From Trauma Work to Trauma-Informed Skincare: How Fatima Built an Inclusive Esthetics Practice at IMAGE Studios

From Trauma Work to Trauma-Informed Skincare: How Fatima Built an Inclusive Esthetics Practice at IMAGE Studios

Does this sound familiar? You love helping people—but over time, the weight of being the helper starts to take a toll. You find yourself carrying other people’s trauma home with you, feeling emotionally exhausted, and wondering if there’s a way to keep serving others without sacrificing your own well-being. If you’ve ever questioned whether you can pivot your career, honor your values, and still build a sustainable business, you’re in the right place.

In this episode of the Free Agent Podcast, Meg Schmitz sits down with Fatima, an esthetician at IMAGE Studios in Milwaukee whose journey into business ownership began in an entirely different field: social work. Fatima’s story is about more than skincare. It’s about healing, accessibility, community, and redefining what success looks like when compassion is at the center of your work.

My special guest is Fatima Arain

Fatima spent more than 15 years working as a social worker, supporting survivors of domestic violence and individuals navigating profound trauma. While the work was meaningful, it was also emotionally intense. Eventually, she transitioned into nonprofit consulting—supporting the people who support others—which gave her an early taste of entrepreneurship and autonomy. That experience planted the seed for what would come next.

After moving back to Milwaukee in 2024 to be closer to family, Fatima reached a turning point. She wanted to continue community-based, people-centered work—but in a way that focused more on healing and restoration than crisis and survival. That desire, combined with personal experiences managing chronic skin conditions like acne and hidradenitis suppurativa, led her to esthetics.

You can be in business for yourself—without being by yourself.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Discover how trauma-informed care can translate into a successful, values-driven business
• Learn why “meeting people where they are” builds deeper trust with clients
• Understand the importance of community and mentorship for solo entrepreneurs
• Explore how collaboration—not competition—creates long-term sustainability
• Gain insight into making a meaningful career pivot without losing your sense of purpose

Inclusion, Trust, and Collaboration: How Fatima Built a Trauma-Informed Skincare Practice

Fatima’s practice is rooted in inclusion, trust, and a trauma-informed approach to skincare. Every client receives an in-depth consultation that looks beyond products to stress, lifestyle, and lived experience, with care designed to meet people where they are emotionally, financially, and educationally. She intentionally serves clients who often feel overlooked in traditional spa settings, creating a space where safety, dignity, and respect come first. IMAGE Studios stood out to her because of its welcoming design, diversity, and collaborative culture, which replaced the isolation she feared with real community and support. Instead of competing, Fatima stays focused on her strengths while confidently referring clients to neighboring practitioners when appropriate. This abundance-driven mindset benefits clients, strengthens relationships, and proves that collaboration—not competition—is the foundation of sustainable success.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Learn more about the Free Agent Podcast and franchise education resources at MegSchmitz.com
• Explore IMAGE Studios and its community-driven salon suite model.
• Read about hidradenitis suppurativa and chronic skin conditions via the Mayo Clinic.
• Listen to the Free Agent Podcast with Meg Schmitz for real stories of self-employment and business ownership.
• Contact Meg Schmitz to schedule a free, no-obligation call for insights into entrepreneurship and franchise opportunities.
• Use the form on the Free Agent Podcast page if you’d like to be considered as a guest on the show.

Subscribe now to our FREE Franchise Insights to get every new podcast episode delivered to your inbox! Free Subscription. No spam. Not sold to others. Unsubscribe anytime.

Click to Take the Leap into the full interview transcript of the Free Agent Podcast, Episode 7.30 with Meg Schmitz and her guest, Fatima Arain

 

Free Agent Podcast with Meg Schmitz – Guest: Fatima Arain, Independent Esthetician at Image Studios

Now let’s join your host, franchise guru Meg Schmitz, with today’s episode of Free Agent.

Fatima Arain
Really a kind of triage support. And I started then working as a consultant in nonprofits and supporting the people who are supporting the people. So I started my own consulting business, very different than having a business that has inventory and clients that you’re doing direct services with.

It was very different than what I’m doing now, but it did give me a taste of having my own business and what that might be like. But then fast forward to…

last year. So in 2024, I moved back to Milwaukee after being in Washington, New York, Chicago, all over the country. And I moved back to Milwaukee, grew up here, wanted to be close to my family. And it was just a really big opportunity for me to make more big changes in my life.

And after doing a nonprofit work for so long, I was like, you know what? I want to do something different. I really want to be part of supporting people, still doing that community-based work, caring for the people, but not necessarily around so much trauma and conflict and all of those things. I wanted to be with people around support and healing.

And so one of my good friends, her name is Leola Davis. She is in Los Angeles and she’s an esthetician.

And prior to being an esthetician, she was a community organizer and an activist. And she decided to make this big career change for herself. So it kind of opened my eyes that that was possible for me too. And she kind of paved the way for me, even just mentally of like, this is a possibility. She started doing skincare that was really focused on supporting trans people because of the way that hormones can affect people’s skin. I mean, everybody’s skin gets affected by hormones. So when you’re taking like externally taking hormones and those are entering your system, your skin is going to change whether it’s testosterone or estrogen or any of the combination, it’s going to change your skin.

So she was supporting people around that, supporting people around healing surgery, scars, stuff like that. So I was like, oh, this is really cool. She was doing this for the people that otherwise maybe don’t see themselves reflected in the skincare industry or aren’t able to feel as comfortable going to any old spa to get these treatments done. So,

I decided, hey, I want to be an esthetician. I also have a lot of skin issues myself, acne. I have a condition called hydradenitis supportiva, which is pretty common. It’s an auto-inflammatory condition that just creates a lot of pain, a lot of cysts, and it’s very painful, and it can be very embarrassing and shameful for people. So I wanted to bring to light these conditions as well as show that there are ways to manage them. I’ve learned on my own how to manage those things. And then going to esthetician school, I learned more about how to manage those things.

So I was like, I have all of these skills. I have this social work background that I have this therapeutic lens and trauma informed lens, very much focused on accessibility and inclusion. So I can put all of that together into being an esthetician. Now, how that brings me to Image Studios. Well, after I finished school, I was pretty

intent on just starting my own practice immediately. I just knew that what I want to do is like not really out there. So I just wanted to get right into it. And I got advanced training in acne treatments. I got advanced training in treating melanin-rich skin.

I got advanced training in microneedling, chemical peels, all of the advanced treatments that really get to like the healing portion of skincare. And when I was searching for spaces, I read a lot about salon suites and how they can be not the best place for solo estheticians, everything I’d heard horror stories about other salon suites that were like, they run out of hot water or the laundry, you know, you have to pay for the laundry and also it’s broken and, you know.

Just tons of issues, people having issues like with their neighbors or not feeling that sense of community, feeling very isolated. So I was nervous about doing a salon suite. And then I came here and like literally within, I’m not even kidding, like maybe like two minutes. And I was just in the front. Bobby was going to meet me in the lobby. And I was just in there and I was looking around. I was like, this is so beautiful, number one. So that’s really nice because especially when you’re serving people, I mean, everyone deserves a beautiful space. And I have a special eye out for, again, people who don’t feel welcome or comfortable in like the mainstream kind of spa spaces. And I was like, I want this to feel so luxurious and that people are coming into a beautiful space and feeling that like

I’m going to be taken care of here. So that hit me. And then there was this elderly woman that came in after me and she was…

She’s the mom of another person who has a suite here. And she was like, oh, do you work here? And I was like, no, I’m just coming to tour. And she was like, it’s so beautiful in here. It’s such good energy. I really hope that you like it’s just so beautiful. I’m so happy my daughter is here. And I was like, OK, cool. And then when Bobby came and met me and we walked around and I saw the diversity in the space, that was huge.

