For my community connection project, I chose to interview a beauty artist from Downtown Vancouver. She is the owner of a business called Prép Beauty Parlour. She does lashes, skin care, nails, hair, makeup and all sorts of things. 

I chose to interview this individual because I got my nails done at Prép before and I would say that they looked really nice after. They have comfortable chairs that you could sit in and there is a Tv screen on the wall so you could stay entertained while getting your nails done. My mom also got her lashes done from there before and she said that it was a great experience. The workers there were kind and the experience was relaxing.

What I learned from the interview was that the owner is a hard worker and she worked really hard to succeed. If you want to open a business, you could start learning as a teen, so you are prepared for when you are older. This connects to my interests because I might want to start my own business one day. I want to be a hairdresser and a beauty artist. I would also love to sell hair products, so people could have good hair care.

After I messaged her, she was willing to answer my 6 questions, so I began. Here are the questions that I asked her. 

Can you explain your role and responsibilities with your current position?

Her answer was “I hire staff, manage them, delegate
jobs within the salon… oversee the
quality of work. I post to social
media and answer all emails, texts
and calls from clients. I handle
customer complaints and post
about our customer 5 star reviews. I
do all the retail ordering and
product texting for the salon.”

What obstacles have you faced to
get you where you are today?

“I have been in the industry for over
13 years so I have had to learn from
my mistakes
I had to file for permits to build our
space, had setbacks…. Hired staff
that weren’t the right fit and had to
rehire”

What advice would you pass on to
someone interested in what you are
doing?

“To build a business plan, have
money saved up for the months you
aren’t busy”

Why are you passionate about your
job or role?

“I love making other people feel
beautiful and confident, and I love
having a space for my staff to come
and show their talents through
beauty services”

When did you decide when you
wanted to become a beauty artist?

“When I was 19. 23 years ago”

Do you set any goals for your job
that you want to accomplish?

“Yes, I want to open another salon
closer to my home one day
And focus more on chair rentals”

I enjoyed this interview because it taught me to always be passionate in my interests and that you will always make mistakes, but you can learn from them and try again to do even better. It taught me that I could follow my interests and one day succeed. I really hope that one day I could be a beauty artist and a hairdresser too.