Hi, I'm
Kat.

Before beauty, I was working as a dental nurse and in event management. I was used to long hours, but I knew I didn't want to spend the rest of my life working for someone else.

So I enrolled in a one-day lash extension course. And to be completely honest, the training was shit.

I walked out with a certificate, but I didn't actually know how to confidently do lashes. Nobody explained how I was supposed to turn this new skill into a business.

Imagine paying someone to teach you something, only to go home and have to teach yourself anyway.

I started watching videos, researching techniques, practising and spending more money on education, while doing mobile lash appointments around my other jobs. Some nights I wouldn't finish until midnight.

I started building my clientele from my bedroom. No beautiful salon, no team. I was answering every message, ordering every product and doing every appointment.

I learnt pretty quickly that being good at lashes and knowing how to run a business were two completely different things. I had no idea about profit margins, systems, marketing or managing my income.

That little bedroom business went on to make my first $100,000. I wasn't just doing lashes. I was building a business without anyone showing me how.

One of my first rented rooms cost me $250 a week. When you've been working from home, committing to rent changes everything. I had to work out how many clients I needed just to cover my costs, let alone pay myself.

And then there was COVID. It taught me very quickly that you can't rely on things always going to plan. I had to learn how to adapt.

Along the way I moved from lashes into brows, lash lifts and then cosmetic tattooing, from nano and ombré brows to lip blush. I've spent years, and a lot of money, upskilling with different educators so I could find what actually works, and teach my students my way.

I was also learning some uncomfortable lessons. Not everyone will respect your time or agree with your prices, and you'll never please every single person. I had to stop making decisions based on what everyone else thought.

You can be fully booked and still not be managing your business properly. You need to understand your expenses, your time, your pricing and what you're actually making.

I never forgot how I felt after my first lash course. I didn't want my students leaving with a certificate and still having to go home and Google everything.

I want them to understand why they're doing something, not just copy what I'm doing. If a brow dye doesn't develop the way you expected, I want you to know why. If a lash lift doesn't turn out right, I want you to know what to look at. If a client isn't happy, I want you to handle it professionally.

So I put more emphasis on practical training, real models, business education and ongoing support.

I wanted my education business to have its own identity. Glow Up Australia continued as my beauty services and professional supplies business, while Boss Born Academy became the home of my training and mentoring.

I don't believe you need to be born into money, have successful parents or know the right people to become a business owner. But you do need to be willing to learn, take responsibility for your decisions and do the work even when things aren't going your way.

I chose smaller groups, proper model experience, feedback and business education, with students who feel comfortable asking me questions. No rushing beginners through a course.

I've gone from mobile lash appointments and my bedroom to running Glow Up Australia and Boss Born Academy, across lash extensions, brows, lash lifts, cosmetic tattooing, professional supplies, online education, in-person masterclasses and business mentoring.

I've trained women who had never picked up tweezers, women who wanted to leave their jobs, mums working around their kids and existing artists who knew they needed better training. Some have gone on to open home salons, build regular clientele and create another income for themselves.

I still have stressful weeks and I still make mistakes. The difference now is I know how to deal with problems instead of letting every setback make me question whether I'm capable.

You can't control every situation, but you can control how you respond to it.