Because Milwaukee being such a segregated city, that was a huge question. I was like, where should you have your business located?

that it can be accessible, feel warm and welcoming to every single person who’s going to come here. And that is this space. Like everyone is welcome here. Down to, you know, even having the bathrooms that are wheelchair accessible, that are gender neutral bathrooms. Like those were big things for me to see that for my Muslim clients, for my trans and gender nonconforming clients, as well as just everyone enjoys privacy and having beautiful, clean spaces. So all of those things were like kind of a no-brainer pretty much that day. I was like, yeah, I’m going to go there. Now the question is just which studio do I want to pick? But

I knew I wanted to work here. And then the other thing that really, really, really drew me in was just the support level, which was obvious to me the moment I met Bobby. Just her energy is so like kind and supportive. And she already was like giving me pep talks and motivational speeches like when I first met her. But then getting the resources that we get here, the image studios, like webinars and different things that they do for everyone across the country. But then also specifically here, the way that you all like follow up with us and check in with us on how we’re doing or, you

noticing opportunities that might be helpful for us or connections that might be helpful for us. It’s honestly very different than any other salon suite situation that I’ve seen. So I love it here. And I think it’s been a very, very, very supportive jumping off point for my career, which otherwise could have been a very isolating experience, but it has not been.

Meg
Such an interesting. So what a trajectory from there to here. My degree is in counseling and I didn’t practice one day in my life because I was my parents were like, Maggie, you need to go and live on your own. Like, how am I going to make a lifestyle? And

Create an income off of this. Plus, like you, wired up that, oh, you poor people. Oh, my God, this happened. The trauma around that group of people.

can so good for you. It affects you like you. I carry all of those stories with me to this day from the first day that I worked in a domestic violence shelter until the very last client that I saw, like all of those people stick with me in all of the positive ways to their resilience and all their strength, but also the trauma that.

I might be the only other person that knows about what they have gone through, you know, and the confidentiality holding that. It was a lot. It’s a lot. So this is a different way to be able to support people and, um,

see them smile and feel so good and feel seen and held. And the big difference I’ve realized between that career and where you are now is that you’re not touching people in that career. Maybe you’re giving them a hug, but it’s not. Now in this career, you’re in someone’s personal, you’re touching their skin, their head, their neck, their scalp, and you’re

The energy transmission is so different and personal now. And the level of trust, I know for sure, Fatima, is because of where you came from and getting the trust of those people emotionally and psychologically now transfers into the energy that you can give your clients via touch.

Fatima
100%. Like the, I’ve tried to do that, start that trust building process from the first moment that I interact with someone, even if I don’t know I’m interacting with them because it’s through social media or something that they’re first seeing me. So it’s like that trust building process starts right away. And I do feel that I bring a lot of my like therapy and counseling background into this by even just like

To be a good esthetician, you have to really listen to people about what are their concerns. You can look at someone’s face and they have acne, but that’s not their concern. Their concern is actually this one little spot on their face and they don’t really care about the acne. It’s so much about listening to people. And then also, yes, that energetic exchange is huge. Like,

It reminds me to always be grounded in myself when I’m… And it reminds me to take care of myself in a different way that I was not doing when I was doing trauma work. Now I’m like, oh, I have to take care of my body because this is the body that is supporting other bodies. And it’s not going to work if I’m not taking care of myself. So it’s kind of like this really positive cycle where it’s feeding…

like on all ends, you know, like it’s feeding me, it’s feeding clients. I get to, I leave work feeling so chilled out and just relaxed. And I’m like, the worst thing that happened to me today was having to do three loaves of laundry, you know?

Meg
Yeah. I want to be you.

Fatima
Yeah.

Meg
And it is a night and day difference between doing that kind of work and the load you take home thinking, oh my God, is she going to be killed overnight? What about our kids? Are they going to be whacked around overnight? And that you can’t control human behavior, but when your clients are in your space, they’re

I remember meeting you. I think that was the day you did your tour.

Fatima
It was, yes. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Meg
And Bobby and I looked at each other like,

Yes. We need someone with your demeanor and you were just so, you were a radiant light beam of, yeah, you are. Oh, that’s so sweet. It was so obvious.

It was so obvious that you are who we wanted here. Yeah. Because of just because of your demeanor and the way that you carry yourself. And you’re, yeah, so positive and upbeat about even having the tour. So it was, it was an easy, yes, please come.

come this way. I’m so glad that we’ve been able to… How long have you been here? We’ve been able to support you, Tamara, Bobby, and not me so much.

Fatima
I think it’s about six months now. Is it really? It’s been about six months since I started moving in. And then it was like maybe about four months since I started taking clients. I think maybe a little less than that. Maybe about five months since I moved in. There was a little bit of a slow start because my

The license process took longer because they were understaffed at the state level. But they… But yeah, it was like… That’s how I felt meeting you all too. Even the fact that I met you on the first day when I was on the tour. Like, that… When I…

went and told my classmates because I was still finishing up all my stuff at school when I had told them like, oh, yeah, and I met the owner, too. And she was so sweet. And oh, my God. And between your counseling background and then Bobby also was had done like social work stuff before. And I was like, oh, my God, we have shared backgrounds, too. And my classmates were like, wait, what? You met the owner? And I was like, yeah. And they’re like, she’s involved. But

Because so many places, it’s not about actually like,

I’m sure as you, I’m sure, you know, like a lot of the places, they’re just looking at it as like.

Meg
Landlord.

Fatima
Exactly.

Meg
Where’s my rent? Where’s my rent?

Fatima

Exactly.

Meg
Tough for you. Oh, you’re having a bad week. Oh, why, why, why? Where’s your rent? Exactly. We’re all about building. It’s so extremely supportive here and like really getting to like all of the people who work for the, for Image Studios are so fond.

thoughtful and involved in all of our businesses and lives of like being so considerate of all

All of the different things going on here. Honestly, sometimes I’m like, I don’t know how y’all do it, but you’re doing it. So thank you.

Meg
We’re doing it. And so we had an offsite meeting, Tamara, Bobby and I and my husband on Monday. And the first thing we did from 10:30 to noon was to go around the table and no time constraints.

tell me about your career. Tell me about your, not just your career, but your upbringing, because it’s the flight of the bumblebee. Exactly. There’s no trajectory that’s just like this. We all carry from our childhood these painful or happy or combination of experiences and memories. There’s experience, but then there’s memory of it. And that’s what gives us head trash or not. Yes. And so it was really great to go around the table for Bobby Tomer and myself to learn even more insights about just what you’re talking about. It’s the who are you working with? Not why. Not what.

Who are they fully as their full self? And same with your esthetician, my esthetician. It’s why do I go to who I go to, who I like, is because they’re paying attention not just to this spot or that, but what is it in…

my life and the way I live my life that’s making my skin…

Fatima
Exactly. And like to have someone who cares on that level and says, oh, I noticed this thing is different in your skin. What’s going on? How have you been doing? Like, and…

versus like another approach that some people out there might take of being like, oh, you need to do this or that or change this or that. Or like, oh, if you don’t follow this, these steps that I want you to do, then like I’m firing you as a client or whatever. And that’s just not the approach that I take. I’m always about like what’s meeting people where they’re at. That’s very much a social work thing.

Like, you know, way of being is you meet people where they’re at. And so that’s I tried to do that in every single part of my career.

how I run the business is meet people where they’re at, like trying to do sliding scale so that again, meet people where they’re at financially, meet people where they’re at in terms of their skincare knowledge. Like every new client’s going to get a full in-depth consultation. And in that, I’m going to teach you about your skin. I’m going to tell you what’s affecting your skin. I want to hear about the stressors in your life and like, yeah, chat away about it while I’m

like massaging you if you want or whatever you need to do basically to be able to feel like this space is your space too and so that I think is like such an important part of this of all all different people in like the beauty industry is and one reason why I think that this industry is like undervalued in certain ways where I’m like people are doing people are like therapists they’re

taking on these roles in this way, like sometimes doing that crisis counseling work, you know, and sometimes being that confidant where you’re the only person maybe that they’re going to confide in about something going on for them, you know? So it is on that end,

On the other side, again, it’s so helpful to have a community of people who are practitioners together too so that you don’t feel isolated in that. So you can see how other people manage that and how they build their relationships with their clients and so on and so forth.

Meg
So it’s nice to have 40 studios. We’re not completely full yet, but to have the diversity of.Well, as you said earlier, it’s not just the diversity of services that are offered, but the diversity of people. Yes. Ethnicities and age. And I don’t know how old our oldest person is besides me. I’m 62. But I don’t think we have a clientele that’s that.

