Member Profile – Claudette Lingenfelder
What is the name of your business and what is your role? Le Beauty Boutique – therapist and owner.
Describe your business in two sentences. Providing all the beauty essentials every man and women needs. Your one stop beauty shop.
How long have you been in business? 11 months
How did you get into this business? After studying skincare, health and beauty in 2007, I graduated & went on to work for Carnival cruise lines in America as a therapist in their spa, worked there for a year, didn’t enjoy the party vibes to much so I then moved to Abu Dhabi and worked for the Hilton Hotel Spa as a therapist, lived there for 3 years then decided to go back on cruise ships for a further 2 years but this time on Oceania cruises also as a spa therapist. In April 2014 I came back to SA, got married, then decided to still stay in the beauty industry as this is my passion so I opened up my own salon – Le Beauty Boutique.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and how did you overcome it? That would have to be rude and disrespectful clients. I have learnt that the clients are not always right, we are all humans and make mistakes however if we have done nothing wrong I don’t expect disrespectful or rude clients to demand things, so we now have a sign in our reception area informing clients that respect works both ways and rude/disrespectful clients are not welcome as we believe in happy vibes. Working with different nationalities has also taught me that you should mirror people’s attitude towards you and that helped a lot!
What single trait/skill could you not have succeeded without? My experience and knowledge in the beauty industry as this helped me to get to where I am today, knowledge is power.
What is the best business advice you’ve received? Never look at how much something is going to cost you, rather look at how much it is going to make you!!
Your secret to business success is? Marketing marketing marketing, that’s the only way you can get your company out there, and grow. You can never have too many clients.
What is your business goal for 2016? To build the business to a point that it can be franchised.
Tell us one thing that not many people know about you? I can be very fun loving and adventurous.
