Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Funk
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Originally from Houston, TX. I moved to Austin in 2013 after graduating high school at 16 years old, I graduated a year early because I was never was excited about school and wanted to move on to bigger things earlier if I could do that. Now don’t get it wrong I wasn’t a genius by any means, I went to summer school every summer & I had enough credits by Junior year to walk the stage. There was some time after graduating I had no clue what my next step would be, I went to community college for a semester and decided to move to Austin where my sister resided at the time. With my new move to Austin I felt incredible & inspired. A new city full of new people and places. It was a fresh start, it was a chance to find out who I could become on my own without rules.
I worked a few food/bar industry jobs when I made the decision to go to Cosmetology school. I was the youngest in my class & I was now in a school where people are at all different stages of their lives from all over. It was an amazing year learning new skills & making life long friends. After graduating Aveda in 2015, I checked out a few salons that wanted stylist to apprentice for some time and others who wanted commitment for years to come after all the training they share with you. I knew something about those salons didn’t suit what my heart desired so I worked at the front desk of some salon suits-directing clients to the suites their appointment would take place. While working, I saw how busy one of the stylist was with clients coming in and out back to back all day to realize she was a lash artist & she was her own boss. At this time lashes were not popular at all, I was intrigued to look more into the service & dedicated myself to practice until I could provide the service. I was in an place where I now needed to be around other artist & high traffic of clientele, I then came across a beautiful nail salon Downtown Austin called Bleu Canvas, the owners Diana and Chad took me in with open arms & became huge mentors in my personal life & career. While I was running the lash department working on building my lash clientele, I was fortunate to be taught nails and build a clientele for both services. Eventually with five years invested in Bleu Canvas I was ready to move on & open my own salon suite. I was now having clients come in & out all day just like the stylist I was initially inspired by.
After a few years of providing both, lash & nail services I wondered what my next step would be. I have never been one to be too content, always wondering what the next move will be. After many accomplishments & all the amazing, unforgettable clients & of course hundreds & hundreds of nail services provided I decided to lean all in to lashing & dedicate my energy & focus on creating & building my lash brand, Essence Lash Supply. At this point in my lash career I have a ton of knowledge to share with upcoming lash artist & those interested in the industry. I have created a curriculum that I teach along with a full lash line of products that lash artist can purchase for use on their own clients. In November of 2023 I opened my first retail store in South Austin. Essence Lash & Co. is a fully running lash salon with other artist providing other services such as hair, permanent make-up & waxing as well as a fully stocked lash retail shop where other lash artist can come buy their supplies locally & students can enroll in lash courses to get certified in eyelash extensions & become their own boss too!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think anyone running a small business, building a brand or a clientele could say it was a smooth road. With my experience thus far I have ran into emotional, financial, & physical struggles along the way. But looking back on it all I would do it all over the same if I was able to still learn the lessons that come with facing struggle because at the end of the day in business if something isn’t working then you have to take a step back, reroute & find out a new way to make it work if it didn’t work out right for you the first time or even the second time around.Through the tears, the accomplishments, the mistakes, hustle & bustle… it is all worth it spreading happiness to clients & education to students a knowing that you created this because you dreamed for it & worked for it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I would say my attention to detail & my in-depth knowledge over multiple services in the beauty industry sets me apart from others. I am skilled in many services throughout my field of work & have worked to master every skill that I have learned & I have spread that knowledge to dozens if not hundreds of inspiring artist. It makes me so proud to see that not only have I succeeded in building a clientele & business but I have taught & mentored others to do the same.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up with my dad, a full daddy’s girl. My dad opened an electrical company and named it after me the year I was born, 1996. Besides my step mom coming into our lives when I was in middle school it was always just him & I. My dad worked a lot so I would always try and help out by organizing his filing cabinet, working on his Quickbooks or building him a website. In our free time we would travel to meet family a lot in Louisiana and do a lot of fishing or we would go to his deer lease in Livingston to camp & hunt. I often would go with him to work & hang ceiling fans or around the house I would help him paint, mow the lawn, I even joined FFA in high school and raised a pig in freshman year and a lamb in Sophomore year. But through all the activities with dad, I was always a beauty girl. I would often run late to school because I spent too long straightening my hair. Girlfriends would come over before school just for me to do their hair or makeup. I remember my dad getting mad at me for wearing perfume to hunt & taking away my hair straightener if my grades slipped. Growing up I often just made decisions rapidly & always followed my heart. I was raised by a hustler a go-getter a very smart, strong man & I would like to say that I have acquired the same admirable qualities from my father.
Pricing:
- Lash Lift & Tint – $90+
- Full Set of Lashes – $160+
- 2 Week Lash Fill – $75+
- 2 Day “Intro to Lashing” Course – $950 (Kit Included)
- Lash supplies available in-store & online @ essencelashsupply.com
Contact Info:
- Website: essencelashandco.com – Book Appointments & Course Enrollment
- Instagram: essencelashandco
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/essencelashandco
- Other: essencelashsupply.com – Shop Lash Supplies
Image Credits
No image credits necessary.
