Today we’d like to introduce you to JaNe’ Downing.
Thanks for sharing your story with us JaNe. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I took an interest in waxing and eyebrow grooming I’d say around middle school age. I’d practice on family & friends and my own brows, they’ve been through every phase imaginable lol. During my senior year in high school I was seriously considering Cosmetology school because I knew I wanted to work in the beauty industry and Esthetics just wasn’t something I heard much about back then. But I knew I didn’t want a career as a hairstylist so I kind of put it on the back burner and just decided to enroll in college.
Even after attending college for a short while and entering the working field I always had this urge that there was something else I should be doing. I just wasn’t fulfilled and that was so important to me, being happy and fulfilled and not staying in a job just for a paycheck. By this time I’d heard about Esthetician school and I was sure that’s what I wanted to do. Eyelash extensions were on the rise and I took a huge interest in that as well. I looked into it for a year or so and found a reputable company who offered training about 3 hours away from me and they also offered training in Dallas.
I’m from a small town, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it, Atchison, KS but I was raised in Topeka, KS. It’s not very big so I was use to that small town feeling of knowing pretty much everyone and being closely surrounded by family and friends. And I enjoyed that. It was all I knew. So although I’d been contemplating relocating to Dallas, the thought of it was honestly kind of scary to me.. leaving all my family and moving to this huge metroplex, but it was on my spirit so heavily I knew it wouldn’t be long before I made my move. And I’m a mother, so I had to make sure I had a solid plan. One that I was comfortable enough with to move my child 500 miles away.
I made it up in my mind that when I moved to Dallas that’s when I’d pursue a career in Esthetics. I didn’t know exactly when but I just felt like the market would be better here. I visited Paul Mitchell the school Dallas within like the first week of being here. I was super excited and I fell in love, I had to go there. I wasn’t able to enroll immediately so I decided to take the eyelash extension course in the meantime, not knowing that it would require me to have some licensing in order to legally offer the service. I went ahead and obtained my certification for lash extensions knowing that I’d be licensed shortly after.
After working full time for roughly 2 1/2 years and saving enough money to where I was comfortable, I left my job and enrolled in school. This was a huge leap of faith for me because I’ve always worked and I was leaving a pretty good job. I was a licensed claims adjuster so I also knew that if necessary, I could fall back on that. The timing just felt right so I prayed about it and went for it.
While I was attending Esthetician school I heard about microblading. I knew very little about it but I was intrigued. After doing tons of research I came across an Instagram page that did an amazing job at microblading and she also offered training. The class was a bit pricy for me being that I was a full time student but if I was going to do this I wanted to learn from the best. So I made small payments towards the class until I was able to pay the balance in full and take the training. And It was honestly one of the best investments I’ve ever made. The lady who trained me was great and we ended up developing a friendship.
After I got my license I reached out to her and asked if she’d like to have an Esthetician/Eyelash Tech working in her shop and she was all for it. She knew how badly I wanted it and she believed in me. Our backgrounds were similar so she became like my mentor as well. The process to build clientele wasn’t the easiest but I kept at it. I constantly practiced, I offered free services, whatever I had to do to improve and develop somewhat of a buzz around my name and services.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road here hasn’t necessarily been smooth but it hasn’t been terribly hard either and I expected that. I didn’t have the unrealistic expectation that the road to entrepreneurship would be easy so when obstacles would arise I wasn’t completely caught off guard by them or badly discouraged.
While attending Paul Mitchell I was expecting my second child and experienced some complications that required me to be put on bed rest. I had to take a short leave of absence from school and I was eager to get back and finish but of course our health was top priority. Staying encouraged and focused through that wasn’t always easy but the highs outweighed the lows. I was nearly done and not finishing just wasn’t an option.
When I first started working at the shop I had to leave for a short while to go back to work. I went back to the drawing board and made another plan on how I’d work my business and work a full time job. So I worked full time, worked my business on my off days, saved money and just prayed for the perfect timing, job, etc. I was tired and felt like I was away from home a little more than I wanted but I knew it was just a short term sacrifice. I came across a part time job that allowed me to work from home in the evenings and work my business during the days. Which is exactly what I wanted, to work my business full time, to put more time and effort into building my business vs. someone else’s. So, that’s what I did until my clientele picked up enough for me to let go of the part time job.
So it hasn’t always been smooth, I’ve had to navigate around some unforeseen hurdles, I guess you could call them. But it’s been fun and a great learning experience and definitely a test of faith. I just looked at it like.. how bad did I really want it. And I pushed forward. My family and support system are also out of this world. They helped with my children, they were encouraging and uplifting and that helps tremendously.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Embrace Esthetics story. Tell us more about the business.
Honestly, I do a lot! I’m kind of like a one stop shop but that’s what I take pride in, being able to offer a large range of quality services. I love that my clients can do it all while they’re visiting me. And I put the same amount of pride and effort into each service. Imagine being able to get your brows groomed, lashes done, and underarms waxed all at the same appointment! It’s pretty awesome and convenient. They leave feeling like a new woman. So I wax and tint brows, I offer body waxing, lash extensions and I am also a permanent makeup artist, so microblading, ombré brows, etc.
I would say that right now I’m more so known for lash extensions. But if you remember brows are my first love and my brow services, both grooming and microblading are picking up so I’m really happy about that!
I think what sets me apart is that my clients come as customers and most of them leave as friends. We hug when they leave. I know whats going on with their families and in their everyday lives. I genuinely care for them and I believe they can feel that. My motto is “Passion over Profit” and I’ve been told that it shows through my work. That’s the biggest compliment to me. I’m doing this because I love doing it. I love waking up going to work everyday. It has very little to do with the money.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
No luck! I don’t believe anything happens by chance. All prayer, hard work, and blessings. I’ve gotten to where I’m at by the grace of God. It might sound cliche to some people but it’s the truth. I prayed and I kept faith that if God put it on my heart for me to follow my dream that He’d see me through to fulfill it and that’s exactly what’s happened. Even the obstacles I’ve faced, I thanked God in the midst of them because I knew it was to strengthen me for things I would run into later. God’s placed me in the right places, at the right time and has placed the right people in my life. I just had to be faithful and continue to put in the work.
Pricing:
- Lash services range from $60-$160
- Waxing services range from $10-$50
- Permanent Makeup services range from $250-$325
Contact Info:
- Address: 216 S Tyler, Dallas, TX 75208
- Phone: 4693402915
- Email: embraceestheticspros@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Professional images of me by: IG @sinography, Makeup by: IG @flawlessfacesbyjazz
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