And that, no, I take that back. Some of our people are having, people come in who’ve got walkers and maybe some wheelchairs. And so it’s nice to see the diversity that’s here. As a self-employed person, what is your support? Who is your support system? Do you have mentors and advisors when you’re feeling stressed and like, oh my God, I never saw that coming? Who do you turn to?

Fatima
So both of my parents own their own businesses.

Meg
Oh, nice.

Fatima
And that’s been and they have my whole life. So I have just witnessed them. And my dad has his own clinic as a neurologist, a private clinic. And then my mom has a early childhood education center.

Meg
Oh, nice.

Fatima
So they very different industries and but a lot that I’ve learned from them of like what to do what not to do and they’re really really helpful I turn to them for advice and support and sometimes pep talks but

They turn into lecturers sometimes too, which is just, you know, what happens with parents. So they’ve been really supportive. I also, my friend that I had mentioned, who is an esthetician in LA, Leola, she is one of my mentors. So I do mentorship calls with her. And she’s the one who has taught me everything in terms of like the skincare protocols of around treating people who are on hormones and also people with like surgery scars. She taught me everything I know about that. And so she’s a mentor as like a small business owner, but then also as an esthetician. And then I have, since I started this business,

I’ve been really reaching out to people to find that mentorship. So I go to this entrepreneur night that Jamie Robarch Photography runs that twice a month. And so one of them is a support group that’s just with other entrepreneurs. And we have a different discussion topic every time. And then another day is just a co-working night where it’s like everyone just bring whatever you need to work on and we’re all just…

you know, work on our stuff together. So that’s been also really helpful just from learning from other people, even if they’re doing something totally different.

Meg
Yeah.

Fatima
But just having that same small business owner mindset. And then I also had hired a business coach, Aaliyah McHatton. She is amazing. She runs InCommunity LLC and she does coaching for, she does a ton of different kind of consulting stuff but she helped me like really narrow down like what’s my mission what’s my vision what do I want my workflow to be like and then she also really helped me think about like just really reframing about like asking for help because that’s like my biggest challenge as someone who has been like always the helper. I have struggled to ask for help. And this time has been of starting this business has been like a big, very positive learning curve for me to be like, I need help. And that the way that she kind of framed it for me was like,

You have your expertise in skincare. Someone else has their expertise in marketing. Don’t act like you’re an expert in marketing. That’s actually rude to that whole industry and to that person’s expertise. So actually, if you hire someone who can do marketing for you, that you are employing someone, another small business owner, number one, and number two, you’re not

Pretending like you can do it all, which you can’t. And I’m like, oh, yeah, I can’t. It’s so real, really reframing it as like, it’s actually very positive for everyone to expand your support network. And then on top of that, my partner, my loved ones, you know, and other small business owners, like even here in this building, like I’ve, you know, made some friendships with, built some friendships with other estheticians in the space. And we have been swapping stories about like, you know, our different failures and successes. And we look at each other and we’re like, oh, like, how did you do this or that? Or like, oh, no, I feel like I’m failing or like, and I’m like, you look like you’re doing amazing to me. So just having that community support, even if it’s like, I don’t necessarily have more to give you other than just that morale boost, you know,

I think that even is really huge because it’s very easy to look at other people and see their Instagram or see the beautifully designed space and think, oh, they’re, they got it all together. And then you talk to them and they’re like, I’m figuring it out as I go too. And you’re like, okay, cool. We’re all figuring it out as we go. So yeah, that’s been like the big supports for me in this process.

Meg
I love it that you’re expansive in your answers.

Fatima
I’m a Leo. I talk a lot.

Meg
Which is great because you’re delivering so much content for the listener or the viewer who is wondering why more about context. So I interview a lot of people and not everybody goes as deep into the detail. This has been phenomenal.

Fatima
Okay, good. Good, good, good.

Meg
Yes, yes. I’m glad that you touched on just even a little bit. Your partner was here during our one-year anniversary. And to me, that’s the biggest, that’s who you’re sleeping with. It’s who you’re dining with. It’s who you’re caring for your puppy with.

Fatima
Exactly.

Meg
There’s all this there’s life that you’re sharing with her. And so I was really delighted that you were both here during our grand opening or anniversary celebration, able to meet her because…

Fatima
They use they, them pronouns.

Meg
In the end, we are the sum of our relationships. And you can say, well, I’m a business owner, but in the end…

You’ve got a partner at home who’s hearing everything that’s going on. And if you’re not liking it here, then your partner is the one who’s going to feel the most heartfelt compassion for you to resolve. Yes. Because they don’t want you to bring, you don’t want them to bring it home either. Right. Or whatever is happening there. So the two of you together are this fabric of love and support and love.

Let’s figure it out. And so rather than quitting, which is really easy for a new entrepreneur to do. I’m glad that you’ve got such an expansive network.

Fatima
Yes, absolutely. And like, it really has a ripple effect too, because for, so my partner just started school at Paul Mitchell for the barbering program, which they’ve been also like on this path of trying to figure out a new career for a long time. And, but yeah,

This space has been very influential in that because, you know, being here and seeing all the different people that are here and seeing what’s possible and seeing people of all different ages, seeing people who did a career change later in life, not necessarily, you know, fresh out of high school and knowing exactly that you’re going to go into this industry, but actually seeing people from so many different walks of life, so many different levels of support behind them coming together.

And figuring it out here was very inspirational for them to the point where now they’re looking forward to being able to get a space here when they’re done and then we can be neighbors in here. So that would be really cool.

Meg
Awesome.

Fatima
But like it does have that ripple effect of any time that you see someone being able to like make a new life for themselves and make a big change and seeing all the positive effects of that and how much support there is out there for that. I can just see that like people’s

And not just my partner, but clients coming in. I see it happen from other people’s clients when I’m just like helping someone find whatever room that they’re going to or, you know, whatever, just someone walking around the space. I see it in people’s faces where they’re like, wow.

this space is really cool. Like, oh, that’s so cool. Oh, I’m going to tell my friend about this or, oh, I really want to try out that place or, oh yeah, I do hair too. And like, so it’s been, it’s very cool to see like how this space, because it’s so open, the, even just like the built environment of it with the space being so open and you can just see everyone and wave at everyone and say hi. It really does like,

you know, spark some creativity, some ideas. It makes a lot, it makes this feel more possible, I think, for a lot of people.

Meg
Awesome. This is so reinforcing for me because,

When I decided to do Image Studios, I had a choice of different franchise concepts. I live in the world of franchising, and so I could see the other concepts that were out there. And I wanted something that would be more inclusive. I didn’t want just beauty and barber. I wanted image, because your image is…

Fatima
So much.

Meg
Your external representation of your internal image. And so I wanted this to be a very open and inclusive space where you

there would be collaboration and not competition. And so many of my other colleagues who are in the, in the same space, whether it’s solar, my salon suites and I’m like, Oh no, my people don’t. No, no, no. They don’t. They don’t know. Like I wanted exactly Fatima. What you’re talking about is the ability to open your door and say, Hey, what, you know, could I borrow a comb or Hey, could you give me a share with me? Are you having a rough day too? Yeah. and to have this environment become the fruition of what I was hoping for. So I’m delighted that you’re able to share that.

Fatima
It really is. I love it. It’s amazing. I was worried about that because I had heard from, oh, my teacher in school, she’s pretty old school. She was like, oh, all these salon suites are popping up. I don’t recommend it because why do you want to be in the same building as all of your competition? And

That’s what I had thought. You know, that’s what I… That’s a mindset I went in with. And then I came here and when I did that tour, I was like, ask Bobbi. I was like, what’s the vibe around competition here? Like, is… Does it feel competitive of people with clients and stuff? And she was like, no. Like, it’s not…that’s not what we’re going for here is not competitive. Mostly everyone like, you know, has their own clients, but also there’s a lot of collaboration. And even then I was thinking, oh, maybe that’s a collaboration between like a hair person and a nails person, like people who do totally different things, maybe collaborate. But now since I’ve been here, I’m already getting referrals from other estheticians and giving referrals to the other estheticians in the place because we offer different things. And I’m like, I am not the best person to go to for this one thing. I would actually love to share this other space with you that’s down the hall. And I know this person and they’re really wonderful. And it’s just been so heartwarming to me about how collaborative it is here. And like, everyone just wants everyone else to succeed.

