JAMIE-LEE Jones was once working 60 hours a week as a burnt out beautician, but now, she’s doing exactly the same job and making £280,000 a year.
The 39-year-old entrepreneur and mum-of-three, from Wiltshire, was a struggling single mother living in a council house and surviving off benefits when her beauty brand was close to crashing down.
But after turning her life around, the once single mother, who has an eight-year-old, 13-year-old and 15-year-old, transformed her beauty business from burnout to booming profits after seeking strategic mentoring.
Prior to this, Jamie-Lee, who is also known as ‘The Salon Whisperer’ was stuck working evenings and weekends doing low-value treatments, but now works just two days a week and drives a Tesla.
Since working with business mentor Natasha Britton, Jamie-Lee, owner of B-Unique Beauty & Aesthetics, has grown her salon’s turnover from £75,000 to £280,000 a year.
Reflecting on her business growth, Jamie-Lee exclusively tells Fabulous: “When I was self-employed, I was working around 60 hours a week for not very much money. I was probably on £20,000 a year after costs.
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“It was an absolute struggle working around the children. It wasn’t easy at all. I was given a council house and was starting from scratch.
“I was working just to keep myself above water and had to go on benefits. It was a struggle and I was asking my mum to help me with money.
“When I finally managed to open my salon, I had no idea what I was doing, I was winging it. Everything was going well-ish and then I hit the VAT threshold.
“Everything crumbled and threw me under. I had £7,000 left in my bank account which needed to pay my rent and all my outgoings.
“I reached out to Natasha and gave her last £7,000 in the hope that she could help me turn my business around.
“That’s when things started to change. When I started with Natasha, I didn’t buy any new machinery, I didn’t get any new staff, I literally just changed everything that I had in front of me.”
Life-changing journey
Now, B-Unique Beauty & Aesthetics turns over around £25,000 a month, which has been “life-changing” for Jamie-Lee and her family.
The entrepreneur adds: “The turnaround was incredible. I went from £75,000 revenue to £213,000 within 12 months.
“With our packages, in 30 minutes, I can make over £2,000. By the end of this year, we’re forecasted to have made £283,000.
“Obviously it’s been up and down but I never thought I would achieve over £250,000 revenue in the salon.”
Prior to opening her salon, Jamie-Lee was self-employed and doing beauty treatments from home.
But it was incredibly “hectic,” which inspired the mother to open up B-Unique Beauty & Aesthetics in 2020.
She continues: “I was a single mum with two under two, so the kids would go to bed and then I’d have people around to do treatments. I’d get up at 4am to practice – it was hectic but I was dedicated.
“I literally worked every second of every day so I could save for my own salon. I wanted to do it debt-free so I literally worked non-stop.”
Feeling burnt out and ‘winging it’
But Jamie-Lee was left feeling massively burnt out, which not only impacted her mentally, but also caused the breakdown of her marriage.
The business owner reflects: “It took a massive toll and because I’d been so burnt out, me and my partner ended up getting divorced but thankfully we are back together now.
“It massively affected our family – I missed out on everything to do with my children, their whole youth. It did destroy our family.
“I was tired, burnt out, obsessed with saving money and mentally really struggling. I was at the lowest point I’ve ever been in my life. I was on my own and I had no choice – because I had overheads I had to make it work.”
Jamie-Lee, who has autism and ADHD, managed to save £30,000 to open her salon, but soon after opening, was hit with roadblock after roadblock.
She explains: “I worked so hard and it was for about a year that I literally did non-stop saving.
“COVID hit just as I opened the salon. That was the struggle. I wasn’t prepared for what was going to happen.
“I wasn’t business-minded, I just thought, ‘I’m gonna open a salon and it’s all gonna be fun and games, and everything’s gonna go well.’
“Because of my autism, I’ve always struggled to deal with people and I had to learn very fast how to deal with anything, because obviously nothing ever goes to plan when you’re opening a business.”
The five savvy tweaks that changed everything
In 2022, after reaching breaking point, Jamie-Lee turned to six-figure CEO and online mentor Natasha Britton for help.
She admits: “I was like, I need Natasha now because I can’t do this.”
Since being coached by Natasha, Jamie-Lee was able to totally transform her business. Now, she has a team of six, only works two days a week and it’s all thanks to five savvy tweaks – focusing on staff, systems, customer service, client retention and of course, being unique.
The beauty guru explains: “I work 10 hours a week doing advanced treatments but that’s because I want to do them, because that’s my hobby.”
Revealing an insight into her top tips to transform a struggling business, Jamie-Lee advises: “Having staff and building a team is so important. That is how I have grown – by directing and having a leadership style.
“Having systems in place is also key – I had no strategies or systems in place, my staff were just winging it just as much as I was.
“There was no structure and I wasn’t in control of my staff. Once Natasha came on board with me, I put contracts in place and changed staff support, so that made a massive difference.
