Setting the Standard with Emily Bochette

Join Kosta and his guest: Emily Bochette, Founder of Poppy and Pearl (Creative Glam Squad), Celebrity Stylist, and Beauty Educator.

In this episode: I think it’s important to realize that wherever you are, whatever you want to do, there is a way to make it happen. Once you realized luxury glam was what you wanted to do, how did you start working towards making it happen? There are so many people in the beauty industry, wedding industry, glam, hair, makeup - and five more who have made an Instagram since we started recording this show. How do you set yourself apart in a creative industry like this and how do you deal with competition?  As a stylist what makes an incredible client experience? How can we get the most out of our time in the chair and what kinds of things do you wish clients knew?

Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is recorded in Cookeville, TN.

Find out more about Poppy and Pearl:
https://styledbypoppyandpearl.com/

Find out more about Emily Bochette:
https://www.instagram.com/booujaybraids

Find out more about Kosta Yepifantsev:
https://kostayepifantsev.com/

Transcript

Emily Bochette: 0:01

Honestly, it happened for me in a way that I could. I couldn't even plan it out myself. Everybody's like, did you plan it? Did you do all these things? And I was like, No, I just started styling and I started working, and I took every opportunity I could.

Morgan Franklin: 0:18

Welcome to Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev, a podcast on parenting business and living life intentionally. We're here every week to bring you thoughtful conversation, making your own path to success,challenging the status quo, and finding all the ways we're better together. Here's your host, Kosta Yepifantsev.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 0:37

Hey, y'all, it's Kosta. Today, I'm here with my guest, Emily Bochette, founder of Poppy and Pearl, creative glam squad, celebrity stylist, and beauty educator. Emily, I think this episode is going to be such an incredible resource for anyone that's in the creative or beauty industry, because you've shown the power of finding an audience and serving them. I want to start with your latest venture, Poppy and Pearl. Tell us about the concept in how it originated.

Emily Bochette: 1:05

Wow, she's my baby. Really, like it really chose me, okay, and wanted something. I wanted a unique name. But I wanted something girly and fun. You know, this industry is really geared towards women. But I sell men all the time and do men's grooming. So it's kind of evolved. But that was something I wanted to do is I wanted to be in a creative space where I brought something to the beauty industry that nobody else is doing. But I also I just my mom always told me, you know, you need to really think before you speak and I was like, I want to see everybody else's facial expressions when I say what I say. And she was like, oh, and I'm like, I still this day I just blurted out, and that's came out with my styles. Okay, I want you to give me a guideline. And I'm able to create, and you know, and I create something that you never thought of, and I really never thought I would just kind of happened. You know, this all happened. And it really chose me. I didn't not choose this industry.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 2:00

I mean, I don't even know where to begin, like, were you styling people in high school? Like, is this something that you've always wanted to do with your life? Tell me a little bit about what your experience was like as a as a young adult, and how you got into this industry to do makeup and hair and glamming for a living?

Emily Bochette: 2:22

Never ever I would I thought this is what I would be doing. I'll actually want you to be a PA, you know, but when you think back on it, I was in high school there was not a hair on my head at a place like it was perfect. It was snatched it was hair sprayed, and I really took pride in that. I loved it and I had red hair and I hated it. Everybody was so they were just a hater on some red hats. And I probably was one of like three at my school. Yeah, or countywide. Now I love it. Everybody's like, what color is that? And I'm like, it's got its color. I don't read. But I was styling people in high school and in college and I play softball in college, everybody was like do my hair or going out or do this tendency to not want to run state first. Okay, and then I transferred back to tech and you played softball. That's played recreationally. Okay, well, that's cool. So position I played I signed for first base, okay. And then our second baseman she some that happened. She wasn't able to continue and there was a spot open. And in baseball and softball all the pitchers. Normally in baseball, a pitcher comes out, but they're like out of the game. And you can put in like 15 other pitchers won't softball like no, we need the pitcher to come somewhere. And normally they can hit so they were going to first base. I love it. So they didn't get as hurt. And I was like, Well, I'm not getting as much playing time. So I scooted over to second so I could play. I love it. And I've normally play there all the time. I'll play first every now and then. But if I'm playing like a slow pitch team or whatnot, I'll play there.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 3:49

And so you're playing softball, and you're going to college and you graduate from college with a degree in

Emily Bochette: 3:57

was about to blow your mind. I have a biochemistry degree. And that was by accident. I literally was in college. I actually worked for Cookeville regional. I was on the open heart surgery team. I was a perfusion and anesthesiologist assistant.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 4:12

Yeah, I mean, it's a huge divergence from what you're doing now. So I can't wait to hear what happened in between.