Meg
It is. And I’m glad that you’re touching on this point because in,

in the realm of the free agent, if you’re on an NFL team like my nephew was and then you’re not anymore and now you have to work out and you’ve got to practice and you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to get, you want to get back to your people. You want to get back to your team.

Fatima
Right.

Meg
How many guys are trying out for the quarterback or the kicker or the, how much competition is there? It’s huge.

Fatima
Yeah. Yeah.

Curious if franchise ownership might be the next step for you? Or just interested in owning a small business that offers a proven path and support system? Download Meg’s free ebook that outlines everything you need to know about franchise ownership. There is more to life than your desk job. Visit MegSchmitz.com and enter your email to receive your downloadable copy instantly. And now let’s get back to the conversation.

Meg
And so the way I look at it and what I wanted to build here is what you’re talking about. There are loads of franchise consultants. Nobody does it the way that I do it. There are loads of estheticians and CPAs. And you go to the BNI groups and other networking groups. And it isn’t about blocking away the competition. It’s recognizing that the way you’re doing it

And by the way, as we’re talking about this, I’ve got a couple of people to refer to you.

Fatima
Amazing.

Meg
Including my daughter-in-law.

Fatima
Oh.

Meg
Yeah. I think she would really get a lot. She was going to somebody in Janesville when she lived over near us. Now she’s in Pewaukee and she can’t find what she’s looking for. But I think…

between the acne and she’s had a baby and now the hormonal stuff. Yeah. And so that’s the beauty of what you’re talking about is how many estheticians are in here, but because of your career trajectory and your compasion and understanding, but then you’re scientific and you’re licensing. The training that you go through is a training, but you bring a different sensibility than anybody else in the world.

Fatima
Right, exactly. And that’s like, instead of being like, oh, how am I better than other people? It’s more like,

how do I just keep bettering myself and being the best version of myself? And the people who are meant for me will find me. I will find them if I just keep focusing on that. And then there will be people who also are not the right fit for me. And that’s not anything bad about them or me. It just means that there’s someone else that’s like better fit. And I would love to help them get connected to whoever is the best fit. And I really do feel like there is…

A lot of like what, you know, capitalism teaches us is that there’s only enough for a few and there’s only enough success for a few people. But it’s like, that’s not true. Actually, everybody can get what they need and get their needs fulfilled. You don’t actually have to be competitive about it. You don’t have to put other people down or restrict other people from getting what they need in order to get what you need.

Meg
So, and that’s the whole mentality. My husband and I are absolutely capitalists. We’re all about, and that’s really why I didn’t go into, what a cute little baby. That’s why I didn’t go into counseling full time is because I knew I needed to make enough money to support myself and not live off of my parents forever. And so as I look at the competition,

What’s the, I’m trying to think of the phrase that I’ve heard so many times. It’s, it’s collab-etition. So you’re collaborating with your competition, but each of you has your own, your own space. Yeah. And so this is not a world of dearth or lack. There’s abundance everywhere, even in the same esthetician space.

Fatima
Exactly

Meg
There’s all this, and you’re practicing it, this cross-referencing of, you know, I recognize in myself, this is not my strength, but over there, this would be, and that client is going to be so happy to know not only you, but where you’re

The solution that you help them find. Yes. This is collaboration through, and it’s not competition. It’s knowing that your fellow person is practicing the same thing, but in a different way than you are.

Fatima
Exactly. And it’s so cool because my thing going into this also was like, oh, I want to serve as many people as possible. I want it to be as inclusive as possible. And of course, I still want to do that. And I try to do that. But the fact of the matter is like no one can be like everything for everyone. And trying to do that is just…

a kind of useless endeavor. So might as well just really focus in on like, this is what I do. And I want to just get really, really good at that. That’s why I don’t do waxing, for example. I don’t do hair removal. I toyed with it because I was like, I know a lot of people in my communities would really love if I did that. But that’s not my strong suit. It’s not my passion. And I’m so glad that now Calma Studios is down

a few suites away from me. And Karina is so awesome. Amazing esthetician as well. And she’s super skilled. Like she, I could never do eyebrows like how she does eyebrows. She’s so good at doing eyebrows. And so I’m like, now when my clients come in and they’re like, oh, could you do my eyebrows really quick? And I’m like, well, no, but you can just go down the hall and she could do a real quick for you there. And I love

I don’t even want to try to be everything for everyone, you know, because I’m like, that’s not my passion. My passion is in these other things of like really doing like facials and acne treatment and stuff like that. So

Meg
It’s such a mature point of view.

Because it’s easy in the beginning of anything to say, oh, well, I’m not making the money that I want to make. So if I offer more services, shiny, sparkly, if I go all over. But instead, if you get really good at, I’m a mechanic who does Audi.

I’m a mechanic who does Ford. Then people will start to come to you because as the esthetician who’s doing this, then your reputation goes out there because you’ve got special, just like I’m thinking about my daughter-in-law, as you’re talking about what you do, you’re the right esthetician for her. I’m having dinner with her tonight, by the way. So I’m going to tell her.

Fatima
I’ll give you a car to give to her.

Meg
Okay.

It’s so important to know your lane because when you know your lane, you can increase your pricing. Yes. And be like, I’m specializing in this.

Fatima
Yeah. That’s what I’m really like looking forward to is like even within my lane, I feel like I do offer like a breadth of services within that. And I’m excited as I get more clients and get more clients.

clarity on what they want and need that I can even further increase my training and stuff and make sure that I’m, you know, and also within esthetician, I mean, within the skincare industry, there’s always new technologies and stuff coming out. So there’ll always be something more to learn, but which I love because I love learning. I love school. But, but yeah, it’s just one of those things where like, for example, Skinship, Head Spa, I

That was something that going into this, I was like, oh, that’s like the new, that’s like a newer service that’s being provided out there. And that’s really cool. Maybe I should go do something that’s really like unique and different like that. But it was to do that as well as everything else that I was doing was not going to make sense for my business.

what I’m trying to offer. And so I’m just super excited that that exists here because I’m like, that’s a very cool service to be able to offer. And then also, again, for some of my clients who wear hijab and stuff, I’m like, you get to go to a head spa now that has curtains and privacy and all of that. And also, it’s just down the hall from me. So it’s just so many things that I’m like, just stay.

stay in your lane, Fatima, and you will find your people. And

If someone needs to go into another lane, then help them find that. Find the people that are going to be the good fit for your community and the people who come to you that you’re going to be able to, like building those relationships so that if I do have, you know, I was talking to Sam from Skinship and I was telling her, oh, I am going to send over hijab, my hijabi clients because hair loss from wearing hijab can be because of the friction and stuff can be

an issue for people. And so I was like, sharing with that about that with her. She was like, Oh, my God, yeah, that’s a thing. I didn’t think about that. And I was like, Well, now I just got to educate another practitioner, who’s now going to be able to provide better services around that specific, like very, like specific experience that some people have out there in the world. So like, yeah, I just think the collaboration mindset is just so positive for

everyone involved like it will be better off for our clients too if we are just have that collaborative mindset

Meg
do you ever have a bad day i mean everything about this conversation has been so rewarding for me and you are you’re very inspiring to and that’s why i was asking before about your your network and your support group and your partner and but if

You’re such a positive human being. And really, Fatima, from the very beginning, you’re just like Shari. Yeah. When I first met her, I’ll show you the picture on my phone. She walked in an outfit that was like orange sherbet and rasberry sherbet. And she had these glasses. She was totally vibing. I’m like, oh, girl, we got to have you in here. I don’t even know what you do. And so I’ve gotten to know her, too. We all have…

Down days. Of course. But I just have to compliment you on that because you’re on stage. You have a new client walking in and they want your attention and they want you to absorb and make them feel better.

So maybe that’s your counseling background and all the public service that you’ve done and learning how to parse those emotions. But you do a lovely job of being on point.

