How to build your business beautifully

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About Zaara King

Beauty business and mindset coach, Zaara King, has over 13 years’ experience in the beauty sector. She has worked on a mobile basis, in a salon and at home, and is founder of The Beauty Build community: a space for pros to access free training, support one another and stay motivated. Zaara also hosts The Beauty Build podcast and is passionate about helping professionals earn more, work less and establish ambitious and motivated mindsets.

When I ask beauty business owners what changed for them when they found new levels of success, they say their mindset – and the same is true for me. You may be working with either a fixed or growth mindset. A fixed mindset means you may find it difficult to be open to new things, and you focus on negatives, rather than exciting possibilities. Those with a growth mindset are open to new opportunities, are largely positive and are willing to adapt. You need to be part of the growth gang if you want to develop your business.

When you think about this growth, do these thoughts come from a place of scarcity and need, or abundance and ease? When we think we can have an abundance of everything, we tend to get it, yet when we focus on scarcity and think change is hard and will never happen, guess what? It feels difficult and doesn’t happen!

Making a mindset shift starts with awareness. You must be super self-aware, to the point that you are in tune with every thought that runs through your mind, and can detach yourself from the voice in your head. We all have internal choirs that sing, don’t we? Some call them ‘the mind monkeys’ or ‘the inner councils’ that help or hinder us each day. There will be days when building your business feels hard and your mindset can take a turn for the worse. You’ll hear the choirs telling you not to bother, and you attract negative energy.

Here are some practices to help when you need to shift your mindset quickly:

1. Flip the negative self-talk to positive.

Every time you catch yourself having negative internal dialogue, flip it. For example: ‘I am no good at social media content’ shifts to ‘I am learning how to create better social media content.’ Not only is the second statement more truthful, but it’s more helpful for business growth.

2. Change your physical state.

If you wake up in a bad mood, a client has cancelled or a toddler has woken you up with a slap on the head or a scream in your ear (a regular occurrence for me), the best way to quickly get into a more positive mindset for the day is to change your physical state. Go for a walk, breathe in the fresh air and move your body. Put your favourite outfit on, do your hair and make-up, or dance around the kitchen. You’ll be surprised how quickly these actions change your mood.

3. Journal.

Journaling isn’t just for when your mindset is a bit ‘off’. It helps with transitioning various goals, such as shifting your mood, gaining clarity, setting targets and deciding on next steps. It’s a great way to move your mindset to a positive space, so give yourself a spring in your step by writing down action points and tasks to help get you where you need to go.

4. Practice gratitude.

Write a list of at least three things that you’re grateful for today. Appreciate what you have, and you’ll notice more to be grateful for. We are not born scared, judgmental or with a tendency to shy away from doing the things we love. These are societal effects that are often exacerbated by social media, so you need to create your own armoury of tools to help yourself out.

Scan to listen to my podcast episode: The power of mindset & vision in transforming your beauty business.

The bottom line is, if you want your business to grow, you have to grow as a person. Make working on your mindset a daily habit – perhaps focus on it while enjoying your morning coffee, so this important moment of your day becomes second nature.

In the spotlight...

Do you follow Rebekah Pritchard (@rebekahxpritchard) on Instagram ? The bespoke manicurist creates incredible designs, and her handiwork was featured within The Nail Art Exhibition, which took place in Miami last December as part of the Art Basel festival. She was asked to create a one-off piece and chose a 3D cup being held by fingers, spilling out pretty flowers and petals. Her work is amazing! Read more about The Nail Art Exhibition on page 24.