Cheryl and I had so much to talk about in this episode, we totally forgot about the time and had to split this podcast into two parts!

In this first part Cheryl from Untamed Artistry talks about her journey as an immigrant and dropping out of the university to pursue her love as a professional poker player. We chat about her transition into the Lash Industry, going from artist to mentor to a lash supply company owner. 

Cheryl shares her knowledge about how to successfully and consistently improve yourself, and techniques you can implement to look better on Instagram and public speaking. 

We chat about what it takes to be a good educator, and also why retention is so mysterious and why most lash artists struggle with adhesives. 

Episode Notes 

So, tell us about Cheryl Peng? From the start how she came into Lashing?

• Cheryl came from China to Canada as a child and lived a normal life, went to school, got into university. Then, she got introduced to poker and fell in love with it. That’s when she realized she wanted to follow her passion.
• In poker she realized what she likes doing, such as fast decision making, risk calculation, and people! 
• Playing with so many people helped her realize that she loves working with people. 
• After spending 5 years in the poker industry, she felt unfulfilled. But, all things she learned in poker helped her succeed in her business today. 

What was the ONE thing you learned from poker that you can bring into lashing and everything else? 

• Decision making. As a business owner, the biggest skill you need to refine is decision making. You don’t have to be the best graphics designer or a lash artist or an accountant, BUT you absolutely have to be the best decision maker.
• As a business owner, your success lies in the series of good decision making. Having good judgement is the difference between a successful entrepreneur and a failed one. 
• There’s also the second thing here, and it will be taking risks. You need to learn to take risks. 
• The more willing you are to take risks as a business owner, the more you are likely to succeed. 
• Decision making and risk taking go hand in hand!

What did you do after poker?

• Unlike other people who dreamed about becoming astronauts and doctors, Cheryl wanted to be a business owner. 
• Today, you need to know how to sell yourself. Even in the lash business, you need to learn how to brand yourself and sell yourself on Instagram and other social media. This way, you can sell almost anything.

What advice would you give to people who are super shy? Or how they can get started in selling themselves?

• A lot of people associate shy people with introverts. Did you know that studies have shown that shy introverts are actually way better sales people than extroverts. This is because they have the innate ability to listen better and are more empathetic, this is what makes them great communicators. 
• There are some great books (for e.g. The Introvert Entrepreneur) out there that teach you how to overcome your shyness and be able to make videos and post online. 
• Everything you do is a series of repetition until you master it. So you need to keep on practicing and trying. 
• If you are shy, you can record yourself first and do retakes to improve. 
• You need to be OK with being at something first, before continuously improving and getting better.

How did you get into lashing?

• It all started in Taiwan 6 years ago and it was life changing. Then when she came back to Toronto, Cheryl went to a Lash artist there and learned how she can make a career out of this.
• That’s when Cheryl brought everything she had learned from her previous careers and into the world of lashes. From here, lashing got her into learning, teaching and educating other people. 
• Cheryl’s business is not just about lashing, it’s more about teaching people how to build their own platform where they can grow yourself and your brand. 
• One of the most important things about being a good teacher is to be able to communicate well. The better you are at keeping things simple when explaining something, the better you will be at connecting with people and helping them understand something. This in turn will grow your brand as well! 

Why do so many lash artists struggle with adhesives and retention? 

• To put it simply, it’s because of a lack of information. Also, unfortunately lash artists just stay within their own bubble, they only communicate with other lash artists and don’t branch out. 
• Adhesive is the one thing that revolves around science. Because lash artists are not scientists, they don’t consider talking with people who actually deal with adhesives. 
• It’s not right to blame retention issues on the environment and after care, or even on the adhesive. 
• Rather than sticking to just one problem-solving adhesive methodology. The best way is to think for yourself and troubleshoot your own retention problem.
• Instead of blaming the client, take ownership and responsibility for your lash work. This will help take the load off of the client as you’re the one taking the money for the commitment that the lashes will last. 

LINKS

Teleprompter App: https://bigvu.tv/teleprompter-app.html

Untamed artistry’s Free “Know Your Adhesive” webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4Puqd9ZO4

UA Free Volume Lash Training:
https://academy.untamedartistry.ca/courses/volume-eyelashextensions-refresher-course

Some of our favourite UA commercials (so fun!!)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4_T-_XHat3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.instagram.com/p/B5DpnCinqcJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Special Offer: Get a 30 day trial of Lash Assist using the code LASHPRO at https://lashassistpro.com