Fatima
Oh, thank you. I mean, honestly, I really just love this job. It’s so fun. And every day I go into my studio and I turn on the lights, open the door, turn on the lights, and I’m instantly so happy. I’m just like, oh, my happy place. That’s what I call it. I love it in there.

I love the, like, I’m, anytime I walk through, it’s just instantly happy energy in here. Everyone’s like waving and smiling and friendly. So it’s hard, but it’s hard to not be happy in here. But I do, I mean, of course I have my days. Like I,

I have my own mental health challenges. I have my own traumas and stuff. But I think that because I come from a background that has so much heaviness and intensity, that this is such a huge breath of fresh air. And I’m just so grateful for it every day. I mean, maybe like five, 10 years from now,

maybe you’ll see a different experience. Like you will see me have more varied experience around it. But right now I’m just like excited every, every time. I love talking about skincare. I love seeing people’s faces like so happy when they see their, how they’re glowing after their facial. I love, honestly, every bit of the process is so fun for me. So I, I,

It’s just very fulfilling for me. So I’m like just very grateful and happy to be here every day. And yeah, it’s fun. It’s just so fun.

Meg
I have to say every Wednesday when I come, I’ve got my life and I’ve got my businesses and I’ve got, as I said before about my puppy who’s not doing very well and my parents are aging and everything is crashing all at once. And I wake up on Wednesday morning and go,

That’s my image. Yeah. Good to go and see my people. Yeah. So thank you so much for, you’re the capstone for season seven.

You’re closing out season seven. Closing out season finale. So thank you so much. We had an extended conversation longer than usual, and this has been phenomenal. So many great insights. And I need to get the color of your eye.

Fatima
Oh, yeah.

Meg
And so we’re going to exchange some information.

Fatima
Yes, definitely. Thank you so much.

Fatima
Thank you so much for everything and all your support. Thank you for in this whole process too because I really truly feel like I would not be able to do this without all of the support that happens.

Free Agent Podcast with Meg Schmitz – Guest: Fatima Arain, Independent Esthetician at Image Studios

Now let’s join your host, franchise guru Meg Schmitz, with today’s episode of Free Agent.

Fatima Arain
Really a kind of triage support. And I started then working as a consultant in nonprofits and supporting the people who are supporting the people. So I started my own consulting business, very different than having a business that has inventory and clients that you’re doing direct services with.

It was very different than what I’m doing now, but it did give me a taste of having my own business and what that might be like. But then fast forward to…

last year. So in 2024, I moved back to Milwaukee after being in Washington, New York, Chicago, all over the country. And I moved back to Milwaukee, grew up here, wanted to be close to my family. And it was just a really big opportunity for me to make more big changes in my life.

And after doing a nonprofit work for so long, I was like, you know what? I want to do something different. I really want to be part of supporting people, still doing that community-based work, caring for the people, but not necessarily around so much trauma and conflict and all of those things. I wanted to be with people around support and healing.

And so one of my good friends, her name is Leola Davis. She is in Los Angeles and she’s an esthetician.

And prior to being an esthetician, she was a community organizer and an activist. And she decided to make this big career change for herself. So it kind of opened my eyes that that was possible for me too. And she kind of paved the way for me, even just mentally of like, this is a possibility. She started doing skincare that was really focused on supporting trans people because of the way that hormones can affect people’s skin. I mean, everybody’s skin gets affected by hormones. So when you’re taking like externally taking hormones and those are entering your system, your skin is going to change whether it’s testosterone or estrogen or any of the combination, it’s going to change your skin.

So she was supporting people around that, supporting people around healing surgery, scars, stuff like that. So I was like, oh, this is really cool. She was doing this for the people that otherwise maybe don’t see themselves reflected in the skincare industry or aren’t able to feel as comfortable going to any old spa to get these treatments done. So,

I decided, hey, I want to be an esthetician. I also have a lot of skin issues myself, acne. I have a condition called hydradenitis supportiva, which is pretty common. It’s an auto-inflammatory condition that just creates a lot of pain, a lot of cysts, and it’s very painful, and it can be very embarrassing and shameful for people. So I wanted to bring to light these conditions as well as show that there are ways to manage them. I’ve learned on my own how to manage those things. And then going to esthetician school, I learned more about how to manage those things.

So I was like, I have all of these skills. I have this social work background that I have this therapeutic lens and trauma informed lens, very much focused on accessibility and inclusion. So I can put all of that together into being an esthetician. Now, how that brings me to Image Studios. Well, after I finished school, I was pretty

intent on just starting my own practice immediately. I just knew that what I want to do is like not really out there. So I just wanted to get right into it. And I got advanced training in acne treatments. I got advanced training in treating melanin-rich skin.

I got advanced training in microneedling, chemical peels, all of the advanced treatments that really get to like the healing portion of skincare. And when I was searching for spaces, I read a lot about salon suites and how they can be not the best place for solo estheticians, everything I’d heard horror stories about other salon suites that were like, they run out of hot water or the laundry, you know, you have to pay for the laundry and also it’s broken and, you know.

Just tons of issues, people having issues like with their neighbors or not feeling that sense of community, feeling very isolated. So I was nervous about doing a salon suite. And then I came here and like literally within, I’m not even kidding, like maybe like two minutes. And I was just in the front. Bobby was going to meet me in the lobby. And I was just in there and I was looking around. I was like, this is so beautiful, number one. So that’s really nice because especially when you’re serving people, I mean, everyone deserves a beautiful space. And I have a special eye out for, again, people who don’t feel welcome or comfortable in like the mainstream kind of spa spaces. And I was like, I want this to feel so luxurious and that people are coming into a beautiful space and feeling that like

I’m going to be taken care of here. So that hit me. And then there was this elderly woman that came in after me and she was…

She’s the mom of another person who has a suite here. And she was like, oh, do you work here? And I was like, no, I’m just coming to tour. And she was like, it’s so beautiful in here. It’s such good energy. I really hope that you like it’s just so beautiful. I’m so happy my daughter is here. And I was like, OK, cool. And then when Bobby came and met me and we walked around and I saw the diversity in the space, that was huge.

Because Milwaukee being such a segregated city, that was a huge question. I was like, where should you have your business located?

that it can be accessible, feel warm and welcoming to every single person who’s going to come here. And that is this space. Like everyone is welcome here. Down to, you know, even having the bathrooms that are wheelchair accessible, that are gender neutral bathrooms. Like those were big things for me to see that for my Muslim clients, for my trans and gender nonconforming clients, as well as just everyone enjoys privacy and having beautiful, clean spaces. So all of those things were like kind of a no-brainer pretty much that day. I was like, yeah, I’m going to go there. Now the question is just which studio do I want to pick? But

I knew I wanted to work here. And then the other thing that really, really, really drew me in was just the support level, which was obvious to me the moment I met Bobby. Just her energy is so like kind and supportive. And she already was like giving me pep talks and motivational speeches like when I first met her. But then getting the resources that we get here, the image studios, like webinars and different things that they do for everyone across the country. But then also specifically here, the way that you all like follow up with us and check in with us on how we’re doing or, you

noticing opportunities that might be helpful for us or connections that might be helpful for us. It’s honestly very different than any other salon suite situation that I’ve seen. So I love it here. And I think it’s been a very, very, very supportive jumping off point for my career, which otherwise could have been a very isolating experience, but it has not been.

Meg
Such an interesting. So what a trajectory from there to here. My degree is in counseling and I didn’t practice one day in my life because I was my parents were like, Maggie, you need to go and live on your own. Like, how am I going to make a lifestyle? And

Create an income off of this. Plus, like you, wired up that, oh, you poor people. Oh, my God, this happened. The trauma around that group of people.

can so good for you. It affects you like you. I carry all of those stories with me to this day from the first day that I worked in a domestic violence shelter until the very last client that I saw, like all of those people stick with me in all of the positive ways to their resilience and all their strength, but also the trauma that.

I might be the only other person that knows about what they have gone through, you know, and the confidentiality holding that. It was a lot. It’s a lot. So this is a different way to be able to support people and, um,

see them smile and feel so good and feel seen and held. And the big difference I’ve realized between that career and where you are now is that you’re not touching people in that career. Maybe you’re giving them a hug, but it’s not. Now in this career, you’re in someone’s personal, you’re touching their skin, their head, their neck, their scalp, and you’re

The energy transmission is so different and personal now. And the level of trust, I know for sure, Fatima, is because of where you came from and getting the trust of those people emotionally and psychologically now transfers into the energy that you can give your clients via touch.

