Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenese O’Neal.
Hi Jenese, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello My name is Jenese O’Neal owner and founder of The Plush Lab. The majority of my life, I have always enjoyed working for myself. I have experienced so many people working hard for a paycheck and having very little energy for anything more. In my last position, I worked security for almost seven years. I was off two days a week and by the second day, I dreaded going back to work. It wasn’t that I disliked work, but I desired a work-life balance. I wanted to enjoy watching my children grow up and spend time with my family. I wanted to make time to celebrate other people’s accomplishments, enjoy lunch with my friends, vacationing, and a date night with my husband. I wanted the ability if needed, to take a mental health day to gather my thoughts. I did not want to ask for permission.
While I dreaded going back to work, almost every night I had a reoccurring dream that I was running through the woods and something was chasing me. I could hear it but could not see. I would always end up at a cliff but would wake up. One day, I was listening to my tv/radio dad, Steve Harvey. I have always admired him and his words of wisdom. On January 26, 2021, while on break, I was listening to Steve and he said “Every successful person in the world has jumped.” That was my confirmation!!!! The next time I had that dream, instead of stopping at the edge of the cliff, I jumped as far as I could. I took my income tax check and began to build. I renovated my garage and then covid happened. The building stopped, but the dream did not. I began educating people about skincare and prepping them for the opening. As the world or Georgia began to open up, I set an opening date of June 2020.
The Plush Lab had been born. I started with two clients a week. I think I had five for the 1st month. In March 2021, for my birthday, I put in my resignation for my job. It was so freeing. Like, the world fell off my shoulders. Of course, that means I am working more than ever, but I absolutely love what I do. Fast forward to now, in 2023, I have opened a second location. I have definitely grown. I have taken so many courses to learn the ends and outs of my business. I continue to learn and surround myself with like-minded individuals. As the world keeps changing so does The Plush Lab. Constantly at the drawing board creating new ways to grow.
The biggest lesson I have learned along the way is that the operation starts at the top, with me. One day, I look forward to hiring a staff, but I understand that if I do not set a strong base for me, then the foundation will crumble. Any expectations I set on myself and how I treat my clients is how I expect my staff to be treated and treat others when the time comes. I am creating a work/life balance. It is the journey, and it is definitely worth it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has certainly not been a smooth road. Lord, I have cried, fussed, laughed, and fired myself a few times. Staying consistent is my biggest challenge. It is like driving a car. You speed up, slow down, and sometimes have to do maintenance. I do struggle living with ADD so I had to learn how to set an agenda. Sometimes, I go through days where I think I have done everything I set to do in my head, but find out later I didn’t do it, because I never wrote it down. Being self-disciplined is imparative as an entrepreneur because if you don’t work, the business won’t work. Since I knew I needed certain things for my business and did not have the capital to purchase, I took classes to learn how to do them. For example, I took courses on content creation, video editing, sales techniques, confidence building, banking and a whole host of others. Another struggle I had early on was, asking for help. Currently, I still operate by myself, but as I have grown, I realize it is very difficult to try and do everything on my own. I thought somehow that it wouldn’t be ok to ask for help if I did not have a monetary value added to it. Someone I respect very much explained that I could barter services and get what I needed. That helped quite a big deal. Although these were challenges, I have learned how to pivot by asking questions and the power of giving.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Plush Lab, LLC?
Plush Lab, Llc., is a skincare spa with two locations. One in Ellenwood, GA and one in Morrow, Ga. I specialize in skincare and waxing. I am definitely known as the esthetician that will keep you laughing. I think what sets me apart from others is that I give more than I take. When people come to see me they are getting a true representation of me and not my representative. I truly care about the people. I offer skincare and waxing, but I believe some come for laughs, and some come for advice. I am most proud that I respect people’s time and money. I do not stack clients because I want my clients to be able to ask questions if they need to. If someone chose me out of all the other estheticians I don’t take that lightly. Everyone gets treated the same rather it is your first visit or 100th visit. 99% of the time I am on time and if I am not, I make it right. I am most proud that I have maintained a 5 Star business for almost three years. I want people to know that when they step into The Plush Lab, that they will have no choice but to leave educated, happy, and confident.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as the ability to do what you love and love what you are doing. Even when you hit a bump in the road, it is a part of the journey. But, the true definition of success to me is the ability to live, love, and laugh on the journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theplushlab.com
- Instagram: @theplushlab
Image Credits
Nathan Pearcy of Studio 82 for the headshot
