Meet Amanda Brown | Licensed Esthetician & Registered Nurse, Owner of Névés Skin by Amanda Brown Aesthetics

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I have found that following my gut intuition has led me to explore the right risks to take in my life, career and business. The past two years have shown the power of this in not only my business but personal life as well. At the beginning of the pandemic I was working as a nurse while trying to build a new skincare service business. I was leaning on the stability of the nursing income but also working hard for my business to grow while focusing on building strong connections with my customers. With the pandemic lock downs I was forced to leave my nursing job, the outpatient surgery center I worked for closed and therefore I was laid off, I was also forced to temporarily close my business during the shelter in place orders. The silver lining in this is it gave me the opportunity to really think about what direction to take moving forward and I decided to walk away from my role as a nurse and solely focus on my skincare service business. However this also meant reinventing my business plan and moving to an online e-commerce platform to be able to continue to help my customers via virtual skincare. During this time I was thriving, leaving my nursing career behind allowed me to open up time and space for engaging with customers while building strong connections with them. My business grew over the next year. When the shelter in place lifted and my business was able to reopen its doors I had a fully booked clientele. Not only was I seeing clients in the treatment room, I was helping people virtually as well with their skincare concerns. I had managed to manifest all the things I wanted in a career and as a business owner but then, once again, life through a curve ball. My husband was approached to take a new job which required a big move across the country. I honed in on my gut intuition and even though it meant walking away from a business I built and truly had a deep love for, for whatever reason this move felt like the right decision to make. So here I am nine months later. I am now rebuilding my clientele all over again. I am finding love in the process of building new client relationships, continuing to be authentic, client focused and finding joy in it all is what gives so much meaning in this line of work. I could have said no, made decisions out of a fear mindset. Instead I chose to trust my intuition. I ask myself all the time “is this a hell yes or a strong no” I let this system guide me with decision making and so far it’s proven to be beneficial in manifesting what I want to come to fruition. My business, Névés Skin Studio, is opening a location on S. Pearl Street in the West Wash Park area. Additionally I am stepping into online platforms for virtual and in person training courses along with developing new customized skin tools for clients to use at home and for professionals to incorporate into their facial services.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My passion is the aesthetics industry and more specifically skincare. I love skin. I love helping people with achieving their desired skin goals. Skincare and aesthetics is a complex, multifaceted industry where the practitioner must commit to expanding their knowledge continuously. There is so much to know in terms of skin conditions, proper ingredients to recommend to clients in regards to their skin type & concerns, and knowing what treatments are best for them. Since this is such a large industry I make it a priority to stay up to date on trends but am also okay with not opting into a trend if I don’t think it will provide value to the customer or if it doesn’t align with my business values. I prefer to look at skincare from a holistic perspective. This means I educate clients on how their environment, foods they eat, lifestyle choices, stress, sleep all affect how the skin functions. It’s a whole body approach so the client receives the best outcome for their skin concerns whether it is corrective treatments or preventative home care. I also know that every person is so different so treatments and recommendations are never a ‘one size fits all’ approach and the reason I value the practitioner to client connection so deeply.

Every business has its own set of challenges. There is definitely a lot of learning, adjusting and flexibility that goes along with being a business owner. The pandemic was certainly one of those challenges but I learned to adapt. Since I could no longer see customers in person I brainstormed on what I could do to stay connected, pay my financial obligations and ultimately keep my business growing. This is when I turned to online sales and virtual consults. It was, in a way, a blessing in disguise. I was able to do a lot of the back end tasks my business needed without the everyday stressors of being in the treatment room. I built out a website with an e-commerce platform, I delivered and shipped orders. Learning how to adapt is a huge part of business, especially in the aesthetics industry because it’s always evolving.

My goal as a business owner is ultimately to connect with my customers and build a strong trusting relationship with each other. I strive to play an integral role in helping them feel more confident in their own skin. Being an acne sufferer in my early 20’s I know the impact the health of skin can play on one’s confidence levels. So whether clients are experiencing acne, hyperpigmentation, dull skin, aging concerns it’s always my goal to work with them to create results driven to target their specific concerns. In doing so the professional/customer relationship blossoms and it’s one of the things I love most working in this industry. I love when clients become friends and/or like family.

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?
Oh wow, there is so much to explore in Denver and the surrounding areas. I love a good show at Red Rocks and for sure local Denver restaurants, I’m a self proclaimed foodie. I love Perdida for it’s great food and fun atmosphere and then walking around all the shops on Gaylord Street. I also love walking around areas like Highlands and South Pearl Street while wandering into the boutiques or meandering the South Pearl Street Farmers Market. Wash Park is also a must, a dog walk there is fun or taking my kids to play tennis, even though we don’t know the rules of the game. I love taking our family out on the High Line Canal in Cherry Hills Village. We either walk our dogs or ride our bikes. The views are spectacular. I also love family days out on our paddle boards in the summer and exploring family friendly hiking trails. Summer months are my favorite. One thing we’ve learned about Denver is the constant opportunity for discovery. It’s likely that I’d take family and friends out to a place I’ve never been before and share the experience of discovering something new with them.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Community is such a key for success and support. Building relationships around the community is what lights a fire within me. I have so much gratitude when I have the opportunity to engage with other people whether it’s customers, mentors or professionals in my industry. I find so much value in these connections on a business level but also a personal level. My family is my source of stability, I am so thankful for their constant support. Here in Denver I have been able to connect with so many professionals who have been cheerleaders & a support system. I’m currently in the process of opening a new skincare studio so having the support of friends in the industry has been a huge help. Being able to go to these friends and mentors with questions or guidance has been an abundance I don’t take for granted. I find it valuable to connect with professionals in the industry, I never see others as a competition, for me it’s a community where we can always support one another, praise each other and wish success for all.

To touch back on clients. One of the things I love most about my work is the chance I get to build a practitioner/customer relationship. I value the time the customer chooses to spend with me. I value their trust in me to make the best recommendations to address their specific skin concerns. I always say becoming an esthetician is not just about skin. It’s about listening, you’re like a therapist/friend/service provider all wrapped up into this skincare professional title. For me, I find so much gratitude in guiding clients on their skincare journey as I get to know my customer, the relationship grows into more than just skincare. It’s literally the best job ever, in my humble opinion.

Website: www.nevesskinstudio.com

Instagram: @neves.skin