In this episode of Solo Diaries, Erin sits down with solo aesthetician Brenda Hogsett, founder of Skintastic, to unpack a journey built on perseverance, crisis pivots, smart marketing, and unapologetic financial clarity.

Brenda’s path wasn’t linear. She failed her state board exam three times. Took years off. Came back. Passed. Built a business from the bonus room of her home after her son’s health crisis required her to stay close. What started behind PVC pipe curtains became a 40‑year established salon — and then, intentionally, became solo again.

This conversation is about knowing your strengths. And knowing when to scale back.

Because bigger isn’t always better. Profitable and sustainable is.

In this episode, Brenda shares:

• How a family health crisis sparked her first solo business

• Why managing a large team wasn’t aligned with her strengths

• The decision to return to true solo entrepreneurship

• How Groupon built her entire client base (yes, really)

• Why discounting can be strategic — if you treat it as an audition

• The power of retention (she maintains a 95% pre‑book rate)

• How she uses Square as a full CRM and growth engine

• Her $220K revenue year as a solo aesthetician

• The financial habit she wishes she started sooner

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