Dynamic Beauty

While some businesses are closing or down-sizing, Wilma’s hard work, positive attitude and perseverance is allowing her to expand her business.

Wilma Ryan studied law and worked in the corporate world in a high-profile position. However, the demands of a job in which she was responsible for 40 people left her little time for the demands of family life, especially the needs of her 18-month-old daughter. As Wilma’s life started to spiral out of control the money, the job and its status began to mean less and less to her. Desperately unhappy, she felt like she was missing a bigger calling in her life. She knew that she wanted to make a difference in the world but did not know how to make the jump from a high paying job to her own business. As beauty had always been her passion she decided to investigate a well-known beauty salon franchise. Praying that God to open the right doors and make a way for her to own her own business, she resigned from her job and took a leap of faith into the unknown – and it paid off.

She ran her own business very successfully for six years until the triple effect of a bad economy, soaring rent and outstanding franchise fees forced her to face another defining moment while she was a finalist for Mrs Africa 2016 and she sadly closed her business. Undertaking pledges to pay off the outstanding debt, in the midst of the turmoil, Wilma opened a small salon from a flatlet on top of someone’s garage. For six months she battled through many challenges but kept going while constantly on her knees in prayer. After crying out to God yet again in a desperate moment, she miraculously found an amazing nail technician to help her in the business. Together they formed a powerful team and with unity and prayer, she slowly evolved into a new (anti-aging skin care clinic) franchise called, “Needleless to say”. To start working your way up from a “no-name” or new brand like Needleless To Say, she learned that hard marketing and personal interaction with clients was absolutely essential.

“If I had known some of the skills that I learned from the “Needleless to Say” brand, I probably would have never closed my first salon. Especially the way I now consult and trust God patiently in every discussion and every staff employment.”

Being hands-on in the smaller business made her feel like she was making a daily impact in women’s lives while working on their skin with the latest skincare and anti-aging technology. This left her fulfilled emotionally and spiritually and things were looking up.

But then lockdown hit……

Wilma made a conscious choice to NOT allow the lockdown to crush her spirit and wanted to show her daughter that making the best with what life throws at you is essential to survival. She was determined to embrace the lockdown and together with her husband they spend time with God in fasting and prayer (while her daughter was watching her every move).

Lockdown had its own threat – lowered earnings yet continued high rental invoices from the landlord…. Wilma was yet again faced with making an important decision: close down the business or push through? She dug her heels in and fought back with everything she had. She took on the landlord. By some miracle after numerous emails back and forth, he agreed to lower the rent which made it possible for her to continue her salon. She made an intense effort to reach out to her clients daily and send them advice and products and information on how to continue their treatments at home.

She also sold beautiful fashion face masks to her clients during the lockdown period and shared the profit with her staff. They used every possible avenue to market her home-care beauty products on all social media platforms daily, working until late at night to get the information out there.

Reaching out to her brand ambassadors, Wilma sent them home care products and in return they made videos about how they used them and shared the videos on their social media platforms.

Her hard work and her positive mindset started paying off. Things were moving and she was able to pay her rent and even reached many new clients during the lock-down period. By the time the lockdown was lifted Wilma’s name was out there in the East Rand and …. Needleless to Say …. the clients started to stream into the salon allowing her to open a second salon in Benoni!

Wilma says she owes her success to the following:

• As a service-based business one must be actively involved in the business daily and cannot leave staff to attend to your clients all the time
• She is actively and constantly researching all the latest technology and skincare and ensures her clients receive the latest and best treatments on the market
• Marketing is of utmost importance on a daily basis and on all the different platforms available
• No time for negativity – use what you have to the best of your abilities
•  There will be times when you take one off a day and cry your heart out when the world sets you back, but then, you pick up your head and push through with everything you have inside you
• Thinking ahead and not being left behind…. Wilma already started planning her “comeback” and bought masks for her staff BEFORE the lockdown was lifted
• Wilma tithes 10% of her weekly income to the church every Sunday and believes she is blessed in abundance for her faithfulness