Katie is a Hungarian esthetician specializing in non-surgical acne and anti-aging skin treatments in the heart of Yorkville, Toronto.
Her mission is to enhance her clients’ natural beauty and boost their confidence by using the latest edge technologies and creating products with the highest quality ingredients.
We asked Katie some questions to learn more about her journey:
Tell us about your journey as both a mom & a boss
I grew up one of seven children in a small town in Hungary and went on to study specialized skincare in Europe. In my 20s I decided it was time to take the leap and move to Canada in search of more opportunities.
Moving to a new country and learning the language was very difficult especially with a young daughter but it was so clear to me that Hungarian/European skincare techniques were not as available here so I knew there was an opportunity and niche for me to help clients with severe acne and anti-aging concerns.
Being an immigrant you have no choice but to make it so I didn’t take no for an answer and opening up my own salon almost 30 years ago. I was a young mom and a new business owner, it was difficult to find balance.
When something is your passion, you love to do it and are inspired daily. I believe my clients could sense this and over time my clientele grew and I would expand little by little. I believe if you truly offer value to clients, you will be successful because business is all about finding a need and filling it. Skincare is my passion and I love positively impacting my clients every day!
If you have any advice to offer your younger self what would it be?
I believe being a mother to my girl is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I also love my work with a strong passion! So, I found it difficult to find a balance between these two avenues in my life – trying to build a successful business on one hand and being a great mother to my daughter. Many times I would have so much guilt about not being fully present in one of those places In my life.
This is why when I look back the advice to my younger self would be to stop feeling so guilty all the time! Enjoy the moment you are in more and trust that everything will work out just fine because it will! Yes, there will be difficult times, but it’ll pass and if you enjoy the moment you will be present more and give greater value to both avenues!
How did you navigate staying motivated during the pandemic?
To be honest, it was very difficult but I continue to tell myself the mantra ‘don’t stress over things you cannot change’ again and again. Instead, I tried to focus all my energy on what I could control and shape, such as growing my online sales, developing my own skincare line, delivering my products to my loyal clients, and conducting virtual consultations to try to help my clients through their skin issues in that way. I believe there is an opportunity in everything, so I took the lockdown time as an opportunity to slow down, refocus and work on different areas and never stop learning about skincare and my business.
What does your daily routine look like?
In the morning start each day with a quick ride on my Peleton, this helps me release any anxiety I may have from being in lockdown. Then I enjoy a coffee and call my family that lives in Hungary. I’ll do some breathing exercises and then I am ready to start the day!
Running a small business has many small tasks that need to be done behind the scenes that to ensure a beautiful and luxurious experience for the client so I try to get those out of the way the moment I step into the salon.
To Follow Katie’s journey and learn more visit @katieskincarecaKhadijah Ghaffar