Emily Bochette: 4:18

It's crazy. I wanted to be a PA so bad. My mom actually got diagnosed with fibrocystic breast disease and she had some cancer cells come up and they treated her like a breast cancer patient. So I was ready to go took my GRE everything and I was basically just going to choose a school and the next thing I know this happens, I stayed home took care of her and it was for the best. I met a doctor and open heart surgery who had a company in St. Maarten. I went over there for a week after every the dust had settled with my mom and she was good to go. She's you know great now but I went over there and I signed a contract to work for her medical company in St. Maarten. I lived on an island for two years. It's crazy. I lived on an island at 23 years old. And I stayed there for two years and expanded health care from two islands. We were like 13 When I left, and it was just me, and I was running her company, she was back in Puerto Rico and St. Or Louisiana working at the Mayo Clinic as a percussionist amazing. And she left me her company, I thought she was like, just want like an insurance claim or something like I was gonna I was gonna burn it down. I was like, this is not gonna work. But you didn't. It worked. It was. I cannot tell you how the experience Yeah, was amazing. And I am so big on job shadowing, if you think you want to do some job shadow, if you think that you want to work at as a grocery store, because you like clicking the buttons, go do it. Yeah, see if you like it or not. i That's exactly what I did. I did so many things. Everybody thought I was crazy. Everybody thought I was wasting my life because I wasn't doing like an eight to five. And about that time, I literally was just like, This is not me anymore. And I decided, You know what, I'm just gonna pick it up and do it. And it worked out. I've never looked back.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 5:54

And so how did you make it to Nashville because you used to live in Hermitage. And now you live in Cookeville. But what did you do? While you were in Nashville?

Emily Bochette: 6:03

There was a turning point in my life where I was like, this is just a time I need to come back. I'm 25 years old. Like, you know, everybody's like, when are you going to make that you just go live on an island? Like, what are you going to do? And I was like, I don't know, from Cookeville. Island. Yeah, literally, I don't think my parents had ever traveled abroad. And I I lived in Australia when I was 18 doing a work

Kosta Yepifantsev: 6:22

study program. Oh, nice. Through Rotary? No, I

Emily Bochette: 6:25

did it through Kappa Alpha honor society. And it was amazing. I loved it. But I've done so many things. Because I wanted to job shadow. I wanted to figure out life and I want to do an experience. And everybody thought I was crazy. So then I get back here in Nashville. And I'm like, Well, what I'm going to do, of course, Tyler had posted he needed a worker, you know, a sales job position. And I was like, please hire me, please. Yeah, me. He did talent formula.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 6:49

Yeah, he's our first ever guest on this podcast. Shout out Tyler Farley. And for the audience, y'all go back and listen to that first one.

Emily Bochette: 6:56

That'd be fine. I didn't know that. And I'll have to go back and call him about it. He was great. He really shaped me in a lot of different ways to be able to phenomenal move forward, not only as a person, but in, you know, professionally, I should say he did professionally. But he also did my personal life. Like there was a lot of times like we have strong personalities. And we just would hash it out. And it would be a good convert. He's a very good communicator. Absolutely. And I just shut down. He would just he just really peel back that layer. Then I got a job. I went into work in sales, and I worked in a multimillion dollar territory, loved it, it was great. And then COVID happen I got laid off was like, Okay, what am I gonna do, and I just wanted to work, I just could not sit at home. You know, I have ADHD. And I was even medicated at that time. And I was like, Oh, this is just, I gotta do something. So I just started doing hair and makeup on the side. And it turned into a business because one of my friends was like, You should go to hair school. And I did. And then I just, I wanted to style that was my passion. There's two different types of people in the beauty industry of hair. There are some really great chemist. And even though I have a biochemistry degree, color is not my thing. It does not fill my cup at the end of the day, but styling and like giving you that perfect style or that the amount of volume in your hair or the perfect way of putting these extensions to transform your whole look that fills my cup.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 8:20

So there are people that style hair. But then there are people that do luxury clam, which is a completely other universe. Absolutely. So my favorite part of your story so far is that you haven't let anything hold you back. And there are endless excuses we can give ourselves. And I think it's important to realize that wherever you are, whatever you want to do, there is a way to make it happen. Once you realized luxury glam was what you wanted to do. How did you start working towards making it happen?

Emily Bochette: 8:53

Honestly, it happened for me in a way that I could have. I couldn't have even planned it out myself. Everybody's like, did you plan it? Did you do all these things? And I was like, No, I just started styling and I started working. And I took every opportunity I could I'll never forget the first time I did hair. It was a wedding. I drove like, two hours into bfhi a law cell service. And I get there Yes, I get there at this church. And this lady is here. She's like two hours late. And I was like, Oh, well, I'm glad you're here. And you know, I would never let that happen. Now with that fee. I'm like, Okay, let's go hang out. Yeah, I did hair and makeup. And I'm pretty sure I did it for hair and makeup for like 75 bucks, both of them. And I was there all day, all day. And I was like, okay, and it was kind of one of those things where I was like, You got to start somewhere. And now knowing what I changed my contracts, I changed all these things. And I started doing hair and I knew color wasn't for me. Because every time a girl would come in and they would get down with like I would do the color service and then I'd be like, Okay, do you want a big blowout? Do you want braids today? What do you want to do? And the girl that I worked with at the time I was her assistant. So I did a lot of like the basic labor. But I also was doing her extensions, because you don't have to have truly you do but you don't have to have and I was in school so did not have a license yet. But since I was working under somebody as an apprentice, I could do the extensions. We whipped so many extensions out, and I got

