Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Decker.
Hi Angie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hmm, that’s always a good starting point of reflection – how did I get here, and how far have I come? We forget to assess this sometimes! I guess I’m a bit of a serial entrepreneur. I’ve always had a really strong work ethic, paired with an optimistic outlook and a belief that our only truly limiting factor is our self. Growing up, my family was rich in love but not actual wealth, and I saw from an early age that my success was up to me. My parents would have given me anything they could, and if I’d asked for something, they would have bent over backwards to try to make it happen, but I never wanted to burden them or make anything harder. I started working when I was 14 and never quit. Earning money as a result of hard work seems to be losing value these days, but for me, it was the most rewarding thing I could learn. I saw quickly that with enough determination, focus and a no-lose attitude, I could have a lot of control over my future. I worked to pay for my education, completing a full-time certificate program first, and landed my first salaried position at the age of 19 at a big law firm, while continuing in school. I had initially envisioned myself becoming an attorney but after working as a paralegal and dealing with billable hours, I knew I wanted a path where my success was directly relevant to the time and effort I put in. My entrepreneurial side started calling, and I opened my first business by 23 – an event décor and rental company, in partnership with a close friend.
We each put in $1000, which felt like a lot at that time, and started out of our basements, putting everything we earned back into the business to fund inventory needs and operations until eventually renting a small space. We grew to hundreds of events in a year, but scaling further was going to be difficult on our own, as we learned that quality, reliable help was tough to find, and there were only so many hours in a day that we could personally spread ourselves out. After a few years, I sold my portion of that business for six figures, which seemed like the most amazing return to me back then, even though if I’d split that over the years, the payout per year was pretty low for the time I’d put in.
While still building that business, we opened a dog daycare and boarding facility right as the dog daycare craze was really getting its footing. Failing was never an option, and we bled, sweat and cried to build that business. To save on expenses, we covered as much of our staffing needs as we could ourselves and hired slowly as the demand grew. Every day was a new challenge of figuring out solutions to things we hadn’t expected, but we figured it out because we had to. We were gaining traction and building up a big client base. After our initial lease expired three years in, we felt confident to go all in, so we purchased a property and did a real, full, quality buildout. This required significant risk and a big SBA loan, but we were ready. In our new space, we built up to almost $1M in annual revenue, I bought my partner’s half of the business, opened up a second location and grew our team to over 30 employees. I started a holdings company for real estate and held the properties with that entity, paying rent from the business. Then when I was ready to continue moving forward, I sold the centers for well into seven figures and became the landlord to the new operators, beginning my interest in real estate.
Start, build and sell was looking like a winning pathway for me, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to deal with another startup phase, so I asked my broker to look for potential businesses to purchase. I gave net profit guidelines, industry interests and expectations for owner involvement, and we landed on an Amazing Lash Studio franchise: a membership-based salon specializing in lash extensions and brow services – with facial and skincare services launching in April. The studio I purchased was already established and cash-flowing, and I was able to get a first right of refusal on another location to purchase within a year, followed by one other studio under different ownership. Then when the opportunity came to acquire two other locations, I brought my total ownership to 5 studios.
I’ve also gotten involved with some other investments along the way to try and diversify, and I continue to evolve and adjust as I go. At this stage of life, I’m definitely looking to simplify a bit and gain a better work-life balance as well, but I never want to quit learning. When I’m not working, I’m usually spending time with my son and playing the part of hockey mom, working out, traveling or catching up with friends. I’ve been doing some writing as well, which has been a lifelong goal of mine.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s never easy, but easy is also relative, and it changes based on our current mindset. It’s kind of like rollerblading – I’m not sure when you tried that last!? I remember rollerblading as a kid and flying all over the place without a care in the world. Well I recently tried rollerblading again for the first time in a long time, and let me tell you, it was not what I remembered. It was scary. It was hard! A tiny decline in elevation, and I was bailing out into the grass. It’s kind of similar in my business experience. My mindset was primed to deal with it. When I look back at some of the challenges faced, it seems crazy to think that we made it through, but at the time there was just no question about making it. Focusing on the struggle more than the goal was just never something I allowed, so my mindset at the time made it less hard in a way. I was willing to do whatever was required of me and put in as much work as was needed to make it work. That meant long hours, late nights, early mornings and some stressful situations, but I pushed through and it was worth it.
Covid was obviously a huge struggle and a scary time. No one could travel and most people weren’t going into work, which made our dog daycare and boarding services almost completely unnecessary. I’ll never forget April 2020, our first full month during the pandemic – our revenue for that month was down 90%!! Those were stressful times, but that’s something people miss in business. Nothing is guaranteed and it’s never as easy as a lot of people think when looking in from the outside.
As the pandemic was finally starting to relieve, I faced a series of big personal changes and challenges, including an injury to my spine that had me literally unable to walk for awhile. Dealing with all of that was a lot on its own, but it didn’t mean I could sit back on my business obligations. As the owner, there’s no one to call in to, and you can’t request a mental health day. There are so many things on the back end that business owners deal with, and it can be lonely at the top. Some seasons are just about surviving.
Those challenges built resilience though, and while I wouldn’t have hand-picked them, they made me think in new ways and learn additional strategies for handling things, as well as force necessary change. Today, our biggest challenges are rising costs, staffing issues and a bit of saturation in the market. The most important thing is being aware of your obstacles and trying to be ahead of them to redirect if needed.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Amazing Lash Studio?
We specialize in a variety of lash and brow services, including lash extensions, lash lifts & tints, brow laminations and facial waxing. Additionally, we’re really excited to be adding skincare services in April, which include a variety of facial treatments and add-ons. We offer memberships that can be used for any service (including the new facials) and allow your services to be at discounted pricing. We have studios in Eagan, Edina, Maple Grove, Vadnais Heights and Woodbury.
One thing we’re really proud of is rebuilding the reputation at a couple of our newer locations, where trust had declined due to previous ownership. When we took over, we found a lot of things had fallen through the cracks, and we’ve worked really hard to get those studios back to the level of expected service for an Amazing Lash and consistent with our other locations. We had some resistance at first, as not everyone realized we weren’t associated with previous owners, but our client base now is awesome. We appreciate them so much and love taking care of them.
Something I’m so grateful for as a franchisee is my amazing team. Since I don’t personally provide services, I have to lean on my experienced estheticians, cosmetologists and lash techs to excel in the actual experience. They are passionate about what they do and get genuine joy from helping each client feel pampered and achieve the look or result that is best for them. I pair my business expertise and leadership with their craft, and I’m always looking for staff members that want to learn and grow more on the business side as well.
We also love partnering with performance teams and organizations in the community, and we’re a proud sponsor of the MN Timberwolves Dance Team.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Personally? Outside of professional aspirations, I guess I am still a bit of an over achiever, and I’m not afraid of a little adventure. One thing I’m proud of is that I completed the trek to Mount Everest Base Camp in the fall of 2023. This was a bit of a bucket list goal for me, but it also became a momentous milestone of recovery and repair after my spine injury and subsequent surgery. I had fallen from being extremely active and into fitness – to being injured and unable to even walk across my house – to healing, rehabbing and training enough to be able to complete the trek. Again, our mindset is everything – it is both our greatest asset and our greatest obstacle. I have definitely experienced both!
Pricing:
- $89 Full Set Lashes – special price for readers of Voyage Minnesota
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazinglashstudio.com
- Instagram: @amazinglashstudiominnesota @angiedeckermn
