Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassy Blum.
Hi Cassy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Absolutely! I actually remember the day I came up with the idea. I was rocking my son to sleep in his nursery and I knew that as much as I loved my children, I could not be a stay at home mom for the rest of their lives. At this point, I had been staying at home for a couple of years now with our 4-year-old daughter and we had recently been blessed with 9our 5-month-old son.
I started brainstorming ideas of things I could do while still being able to stay at home with my children. I also thought about what the Brainerd Lakes Area was lacking. I have always loved the beauty industry- so to be fully transparent I researched things I could do without having to go to school for 8 hours a day and still be able to take care of my children.
I started to think of things I was most interested in. Hair, makeup, and tanning. Sunless tanning was becoming more and more popular. I found that The Sunless Tanners market in the U.S. was estimated at US$386.1 Million for the year 2021. I then looked into things like licensing, schooling, investment, etc. I also knew there wasn’t anything like this in our area, but was very popular in bigger cities. So by the time my husband got home at 5 pm I had already signed up for my training and ordered all my supplies. Not only that, but I had a list of things for him to do to turn our downstairs into my home tanning studio.
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?
I think with starting any new business, and even well-established businesses, challenges will always arise. I think the biggest one for us was how quickly we grew and not knowing how to handle it.
When I first started in January of 2021, I was only working when my husband got home from work around 5 pm to maybe 8pm on the weeknights. As warmer weather approached I quickly became busy and knew that I had to open up days. This meant finding childcare for my children and figuring out how to manage this business out of my home. Although it was a challenge in this case a very good one!
I think another big thing that can become hard is dealing with mental health as a business owner. A lot of people don’t realize what happens “behind the scenes”. I know that for myself after busy season I had to take a step back and work on self care, it’s really easy to lose yourself when you are starting out a business and putting all your time and energy into it. Also, everyone talks about the highs of business, but never the lows. There WILL be slow times and sometimes it’s easy to get down on yourself and wonder what you’re doing wrong. It’s normal to have a slow period and I often had to remind myself of that.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
First off I should say, The Notorious Beauty Bar was formally The Notorious T.A.N. (yes, after The Notorious B.I.G.). Since then we have expanded from airbrush tanning to professional teeth whitening, hair styling, and makeup services so I decided to change the name to better represent the business.
I think what sets us apart from others is we started out with airbrush tanning meaning it was the ONLY thing we were focused on. I had a lot of time to perfect the craft and try out so many different solutions to see what worked best for my clients. Now that we have expanded our services slowly I am excited to start offering them to everyone and show what we have been working on this winter! Wedding season is one of our most busiest times and we are so excited.
Another thing that a lot of our clients have told us they love is our mobile option. This means we can give you a custom airbrush tan or teeth whitening in the comfort of your own home! Mobile tanning parties are also really popular, it has been a fun girls’ night.
I am so thankful for this past year and all my amazing clients who have made my dreams go beyond what I could have ever hoped for. I wouldn’t be close to where I am today without the support so many have brought to me. We were able to open a new location in August of 2021 in Baxter, MN!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is spending time with my grandma and grandpa at their farm. My grandpa owned his own dairy farm business and I loved when he would take me out on tractor rides.
Pricing:
- Standard Tan $45
- Rapid Tan $55
- Professional Teeth Whitening $99
- Super Gel Teeth Whitening $150
- Bridal Services $75+
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: thenotoriousbeautybar.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenotoriousbeautybar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenotorioustan/
- Other: https://thenotorioustan.glossgenius.com/
Image Credits
Amber Bauer Photography