Kosta Yepifantsev: 10:25

really good at it. And really quick. What does that mean whipped extensions,

Emily Bochette: 10:29

you just like beat it up. So it or you table man or you're like taking them out cleaning their hair? And I just found so many effective ways, because that's all I had to focus on. Yeah, but a normal person doesn't a normal person coming into an extension business is okay, how am I going to fit this in with the clients I already have? Right? Because it takes more time, but it is more money. So how do I fit this into my already booming business, you got to let some clients go to open up for newer clients. And that's just how this industry works. Okay, so for me, I knew right then, like, I wanted to do extensions, but I was really good at styling, I was being pulled on shoots. And she did not the girl I worked for and didn't know styling, it was a basic blow dry, curl your hair, leave it straight and boom.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 11:11

So what is it though? Like, what does that mean? Because you're gonna have to, you're gonna have to educate me because by the end of this, I'll be an expert, of course. So your weapon, your weapon extensions, and your styling hair, you don't do color, at least you don't enjoy doing color. It's kind

Emily Bochette: 11:26

of one of those things where you got to have a farm to have a dairy farm. Right? You got to have land, you might not like to tell it and you might not like to grow it right. But you might not like to spend the time on it, but it makes you money. And it is what is profitable. Yes. So you have to spend time on those basics. And so color is not my favorite, but I have to do it and be semi decent at it to make the whole thing work. Like I do have clients that come to me for just for extensions. But I also have clients that come to me just for color. I don't necessarily love new and just the color you

Kosta Yepifantsev: 11:58

love to style hair. Yeah. Okay, and what does it mean to style hair your way like what makes you special in terms of styling hair?

Emily Bochette: 12:06

All my ladies will get the insight man who have very luxury hair, or luxurious hair, I should say my hair looks? Absolutely, absolutely. I see the volume. Thank you. I think one of the things is you are providing a blowout at once your hair's wet, you gotta blow dry, right? Every woman comes to the salon, they're getting pampered. They're not dreading coming to the salon. They're wanting to come to get away from something or they're going to work while they're there. But they're spending their hard earned money and it's expensive. Now hairs went up products went up, but they're expanding even me, I'm in the industry, and I'm like, I'm gonna go get a blowout. But if this girl can't curl my hair, I dread it, you know. And so when you leave a place, you want to feel your best self. There's one girl one of my best friends from childhood, every time she's having a bad day or a bad week, she used to go get her hair cut, just to feel better. And it is a psychological thing. And people go get massages, they'll do other things. But when you're spending your hard earned money on that you want them to feel good. You want them to be like, Wow, I look great. Like this is transformation. And you're spending 1000s of dollars on hair extensions, right? Color a look, you don't want to walk out with your hair looking like it's been licked by a cow. You're like, what is this?

Kosta Yepifantsev: 13:17

I love your analogies. I really do. So essentially, the styling component is kind of like the cherry on top. It's what makes everything look perfect. And it gives you the The finish looks at everyone

Emily Bochette: 13:30

have a look that people do want. And there are people out there that I love that have done color that I watch and I admire, they cannot stop her. They can't curl their curls or basic or you know, you look like Shirley Temple when you leave. And that's just them. Some people are really good at doing certain things. And I've just found that my niche is really good at styling. So I draw people in that way. So I

Kosta Yepifantsev: 13:51

have we're gonna get back to story but I want to tell you something. So I have naturally like curly hair. In high school. I used to have like the shag, you know, so I had like flow played hockey, so I had like, you know, hair coming out of my helmet stuff like that. And I used to date a girl played softball. I did a few softball girls in high school anyway. And so she would straighten her hair every morning and I asked her if she would straighten my hair. And for a good I'd say couple months. Yeah, I had I straightened my hair before school.

Emily Bochette: 14:22

It's called like a keratin treatment. Now we're like, Yes, come in, or even you can get a perm and it's really curly or you can get a straightening service so they can straighten your hair. Yeah, and it will stay for you know what, like months

Kosta Yepifantsev: 14:34

back in the day. I mean, like so I listen to a lot of like, Good Charlotte and what's it called? Going down that can't remember the name of the band anyway, so I listen to a lot of good Charlotte. And they all had like those, you know, straight hair, kind of EMO luck and I really wanted to look like that

Emily Bochette: 14:51

strike. It literally just straightener and some product. I didn't shoot the other day and this guy had crazy hair and I was like I don't know what to do. And literally I straightened it but product and and he was like, Oh, how do I do this every day? So you're

Kosta Yepifantsev: 15:03

doing all these odd jobs, and you're getting started? How do you transition from that point of being an apprentice and not being licensed to starting your own business and then making that business successful and to getting into luxury glam?

