Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Parker.
Alicia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
So I have to be completely honest and say I could have never predicted that I would become a professional spray tan artist and salon owner. I started pursuing a medical career right out of high school and worked as a CNA for a few years, then as a Medical Assistant. I was preparing for nursing school when I unexpectedly lost my dad in a car accident in 2013. I was 21 at the time, and my dad was such a huge part of my life, so it really rocked my world and took a toll on my mental health. I decided to hold off on nursing school so I could focus on handling my dad’s estate and getting life back in order. Then I found out I was pregnant with my daughter three months later and decided that maybe nursing would just have to wait a few more years.
I worked as a medical assistant for several years afterward, and while I enjoyed it, I always had this urge that I wanted something more. I wasn’t sure what that something more was, but I knew it was no longer in the medical field. I got an email one day informing me that all of my college credits were about to expire, so I knew if I wanted to go back to school for something different, now was the time I needed to do it.
In 2016, I started working towards my Associate’s degree in accounting. I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I figured accounting was pretty versatile and would land me a decent-paying job in an office somewhere. Throughout my accounting classes, I learned a lot about business too, and I started dreaming about owning my own business one day. I talked about it all the time, but again, had no ideas for what kind of business. I would constantly rack my brain but could never come up with a solid answer.
I graduated with my degree in December 2017 and continued working as a medical assistant until I landed my first accounting job in July 2018. I loved my job, and I learned so much about how a business operates. The more I learned, the more I dreamed of running my own. I ran through so many different ideas and even tried out an online boutique, but nothing stuck.
Then one day, I was driving to my daughter’s tee ball game and complaining about how there was nowhere I could go to tan anywhere around me. All of the tanning salons were about a 20-minute drive, and I didn’t have time for that. I got to my daughter’s tee ball game, and literally every other mom I talked to brought up the same complaint. A lightbulb went off and I called my husband immediately after I left and told him that’s what I was doing – I’m opening a tanning salon here in Monticello and providing a need for our community.
We immediately started gathering information and looking for space to lease in our area, and things just started falling into place! My distributor set me up with a certification course for spray tanning, and let me just say I was terrified at first. I had never gotten a spray tan before and I couldn’t even do my own makeup so I was worried it was something I would never be good at. I finished my certification and started practicing on myself, friends and family (bless them for that!) Once I started spraying other clients, I quickly realized that I was wrong and that I had finally found something I was passionate about.
After months of hard work, late nights, and delays due to COVID, we opened the salon in February 2022. I can finally say I have found something I truly love to do, and my passion for both the art and business continues to grow daily. But at the end of the day, it’s not just about being tan. It’s about being able to leave a positive impact on someone in some way. It’s about the relationships I’ve made and leaving someone feeling a little better than when I met them. Success to me is making my clients smile. Giving them a beautiful tan is just the icing on the cake.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been the smoothest road, but it’s been an exciting one. Putting everything you’ve got into building a business and brand from scratch, in a small town, without any prior experience is scary. I’ve had to overcome many, many fears, push past a lot of doubts, and learn from several mistakes. I’m also a mom and a wife, so there is the constant struggle of finding that work/life balance and making sure I am always present for my family. As I’m sure any business owner can tell you, there are always new problems and obstacles to overcome. It is a never-ending journey of learning and growing. But it’s also been exciting and the most fulfilling journey I’ve ever been on. I honestly cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started Glow Maintenance to fulfill a need in our community and help support our little town. I strive to provide a fun, welcoming and relaxing space that leaves my clients feeling happy and confident when they walk out of the doors. If they don’t come in with a smile, I do everything I can to make sure they leave with one. I am a certified spray tan artist (soon to be Master Certified!) and I provide customized airbrush spray tans using a variety of solutions and colors. I’m a perfectionist at heart, so every spray tan is customized for that individual’s desired outcome and is completed with blending of any areas that may process with harsh lines and a shimmery drying powder at the end. Along with spray tanning, we offer UV tanning as well as red light therapy and have plans to begin offering more beauty services in the future. We carry professional lines of tanning lotions such as Devoted Creations and Designer Skin, along with other body and skin care products like moisturizers, soaps, and spray tan maintenance products. We also sell boutique clothing and handmade jewelry from two local business owners – Hopeful & Chic Boutique and Created by Karen.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are so many different ways that anyone can help support small businesses like mine! Simply telling friends or family and spreading the word helps tremendously. We all have social media, so just commenting on or sharing posts goes a long way as well. If they sell something you use or want, buy it from them instead of online. If you loved their service, leave a review on Google or their social media page! For spray tan artists in particular, it can be hard for us to grow our portfolio and have social proof of our work. This is because we are really the only beauty professional that does not get to see our finished work, I would say at least 50% of the time. Spray tans take 24 hours to fully develop, and the client has to rinse before the fully developed color can be seen. There are also several factors that can affect the final outcome in that time frame. So unless we are tagged on social media or get sent a photo, there’s a big chance we will never know what the final outcome was. Trust me, we desperately want to know, but we also don’t want to bombard our clients with questions or asking for photos. Social proof is key for us because we all know that nobody wants a bad spray tan. So, just like we tag our photographers, hair stylists, makeup artists, lash artists, nail artists, etc., in our photos and shout them out, tag your local spray tan artist too! I promise it will absolutely make their day and they will do a little happy dance. I know I do, anyways!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://glowmaintenance.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/glowmaintenance_
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/GlowMaintenance
- Other: www.glowmaintenance.myshopify.com
Image Credits
Autumn Freeman – AJ Arts Company Kait Casarow – Kait Casarow Photography Jordan Hope – Jordan Hope Photos
