SPRING 2020 BOX PARTNER
This season, the female founders behind the Spring Box are diving deep into the pivotal moments in their lives that helped them get to where they are today.
Leah Todd, co-founder and brand director of Aria Beauty, shares why having a ‘yes’ mentality is crucial to have a flourishing career and life.
When I reflect on the biggest turning points in my life, I can see that they usually stemmed from situations when I decided to take a chance.
At 21, I went to school to study public relations. Upon graduation, however, I didn’t feel ready to jump into a career: I was unsure of myself and didn’t have a clear idea of what I was doing. I was intimidated by the thirty-somethings I saw being account managers or designers, or something else that sounded impossible for me to handle on my own. I didn’t yet trust my own abilities.
A few years went by and, somewhat spontaneously, I decided to go to hair school and become a stylist. Hairdressing was a great job — as soon as you say “I’m a hairstylist,” people are engaged and interested. They want to know what you’d do to their hair, as well as what they should do with their lives! People commonly confide more in their hairdressers than many of the other people in their lives, and I loved that each client would leave my salon feeling more beautiful and happier than when they came in.
After a few years, I was ready for another change because I knew I didn’t want to work behind a chair forever. At 29, I enrolled in school to become a holistic nutritionist, and much of the program focused on how to build a small business. While I learned a lot about both mental and physical health, by the end of the program I knew I didn’t want to work with food or nutrition. Instead, I had figured out by process of elimination that I wanted to work in sales. I set myself a list of three goals — that within the year I wanted to be:
1. A rising star in a company
2. Closing deals
3. Traveling to exciting places for business and pleasure
Within a month I had started at a company and was using skills I had learned from all three of my educational programs. I moved around a bit in the company but within a few months, I had achieved all three goals on my list. I remember the ecstatic feeling when I went to my first beauty show in Hong Kong: we worked morning till night for days, and I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be.
When you learn a trade, you’ll never be out of work if you have the hustle. Of all the things I’ve done in my life, becoming a hairdresser has probably furthered my career the most. From product development to sales meetings to brand education, I’m able to speak the language of hair and understand what both business owners and the stylist/end-consumer is looking for. In fact, all three core Aria Beauty team members come from a stylist background.
In my experience, the most important thing — during any phase of life — is developing a positive mindset. Every time you say ‘yes’ to trying something, whether it be a new hobby or skill, doors open to new paths and new opportunities. Even if you don’t pursue that thing long term, you will encounter something or someone who influences your life.
This attitude is the quality I most look for in my team, too. We enjoy every day of the journey — we relish our creativity, celebrate the wins, strategize over the losses and never choose a negative mindset. This is the way to a beautiful career and a beautiful life.
xx, Leah Todd
Want to read more stories from female founders? Click here to learn what exactly inspired this entrepreneur bring moments of self-care to other women’s lives.
