We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexa Kirkland and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Alexa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
For myself, my whole journey in esthetics and my business is based off of risk taking. It’s huge and really helped me to get me to where I am today.
My journey began in 2015 when becoming pregnant with my son. My skin started changing and a new found love for skincare shifted my focus. It was there that I stopped taking college courses and took a risk of what a “stable path” was at the time. I started working and managing a local medical spa.
After becoming pregnant with my husband and I’s second baby a couple years later, I decided to take yet another risk. I left my full time job at the med spa and started esthetician school. Yay!
Starting school was unlike any “traditional” school I had been to. Would it full prep me to go into this new world? Would I be ready? Could I really support my family (and now 2 kids) in this field?
There were so many questions up in the air and unanswered questions. Truly no one could answer, and a lot rode on me and myself only. At the end of the day, I decided to give myself no other option but to succeed and what that looked like to me, personally.
Starting school, I was 5 months pregnant, stopped college, and left my full time job. I delivered our daughter, for my esthetician license, and started Project Skin taking mobile clients and doing house calls. After a couple years, I got an 8-5 job to fund the growth of Project Skin while I got my ducks in a row to eventually have my own private space- all my clients would finally come to me and I could service them in one space… a space I worked for… a space I took risks to get to… a whole experience with me and I couldn’t wait. The process kept on moving.
I ended up looking at private spaces Summer 2021 and to leave my full time job- yet ANOTHER risk. Again, there was no option to fail. I now have a hidden gem in my hometown in Downtown Redlands, and I truly love it each and every day.
What better a person to take a chance on than yourself? Take that risk. Trust me. It will be so worth it.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As an esthetician and in the beauty field, I consider us all artists. It’s honestly so fun!
With my parents and family pretty traditional, I felt like there was a certain level of doubt when I started the process. With this energy going into the whole journey, I used it as gas on the pedal to prove what I could do and where I could take my business to with time.
With Project Skin, I like to have fun with my clients and truly make it an experience. I do a lot of education, in depth consultations, brow styling, and I use top of the line process to make the experience and clients results well rounded.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend came in the area, I would show them the area where the suite is at- Downtown Redlands! We would go to lunch and drinks, hangout, and then I would treat her to some waxing and a lash lift back at the suite!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I love and appreciate my husband’s support, always. Him being someone who is self employed himself and gone through the process of getting his business going, “the unknown” of starting it all, etc was so helpful. He really helped guide my emotions especially at the beginning. Having that person is so extremely important!
Website: Projectskinwaxing.square.site
Instagram: @project.skin
Yelp: Project Skin
Image Credits
Nikki Nakata Photography
Thank you so much for having me! So fun!