Fatima
100%. Like the, I’ve tried to do that, start that trust building process from the first moment that I interact with someone, even if I don’t know I’m interacting with them because it’s through social media or something that they’re first seeing me. So it’s like that trust building process starts right away. And I do feel that I bring a lot of my like therapy and counseling background into this by even just like

To be a good esthetician, you have to really listen to people about what are their concerns. You can look at someone’s face and they have acne, but that’s not their concern. Their concern is actually this one little spot on their face and they don’t really care about the acne. It’s so much about listening to people. And then also, yes, that energetic exchange is huge. Like,

It reminds me to always be grounded in myself when I’m… And it reminds me to take care of myself in a different way that I was not doing when I was doing trauma work. Now I’m like, oh, I have to take care of my body because this is the body that is supporting other bodies. And it’s not going to work if I’m not taking care of myself. So it’s kind of like this really positive cycle where it’s feeding…

like on all ends, you know, like it’s feeding me, it’s feeding clients. I get to, I leave work feeling so chilled out and just relaxed. And I’m like, the worst thing that happened to me today was having to do three loaves of laundry, you know?

Meg
Yeah. I want to be you.

Fatima
Yeah.

Meg
And it is a night and day difference between doing that kind of work and the load you take home thinking, oh my God, is she going to be killed overnight? What about our kids? Are they going to be whacked around overnight? And that you can’t control human behavior, but when your clients are in your space, they’re

I remember meeting you. I think that was the day you did your tour.

Fatima
It was, yes. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Meg
And Bobby and I looked at each other like,

Yes. We need someone with your demeanor and you were just so, you were a radiant light beam of, yeah, you are. Oh, that’s so sweet. It was so obvious.

It was so obvious that you are who we wanted here. Yeah. Because of just because of your demeanor and the way that you carry yourself. And you’re, yeah, so positive and upbeat about even having the tour. So it was, it was an easy, yes, please come.

come this way. I’m so glad that we’ve been able to… How long have you been here? We’ve been able to support you, Tamara, Bobby, and not me so much.

Fatima
I think it’s about six months now. Is it really? It’s been about six months since I started moving in. And then it was like maybe about four months since I started taking clients. I think maybe a little less than that. Maybe about five months since I moved in. There was a little bit of a slow start because my

The license process took longer because they were understaffed at the state level. But they… But yeah, it was like… That’s how I felt meeting you all too. Even the fact that I met you on the first day when I was on the tour. Like, that… When I…

went and told my classmates because I was still finishing up all my stuff at school when I had told them like, oh, yeah, and I met the owner, too. And she was so sweet. And oh, my God. And between your counseling background and then Bobby also was had done like social work stuff before. And I was like, oh, my God, we have shared backgrounds, too. And my classmates were like, wait, what? You met the owner? And I was like, yeah. And they’re like, she’s involved. But

Because so many places, it’s not about actually like,

I’m sure as you, I’m sure, you know, like a lot of the places, they’re just looking at it as like.

Meg
Landlord.

Fatima
Exactly.

Meg
Where’s my rent? Where’s my rent?

Fatima

Exactly.

Meg
Tough for you. Oh, you’re having a bad week. Oh, why, why, why? Where’s your rent? Exactly. We’re all about building. It’s so extremely supportive here and like really getting to like all of the people who work for the, for Image Studios are so fond.

thoughtful and involved in all of our businesses and lives of like being so considerate of all

All of the different things going on here. Honestly, sometimes I’m like, I don’t know how y’all do it, but you’re doing it. So thank you.

Meg
We’re doing it. And so we had an offsite meeting, Tamara, Bobby and I and my husband on Monday. And the first thing we did from 10:30 to noon was to go around the table and no time constraints.

tell me about your career. Tell me about your, not just your career, but your upbringing, because it’s the flight of the bumblebee. Exactly. There’s no trajectory that’s just like this. We all carry from our childhood these painful or happy or combination of experiences and memories. There’s experience, but then there’s memory of it. And that’s what gives us head trash or not. Yes. And so it was really great to go around the table for Bobby Tomer and myself to learn even more insights about just what you’re talking about. It’s the who are you working with? Not why. Not what.

Who are they fully as their full self? And same with your esthetician, my esthetician. It’s why do I go to who I go to, who I like, is because they’re paying attention not just to this spot or that, but what is it in…

my life and the way I live my life that’s making my skin…

Fatima
Exactly. And like to have someone who cares on that level and says, oh, I noticed this thing is different in your skin. What’s going on? How have you been doing? Like, and…

versus like another approach that some people out there might take of being like, oh, you need to do this or that or change this or that. Or like, oh, if you don’t follow this, these steps that I want you to do, then like I’m firing you as a client or whatever. And that’s just not the approach that I take. I’m always about like what’s meeting people where they’re at. That’s very much a social work thing.

Like, you know, way of being is you meet people where they’re at. And so that’s I tried to do that in every single part of my career.

how I run the business is meet people where they’re at, like trying to do sliding scale so that again, meet people where they’re at financially, meet people where they’re at in terms of their skincare knowledge. Like every new client’s going to get a full in-depth consultation. And in that, I’m going to teach you about your skin. I’m going to tell you what’s affecting your skin. I want to hear about the stressors in your life and like, yeah, chat away about it while I’m

like massaging you if you want or whatever you need to do basically to be able to feel like this space is your space too and so that I think is like such an important part of this of all all different people in like the beauty industry is and one reason why I think that this industry is like undervalued in certain ways where I’m like people are doing people are like therapists they’re

taking on these roles in this way, like sometimes doing that crisis counseling work, you know, and sometimes being that confidant where you’re the only person maybe that they’re going to confide in about something going on for them, you know? So it is on that end,

On the other side, again, it’s so helpful to have a community of people who are practitioners together too so that you don’t feel isolated in that. So you can see how other people manage that and how they build their relationships with their clients and so on and so forth.

Meg
So it’s nice to have 40 studios. We’re not completely full yet, but to have the diversity of.Well, as you said earlier, it’s not just the diversity of services that are offered, but the diversity of people. Yes. Ethnicities and age. And I don’t know how old our oldest person is besides me. I’m 62. But I don’t think we have a clientele that’s that.

And that, no, I take that back. Some of our people are having, people come in who’ve got walkers and maybe some wheelchairs. And so it’s nice to see the diversity that’s here. As a self-employed person, what is your support? Who is your support system? Do you have mentors and advisors when you’re feeling stressed and like, oh my God, I never saw that coming? Who do you turn to?

Fatima
So both of my parents own their own businesses.

Meg
Oh, nice.

Fatima
And that’s been and they have my whole life. So I have just witnessed them. And my dad has his own clinic as a neurologist, a private clinic. And then my mom has a early childhood education center.

Meg
Oh, nice.

Fatima
So they very different industries and but a lot that I’ve learned from them of like what to do what not to do and they’re really really helpful I turn to them for advice and support and sometimes pep talks but

They turn into lecturers sometimes too, which is just, you know, what happens with parents. So they’ve been really supportive. I also, my friend that I had mentioned, who is an esthetician in LA, Leola, she is one of my mentors. So I do mentorship calls with her. And she’s the one who has taught me everything in terms of like the skincare protocols of around treating people who are on hormones and also people with like surgery scars. She taught me everything I know about that. And so she’s a mentor as like a small business owner, but then also as an esthetician. And then I have, since I started this business,

I’ve been really reaching out to people to find that mentorship. So I go to this entrepreneur night that Jamie Robarch Photography runs that twice a month. And so one of them is a support group that’s just with other entrepreneurs. And we have a different discussion topic every time. And then another day is just a co-working night where it’s like everyone just bring whatever you need to work on and we’re all just…

you know, work on our stuff together. So that’s been also really helpful just from learning from other people, even if they’re doing something totally different.

Meg
Yeah.

