm saying that i've upgraded um there's uh distribution software for the actual podcast except to be on all the different platforms people are like oh no i want to go to the free one well the free one you ain't gonna make no money so you keep doing artists free how you want to whatever and

40:29 looking at it that way but just because it's free doesn't mean that you need it And now that we're talking about this, I really wonder, when did I become a business person? At first, I was just wanting to do the thing. I don't know. I don't really know at what moment did it really switch for me, but I'm glad that it did. I just wish that there was something I could say or do that would activate that in everybody. But like we said, you know, you gotta work the willing. So everybody else on her post was like, you know, $20 too much. And I was the only one who was saying, this is actually a great service to have.

41:18 I highly recommend it, especially. as estheticians you don't want your phone ringing you're doing a facial with this person now you're talking over them about somebody who may not even just exactly yeah i hate when barbers come out here and they are on the phone so you know hey don't get me started on the bar of all the things i love what they do but their whole entire field overall could be Way better and I hear them complaining Just like I said just being in this industry. I've met so many of them and My heart goes out to you, sir. Yes, but what are you doing on your end to improve the situation? Oh, you just complain Yeah, you know I've seen too many of them whatever Like at the end of the day, I think some people do look at it like from the standpoint of, well, I'm in business and I deserve this and that.

42:21 And I'm like, no, you have to earn every penny. What are you talking about? That's how it goes. I will say one thing that people may not like to hear, but this is just my own experience. There are a lot of us that are in business that are Black business owners that feel Just because we are a black business black people should come to our business and support us no other reason no other I'm black and you are black. I At first I was going along with it. I was like, okay, you know, I was gonna have supporting other black businesses, but This is the only qualification.

43:03 You're not even a good Business person have no customer service. No nothing at all But you're complaining that other black people are supporting you when your only reason is because we are both african -american I'm exactly Maybe I do better the standard of you know, i'm saying how we do stuff should be better You should uh, you know more people that support you because one you're offering something that's when you're saying different than everybody else And you have the thing you're showing the value with it So, but like you said, customer service one, I tell people there's a such thing as opportunity lost house. Meaning that, you know, when you fold the hours of operations saying that you're over from 12 to six and here it is 12 o 'clock, you're not even open. Someone walks past you and can't get in, you lost some money. Yeah. Like I used to tell business owners that in the city I'm in, well I used to live in all the time in a smaller town. And I was like, look, you are not going to be in business long because you don't even treat your business with the respect and professionalism that it deserves. That way you can showcase that to potential customers. But you know, hey, again, everyone doesn't deserve to be in business either.

44:16 So, hey, you're either going to sink or you're going to swim. But was there anything that I missed out? We've been having a great conversation thus far. Well, I would want to ask you something. So if someone, they're in business, they're not really seeing the results that they hope for, do you feel that anyone can change and improve or do you feel like sometimes the person is just too far gone? I've met some people that are too far gone. I would hope that they could, but again, it's a mind thing. And I tell people all the time, success. My definition of success is not a financial goal. It's you get to wake up and live your dream every day. You get to do what you want to do. That's being successful. So you have to change your mindset. You can have the best in whatever. You have the best product.

45:15 You have the best service. You can be the best thing since sliced bread. But if you have the wrong mindset, it's not going to do anything. But I've seen better businesses that could replace other ones, but they don't due to the mindset of the firm that are so far gone. The thing I love about business when it comes to customers, they give you real -time data. When they interact with you and they're excited to spend money with you, you're doing something right. When they stop coming back to you, you're doing something wrong. Right. To me, it's pretty clear. But like I said, I've always just seen people going on these rants online, y 'all this, and you only want to support who's popular, and all this, and blah, blah, blah. But the whole time, I've been trying to book with you for months, and you never answer the phone, or the number you have listed online is incorrect, or you don't even have a website. I got a question. Do you ever say that to them? No. Wow. You're not doing your part of accountability. Well, recently, I tried. And a rant post was made about me. So I just reminded myself, you got to work with the willing. So someone asked for, how can I do this? Or, hey, I'm having trouble with this.

46:44 Anybody got? Then, yes. A person went on a rant about people Trying to get pricing and stuff and all this and she was gonna be charging a fee from here on out from here on out you got any questions as a $30 fee which I was like and I really was just asking I said so $30 to ask a question and She was like you wouldn't understand because it's a catering business and this is what caterers do that's it But okay, I wouldn't understand because I'm not a caterer and then you don't have your menu or anything displayed have a question, but now you're going to charge me. So I feel like that might deter people from wanting to book with you. He blocked me, made this whole long post about folks who ain't never put a dollar in your pocket. They got some state, but I've been in business for 15 years. So I don't even, ma 'am, you made more than she will probably make in a day that again, I'm sorry.