Top 40 beauty tips that have been handed down from generations
1. Never go to bed in make up
2. Moisturise daily
3. Don’t pick at your spots, to avoid scarring
4. Get enough sleep to prevent tired-looking skin
5. When it comes to make-up, less is more
6. Trim your hair regularly to prevent split ends
7. Don’t forget to moisturise your neck and décolletage
8. Drink a big glass of water each morning to cleanse and rehydrate
9. Gently pat your face dry with a towel instead of rubbing to avoid irritation
10. Avoid using too much heat on your hair to prevent damage
11. Remove makeup gently, especially around the eyes
12. Use a lip balm to keep your lips soft and prevent chapping
13. Put cucumbers on eyes to help reduce puffiness
14. Choose a foundation that matches your neck to avoid a mismatched face
15. Wash your face in cold water after cleansing to close pores.
16. Rinsing hair in cold water to increase the shine
17. Wear sunscreen/SPF protection every day, no matter the weather
18. Use a cold spoon to reduce under-eye puffiness
19. Use petroleum jelly to tame brows and moisturise lips
20. Test skincare products on a small patch of skin before using them all over your face
21. Never spend longer than 30 minutes in direct sunlight
22. Exfoliate your skin regularly to remove dead skin cells
23. Wear gloves on hands and socks on feet after putting cream on overnight
24. Wear brown mascara for a less harsh look
25. Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks for a natural glow
26. Wash hair in beer to make in shiny
27. Invest in a good quality eye cream
28. Keep your makeup brushes clean to avoid breakouts
29. Apply eye cream to reduce puffiness and dark circles
30. Apply a heat protectant before using styling tools on your hair
31. Brush your hair 100 strokes per day
32. Head massages for hair growth
33. Deep condition your hair weekly to keep it healthy and shiny
34. Wrap hair in a warm towel to enhance a hair treatment
35. Use a silk pillowcase to reduce hair frizz and skin wrinkles
36. Use a facial mask once a week for deep cleansing
37. Use a gentle, non-comedogenic cleanser to prevent clogged pores
38. Exfoliate your lips using your toothbrush
39. Use mayonnaise as a hair conditioner
40. Use a primer before applying foundation for a smoother finish
“When it comes to the customer service, that was a massive change for me. We have a front of house and we work on that customer journey, so there’s never any rushing, clients aren’t just in and out – they are literally treated like royalty when they come to us.
“That was a game changer. Beforehand I was literally working 60 hours a week but on benefits, because all my profit was going to the salon and the overheads, so I actually had no profit.
“The clients were in, out, in, out. I was trying to get as many clients in and out as possible, but now we’ve got high-ticketed clients and they’re happy to pay the high prices because we don’t rush them out.”
Additionally, Jamie-Lee also adds: “Another thing I did that changed my business was working on client retention. We were always trying to find new clients but now, we’ve increased our client retention rate from 34% to 83% – we’ve got one of the highest retention rates in the UK.
“Being unique is important as well, which is why I’ve called the salon B-Unique, because we do things that no others do in the area.
“We have a private car park and a soul sanctuary that supports mental health and wellbeing – it’s about coming up with ideas so that people can see that you are different and not just any other salon.”
Coaching, travelling and driving a Tesla
Reflecting on her growth, the savvy mum beams: “We changed the business round within months and every year business has carried on getting better and better.
“I came off benefits pretty much as soon after I started with Natasha – I didn’t need them and now it’s given my life back with my children. I’ve been able to build a bond up with my children that I never had and that was massive.
“I’ve been able to focus on the gym and my mental health – before I struggled a lot, so I didn’t do the gym. Now I’m transformed and in the best shape of my life.
“Now I am coaching, like Natasha does, to help others that were in my situation to build up their own businesses.”
As well as transforming her mental health, this successful mother now has a Tesla and goes on multiple holidays a year too, as she adds: “At the end of last year, my accountant told me to withdraw £40,000, so I got my Tesla. It’s something that I always wanted – my dream car.
“I went to the Dominican Republic by myself and travelled. I’ve been able to take the kids away on holidays every year.
“I can go away and not worry about the salon. I know that I’m earning money without being there as my staff know what to do, and are really good at following the structure I have in place. That gives me massive peace of mind.”
The key to being a successful entrepreneur
And when it comes to what makes a successful entrepreneur, Jamie-Lee adds: “When I started, I really cared what people thought and I hated upsetting people. When I had to turn my salon around, there were people that did not like me and I did lose staff.
“I was prepared for that because I had no choice. It was either that or I literally was going to lose my business within months, I was gonna have to shut it down, so I had to massively learn to be resilient and that changed me massively.
“You need to be adaptive – beforehand, I wasn’t very adaptive at all. It was my way or no way. But now I am much more bespoke.”
I was on my own and I had no choice – because I had overheads I had to make it work
Jamie-Lee Jones
Passion is crucial too, as Jamie-Lee reflects: “For me, it’s not about money. All I want to do is change the standards in the beauty industry, that is my main goal.”
Now, Jamie-Lee has four coaching clients and is helping others to boost their businesses, just like Natasha did for her.
She concludes: “I’m helping them which is really fun, and we’ve already started seeing changes.
“I’ve set up a group on Facebook where people can join and discuss with one another, free of charge, and support others. I don’t want anyone to feel lonely like I did, so it’s all about building that community.”
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