Fatima
But just having that same small business owner mindset. And then I also had hired a business coach, Aaliyah McHatton. She is amazing. She runs InCommunity LLC and she does coaching for, she does a ton of different kind of consulting stuff but she helped me like really narrow down like what’s my mission what’s my vision what do I want my workflow to be like and then she also really helped me think about like just really reframing about like asking for help because that’s like my biggest challenge as someone who has been like always the helper. I have struggled to ask for help. And this time has been of starting this business has been like a big, very positive learning curve for me to be like, I need help. And that the way that she kind of framed it for me was like,

You have your expertise in skincare. Someone else has their expertise in marketing. Don’t act like you’re an expert in marketing. That’s actually rude to that whole industry and to that person’s expertise. So actually, if you hire someone who can do marketing for you, that you are employing someone, another small business owner, number one, and number two, you’re not

Pretending like you can do it all, which you can’t. And I’m like, oh, yeah, I can’t. It’s so real, really reframing it as like, it’s actually very positive for everyone to expand your support network. And then on top of that, my partner, my loved ones, you know, and other small business owners, like even here in this building, like I’ve, you know, made some friendships with, built some friendships with other estheticians in the space. And we have been swapping stories about like, you know, our different failures and successes. And we look at each other and we’re like, oh, like, how did you do this or that? Or like, oh, no, I feel like I’m failing or like, and I’m like, you look like you’re doing amazing to me. So just having that community support, even if it’s like, I don’t necessarily have more to give you other than just that morale boost, you know,

I think that even is really huge because it’s very easy to look at other people and see their Instagram or see the beautifully designed space and think, oh, they’re, they got it all together. And then you talk to them and they’re like, I’m figuring it out as I go too. And you’re like, okay, cool. We’re all figuring it out as we go. So yeah, that’s been like the big supports for me in this process.

Meg
I love it that you’re expansive in your answers.

Fatima
I’m a Leo. I talk a lot.

Meg
Which is great because you’re delivering so much content for the listener or the viewer who is wondering why more about context. So I interview a lot of people and not everybody goes as deep into the detail. This has been phenomenal.

Fatima
Okay, good. Good, good, good.

Meg
Yes, yes. I’m glad that you touched on just even a little bit. Your partner was here during our one-year anniversary. And to me, that’s the biggest, that’s who you’re sleeping with. It’s who you’re dining with. It’s who you’re caring for your puppy with.

Fatima
Exactly.

Meg
There’s all this there’s life that you’re sharing with her. And so I was really delighted that you were both here during our grand opening or anniversary celebration, able to meet her because…

Fatima
They use they, them pronouns.

Meg
In the end, we are the sum of our relationships. And you can say, well, I’m a business owner, but in the end…

You’ve got a partner at home who’s hearing everything that’s going on. And if you’re not liking it here, then your partner is the one who’s going to feel the most heartfelt compassion for you to resolve. Yes. Because they don’t want you to bring, you don’t want them to bring it home either. Right. Or whatever is happening there. So the two of you together are this fabric of love and support and love.

Let’s figure it out. And so rather than quitting, which is really easy for a new entrepreneur to do. I’m glad that you’ve got such an expansive network.

Fatima
Yes, absolutely. And like, it really has a ripple effect too, because for, so my partner just started school at Paul Mitchell for the barbering program, which they’ve been also like on this path of trying to figure out a new career for a long time. And, but yeah,

This space has been very influential in that because, you know, being here and seeing all the different people that are here and seeing what’s possible and seeing people of all different ages, seeing people who did a career change later in life, not necessarily, you know, fresh out of high school and knowing exactly that you’re going to go into this industry, but actually seeing people from so many different walks of life, so many different levels of support behind them coming together.

And figuring it out here was very inspirational for them to the point where now they’re looking forward to being able to get a space here when they’re done and then we can be neighbors in here. So that would be really cool.

Meg
Awesome.

Fatima
But like it does have that ripple effect of any time that you see someone being able to like make a new life for themselves and make a big change and seeing all the positive effects of that and how much support there is out there for that. I can just see that like people’s

And not just my partner, but clients coming in. I see it happen from other people’s clients when I’m just like helping someone find whatever room that they’re going to or, you know, whatever, just someone walking around the space. I see it in people’s faces where they’re like, wow.

this space is really cool. Like, oh, that’s so cool. Oh, I’m going to tell my friend about this or, oh, I really want to try out that place or, oh yeah, I do hair too. And like, so it’s been, it’s very cool to see like how this space, because it’s so open, the, even just like the built environment of it with the space being so open and you can just see everyone and wave at everyone and say hi. It really does like,

you know, spark some creativity, some ideas. It makes a lot, it makes this feel more possible, I think, for a lot of people.

Meg
Awesome. This is so reinforcing for me because,

When I decided to do Image Studios, I had a choice of different franchise concepts. I live in the world of franchising, and so I could see the other concepts that were out there. And I wanted something that would be more inclusive. I didn’t want just beauty and barber. I wanted image, because your image is…

Fatima
So much.

Meg
Your external representation of your internal image. And so I wanted this to be a very open and inclusive space where you

there would be collaboration and not competition. And so many of my other colleagues who are in the, in the same space, whether it’s solar, my salon suites and I’m like, Oh no, my people don’t. No, no, no. They don’t. They don’t know. Like I wanted exactly Fatima. What you’re talking about is the ability to open your door and say, Hey, what, you know, could I borrow a comb or Hey, could you give me a share with me? Are you having a rough day too? Yeah. and to have this environment become the fruition of what I was hoping for. So I’m delighted that you’re able to share that.

Fatima
It really is. I love it. It’s amazing. I was worried about that because I had heard from, oh, my teacher in school, she’s pretty old school. She was like, oh, all these salon suites are popping up. I don’t recommend it because why do you want to be in the same building as all of your competition? And

That’s what I had thought. You know, that’s what I… That’s a mindset I went in with. And then I came here and when I did that tour, I was like, ask Bobbi. I was like, what’s the vibe around competition here? Like, is… Does it feel competitive of people with clients and stuff? And she was like, no. Like, it’s not…that’s not what we’re going for here is not competitive. Mostly everyone like, you know, has their own clients, but also there’s a lot of collaboration. And even then I was thinking, oh, maybe that’s a collaboration between like a hair person and a nails person, like people who do totally different things, maybe collaborate. But now since I’ve been here, I’m already getting referrals from other estheticians and giving referrals to the other estheticians in the place because we offer different things. And I’m like, I am not the best person to go to for this one thing. I would actually love to share this other space with you that’s down the hall. And I know this person and they’re really wonderful. And it’s just been so heartwarming to me about how collaborative it is here. And like, everyone just wants everyone else to succeed.

Meg
It is. And I’m glad that you’re touching on this point because in,

in the realm of the free agent, if you’re on an NFL team like my nephew was and then you’re not anymore and now you have to work out and you’ve got to practice and you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to get, you want to get back to your people. You want to get back to your team.

Fatima
Right.

Meg
How many guys are trying out for the quarterback or the kicker or the, how much competition is there? It’s huge.

Fatima
Yeah. Yeah.

Curious if franchise ownership might be the next step for you? Or just interested in owning a small business that offers a proven path and support system? Download Meg’s free ebook that outlines everything you need to know about franchise ownership. There is more to life than your desk job. Visit MegSchmitz.com and enter your email to receive your downloadable copy instantly. And now let’s get back to the conversation.

Meg
And so the way I look at it and what I wanted to build here is what you’re talking about. There are loads of franchise consultants. Nobody does it the way that I do it. There are loads of estheticians and CPAs. And you go to the BNI groups and other networking groups. And it isn’t about blocking away the competition. It’s recognizing that the way you’re doing it

And by the way, as we’re talking about this, I’ve got a couple of people to refer to you.

Fatima
Amazing.

Meg
Including my daughter-in-law.

Fatima
Oh.

Meg
Yeah. I think she would really get a lot. She was going to somebody in Janesville when she lived over near us. Now she’s in Pewaukee and she can’t find what she’s looking for. But I think…

between the acne and she’s had a baby and now the hormonal stuff. Yeah. And so that’s the beauty of what you’re talking about is how many estheticians are in here, but because of your career trajectory and your compasion and understanding, but then you’re scientific and you’re licensing. The training that you go through is a training, but you bring a different sensibility than anybody else in the world.