47:40 Sometimes you just got to pop your stuff. You know what I'm saying? Like when people be getting out of pocket with me, I just go ahead and let them know. And then I started looking up to see this is where I go wrong. I started looking at stuff. and making sure that the business is actually legit. So then I start tagging them like, well, how are you legit? You're not interested in all that stuff. And you know, if you're a caterer, depending on, you know what I'm saying, the city, municipality, all that stuff, but you gotta have licenses and, you know, you gotta have your thing from the health department, the license from them. So, yeah, okay, you go out here. I'd like to serve you some food with you, whatever, anytime. My stomach's still a little funny. Oh, you about to get sued. So, no, hey. I'll take it then, but I just say. They'll figure it out on their own, or they'll go back to working for somebody else because, I mean. Well, the likely scenario, though, when someone has to do that or whatever and they don't understand, first of all, people call customer service. I mean, people call businesses all the time and ask questions. So you should, every time, I tell people, every time your phone rings, that's money online. You want the phone to ring. you don't charge they don't pick up like oh before you can talk to Walmart or whatever or you know this store or this pizza place you got to pay us man please if people did that for real there wouldn't be no but again that particular person doesn't know how to navigate the space of the business i don't care the fact that you know i'm saying it's a different industry business principles are the same across the board yeah so you know if you don't have clear concise messaging

49:11 um people You can't see your prices. They don't know what's on your menu. How are they supposed to do business with you? That just makes no sense whatsoever. So. So when I first started this, I was prepared to help all types of business because like you said, the information, it transfers over like no matter what you're doing. I mean, it's the same thing, but I was like, you know what? I'm gonna just stick with. the estheticians because I know exactly and then they see me as someone who's further down the road with a dude whereas this person I like stick the brows or something like so now my niche with the baby estheticians because although my information can help everyone I don't know why I'm not seen as a voice to all the other business people.

50:10 So it's crazy. Well, you know, they probably look at you in your same area or something like that, or they can see how well you're doing. They probably at the end of the day, envious and jealous. You want to see you as a threat. I don't even give it that much thought anymore. Like I said, I'm trying to help other people. Now, as soon as she said that, I was like, you know what? You're right. Yeah. I will never be bugging with you, but best of luck to you in all your future endeavors. So now that's my thing that I say when I met with a, I don't even know what to call that type of person, but not the willing, you know? Yeah. Say, you know what?

50:55 Best of luck to you in all your future endeavors. And then I just, move on because they have to learn. I mean they have to learn. I had to learn. At first I had a plan and how I wanted things to be but as things started to grow other people wanted to you know join in and work with me and so where originally I planned to just be a solo entrepreneur. Before I knew it here I'm 24 with a team of nine people working for me and saying it now you know have to really get by the time I was just freaking out I was like oh my goodness who these hooligans you know if everybody we went to school and got our licenses yes hooray but that this is this is it like you don't even you don't want to you don't want to read the book you don't want to So it was a lot of, even back then, like I said, I've always just been teaching other people and trying to help polish other people, but it's not always well received.

52:08 I got a bad review one time and the person was like, I love my brows, but the environment in the shop is changing. There was someone next door to Carmen who was just playing profanity and talking loud and cussing. really felt uncomfortable. So we have a meeting, first of all, not everybody is having meetings. But I wasn't at first either until someone told me even McDonald's has meetings. So I started having meetings. So I read at the meeting, I don't say anyone in particular, because really, it's all of us, you know, we are blink was the name of my shop. So we are a unit here.

52:48 So they're saying about one of us, it's all of us. So anyway, I read the review, and then I immediately come with, these are some ways that we can avoid this from happening again, not singling anybody out. Well, of course, the person knows she's next door to me. She didn't talk to me after that for at least a month. I just read the review. I didn't say, hey, you right there, you're raggedy, you know. but people don't want to hear that they're doing something wrong. Yeah, they don't. They keep forgetting that business is a professional environment, too, though. Man, it got a little raggedy for a little while there.

53:32 But again, I had to recognize that, get feedback from the customers, and change on my end. So like I said, I started holding meetings. Y 'all don't have a customer service background. I just so happen to work at a bunch of call centers in customer service before this. So now I bring in that, that I learned to share with you. So it's just, it's been a journey for sure. Even though what I thought we was going to talk about today, but I'm so glad that, that you invited me onto your show because this is real deal stuff that people are not talking about. Exactly. This is why I do this. Cause I want to be able to bring the topic like that. but I have been enjoying our time. I want my battery to die from all this stuff. Let people know how they can reach out to you, follow your social media handles and stuff like that, especially all the different estheticians that are, you know, coming up in the world. So specifically for estheticians, I have Brow Babe University. I have Brow Babe University IG and also TikTok. But for business questions now, also travel and beauty questions as well, I have Ask Carmen TV. Oh, and now I'm cooking. I didn't even know that that was going to take off. So last thing I'm going to say before I get out of here, if someone is interested in making content, make sure you're doing something that you are ready to do every day. Because you put something out there, it can take off, and people are going to be asking you for more recipes

55:03 when. I didn't even know that was my thing, so yes, I am. I definitely appreciate your time, ma 'am. Thank you, everybody. Y 'all go and support Carmen. Like you said, she has a wealth of knowledge that you just heard. Go follow social media. Let her put her business stuff out there and get more business people to follow her too so they can get in business right. Always keep supporting the platform. And I am your host, Andres. And this has been another fantastic interview.