Sarah-Anne Barham has made the leap from home-based lash artist to successful business owner, opening her first salon in Felixstowe, Suffolk. AMANDA PAULEY discovers how specialising in lashes has paid off

It’s been a whirlwind 14 months for lash artist Sarah-Anne Barham. Not only was she crowned extension brand Novalash’s Lash Artist of the Year 2017 and named a 2018 brand ambassador, but the 24-year-old entrepreneur fulfilled her dream of transitioning from home-based tech to opening her first premises, launching Sarah-Anne’s Beauty in her home town of Felixstowe in November.

“After winning the Novalash LashOff Contest I was in a situation where I couldn’t take on anymore clients because I was inundated with requests. I could continue treating clients in my dad’s cart lodge, which would mean closing my books and posting less on social media, or take a risk and buy my own salon so I could offer more lashes,” explains Barham.

The two-floor salon features an open-plan reception, two nail bars, a make-up area and five treatment rooms, two of which are dedicated lash extension rooms as Barham wants this to be the business’s specialism. “I love doing lashes and want to predominately stick with these treatments, especially as I had such a big waiting list already,” says Barham.

She now employs two other lash artists, hiring those with the same passion and eye for detail as her. “They had to be perfectionists like me,” she says. “They trained with Novalash then did an additional week of intense lash training with me so that they were up to speed with how I work.” Since opening, lash treatments have accounted for around 65% of the salon’s total bookings, earning Barham the nickname “the lash lady”.

Change of pace

However, the salon does offer other services including nails, make-up, spray tans, and face and body treatments, as well as the SB Signature Package. “It’s a four-hour package where clients can indulge in any four treatments on the menu, along with a smoothie,” says Barham. “Because of the space I have, I’m able to offer clients a detox morning or afternoon and it’s great because no one else in the area is doing that kind of thing.”

Clockwise: Inside the salon, Barham with her LashOff Contest trophy

Opening the salon didn’t come without its challenges, including new overheads such as rent, staff salaries and maintenance fees. “It’s a 200-year-old building and we had problems with the heating because it was so cold,” says Barham. Even managing a diary system was new for the lash pro, who used to keep appointments on her phone and communicate with clients via text. “I had to completely change how I worked,” she adds.

New responsibilities

The biggest learning curve, however, has been managing a team for the first time. “I’ve never been someone’s boss before and initially it was hard because it took me out of my comfort zone,” she says. “I had to learn how to delegate and let someone else take the reins in a treatment, which is hard when it’s your reputation on the line. I’ve got better though, and I feel like I’m able to step back now. I don’t get as worked up and think ‘I need to get back to the salon’ when I’m out at a meeting.”

Finding the right location was also a big undertaking, especially as the town centre already had numerous beauty salons. Barham explains: “The town was a bit saturated, so I set up in a little village just outside Felixstowe. It has a lot of free parking space which is great as that was always a big benefit for my clients – they parked on my parents’ drive when I was at home.”

I had to learn how to let someone else take the reins in a treatment, which is hard when it’s your reputation on the line

Opened: November 13

Size: 1,000sq ft

Treatment rooms: five

Team: two full-time therapists who are fully trained lash artists, one part-time receptionist, one freelance make-up artist

Brands: Dermalogica, Lycon, Novalash, OPI, Sienna X

Ahead of the curve

Barham’s success has also helped drive Novalash’s reputation in the area, leading her to become somewhat of a trendsetter. “Before

I won the competition there were only three of us doing Novalash lashes in Felixstowe and now there are more than 20 in the area and we’re all booked pretty much back-to-back, which is impressive in a small town of 18,000,” adds Barham.

Social media is still at the core of Barham’s business plan, with her following growing from 100 to 2,000 on Instagram and rising from 300 to 1,000 on

Facebook in the past year. “I’ve never done any paid advertising.

I’ve always relied on word-ofmouth recommendations and growing my presence on social organically,” says Barham. “I think if you offer a top-notch service then people will remember you.”

Now, Barham is regularly tagged in clients’ posts, other budding lash artists get in contact wanting her to critique their work and “there’s one woman on Instagram from Thailand who wants to travel over to the UK so I can train her,” she says.

So, what’s the plan for 2018? “To continue to raise my profile as a lash pro all over the world, cement my salon’s reputation even further and potentially invest in some machinery for anti-ageing.” PB