Emily Bochette: 15:21

I eventually got license, okay, de Bourgh don't come after me, I did get licensed. And at that point, I did a cosmetology license. So it's like an umbrella license. So I could do nails or aesthetics or hair. And I just was like, obviously, I want to do hair. But if I ever wanted to teach or go back in the day, you know, go back and you know, do some type of educator stuff, you know, you might need a different license. So I just went and got the umbrella license. I loved it. It was great. And then I was like, How do I turn this into something? And I'll never forget, when I actually went to school, I went in and asked my dad for the loan at first to go to school. Oh, wow. Yep, I didn't want to drain my bank account. So I'll get my LCS get, like he'll do it. Normally ask for money that big. And it was 18 518 $1,000. Wow. And that is, you know, I'm not getting any money from the government of student loans, because I've already used mine for my accidental biochemistry degree. And so I went in, and he was like, I think that's like a knee jerk reaction. That's exactly what he said. And I'll never forget looking at him, like, you're probably right. But why would you ever say that? And so, you know, as kids, and he was, they were always very, like, you are responsible adult, like, you're not borrowing money from them, unless it's a good thing. Like, let you're gonna pay back. And so I went in, and I was like, you know, can you do this? And he was like, just, that's just, that's No, and I understand that. Now we can Mack. But at the time, when I find something I want to do. It's like a tunnel vision. Like, I'll figure it out. Yeah, there's some way somehow I will find a way to get what I want and to be in a place I want to be. So what do you do? I went to my mother in law. And she gave it to me. And I literally, I'll never forget when I paid her all back. And I was like, I paid you back with every dime I made that I have done. And I worked through COVID. And every dime that I made, went directly back to her loan and did not make any money. I paid it all back to her first. She was just like, you didn't have to do this so quickly. Like I was like, No, I was like, I wanted to prove something. And I was very blessed that she helped me very blessed, but also at the end of the day. I know that's not ideal for everybody. A normal situation is you would go to school, you would get you know, a loan, whatever pay it back, however those terms look for you. And I ended up wanting to work in a salon because I wanted to get to work. Yes. And so I did the apprentice program, I got to work and be in a salon setting, but also get hours. It was like a work study. That's how I really started figuring out what I wanted to do. Not everybody gets to do that. You learn that in school. I didn't get to mess up on a mannequin in school, I was missing people in the salon. I had a little mannequin, I called her Trixie and I had her in the corner, and I used to wreck her. But I also would like style her really pretty. And everybody would be like, how did you put that right in there? Can you do that to my hair? I was like, Sure. So we get mannequins, and I would do a style on them. And I would put them up on the shelf. And people would pick them. And they would be like, ah, can you do that, to me, that was like absolute. It's an extra $50 for your service. And I worked it out with the girl that I worked with it, that money went to me, you know, because if I'm going to do this elaborate style, you know, and I loved it, I literally worked my tail off and I got pulled into different different shoots. And then I started noticing that the salon that I was at was not going to be flexible enough for me to style and do the shoots that I needed to do because I needed to be there and work because she relied on me as an assistant. So naturally, I put him on notice and I was like hey, you know, I'm gonna put him on notice. I need to go somewhere else with more flexibility. Normal Lee, you would go to school be an assistant for like a year, and you would learn all sorts of stuff that you learn like on the floor in real life things. Well, I

Kosta Yepifantsev: 19:08

just know how long were you an apprentice for?

Emily Bochette: 19:10

I mean, I did my schooling it took me like, technically you can only do so many hours per week. But I think it took me like maybe eight months, maybe 10 months. Wow. I think 10 And then I left her Garage I'd got done in February and I put my notice in in May, right before Easter. So April. And I was like I want I need to work like I had that yearning of like I need to make something out of this. I think that's just because everybody was like staring at me like you just got laid off girl like go work at Publix. And I was like, I'm just a hair away from going to Chick fil A and serving the Lord chick and I really started working and I ended up going to another salon downtown. And she started noticing my talent and she pulled me on for to work and my first celebrity client was Britney outing.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 19:57

Wow. That's Jason Albion's. Why? Yep. Jay Sonny's wife, and

Emily Bochette: 20:01

Jason was there Brittany was there kids were there went to her house. I mean, I was I was like, I was there for Thanksgiving. She made me feel so at home, work for her. And she loved what I did. And she referred me around to several other people. And it just kind of took off from there. And I loved it. Now, there were celebrities that came into the salon, I never dealt with them. They were always downstairs and like a private insurance private door thing. And I was very thankful that I had that opportunity. And it really was like word of mouth. And I just started posting,

Kosta Yepifantsev: 20:31

and that's how you built your business. How old is Poppy and Pearl?

Emily Bochette: 20:37

I've only been in this industry for probably two years. And I got to a point where I was like, Yeah, I probably should get an LLC or something. Do you guys probably do some response? Yeah. And so she's fresh. Probably only like two years. I got had her for a long time. I got an LLC and I worked underneath that. But I was like just doing these weddings on the side. And I'm like, Why did I spend so much money on an LLC? When I could just do something else? And literally, it's thank goodness I did.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 21:05

How quick did it take off? Once you started doing hair for Britney out Dean? Like, were you just going into one celebrities home after another? Or were you doing it when they went to like shoots or before events in concert? Or how does your business model work? And so I

Emily Bochette: 21:20

reached out to everybody in anybody. Okay. And I reached out. I mean, I was in DMS. I was like one text or one DM away from her shining on her I'm sure. And I just was hoping and pray it. Nobody actually went through with it. But I literally reached out and actually I got hooked up with one of my like best friends today. Her name is back. She's a makeup artist. She's absolutely phenomenal. She's a celebrity makeup artist and hairstylist too, but she focuses on makeup. She pulled me on for a lot of weddings. And then it was do you want to come to the award show with me? I need an assistant. And I was like, I will hold your comb. She was like No girl you do in the hair. And I was like, Huh. And she was like, yeah, she believed in me when I never even thought that like that was a capability. So that's how I got into awards. And we are still doing weddings to this day we do award shows together. There's a small group of us that trust pulling on other people. Because in hair and makeup, like anybody could do hair and makeup. I mean, you could pick up a makeup brush right now and whip some makeup on and then you'd be like I did it.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 22:24

