Hidden Gems: Meet Cecilia Smith of The Facial Bar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cecilia Smith.

Hi Cecilia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have had the entrepreneurial bug for as long as I can remember. My path to The Facial Bar started in 2009 when I started practicing esthetics. Early in my career, I was featured in the internal Aveda newsletter, as their Superstar Spotlight, for individually increasing the spa’s retail sales. It was not long thereafter that I took on a position as an Aveda Freelance Artist (AFA) where I got the opportunity to travel around the state doing makeup and selling skincare products to a plethora of salons and spas! By 2014, I was lucky enough to have experienced esthetics in many different environments including a hotel spa, urban day spa and a medical spa. (The last of which was where I was introduced to and fell in love with the Rhonda Allison line that The Facial Bar uses today!)

In September of 2015, at the age of 27, I became a small business owner and opened shop in Kansas City, Missouri!

Those that know me know that I only dreams BIG. My vision for FBKC was never intended to be fully realized with one location. In November of 2018, only three years after establishing the flagship shop in KC (and with a five months old son!) I opened a second location in Olathe, Kansas! I am dreaming of a 3rd location in the near future!

My big differentiator is that I am fiercely focused on making esthetics a long-standing, fulfilling career for my team by creating growth, opportunities, and support for them that I wished I had in the industry.

My passion for skincare and growing The Facial Bar are an endless fuel to that flame.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course not! There have been ups and downs with learning HOW to run a business; Since I didn’t go to school to learn business, accounting, marketing, or how to manage people, I have become quite the ‘human sponge’ since this process started! I continually listen to podcasts, audiobooks, travel to conferences to learn from industry experts, and have worked with business coaches along the way to learn everything I possibly can.

Learning to manage growth within the business has been one of my ongoing struggles. I recently read a book called ‘Chess Not Checkers’ by Mark Miller (it’s a great, quick read!) and it spoke directly to my soul. When you launch a business, you are busy making quick moves to stay afloat and get established; at some point with growth the name of the game changes and if you didn’t make solid plans for what managing that growth looks like, you find yourself putting out tiny fires everywhere.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are an open concept skincare facility. We specialize in express skincare services in a relaxed atmosphere. Our goal is to offer a high-end skincare experience that won’t break the bank and makes understanding your own skin accessible to everyone.

What sets us apart from other salon/spas is that we don’t work off of commission; meaning our estheticians don’t get paid directly from the services or products they sell. Why is that important to a consumer? We won’t push high-priced items to make extra money off of you and most importantly, you are free from the guilt of “cheating” on your service provider. We all want to see you achieve your goals, we discuss your skin collectively and cheer each other on when making strides with a client’s skincare journey!

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Follow us on Instagram @facialbarkc.

Book an appointment online at www.facialbarkc.com or send us an email at [email protected], we love to collaborate with other businesses and support charities in our community!

Pricing:

• Our Method Facial, $55
• Dermaplaning facial, $70
• Peels, $70-$80
• Brow Lamination, $55
• Lash lifts, $50

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.facialbarkc.com
• Instagram: @facialbarkc or @meet_cecilia
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/facialbarkc