Women In Wellness: Jennifer Blair of Deka Lash On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Give back to the Community: My way of giving back to the community are the organizations we support through Deka Lash. One of them is One Love Foundation, which empowers young people with the tools and resources they need to recognize the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and bring life-saving prevention education to their communities. Find a cause that’s meaningful to you, and make some time to give back locally.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Blair.
Jennifer Blair is the Founder and Co-CEO of Deka Lash, an emerging tech-beauty franchise that specializes in eyelash extensions. Because of her love for family, she combined the names of her daughters, Demi and Karli, to come up with the name Deka Lash. Jennifer is a champion of unapologetic self-confidence and uses her expertise in the world of beauty and business to help others reach their full potential.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
As a child, I grew up spending much of my time in my mother’s hair salon outside of Pittsburgh. This is where I first observed and learned the ins-and-outs of the beauty industry. Fast forwarding to adulthood, things came full circle for me. I always felt a strong sense of confidence when I would get a fresh set of eyelash extensions, and when I discovered the service was expensive and hard to come by, I set out to make them more accessible for everyone. It all began with a lash certification course, which led to my first one-bed studio in Pittsburgh. After experiencing the demand for lash extensions in my community, and seeing success with my business, I decided to use my knowledge to help others uncover the most confident and empowered version of themselves through Deka Lash.
Since its start in 2012, Deka Lash has evolved into a top-performing eyelash extension studio with more than 100 locations across the U.S. and Canada. The brand is growing rapidly, and we’re expecting to have 140 locations by the end of 2022 and 200 locations by the end of 2023.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
When I started lashing, I rented a room out of a salon. I ran a Groupon to see if there would be any interest in women wanting eyelash extensions. I hoped to get 10, maybe 20, people who wanted to buy the service. I still remember being so nervous the day it launched, wondering if anyone would see it. Within two days, Groupon sold out, selling 250 vouchers. This was when I realized there was a demand for the service. I had mixed feelings. I was super excited that so many sold, but, at the same time, I was nervous that so many sold. I was a mom of four and planned on starting this idea much slower. I was a bit overwhelmed and thought about refunding all the Groupons. With some encouraging words from Mike, my husband, and support from my mother in helping with the kids, I went all in and went back to work full time.
After a few weeks of working with clients, I realized I wasn’t just doing lashes. I wasn’t just making women look and feel better; I started feeling better about myself. I enjoyed the reactions and smiles from the clients as much as they loved the lashes.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the initial mistakes we made when we first started was licensing the brand, instead of franchising. While licensing, we couldn’t control the image, and there was no consistency from studio-to-studio. We knew that we wanted to expand Deka Lash, and the franchise model was ideal in making that happen, so that’s what we did.
When it came to the design of our studios, we definitely learned a lot about what we wanted for Deka Lash through trial and error. If you look at what our studios look like now, compared to what they looked like when we first started, you will see some pretty clear differences. Some of our studios were made up of private rooms where our Lash Artists would apply the lashes. That quickly changed to an open concept feel. We knocked down all the walls because we wanted our environment to be one of collaboration. It’s this type of synergy that has become a pillar of our success and we’ve never looked back. Learning by trial and error is an important part of any entrepreneur’s journey.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Deka Lash focuses a lot on helping build self-confidence through creating customized lashes. But we never tell people that they need our service. We just like to send the message that they are there to help you enhance your natural beauty. Simply put, when you look better, you feel better, when you feel better, you’re more productive, and when you’re more productive, you’re more successful. Now more than ever, self-care is so important, and sometimes the little things, like getting your lashes done and feeling confident when you look in the mirror is all it takes to ensure that you have a productive and meaningful day.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
Save Time with Lash Extensions: When it comes to getting ready in the morning, anything we can do to get a little time back matters, and lash extensions do just that! Perfect for everyone, from the tired mom, to the working millennial, lash extensions eliminate the need for mascara, provide a more youthful appearance, and enhance your eyes. The key is that you can throw your hair in a ponytail, still look awake, and feel great when you look in the mirror.
Get Outside: Whether you’re taking a walk, playing with the dog, or going for a quick run to clear your mind, being in nature and taking in the fresh air allows you to find an inner sense of peace and really gather your thoughts. I make it a habit to take breaks, get away from the computer, and re-center.
Focus on Family: Making time for family is, and always will be, a top priority in my life. I’m a mom of four kids and always carve out time in my day to spend with them. Whether it’s an hour, or a full day during the week, it’s key in finding happiness and success.
Make Time For Exercise: Part of feeling good about yourself is creating healthy habits and routines. I prefer Pilates, but, different strokes for different folks. Find a form of exercise that you’re passionate about, make sure it challenges you, and stick with it!
Give back to the Community: My way of giving back to the community are the organizations we support through Deka Lash. One of them is One Love Foundation, which empowers young people with the tools and resources they need to recognize the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and bring life-saving prevention education to their communities. Find a cause that’s meaningful to you, and make some time to give back locally.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
The organizational charts really don’t mean anything. One may assume if you own your company or you’re the CEO everyone works for you, when actually it means you work for everyone.
Define your Core Values early on so you can build the right culture. Surround yourself with others who really care about your business and believe in the same core values.
This will not be easy, even if it seems like it now. There will be a lot of highs and lows. Reflect on the highs. That will get you through the lows.
Pressure is a privilege. When you have pressure it forces you to accomplish something. You’re more driven and it removes the laziest. Remind yourself to use that pressure and embrace it to help you get where you want to be.
It’s so important to find the right people to be a part of your business, from the top executives to the lash artists and everyone in between. As the old saying goes, “it takes a village,” and Deka Lash has truly blossomed thanks to the wonderful and talented people that are a part of the brand.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Deka Lash has always prioritized sustainability; for example, we have upgraded our packaging to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Our lashes are condensed, which is one way of reducing waste. Something else I am very proud of, is we now donate used lash brushes to Wands for Wildlife, which are used to help soothe animals after wildfires. It’s such a meaningful way for our products to be recycled.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
You can follow us on our LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook pages. You can also get the very latest on studio openings and product/service launches on our official website, https://dekalash.com/
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Jennifer Blair of Deka Lash On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.