I mean, Morgan used to put makeup on me whenever we did YouTube videos. And she was she was pretty good. Absolute hair. makeup artists right there. I agree. I agree. My wife actually does really good hair and makeup. She always looks so beautiful. Listen,

Emily Bochette: 22:39

I've seen your watch. She's She's damn bass.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 22:41

I know. She's gorgeous. I got lucky. I got lucky. All right. So there are so many people in the beauty industry, wedding industry, glam hair, makeup, and probably five more who made an Instagram since we started recording the show. How do you set yourself apart in a creative industry like this? And how do you deal with all the competition? Hmm,

Emily Bochette: 23:03

I will say that I've struggled a lot with imposter syndrome. I still struggle with it. Especially being a small town. Everybody wants to do something, right. I set on doing a photoshoot for this brand. And I like I said I had Poppy and Pearl. She's like the LLC is like two years old. But branding wise, we just launched. But I've been doing this brand for so long. But I've had this impostor syndrome of like, oh, I'll just post on because Instagram is my biggest forefront like it is everybody looks at it. Everybody says Did you see what big braids did? Oh, let me look at her Instagram. It's not a let me look at her Google page. It's let me look at her Instagram, right?

Kosta Yepifantsev: 23:39

And that's actually how Jessica Jessica recommended that we reach out to you to have this episode because she saw you on Instagram and she sees all the amazing things that you're doing. And I'm like, Yeah, I want to talk to her. This is awesome.

Emily Bochette: 23:52

But that's truly what it is. And if you don't have a good platform, and I know a lot of people think like a platform Well, I'm selling myself through little bitty boxes, essentially. And everybody else is doing the same. So how do you stand out and I thought about it and thought about it and I have never been one to fit in. Even in high school. I've had so many different groups of people that some overlap and overlap and some never, never mingled fit in with everybody. And I wanted something that a brand that fit everybody where they were at and what they wanted but I wanted you to be like wow, I never thought about doing something like that. I want to glue pearls in my hair now or I want to do this and let me tell you thought about it and thought about it meticulously picked my models set on my branding. I've had my branding done for six months, but I sat on it and we've been cured we curated it for probably a good six months. I've sat on it for three before I launched it it's she's probably been ready to go for four months really I could have launched it for and I was like oh no, no, no. Oh too much like we're not ready for that. And then I was like you know what? Yes, you are or I wanted somebody to look at it and be like, Oh, I've never done that. But I love this. And I wanted something different. And I push the envelope, some of my best pictures of there's a girl in a birdcage, you know, we're laying in the kitchen floor of a pink house. And that was my vision, I wanted something different that other women wanted to be, I wanted you to be a housewife in heels in a set of rollers. Vacuuming, like I wanted everything of a woman in one picture. And I wanted to prove and that's what I want to do is that you can be everything. And that's what I wanted to stand behind my brand is that I rebranded I reread them all off. Basically, my husband's just along for the rollercoaster, like it's it were like riding roller coasters in like a tsunami. And he's just smiling. You know, I think that's one of the reasons why I've been so successful is because I've been able to do these things with him as my backbone. One of the hardest parts about this industry is showing up in a way that no one else has. I mean, anybody can curl hair, I mean, maybe not the best, but you can do it. Anybody can put hair up and a pony. You know, you'd slap some makeup on. And then nowadays, you can just put a filter on your face and say it's your whole makeup. In reality, I wanted something that you felt, I wanted you to feel my vibe through my pictures. And so I worked with the best branding, the best photographer, daring, creative, did all of my graphics, all of my website design all every design. And she tweaked this so many times. And then I picked my photographer, and I was like, she'll never work with me. And she did. And she blew my mind. And then I got with another girl. And I collabed with majority of the people for my shoot. And I was like, Hey, you want in or not? And they were like, yes. And I was like, okay, and there are some things that you pay for in life. And there are some things that you're like, let's make some magic. And let me scratch your back, you scratch mine, I'll scratch yours. And I paired with everybody that I absolutely desired to make my shoot what it was, and I truly feel like I blew it out of the water. And I push the envelope. There's you know, there's a lot of things in there that some people are like, Oh, wow, that's risque. And I'm like, yep. But I wanted that. And so that's what I got.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 27:09

I love that on the front page of your website, it says set the standard. And I truly believe in every industry if you want to succeed, you have to be the person that's striving to set that standard. What a setting the standard meant in your career so far.

