Always dreamed of having your own beauty business? BASH Academy’s Tara Warren can help turn your dreams into a reality

From starting in her spare room to building a lash and brow beauty empire, we spoke to Tara about her journey to the top of the beauty business and how self-investment is key to success.

We all have that dream that sits in the back of our minds, that one dream that no matter where life take us or how old we are, follows us.

But sadly, life often seems to get in the way.

But if your dream lies in the realm of the beauty industry, maybe now it doesn’t have to stay a dream. With specialised expertise training courses in nanoblading, Russian volume lashes and many more, BASH Academy is more than just an eyelash and brow studio. This award-winning salon invests in dreams, empowers clients to achieve our goals and inspires us to become our own boss.

Sounds like a bit of us that. That’s why so we caught up the Queen of brows herself, BASH’s Director Tara Warren.  Alongside her dream team of expert tutors, Tara is transforming lives of prospective beauty specialists and clients through her high-quality specialist brow, lash treatment and semi-permanent makeup courses, which include vital lessons that she’s learned from her own experience in the industry. As the saying goes, there’s only so much you can learn in the classroom!

Did we mention that all her training courses have received 100% five stars ratings? Impressive, right? But how did Tara build such an impressive beauty empire? We’ll start from the beginning…  

TARA’S STORY

Tara was a single mum of two, working in an underpaid office job where she felt undervalued. Safe to say, she wanted more from life. ‘I felt like everyone was having opportunities handed to them on a plate.’ She tells us. ‘I felt ambitious, I knew that I wanted to do something else and wanted to change but I felt trapped by my circumstances.

‘I didn’t think that I could go back and retrain. I couldn’t really afford the childcare, or even a day off work at the time. I didn’t have the time and didn’t think I had the support. But I knew that if something came along where I could learn a trade or skill, then I would make the most of that opportunity.­ We can confirm she has definitely done just that!

That’s not to say that Tara didn’t have her fair share of doubt. She worried about failing, that she was too late getting into the beauty industry and what people around her would say. But she didn’t let any of that hold her back, Tara built up the courage to follow her dreams, took the decision to invest money into herself and studied as many courses as she could ­– and she’s never looked back since.

‘I know how it feels to think that you’re not good enough or that you can’t do it’ says Tara. ‘I remember thinking that I didn’t have a lot of money to gamble with, but I said to myself: it’s not a gamble, because I’m investing in myself. I do genuinely believe that the best investment I’ve ever made in at point of my business journey was those first few courses.’

And this idea of investing in your own development is a core value that BASH still stands by. The company’s tagline is ‘the best investment that you’ll ever make is in yourself’, which is printed all over their textbooks, website and studio. Tara does all she can to spread this important message to her clients encouraging them to believe in themselves.

After completing her courses, Tara felt like she was left alone in the beauty world. Feeling like she needed to take her skills even further, she began to research and practice before setting up her own mini salon in her spare room. She then took the plunge and quit her day job. ‘One of the most satisfying things for me was being able to quit the job that I really didn’t like and solely depend on myself, set my own hours and have all of those incredible benefits of being self-employed.’ Tara says. ‘The journey of building the business to where it is now hasn’t been an easy one, it’s been full of challenges and full of lessons’

With treatments for brows and lashes growing in demand (we’re so thankful that the thick pencilled eyebrow trend grew out of fashion­!) Tara saw a gap in the market and found her client list began to grow as she developed her expertise in more advanced lash and brow treatments. Within what felt like a blink of an eye, she soon realised that she needed a much bigger premise than her spare room and moved to Number 33 in Benton – where her empire has quickly expanded over the years to now include: a team of six technicians, four tutors, a full-time customer services team and even pop-up events in Dubai.

BASH BEGINS TO GROW

As her businesses grew, Tara found a huge part of her job satisfaction lay in the training side of things and watching her workforce develop. So she decided to go back on a course to gain a teaching qualification. Along the way, she realised that there was lack of specialised expertise in brows and eyelash treatment courses and that she could have been supported more in the training room. So, in typical Tara fashion, she decided to take the matter into her own hands and a write her own series of courses from scratch.

With determination in bucketloads and having to put in plenty of long working hours, it has been Tara’s personal touch that has really made her academy a cut above the rest. After putting her courses through an official accreditation, she and her team of expert tutors are now training students in volume lashes, advanced brow treatments, brow laminations, and semi-permanent makeup, giving them an opportunity to gain a qualification that will go on to help them into employment or even to become their own boss, without lots of lengthy hours at college – a real dream come true.

HOW CAN BASH HELP YOU?

Starting your own business seems daunting and competitive, especially with the added consideration of navigating the world of social media today. But this is where Tara’s expertise could really help. Her courses also include training on how to run a successful business, including photo editing, social media photography and management. She’s thought of everything, hasn’t she?! Oh, and she’s made sure that all of her courses are accessible and affordable making your dream fit into your life without any stress, giving you more time to focus on building an empire of your own!

‘To me, this isn’t just a skill’ says Tara ‘This can be life-changing for people. I want people to walk out of the courses feeling as excited as I am for the future of this industry. I didn’t want to be tied to a brand through teaching when I know that brow technicians might use products from 10 different suppliers. I want people to leave feeling that they’ve got good value for money, rather than walking out feeling that they’ve had loads of information to take in and don’t have more questions to ask rather than answers.’

‘And what makes us different to other courses is that you’re not going to be on your own. Our tutors are at the other end of the phone for support during training and even after you complete our course. It’ll bring you on quicker as a more specialist technician. So whether you already have experience or not, these courses are for everyone!’

And Tara’s work doesn’t stop there, she volunteers her spare time once a month to teach underprivileged teens and women who’ve been through domestic violence helping to inspire them to realise they can rebuild their own lives whatever their background.

Looking back, Tara is proud of what she’s achieved. And who can blame her?! Just look at what she’s achieved. But more than a thriving business Tara has been able to use her career to give other women hope, inspiring them to use their talents to live a better, more satisfying life. ‘Our reviews really do show how different our courses are and why people and their businesses are succeeding long after the courses end.’ Says Tara. ‘I know that I’ve been in the footsteps of the people who cross our doors and I know their fears. I really enjoy being there for people at those stages because I know that some people just need that little bit of support.

‘I want to open doors for them and show them that it’s worth it to keep going. But the main thing that I would say is, you don’t have to depend on anyone else – you can do it for yourself. You’re worth spending that money, to invest in your future. Because whoever you’ve got depending on you, whatever you’ve got going on in your life, invest in yourself – and that extra belief that you have in yourself will pay dividends for years and years to come.’

So, what’s next for BASH? After growing so fast, Tara isn’t ready to stop there. Now teaching at least five courses every week, she wants to continue to grow by expanding her premises and also has plans to launch an exciting new SPMU e-commerce business in 2022. Watch this space, we know it can only be onwards and upwards for BASH Academy.

Interested in starting your own beauty career? Visit BASH Academy’s website.

Follow BASH Academy on Instagram, Facebook or visit the salon at Number 33 Business Centre, North Tyne Industrial Estate, Newcastle, NE12 9SZ

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