Small Business Spotlight: Coastal Electrolysis

By Leesa King (As part of the Small Business Spotlight Series)

As a purveyor of quality, natural skincare products and services myself, I was naturally drawn to this business as well as the amazing business owner. It is refreshing to meet someone doing what they love, who has a true passion for the industry. Shawna Jacobs of Coastal Electrolysis is such a pleasure, that clients often become friends!

Here is the story of how she found her passion, and decided to create a business to share with others what she learned!

Shawna, what first got you interested and involved in the skincare industry?

It has been an interest of mine since my early teens - I suffered from acne, and it really took a toll on my self esteem.  I also suffered from excess hair growth (I’m Italian so It was probably passed down to me). I remember being in 6^th grade and a boy telling me, “hey you have a mustache” and I was so embarrassed, I told my mom that I was sick and didn’t want to go to school the next day. As I got older I began to bleach and wax my unwanted hairs.

After waxing for 15+ years, I heard about laser hair removal and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately the hairs were too fine and too light at this point, so laser sessions did not work. After thousands of dollars spent on waxing, threading, and laser I was fed up. I came across an article on Electrolysis, and how it’s the only FDA approved permanent hair removal, so I thought hey I’ll give it a try. I found an Electrologist near me and I just fell in love with the treatment, its was comfortable and I started to see results almost immediately. And the best part of it all, it was permanent!! Finally after 20 years and thousands of dollars later, I found a treatment that worked and I couldn’t wait to share my experience! I knew I found my calling and that I could help people in situations like mine.

How have you started to grow your business? 

Before my career as an Electrologist,  I was in retail for over 10 years selling cosmetics and skincare products. There was always a new product to sell, or a product of the month. Cosmetic companies always wanted us to push the new product that had all of the promising results. Now don’t get me wrong - there are a lot of great products out there, however there was a part of me that almost felt guilty. I knew these women wanted results, they would come to me at the counter, tell me about their skin concerns and ask what I could do to fix it. I’ve always enjoyed helping people and I wanted to offer real results. 

After my first Electrolysis treatment the feeling I had was just overwhelming. I was so happy and excited to share it. I knew this was it; I want to give other people this same feeling! To see the look on their faces when they see in the mirror that their unwanted hair is gone is priceless. Like most of us after we finish school we have a great skill, the question was how am I going to let the world know about this great skill that I love so much and have taken a lot of time to master! Now what? 

Well I knew it was going to take time to grow my business and I was going to have to transition from my previous career in sales slowly to make Electrolysis my full time career. I wanted to do things right, without rushing. I got to work right away with another Electrologist who was kind enough to share with me how she grew her business 11 years ago. My first thought was that she would tell me all the secrets, however as she started to tell me about yellow pages, penny saver ads, and going door to door I thought to myself, "What’s a Penny Saver ad?" It was an eyeopener to how businesses were built years ago, and what an advantage we now have with social media! 

I don’t know a thing about social media marketing, so I got on the Internet and found Tracy Petrucci, "How to grow your business with social media," I immediately went to her next seminar and let me tell you it was the best thing I ever did!! I knew I needed to get educated on Social Media but I had no idea the impact it would have on my business. Tracy’s seminar completely opened my eyes and gave me the tools and ideas I needed to have to get the ball rolling. From there I got all of the referrals and tools I needed to grow my business organically through social media. I now have an active and busy Facebook page, Yelp reviews and a Google Plus network. I started to receive one call a week and now 6 months later I receive around 3- 4 calls a day with almost all clients saying they found me online! 90% of my clients come from online with the other 10% from referrals. I have recently opened up a second location in Downtown Encinitas, and eventually hope to open more locations around San Diego. 

My advice is if you're like me, seek out the help you need, because the most important thing you can do for your business in 2015 is have internet presence! 

How is your marketing strategy different for repeat clients vs. new customers? 

Repeat customers have different needs than new customers, as far as getting them interested in electrolysis. Often times people of the general public haven't heard of electrolysis yet, and there is still a lot of confusion regarding laser vs. electrolysis. However, just like myself, people who are exposed to the benefits and comfort of electrolysis often become repeat customers on their own! The key for new clients is education - I offer a complementary consultation so that they know how it works. The key for repeat customers is much more complex in a different way. I educate my clients on aftercare, make sure that they are comfortable, and offer various referral programs and giveaways.

Three Marketing "take-away" points for businesses in the service industry:

1. Cater your marketing towards different audiences accordingly. Offer education and benefits to coming in (such as complementary consultation, referral program, giveaways, etc.)

2. Go into business doing something that you're passionate about! It will make your job easier, and people will feel your positivity. They will be naturally drawn back to you for having such a pleasant experience.

3. Have an online presence. People are skeptical these days, and everyone has the internet in their hands. They want to see pictures and reviews of you and your office. And you should want the same!


For more information on how to get your business on Small Business Spotlight, or for any other questions, contact us!

Leesa King
Keesaling@gmail.com