Kristal King

I attribute my success to setting my mind to something, doing it, believing in it, and being confident - knowing that anything can happen that you put your mind to. But the success really comes from seeing what I've done come to life and how I've changed others' lives. That's what I contribute the success to. I measure it by what's around me, what's in the community, and what I bring to others in the community. When I'm training students in the 200-hour program and they're able to start a career and accomplish something in their life, that's big to me. So it's not really based off of me and my work - it's about what I'm doing and how I'm contributing to others. That's more how I see success.

The best advice I received was that everyone can't go where you're going, and that's okay. When I was growing and going in a different direction, I started to feel like I was losing relationships and was by myself, and that can be discouraging. Sometimes you don't want that change because you're comfortable with the way things are, but I started to become uncomfortable with being comfortable. As I was growing, I was confused, and someone said to me that everyone can't go where you're going, and that's okay. It made sense, and I had to start looking at things in a different trajectory. It was okay for my circle to change.

Don't give up! You have nothing to lose. You can do anything you put your mind to. You can build anything that is for you, and what's for you is for you - don't let anyone tell you different. Growth is attainable, and it's measured through action. In order for you to get where you need to be, you have to go through the process, and the process is that pipeline you have to follow. It can be hard sometimes, but just stay according to the plan and you will succeed. I've been through it. I've started from ground up, and I know that if you put your mind to it and stick to it, it will happen. It's important to have community involvement and support systems - those are what's going to help drive you forward. And exceptional customer service is critical. You can have the best talent in whatever you do, but if you don't have customer service and don't know how to speak to people and solve problems, you won't succeed. People come back not based off you being the best - they come back based off integrity and trust. That's how you build your clientele and following. Confidence is what I teach. You can do anything you want to do because confidence is what's going to keep you afloat, even if you are not an expert yet and you're just starting out.

When I first got started, I got in at a good time - there was demand but people didn't have a clue what microblading was. As it started to become familiar and people would search for it, I would pop up, which was great. But now the industry is becoming more saturated because it's becoming popular and has evolved. There are more businesses doing it, and I'm also a teacher, so I'm teaching more people to do it as well. The challenge is that there are more and more people coming into the industry doing what you do. People who only had one or two options before now have 20 or 30 options. But I think it becomes more about collaboration versus competition at that point. How can you collaborate and build that momentum with others? I have a salon suite and I'm a permanent makeup artist, but I also have four other permanent cosmetic tattoo artists that rent suites from me. I don't gatekeep, because who's for you is for you. There's enough out here for all of us, and what's for you is for you. It's community over competition.

Work-life balance is so important to me, along with self-care. I was in a training once where they asked us to pick what we believed in, and it was me and one other person in the corner of self-care. They asked why I picked self-care, and I said because if you don't take care of yourself, how are you able to take care of others? How are you able to get the fuel to keep going every day, especially when you're a serial entrepreneur or juggling multiple things? My calendar is how I survive. If it's on my calendar, I'm doing it. If it's not on my calendar, I'm probably not doing it. That's how I operate. I had to learn boundaries and balance. If I commit to something and say yes, I put it on my calendar. If it's something I'm not sure about, it's not on my calendar and it's out of mind. That's how I get the balance I need for my family, home, and work. One of the other things I found is rising early at 4:30 in the morning and getting things done early and out of the way, like the admin stuff and checking emails. Then I'm set for the rest of the day to follow my calendar accordingly. That's what I feel is sufficient and important to sustain while still valuing your family, your business, your work, and everything else. You have to have work-life balance and self-care - that is very important.