We had the good fortune of connecting with Jade Brownjohn and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jade, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always wanted the freedom to not only control my schedule, but control the services and quality I offer my clients. After I received my esthetician’s license I worked for a spa for a year and a half. Whilst working there I was able to build up my skills in the industry, and I think working for someone else when you are starting in a field is an opportunity everyone should take.
After a while I got tired of the lack of results I was getting from the facials they offered, and the inability to create stylized lash extension sets with the supplies they had. Stepping out on my own has given me the freedom to choose what products I carry in my studio, allowing me to give my guests the services they deserve. I am now able to offer customized facials and at home skincare routines which give my guests the results they are looking for. I am also able to offer a variety of lash extension styles! From day 1 of my journey to become an esthetician, I knew what I wanted to do was to help boost people’s confidence and make them feel confident in their own skin. Now that I own my own business, I am able to do exactly that.
I started my business because the only way to give my guests what I know they deserve was by personally selecting the skincare and lash products they had access to.
On the more personal side, I started my own business so I had more freedom with my schedule. I was tired of asking someone for permission to take vacation. I was done feeling guilty for calling in sick. Although it can be overwhelming being a one woman show, doing everything from facials to marketing to accounting, at the end of the day it has been the best decision for my mental health. I am so much happier offering services that I truly believe in and being able to take off time when I need to.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
If you asked me back in 2019 where I thought I would be in a few years, you would have got a very different answer. Before even considering going to school to become an esthetician, I completed a year intensive at Vancouver Film School, and received my diploma in Makeup Design for Film and Television. I graduated that course right as COVID pandemic began which sent me home to Colorado for fear of what was to come. I am forever grateful I did make that decision at that time.
I hit a bump in the road when I learned that to legally work as a Makeup Artist in the state of Colorado, you have to be a licensed esthetician or cosmetologist! I feel this is something that not many people know. I quickly applied to attend an esthetician school because I didn’t want to not be able to do what I love for a second longer. Little did I know that while I was in esthetician school, I would fall in love with the other aspects of it as well.
I managed to graduate in 6 months, and got a job at a spa shortly after getting my license. It didn’t take long working there for me to realize that it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted my own studio where I had more freedom professionally and creatively. I was always scared to take the leap though! I was at coffee with a friend who has her own business when she told me I just had to take the risk. For some reason, that was all I needed, and ever since that day I have never ever looked back!
I am so proud of the business I have built so far, and I know I have so much more to build!
At High Definition Esthetics, I not only offer customized facials and home skincare regimens to achieve all your skin goals, I offer other services such as lash extensions, brow laminations, and facial waxing to make your day to day maintenance easier as well. The number one thing I believe in is customization! No one is the same! Whether you are coming in for a facial, a lash set, a brow lamination, or a wax, the service you receive is customized for your skin, your lashes, your brows! It is way too common in my industry for people to have set facial protocols or a set way of lashing they do on everyone, and that just isn’t realistic.
I know 2023 is going to be an exciting year for my business because I have new services coming and more trainings that I will be taking! Continuing education is one of the most important things you can do as an esthetician, and as a business owner! You can’t just get stuck in your ways. I love learning about new products and services because it allows me to offer my guests the best!
For anyone reading this who wants to start their own business, just do it! The beginning can be scary, but trust the process. I promise you, as long as you have the drive to push through, it will be the best thing you can do for yourself.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Favorite Breakfast/Brunch Spot – Black Bear Diner — Perfect Landing in Centennial Airport
Best Coffee – Monk & Mongoose Coffee Co — Ju’s Coffee
Favorite Nearby Hike – Castlewood Canyon
Favorite Boutique to Shop – Apricot Lane Boutique at Southglenn — The Local off of Main St. Parker
Favorite Dinner Spot – India’s Castle off of Arapaho Rd — Rio Grande Mexican off of Park Meadows Dr — Mt Fuji Hibachi & Sushi off of Lincoln
Favorite Activities — Monster Mini Golf off of Holly St — Skate City — Boondocks
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As cliché as it sounds, my parents are my rock. Without their constant support and encouragement none of this would have been possible. I grew up with my dad constantly telling me I should have my own business in the future because it allows for so much more freedom in your life. That always stayed in the back of my mind, and he was a huge support when I told him I was ready to take the dive. My mom has been the biggest support in my esthetician journey. I say that because whenever I need someone to practice a new service on, she is always ready to jump up on my table—whether it’s as simple as a new face mask or as risky as getting under a medical grade scalpel while I practice dermaplaning. My mom has never shied away from anything I have ever wanted to practice. My parents are the reason all of this is possible, and I will forever be thankful for the parents I was born to.
Website: Highdefinitionesthetics.com
Instagram: @highdefinitionesthetics
Facebook: High Definition Esthetics LLC
Image Credits
Rachel Sailer