Fastest 50: La Belle Studio

Photo by Eric Crossan

La Belle Studio
Location: Wilmington
Labelle-artistry.com

La Belle Studio is a beauty studio that specializes in spa services such as eyelash extensions, permanent makeup, and aesthetics.

What have been the biggest obstacles your company has faced over the past three years, and how did you overcome them? The biggest obstacle has been outgrowing our space multiple times. I started this business out of my apartment at 26 years old. A few months later, I started renting out a small room in a local hair salon. My client book became full, so quickly, that I found space in Trolley Square and hired my very first employees. About a year and a half later, we were facing the same issue — I now had three aestheticians working. I had to renovate our location to accommodate another lash artist, and this is when I decided to open our second location in Middletown. We have been in Middletown for almost two years, and the profitability there has about matched our original location. I am planning for another expansion, either of the Wilmington location or by opening a third location.

Looking back, what’s the biggest mistake you made and what would you do differently if you could? My biggest mistake, in the beginning, was not knowing how to lead other people. I never had experience managing people, and I joke to this day. “It’s easy for me to run a business — the real accomplishment is learning how to manage people.” I lost my first couple of employees because I did not know how to manage properly. I can’t say I would have done anything different, because I wouldn’t have learned a lesson and made it a priority to really learn how to lead.