Paignton home salon owner celebrates national recognition

A beauty professional and home salon owner based in Paignton has been nationally recognised.

Genna is 21 years old and has been running her home salon, Genna Grace Beauty, for around a year, alongside her eight-month-old Basset Hound puppy who keeps her company.

She has recently been recognised for her hard work at the National Hair & Beauty Awards.

She placed 9th in the UK for Best Brows (Non-SPMU) and 27th in the UK for Best Home Salon.

Genna said that she is incredibly proud and grateful to receive these awards, particularly as she has only been self-employed for around a year.

She said: “When I first started my business, I couldn’t have imagined achieving something like this so early on.”

“It’s a lovely feeling to know that the hard work I’ve put in is being recognised nationally, and it gives me even more motivation to keep pushing myself and improving.”

At Genna’s salon she provides a range of beauty treatments, with brows being a particular passion.

She offers brow lamination, hybrid brows, airbrush brows, and brow tint and wax.

Her lash treatments include Korean lash lifts and traditional lash lifts.

Alongside brows and lashes, Genna also offers Million Dollar facials, BioRePeel treatments, pedicures and luxury pedicures, as well as BIAB and gel manicures.

For Genna, her passion for beauty began long before her business formed.

She said: “I’ve loved beauty from as far back as I can remember!”

“I used to do my own makeup from a really young age using the little makeup kits that came in magazines from the shop!”

Genna’s passion extended past childhood and she decided to pursue it as a career.

She began by studying hair and beauty one day a week while attending Brixham College, before continuing hair and beauty studies at South Devon College.

After GCSEs, she began her beauty apprenticeship where she first got her foot into the industry.

However, it wasn’t the easiest of beginnings.

Genna said: “Less than a year into my apprenticeship, I was made redundant and also had to change colleges because I wasn’t getting the teaching I needed.”

“This meant having to restart my entire apprenticeship, despite already having put so much work into it.”

“It was definitely a challenging time, but I persevered and carried on working towards what I wanted to achieve.”

Before setting up Genna Grace Beauty, Genna worked in a salon to gain experience and develop her skills.

However, she decided to take the leap into setting up her own business.

She said: “I wanted to be my own boss and build something of my own.”

“I wasn’t always the most well-behaved at school, so I think being my own boss suits me quite well!”

“I wanted the freedom to do things my way, create my own environment and build the kind of business I could really put my heart into.”

Starting her own home salon has allowed Genna to build a business around the treatments that she is passionate about.

She added: “It’s been a huge learning curve, particularly being so young and relatively new to self-employment, but it’s also been incredibly rewarding.”

“There have been plenty of sleepless nights worrying about whether everything would work out, especially when you’re starting a business from scratch and suddenly have so much responsibility.”

When reflecting on the reasons behind her early success, Genna highlighted the strong relationships she has built with her clients.

She said: “I absolutely love my clients, and building those relationships is one of my favourite parts of what I do.”

“I want everyone who comes through my door to feel comfortable, valued and confident in the treatments they receive.”

As well as this, she spoke about the importance of always being open to learning.

She has made a conscious effort to invest in networking events and meet some of the most successful people in the industry.

She said: “Being around like-minded professionals has helped me develop, gain knowledge and push myself further”

“I think staying open to learning, working hard and genuinely caring about your clients has made a big difference.”

Genna also has ambitions to support and connect with other beauty professionals in the future.

She added: “Further down the line, one of my biggest ambitions is to become a trainer and share the knowledge and skills I’ve developed with other beauty professionals.”

“I’d also love to organise my own networking events, bringing like-minded people in the industry together to connect, learn from one another and support each other’s growth.”

However, for now, Genna said: “I’m excited to keep learning, improving my skills and seeing where I can take Genna Grace Beauty.”

“I’d love to continue growing my client base and building Genna Grace Beauty into an established, successful business that I’m proud of.”