'There's no pleasing 100% of people.' The 5 lessons Rachelle Higgin's learnt since becoming her own boss.

Twelve years ago, Rachelle Higgin walked into her first night course and changed her life. 

She'd figured it was the one decision which stood between her and the life she saw herself living. Next came Rachelle questioning: how are you actually meant to take something from daydream to a thriving business?

Now Queensland beauty therapist and lady startup Rachelle has people asking her advice on the exact same thing.

Rachelle says her decision to study flexibly at Demi International while juggling parenthood helped launch her goal to turn a lifelong obsession with beauty into a growing business of her own.

Demi International is an industry-recommended and internationally recognised education and training provider in the beauty and wellness space. They offer qualifications from remedial massage, hairdressing and nail technology to specialist screen & media makeup, salon management and barbering. With six campuses across Queensland, their diplomas, certificates, and short courses have been training industry-ready graduates, like Rachelle, for over 13 years. 

For her, the shift was life-changing. “It’s like it ignited a new flame in me,” she tells Mamamia.

Rachelle went from working full-time in the corporate world to running her own show from her spare bedroom at home, when her first son was just two months old. "Some customers have been with me from the very start. They remember Chayce bouncing next to the nail table in his little bouncer," she says.

Twelve years on, she's raised her two sons while steadily growing her beauty business, aptly named Elegance by Rachelle, that offers make-up, nail services and skincare to help women find their own confidence every single day. 

Here are the 5 lessons Rachelle's learnt since becoming her own boss.

1. You need your village 

Navigating early motherhood while nurturing a new career path means continually having to choose between which baby needs you more.

But Rachelle says she feels lucky she didn’t have this anguish when it came to her studies. “They made it really easy,” she said of her teachers at Demi International. “Classes finished in time for school pick-up and if there was a problem I had needing their support, they always would.” 

She hopes other young mums considering taking on this kind of study will feel assured it can work around their lifestyle and commitments too. “I would want them to know it's absolutely possible, and not to put any dreams on hold." 

Rachelle is still leaning on her supportive village she found when she studied 12 years ago. “It filled my void. There were plenty of other mums [studying too] and you can just bounce ideas off everyone. It’s a real sisterhood, and a lot of beautiful friendships were formed that remain today.”

After completing several short courses, Rachelle dove headfirst into a full Diploma of Beauty Therapy. 

“It was the best thing I did. My first passion was nails, but I started to get really interested in skin. At the time, I couldn’t recommend skin products because I didn’t have that knowledge base yet. Now I not only know about that side of things, but I’ve also recently partnered with a Naturopath, and we’ve started our own skincare and wellness line!”

2. There's joy in fostering a whole new community and seeing it thrive

Rachelle considers it a gift that her line of work means bringing some confidence and comfort to the women and customers her business serves. “Some of my customers have turned into some of my best friends.” 

Rachelle relies on social media and word of mouth only to promote her services, and still gets a thrill when an appointment is booked with a brand new customer. 

“I had a mature woman in today who had never had a facial in her life before, and she walked out feeling incredible. It’s not about the money for me. For someone to have a treatment and then to send a message later telling me I made their week, that’s just really special to me.”

3. The importance of staying curious

One of the most crucial things Rachelle recommends for maintaining your passion? Staying forever curious. She’s constantly learning new things and adding new skills to her ever-growing toolkit. 

Rachelle recommends letting your passion dictate your next move, by adding new things as they spark your interest. Returning to train at Demi International over the years, she says “has made me a better therapist.” 

“It’s such a practice-based industry too, so developing skills with expert trainers in the room can be so important.” Like Rachelle’s business, the training provider is female driven with a supportive approach – a huge part of why 98 per cent of their students are employed by the time they graduate. 

4. It helps you become the best version of yourself

Rachelle is grateful for the pressures and speed bumps that have come along with being her own boss. “I’m actually a really shy person by nature. I never used to feel comfortable talking to new people. I feel like I’ve grown into the person I needed to be.”

Of course, her journey has come with its own challenges, like managing the guilt that she says has come from putting so much passion into your career while raising little ones. But Rachelle has always kept it in perspective, by tackling the self-doubt head-on. “I have had times wondering whether or not I could do it. There is no pleasing 100 per cent of people, all of the time, that’s for sure! But to know you’ve done your best and been your authentic self, I don’t think you can ask for anything more than that.”

Getting the kids involved! Image: Supplied.

5. Success really does look different for everyone

“Success for me is building something from scratch that continues to grow,” says Rachelle. “It’s helping to impact someone’s life positively every day, even just a little bit. I’ve got a great work-life balance and to me, that’s the height of success.”

For other women and parents contemplating if the time is right to jump start their own small business, change careers or return to study, Rachelle doesn't hesitate.

“Give it a go! Because you will find something that you’re passionate about and when you learn that what you’re doing has changed someone’s life for the better, it’s so worth it. It’s doable. Whether part time, or even just one day a week. You can work it around your family and have that balance. You can make it work in around your life, and to your advantage.”

Demi International is a world-class training academy that offers smaller classes, flexible study options and hands-on learning at six locations across Queensland. Explore their courses here.

Feature Image: Supplied.