Emily Bochette: 27:26

I feel like kind of like how we talked about earlier like you go to a salon to for a vibe like you go to feel good. If you're going to spend money i Listen, I'm one of the most frugal people you'll ever meet. Like I probably got a coupon book in the car somewhere, like already cut out. Absolutely. I'm a Facebook market queen, tell me something you want, I'll find it. Literally I thrive for a deal selling my friend Jim. That's me, I thrive. I'm like how we'll just do anything for a deal. And my husband's like that, you know, $5 off isn't a deal amendment? Yes, it is. I wanted to be at a place in my career where I brought something that nobody else was bringing in, there are absolute girls out there that are just killing it with color style, their looks and the transformations. But when it came to me, I wanted you to walk into the space that I've created. And I wanted you to be able to walk out thinking I've got Avery bang for my buck, that was money well spent. I want you to have an experience. And I want you to feel the vibes. And I want you to be like I got everything out of that. And it makes you want to come back the kids don't want. And you know, we're in an economy where not everybody has the luxury to go out and have a big transformation or to spend, you know, $50 on a blowout. And then one of the reasons I wanted to be really good at Styles was because nobody ever could steal Meyer, I did everybody else's, but nobody could do on even some very good women that I've been to that were in the beauty industry. And I was like, What is this? Did you forget your hairs brain teaser calm today? I wanted you to think that you came in and got an experience and you were willing to for one pay for it. But for two, you're going to tell people about it. And you want to be a part of some of that I wanted to create a standard where everybody felt like they wanted to be a part of it.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 29:14

Do you ever worry about competition? Or is there enough business out there for everybody?

Emily Bochette: 29:21

I think you know as me as a person. I think there are times where I'm slow in my business. I'm like, Oh, she's doing all this work. And I'm just watching Netflix like what's going on and I've reached out so many people and that's just life like you're never gonna have like, especially in the hair and makeup industry, even a service based industry. You're never guaranteed your money. And that's what I've always been told is always act as if there is enough heads to go around. never steal a client go after somebody never do anything. Because there is enough. And I think I've always kind of had that in the back of my mind of she's doing all this Oh Monica and it does and It's, it's great. It's way better than what I was just envious about. And I think that that's one thing that has really helped me to go further is I've not gotten so down or quit, is that I've just been like, hey, I'll figure something else out. And then I do and it comes, or I've worked with people, and then they've had something that they've worked with me on that they're like, Hey, I'm wanting to do something else. You want to be a part of it. It's a domino effect. And it's truly is your connections. Like I'm six months pregnant, and I have a huge photoshoot coming up. My husband was like, Are you gonna stop? And I'm like, No,

Kosta Yepifantsev: 30:30

I'm gonna go. Yeah, I'm like, Well, my water breaks.

Emily Bochette: 30:34

I'm like, can you make sure my hair looks good. Maybe I'll be on set with a makeup artist, and she'll slap some makeup on me. And we'll just wait a little bit. But I wanted to standard where if you are working hard for your money, and you're going to spend it somewhere, I want you to be fulfilled knowing that you had money well spent at my establishment.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 30:54

You said bougie braids. And I know that's not the right way to pronounce it. So you're gonna have to correct me, but you've mentioned it a few times. And I want to make sure that everyone understands the distinction is your specialty braiding hair? Is that what you do best above all else, because it keeps coming up. And I'm just like, what is bougie? Bread? It is.

Emily Bochette: 31:15

It truly is my like bread and butter. Okay, like everybody comes to me, but I feel like it's my bread and butter. But I feel like now I've evolved to because it was all I knew at the time. And I'm all self taught. Like I did not go to school for this. Everything styling braids, everything was was self taught. And it was on literally a mannequin in the corner named Trixie. Nice. And she was great. She had to have tricks. No, she's in the closet. Okay, nice. Nice. Yeah, she'll be on a shelf soon. But I started with braids. And I can turn a braid into anything. And not when I go and do these bridal parties. Everybody's like, well, I don't want like a typewriter. This and I like just whip up on my Instagram. And I'm like, Okay, well, you just pick like, do you like any of these? And they're like, I never Oh, I didn't think you could do that. And I'm like, Yeah, girl, go ahead pick. And I love that I can provide a variety of a whole 10 person bridal party, and not one of them have the same braid. Oh, wow. Not one of them have the same look like that's what I thrive off of. And a lot of people don't realize that because they're not in my industry. I'm going to provide that service where you're literally like, I love that. And that's what I want to I want to be awed. I don't want to spend my hard earned money and go out and look like a Catholic my forehead.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 32:28

You know, sometimes you have to be lucky in the sense that the universe has to give you good fortune. And what I mean by that is you originally didn't call it bougie braids. I mean, obviously you're proficient at braiding hair. You're really good at it. Probably one of the best ever, but what did you originally start with the name as well, she

Emily Bochette: 32:46

didn't have a name. She just it was just me. It was just Emily.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 32:49

And it was Bouchet braids, right? No, it

Emily Bochette: 32:52

was a was just Emily by Shea Okay, and literally a girl was like, You should do you know Bo che and then boo che and then do braids, because you've been doing all these sprites. And I was like done. Now of so many people have been like, you need to rebrand you need to drop your name. You need to get rid of that Instagram. And I'm like, That thing is a leech on me. The best leech and I don't know where, like it is hanging out forever. And literally a girl came up to my mom the other day at the funeral home and was like your daughter is bougie braids. You have yet the funeral home. And my mom looks at her and was like, Emily, that's my daughter. Yeah. And she was like, oh, yeah, bougie brides. I don't think the girl I knew even knew who I was. But she knew my handle that's kind of stuck with me. I'm like, we're in a small town. Like, if you know me by that you can find me. You can find me on Google by that. And so it went from Bo che to booj. And now it's just bougie braids.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 33:49

That's what I'm saying. It's good fortune. It's a great last name. And exactly. And it's a great play on words and for what you're doing. It is a perfect fit. And I think it honestly it speaks to some of the success that you've had as a brand, you know that you have to have a catchy tagline. I'm not trying to diminish by any means the talent that you have. But that is a huge component. And we've spent a long time trying to find a catchy tagline but my name is just like weird and strange and obscure.

