One Decade Later: A 10-Year Reflective of The Brow Project
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
Ten years. Ten f*cking years. An entire decade of The Brow Project is upon us - how has it already been 10 whole years?! 2016 birthed the beginning of something I could never imagine scaling to what it has; helping so many individuals. Of course; that started with creating their brows, their lips - to now still doing that AND helping them remove tattoos & old PMU they've longed to ditch. At the core of this, though, has and will always remain the desire of helping instill confidence. Whether that's finding newfound confidence with a fresh lip blush, or helping nurture & restore it via tattoo removal, it has ALWAYS been about helping people become their most unapologetically confident versions of themselves. If I have even done that for one person in these past 10 years, I would be happy - luckily, I've done it for a fewwww more than that.
The Brow Project really started with 3 things: a dream, PMU skills (proof is in the pudding, y'all) - and sheer, borderline-frightening determination.
No one really tells you how truly terrifying it is to open your own storefront. Well, actually that's not true - most business owners would and have definitely said that. So maybe I'm reiterating a well-trodded-upon point, but nonetheless: it's f*cking SCARY. It's something that I realized requires a lot of vulnerability, a lot of humility, and a heavy dose of believing in yourself. That self-confidence cannot waver; not even for a second.
No one tells you either how much you have to be okay with learning as you go. Well, that's also not true - there's quite literally multiple sayings about being a student of life; but again, I digress. During my initial growth period, the phrase “You don’t know what you don’t know." was basically my lived experience monthly, weekly - hell, really daily. You get to learn so many fun things about hiring, payroll, learning how to scale, bills (fun, right?!)
If you're a 90s baby that also experienced the late 2010's in their 20's, I'm sure you remember when the concept of a #GirlBoss was basically shoved down every woman's throat. Do it all, crush it, rise to the top & look hot doing it! It was basically revered to wear every hat and with grace, poise & ease. So I did. I wore every hat, managed every "department" and found myself essentially just chasing society’s definition of “success.” And what happens when you start living for societal standards instead of your own? You, dear reader, lose touch with the person you are. I went from building & growing TBP to quite literally becoming TBP. Was this also out of necessity? Sure - but damn, did it come at a steep cost. I've learned how to delegate, how to take a step back when I need to, how to avoid overwhelm, and ultimately how to make this into a sustainable entity that still brings me joy every single day. And when you set off on your own to build your dream business, isn't that what it's really about? Happiness?
We made it through the late-2010's "Girl Boss" era, we made it through 2020 (we were all there, we don't need to dwell on that too long) - and here we are, 10 whole years later (sorry for repeating that number so many times, but double digits is still something my brain can't quite comprehend!) I've definitely grown a lot as a person since 2016. You might recall from my 9 year reflective last year, but in 2020 I embarked on my mental health journey through Onsite Workshops in Tennessee. I really mean it when I say this decision changed the trajectory of my life. I became equipped with the tools on how to protect my mental health, both as a business owner AND as a human. I didn't realize how badly I needed to rediscover myself as a person separate from my business, separate from TBP. It truly forced me to acknowledge my mental & physical needs and learn how to be the best version of myself, in order to show up for both others and for myself. I continued my journey of self-discovery & in 2024 received my ADHD diagnosis + medication - something I had no idea would be SO impactful. If you take one thing away from this entire reflective, please let it be to not ignore your mental health. Business owner or not; aspiring entrepreneur or not. This is so important for EVERYONE.
In recent years, I've started to branch out professionally as well! Last summer I was lucky enough to be invited to Wulop PMU Conference in Vietnam to spearhead Team USA! I really fell in love with MC'ing & speaking during this event, and have loved getting to do it more during events like PMU World Live this past September in Miami and at Biotek Masterclass Training sessions in both Dallas & NYC. I'd be lying if I said it was pushing me out of my comfort zone completely - because if you know me, you know I love cracking jokes and yapping it up with both people I know AND total strangers... so this is definitely in my wheelhouse. It has, however, pushed me professionally and helped me grow; continuous growth even years into your business is so important (always a student of life, remember?)
Speaking of, I've continued to attend trainings for both PMU artistry & laser! Techniques always evolve and it's so important to avoid stagnating as a professional in this space. From Korean Lip Blush trainings in San Fran to pigmentology classes led by Biotek, I wish to always be at the top of my game so I can continue to deliver the best results for my clients.
Now that I've mentioned lasers, what a great time to talk about how much the business itself has changed in a decade! That's right folks, we aren't just brows & lips anymore. 2025 marked the arrival of the PICOSure Pro Laser: my baby, my pride & joy - and this has genuinely transformed my studio. You want that old tattoo of your ex's name or that cringy quote off your body? You've got it with PICO tattoo removal. You want your botched microblading gone? Consider it done. Want to neutralize your lips? Kiss that pigmentation goodbye. You want to treat melasma on your skin? PICO Skin Rejuvenation has you covered. PICO could have the biggest FIFA ad slot and I'd still say it's underrated. If you haven't kept up with TBP in a sec (don't worry, nobody's perfect 😜) and any of those scenarios apply to you, you NEED to check out PICO. Seriously - this laser deserves every ounce of hype I and others give it & MORE.
To wrap this very long reflective up (because at this point it'll take 10 years to read all of this) - None of the past decade would have been possible without you: my clients + community; my biggest sources of trust & inspiration. In the same way I’ve shown up for you personally or professionally, you’ve shown up for me. Whether you’ve been a day-one 2016 OG, or you've just walked through my doors for the inaugural time, you’ve made more of an impact than you’ll probably ever know.
Cheers to a DECADE - 10 whole freakin' years of growth, genuine connections, and to always being the most unapologetic, authentically-you version of yourself.
Oh - and to some kicka** brows & kissable AF lips.
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