Helping People Feel Satisfied, Confident, and Comfortable in Their Own Skin with Siri Julsrud
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Rochester! We recently chatted with Siri Julsrud, who runs her own waxing studio and brow care business.
Photo contributed by Siri Julsrud.
“I was always really passionate about beauty and skincare, even as a little girl. But I never really considered it a career option.” Siri Julsrud, now owner of SiBeauty LLC, explained.
Growing up, Siri loved makeup and skincare and later, in college, she taught herself how to wax her eyebrows and began doing it for her friends and roommates.
“When I went to college in Winona in 2010, I remember it just being the default. That’s just what you did. You graduated high school and went to college so you could have a career. My dad at the time had pushed me to go into beauty school because he knew it was the kind of thing I loved to do. But instead I went into marketing.”
However, a year into her studies, it became clear to Siri that the program was not working for her.
“I decided to move to the Twin Cities, experience a new place, and figure out what I wanted to do,” Siri explained.
She lived there for the next five years, during which time she acquired her esthetician license from the Aveda Institute and worked as a bartender. In 2017, she moved to Rochester and began working for the European Wax Center.
“Living in the Twin Cities was very fun, but also very expensive. When my mom moved here it seemed like a good time to transition and be closer to family.”
Although Siri only intended to stay in Rochester for a year, she’s made a life for herself here and in 2021, made the decision to start her own waxing business.
“I think working for a large franchise business really motivated me to branch out and create my own brand and business. I knew that I was doing good work and creating good relationships with clients, but not really reaping the benefits of doing so. Ultimately, thinking back, I’ve always had a desire to work for myself and eventually decided to make that change.”
In July of that year, Siri opened her salon suite out of Studio 65, a space that leases salon suites to independent beauty professionals.
“My clients have been so supportive and I feel very blessed by that. I’ve grown a lot just by word of mouth and it’s been really encouraging seeing support from the community. I think a lot of people here really prefer to support small businesses and individuals which is so important.”
Photo contributed by Siri Julsrud.
Although Siri is happy with the success of her business so far, she explained that one of the greatest challenges is just getting over the initial fear of failure and taking the leap.
“Going in, I knew a lot about the beauty industry but very little about business. To an extent I had to jump in blindly, not sure if clients would follow me or if I would be able to make rent.”
Another challenge has been keeping up with the ever changing world of social media and staying relevant.
“So many people find out about businesses through social media, so there definitely is a lot of pressure to stay on top of what people are looking for, what’s popular, and creating an aesthetically pleasing feed.”
Siri finds her relationships with her clients to be the most rewarding and fun part of her work.
“Some of my clients have been with me since day one and it’s so fun building up that rapport to a point that working with my clients feels more like catching up with friends.”
She continued, “It’s also wonderful to see that smile on someone’s face coming out of an appointment. Knowing that my work helps people feel satisfied, confident, and comfortable in their own skin is amazing.”
Outside of work, Siri loves trying out new restaurants, going to concerts, walks outdoors, and traveling.
For those considering business ownership, Siri said, “Fear holds us back in a lot of things in life and if you don't attempt to do something, you're never going to succeed. Do your research, but know that you’re going to have to learn a lot along the way, and that’s okay. Ask other people in the field you want to get into for advice. Work hard. Nothing worthwhile comes easy.”
Thank you for taking the time to read Siri’s story! If you find value in this content, please consider donating to help Collider continue amplifying the voices of Rochester entrepreneurs. You can also find out more about SiBeauty LLC by clicking the link below!
Article by Corrie Strommen, Director of Communications at Collider.