Emily Bochette: 34:19

Well, I thought that about mine at first and then I'm over here changing into something that now girls walk out to my mom with Fairholme about but people know it and they look it up and I think one of the hardest parts about you talked about competition. I am in competition with some great people. I don't look at it as competition. I look at it as wow look at they created that like oh, that gives me creative energy to do something else. And I think as long as you're looking at a way of competitiveness as you're thriving to bring something else to the industry that is better than other people bounce off of that's a creative, you know, not shutting someone out, but I see it all the time. And that's one thing in my business that in the people I hire on to work with To me or work in event that I'm not even at, I want them to be creative.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 35:04

Is that where your inspiration comes from? When you look at social media and see what other people are doing? Do you get I know you obviously don't copy them. But do you have? Do you gain inspiration from what they do? Because I mean, pearls and hair. Did you come up with that all on your own?

Emily Bochette: 35:20

And everybody I think kind of gets a little butthurt about that. They're like, Oh, well, she copied me and she did this. Well, you weren't the originator. Sis, calm down. Like now You weren't like you weren't. You weren't out here in 1930. Doing hot rollers, like, come on? No. And so I think like, tick tock Instagram, I do love some Pinterest. I love some Pinterest. I think that'll always be though G. However, everybody has a place where they find creativity. And mine is working with my really close friends of girls that I work with. And I'm like, oh, that look is too dark. Or do it on me. How did you do it? And they will tell you, we don't gatekeepers. We literally are passing clients to one another. And that right there is what I wanted to establish to I wanted to bring that type of environment into my business, and know that you are in a safe place to create without fear of it being reproduced and you not receiving any credits, right? I've had it happen to me. I've had people steal my styles, and whatever. And I'm like, Oh, well, listen to this. I'm just glad you thought enough about me to recreate it.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 36:20

What is like the coolest style, the style maybe that you've liked the most just so that people that are listening, kind of understand what your braids look like, they can obviously go on Instagram and see it. But I'm just curious, like, what's your favorite style that you've ever done in terms of braiding hair, I did

Emily Bochette: 36:38

a really cool one from bonaero. Just the other day nice. And I have a lot of Bonnaroo clients that I've done. And I will tell you fading in synthetic hair of all different colors and tensile and you know, all the little things that go into that I love you can create so many different styles. And that's what I love is to be able to create, but it's also like, you're gonna turn your head if you see a girl walking down, you know, the street with a big blue braid. And you're Oh, what's that? Like? It's different, right? I love doing something with feeding hair. I love extensions. And there are a lot of styles that I post that I will get brides to screenshot and send it to me and they're like, oh, I want this. Like Alright, well, are you ready to order a full set of a clip in extensions? Are you ready to get a full set of other extensions, because that is extensions. So probably extensions is my favorite. But my most classic looks are always revolved around rights.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 37:34

My favorite look in terms of hair, there was a commercial in the late 90s, early 2000s. And they had this there was this like, thing that you could buy and it turned your hair into a circle and then you could put your ponytail through it. Oh, yeah, look like kind of like I think they called it like it was like a horse tail or something.

Emily Bochette: 37:57

They have all those like probably like as seen now or as seen on TV,

Kosta Yepifantsev: 38:01

we could turn it could turn that that circle into a heart. So on the back of your head, you have like a heart and you had your ponytail going through the middle of it. And I thought that looks so cool.

Emily Bochette: 38:10

It made you turn your head. Yes, exactly. Because it's something different. And that's exactly where I was thinking when I thought about all of this stuff. I'm like if I was going to put this and let me tell you, Chelsea from quick lifestyles, asked me for a picture to put in her magazine Mel's like, Oh, yes, for one. I'm honored for two. How risk gay like what? What are the limits? Because my photos are a little bit pushing the limits. And she was like, just send it. I was like, Okay, well, I'm doing it. And it was a hit. So many people were like, I love that. It's different. Yeah, it is a different vibe of what it is. And I think that's why it's been so successful. Because I literally have women in Blazers in heels. And they're like got a martini glass, but they're also vacuuming. It is so many different elements in one photo that's like, wow,

Kosta Yepifantsev: 39:00

let me ask you three quick questions. As a stylist, what makes an incredible client experience? How can we get the most out of our time in the chair? And lastly, what kinds of things do you wish clients knew?

