Our latest blog post at Body Sense Beauty comes from our very own Kerry Douglas, owner of Body Sense Beauty and winner of the Silver Skin Specialist of The Year award at the British Beauty Awards 2021.
From a very young age I always knew I wanted to work in beauty… I also knew that I wanted to do so on a cruise ship! However, reality kicked in a little when I came to the realisation that I’d need a little experience first! So, at 15, I started my first work experience job in a high end hair and beauty salon where I remained as a Saturday girl for two years. I loved every second of that job; it really gave me a taste of the industry and fed my hunger to achieve greater things.
Knowing that a private beauty education would give me the best chance of getting the jobs I wanted within the beauty industry, I set my heart to saving for those all important college fees! It wasn’t easy, but I worked three jobs for a year; full time at Lloyds Bank registrars, part time as kitchen assistant three nights a week in a restaurant, and three nights a week in a nightclub. I was absolutely exhausted, starting some days at 9am and not finishing until 3am the next day, but the determination to live my dream in the beauty industry kept me going, and I knew I had to do it in order to get the education I needed. It’s clear to me now, years later, that I always did have a powerful drive to achieve any goal that I set my mind to!
All the hard work and many nights with barely any sleep quite literally paid off when I was able to attend the prestigious Steiner Beauty Training Academy in London. It was an absolute dream come true and I felt so excited with the thought of what opportunities would come my way. Not long after I finished my time at Steiner’s, I secured my first beauty job working…. You guessed it…. On board cruise liners! I knew from my younger years that one day this would happen, but standing there in Miami looking up at a real life 14 story cruise liner was an absolute “pinch me” moment for me! It was amazing, exhausting, educational, exhilarating and at times extremely emotional!
After my time at sea, I secured a job in a local beauty salon, which taught me valuable skills that helped the foundations of my business today. But the travel bug bit me hard, and it wasn’t long before I decided to make the leap from land to sky working as an in-flight beauty therapist for Virgin Atlantic. Massaging the rich and famous at 35,000 feet was as surreal as it gets, and I was also selected to be part of the Virgin promotional team showcasing our in flight luxuries at corporate events. My time with Virgin was incredible; an experience I will never forget.
After a few years of travel I was ready to think about settling back to life on the ground when I was presented with my biggest opportunity yet… A local beauty salon was up for sale and I was asked by the owner if I knew anyone in the industry that may be interested.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, I considered this too good an opportunity to miss. I didn’t know how, I didn’t even have any previous managerial or business experience, but I did know why… Because I loved every single thing about the beauty industry and I knew I wanted to deliver services to clients that were out of this world. After all… I’d been successful in everything else I’d set out to achieve so how hard could this next challenge be? Turns out… Very!
However, from the day I started my journey with Body Sense, I knew it would all start to make sense. All that time working multiple jobs saving for my education, all that determination and drive that I knew would pay off some day, was always going to be worth it in the end. Sixteen years later, having grown Body Sense Beauty Salon year on year through a recession, a pandemic, and having worked through growth to a second salon, constant changes in regulations resulting in huge financial challenges, as well as starting a family of my own all whilst tackling the day-to-day obstacles faced by all successful business owners, I can certainly say that owning my own salon has shaped who I am today. The best part is, I wouldn’t change a thing!
Just last year I signed a new fifteen year business lease, and I’m confident that these next few years are going to be the best in my career to date. Working with the amazing team of girls we have at the salon, as well as seeing the wonderful faces of our clients every day really is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds! Who knows… Maybe one day we’ll have our very own Body Sense Beauty Cruise Liner… Ok, ok, maybe not but you know what they say… A girl can dream! And that’s one thing I’ll never stop doing; dreaming! It’s got me to where I am today along with a little blood, sweat and tears, and I know for sure that it will take me to the next exciting steps in store too. Never stop dreaming!