Fatima
Right, exactly. And that’s like, instead of being like, oh, how am I better than other people? It’s more like,

how do I just keep bettering myself and being the best version of myself? And the people who are meant for me will find me. I will find them if I just keep focusing on that. And then there will be people who also are not the right fit for me. And that’s not anything bad about them or me. It just means that there’s someone else that’s like better fit. And I would love to help them get connected to whoever is the best fit. And I really do feel like there is…

A lot of like what, you know, capitalism teaches us is that there’s only enough for a few and there’s only enough success for a few people. But it’s like, that’s not true. Actually, everybody can get what they need and get their needs fulfilled. You don’t actually have to be competitive about it. You don’t have to put other people down or restrict other people from getting what they need in order to get what you need.

Meg
So, and that’s the whole mentality. My husband and I are absolutely capitalists. We’re all about, and that’s really why I didn’t go into, what a cute little baby. That’s why I didn’t go into counseling full time is because I knew I needed to make enough money to support myself and not live off of my parents forever. And so as I look at the competition,

What’s the, I’m trying to think of the phrase that I’ve heard so many times. It’s, it’s collab-etition. So you’re collaborating with your competition, but each of you has your own, your own space. Yeah. And so this is not a world of dearth or lack. There’s abundance everywhere, even in the same esthetician space.

Fatima
Exactly

Meg
There’s all this, and you’re practicing it, this cross-referencing of, you know, I recognize in myself, this is not my strength, but over there, this would be, and that client is going to be so happy to know not only you, but where you’re

The solution that you help them find. Yes. This is collaboration through, and it’s not competition. It’s knowing that your fellow person is practicing the same thing, but in a different way than you are.

Fatima
Exactly. And it’s so cool because my thing going into this also was like, oh, I want to serve as many people as possible. I want it to be as inclusive as possible. And of course, I still want to do that. And I try to do that. But the fact of the matter is like no one can be like everything for everyone. And trying to do that is just…

a kind of useless endeavor. So might as well just really focus in on like, this is what I do. And I want to just get really, really good at that. That’s why I don’t do waxing, for example. I don’t do hair removal. I toyed with it because I was like, I know a lot of people in my communities would really love if I did that. But that’s not my strong suit. It’s not my passion. And I’m so glad that now Calma Studios is down

a few suites away from me. And Karina is so awesome. Amazing esthetician as well. And she’s super skilled. Like she, I could never do eyebrows like how she does eyebrows. She’s so good at doing eyebrows. And so I’m like, now when my clients come in and they’re like, oh, could you do my eyebrows really quick? And I’m like, well, no, but you can just go down the hall and she could do a real quick for you there. And I love

I don’t even want to try to be everything for everyone, you know, because I’m like, that’s not my passion. My passion is in these other things of like really doing like facials and acne treatment and stuff like that. So

Meg
It’s such a mature point of view.

Because it’s easy in the beginning of anything to say, oh, well, I’m not making the money that I want to make. So if I offer more services, shiny, sparkly, if I go all over. But instead, if you get really good at, I’m a mechanic who does Audi.

I’m a mechanic who does Ford. Then people will start to come to you because as the esthetician who’s doing this, then your reputation goes out there because you’ve got special, just like I’m thinking about my daughter-in-law, as you’re talking about what you do, you’re the right esthetician for her. I’m having dinner with her tonight, by the way. So I’m going to tell her.

Fatima
I’ll give you a car to give to her.

Meg
Okay.

It’s so important to know your lane because when you know your lane, you can increase your pricing. Yes. And be like, I’m specializing in this.

Fatima
Yeah. That’s what I’m really like looking forward to is like even within my lane, I feel like I do offer like a breadth of services within that. And I’m excited as I get more clients and get more clients.

clarity on what they want and need that I can even further increase my training and stuff and make sure that I’m, you know, and also within esthetician, I mean, within the skincare industry, there’s always new technologies and stuff coming out. So there’ll always be something more to learn, but which I love because I love learning. I love school. But, but yeah, it’s just one of those things where like, for example, Skinship, Head Spa, I

That was something that going into this, I was like, oh, that’s like the new, that’s like a newer service that’s being provided out there. And that’s really cool. Maybe I should go do something that’s really like unique and different like that. But it was to do that as well as everything else that I was doing was not going to make sense for my business.

what I’m trying to offer. And so I’m just super excited that that exists here because I’m like, that’s a very cool service to be able to offer. And then also, again, for some of my clients who wear hijab and stuff, I’m like, you get to go to a head spa now that has curtains and privacy and all of that. And also, it’s just down the hall from me. So it’s just so many things that I’m like, just stay.

stay in your lane, Fatima, and you will find your people. And

If someone needs to go into another lane, then help them find that. Find the people that are going to be the good fit for your community and the people who come to you that you’re going to be able to, like building those relationships so that if I do have, you know, I was talking to Sam from Skinship and I was telling her, oh, I am going to send over hijab, my hijabi clients because hair loss from wearing hijab can be because of the friction and stuff can be

an issue for people. And so I was like, sharing with that about that with her. She was like, Oh, my God, yeah, that’s a thing. I didn’t think about that. And I was like, Well, now I just got to educate another practitioner, who’s now going to be able to provide better services around that specific, like very, like specific experience that some people have out there in the world. So like, yeah, I just think the collaboration mindset is just so positive for

everyone involved like it will be better off for our clients too if we are just have that collaborative mindset

Meg
do you ever have a bad day i mean everything about this conversation has been so rewarding for me and you are you’re very inspiring to and that’s why i was asking before about your your network and your support group and your partner and but if

You’re such a positive human being. And really, Fatima, from the very beginning, you’re just like Shari. Yeah. When I first met her, I’ll show you the picture on my phone. She walked in an outfit that was like orange sherbet and rasberry sherbet. And she had these glasses. She was totally vibing. I’m like, oh, girl, we got to have you in here. I don’t even know what you do. And so I’ve gotten to know her, too. We all have…

Down days. Of course. But I just have to compliment you on that because you’re on stage. You have a new client walking in and they want your attention and they want you to absorb and make them feel better.

So maybe that’s your counseling background and all the public service that you’ve done and learning how to parse those emotions. But you do a lovely job of being on point.

Fatima
Oh, thank you. I mean, honestly, I really just love this job. It’s so fun. And every day I go into my studio and I turn on the lights, open the door, turn on the lights, and I’m instantly so happy. I’m just like, oh, my happy place. That’s what I call it. I love it in there.

I love the, like, I’m, anytime I walk through, it’s just instantly happy energy in here. Everyone’s like waving and smiling and friendly. So it’s hard, but it’s hard to not be happy in here. But I do, I mean, of course I have my days. Like I,

I have my own mental health challenges. I have my own traumas and stuff. But I think that because I come from a background that has so much heaviness and intensity, that this is such a huge breath of fresh air. And I’m just so grateful for it every day. I mean, maybe like five, 10 years from now,

maybe you’ll see a different experience. Like you will see me have more varied experience around it. But right now I’m just like excited every, every time. I love talking about skincare. I love seeing people’s faces like so happy when they see their, how they’re glowing after their facial. I love, honestly, every bit of the process is so fun for me. So I, I,

It’s just very fulfilling for me. So I’m like just very grateful and happy to be here every day. And yeah, it’s fun. It’s just so fun.

Meg
I have to say every Wednesday when I come, I’ve got my life and I’ve got my businesses and I’ve got, as I said before about my puppy who’s not doing very well and my parents are aging and everything is crashing all at once. And I wake up on Wednesday morning and go,

That’s my image. Yeah. Good to go and see my people. Yeah. So thank you so much for, you’re the capstone for season seven.

You’re closing out season seven. Closing out season finale. So thank you so much. We had an extended conversation longer than usual, and this has been phenomenal. So many great insights. And I need to get the color of your eye.

Fatima
Oh, yeah.

Meg
And so we’re going to exchange some information.

Fatima
Yes, definitely. Thank you so much.

Fatima
Thank you so much for everything and all your support. Thank you for in this whole process too because I really truly feel like I would not be able to do this without all of the support that happens.

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