Today we’d like to introduce you to Merlyn Colbert.
Hi Merlyn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
When I was 7, my mother opened her first full-service beauty salon and spa. As the receptionist, I would notice that the women who walked into her shop would come in with one attitude and walk out rejuvenated and refreshed. I always wondered what magic had just taken place. Was it just a confidence boost after getting their hair done? Or was it deeper? A sense of community and belonging? When the women would gather in my mom’s place, it was a sacred space; my mom created a safe space for women to come and feel seen and heard in their stories and life experiences. So I wanted to recreate that, and I did so in 2019 with my last business, Madame Gems Beauty Salon and Spa. Unfortunately, a tow truck ran in the middle of the building in March 2022, but this was a blessing in disguise. Beauty By Merlzz is the reinvention of bringing that salon feeling home with you. Helping women practice self-care through beauty therapy, all from the comfort of their homes, by providing salon quality nails, all custom-made and handmade by a real nail tech, me!
Then we have The Beauty Biz Bestie, where I help beauty salon professionals manage the backend of their beauty businesses. I noticed a massive gap between the beauty professionals fresh out of school and those with business acumen. Early in owning my salon, I realized how impactful this would be to a beauty professional who desired independence.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all! The first and biggest hurdle for me was returning to business after losing my salon and spa the first time. It took me months to decide to stay in business, create a product line, and start my YouTube channel. I had to mentally grieve the loss of that business and realize it was not a sign to quit but that much bigger and better things were coming my way. Resilience was a significant lesson in my journey. Entrepreneurship is a mental journey more than it is a physical one. You almost have to be delusional to continue on this journey after such a loss.
As you know, we’re big fans of Beauty By Merlzz LLC. For our readers who might need to become more familiar with the brand, what can you tell them about it?
Beauty By Merlzz is the product side where we create fully customized, hand-crafted press-on nails for any occasion! Our sets are made with love and use high-quality, full-coverage gel tips. These tips are more durable than your regular drugstore press-on set, generally made with plastic. We also offer sizing kits for a fully customized experience and to ensure each set is truly crafted just for you! If you have a design in mind, we can make it happen! You can send inspiration pictures to us directly; we will draft a design for you to approve before completing your order and shipping it out. We also ship nationwide! We aim to bring salon-quality nails to your home for a fraction of the salon’s cost and time. With Beauty By Merlzz, you will work directly with a nail tech who will make each of your designs by hand. We also offer various spa products, such as cuticle oil, body scrubs, and our newest product: stemless wine glasses!
As for The Beauty Biz Bestie (the service side), we aim to bridge the gap between skilled and licensed beauty professionals and business acumen. When you graduate from beauty school, many don’t even touch on the business side of beauty, and if they do, the chapters are extremely limited. Many go into the industry thinking that skills alone will lead them to success, but they need to figure out how to budget their business correctly or even price their services. They never see a profit; some even stay in the red long enough to be forced to close their doors. It is crucial now more than ever for business education to be taken seriously by beauty professionals.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check?
I finished reading Atomic Habits last month, and it has been a game-changer for my personal development and helped put me on track for accomplishing the goals I set for myself. I plan on rereading it soon!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beautybymerlzz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautybymerlzz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082064234868
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebeautybizbestie
- Other: https://theleap.co/creator/TheBeautyBizBestie/
Image Credits
Katwan: From Within the Arts