Emily Bochette: 39:12

One of the things I like to think about when I think of it experience is what do I want? Like I'm frugal and tight with my money. And I'm like, if I'm gonna pay for something, I want it to be like,

Kosta Yepifantsev: 39:22

wow, like a life changing? Yeah,

Emily Bochette: 39:24

I don't care if I'm going there for you to shampoo my hair. It better be a good massage. And I better have volume that we're almost at the pearly gates of heaven with. So that is my expectation, right? Being able to verbalize that expectation. But also, if I'm going to go in and have that experience with a client, I want to ask the question the hard questions like what's your budget? Where do you want to be? Do you are you waiting on a transformation like it normally you know that for that come in? All of my clients are appointments only, but I normally have those tough conversations before they get my chair but when they do, let's say they decided to get extensions. Well it's a couple$1,000 It's a lot of Money, I want you to feel like whenever we're done, like I provided an experience and a look where you're like, Wow, I never thought my hair could look like that. I never thought I could go from a pixie cut or hair at my ears to now I'm sitting on a chair. And I want to provide something for you that you want and that you expected, but also, I really tried to shoot above expectations. I would want somebody to do that. For me.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 40:23

If somebody is on a limited budget, what do you typically recommend when they come to a salon? Like what should they do? They just get a haircut? I'm sorry? Well, did they get a haircut? It's also

Emily Bochette: 40:34

different because normally, you're coming into a salon unless you're a walking client. I don't take walk in clients personally. But all of my girls have came in and they want something or they've changed their mind. Right? Like they've came in, they want they have a look that they want. Or you know, some of them come in, they change their mind. They're like, hey, I want to do this. But my audience has changed too, because you would think hair extensions or styles are like, I don't know, probably like 30 year old or 20 year olds. That's not my, you know, genre. There's 15 year olds getting hair extensions, nice 12 year olds that have brows better than I ever could slap on my face.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 41:08

My both of my daughters have have taken extensions right now different color hair, the Caroline just turned seven and Rosie's for

Emily Bochette: 41:18

prime example. And they love it. Even if it's just for a little pop of color to make that little girl be like, cool. You're like I gave to you girl. Yep, your bobbin. But to have that expectation, I always like to be transparent and say, Hey, what is your goal? Like, let me look at your look, they show me a look. And I'm like, Okay, this is X amount of dollars. Is that fitting in your budget? And I was okay, what is your budget? Look, we can work with it. And let's say that that is not your budget. Okay, well, do you want to work towards something? Or is this like something where you're not going to be able to ever, you know, maintain? Because hair extensions, you have to maintain color you have to maintain? I think one of the hardest parts is is having very clear transparency of communication. A lot of people want to give something because they want to people, please, it's not always best for your business, though. So if they can't maintain it, and they're gonna come back or wreck in six weeks, and you're I have a client, I love her to death. But every time she comes in her hair's a wreck, a wreck. And she's all she's tells me it too. She's like a story half this weaves hanging out on the left side and Bobby in the right side. And I think there's some beats slipping. And I think there's a rat tail in there. And I'm like, You're right on every bit of it. But you have to change her to something else. So being clear about your expectations and having just a communication that you're not making them filled with some type of way. Like, let's just talk about, I'm not gonna go buy a Ferrari and I can my budget. I want it. I want something nice, but it ain't my budget to say I'm like, I'm out here driving for rent. And I'm like that bad boy is gonna go for the next 50 years. Once

Kosta Yepifantsev: 42:52

we monetize this podcast, my bad Ferrari will see Ferraris for everybody. That's right. I know this might be too soon to ask. But I know you're always one step ahead. What's next for the Emily boo che empire? And what can we look forward to? Well,

Emily Bochette: 43:08

I like to say that I'm still like, pumping through like, we're still choo choo. And but this baby's slowing me down a little bit on my feet was however, like, behind the computer on the phone, those things I've really tried to take advantage of showing that this pregnancy like you can't have it all like a lot of people in my industry, they lose clients when they go on maternity leave, there's no paid maternity leave. There is no I mean, you have to hand your clients to someone else who might be lower price than you. Or they might give better deals or they might do something else. And you might lose a client, or several. There are no guarantees in this industry. It's very hard for women to you know, bounce back, I would say but also women do it every day. It's just that amount of like, are you taking like months to bounce back or you're essentially maybe having to rebuild a clientele. And that is something that I really want to prove in my future that I have a full clientele I travel. But I also do these cool things, with these cool celebrities with these cool down to earth people that are everyday things that you can still do to while having a family.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 44:17

When you look at Poppy and Pearl 20 years down the line. What do you want it to become? Like? What is your dream for this business? If you could have it all? Not necessarily on the personal side. But on the business side? If you could have it all? What would it be?

Emily Bochette: 44:33

I truly would love to have a environment whether that's you know, whether I have a shop bigger than where I'm at, that I'm able to teach my trade to other women, okay. And a lot of people are kind of skeptical about teaching their trade because they're like, they're just gonna take it and run with it well, okay. However, if you provide an environment they want to stay in, then they'll stay and I want to provide an environment and i hope i Have a multi tear Salon of other women that are able to create, whether that be hair and makeup, brows, tattoos, any type of thing in the beauty industry that falls under that beauty umbrella. And I want you to be able to create on your own down on your own time. And a lot of people come out of school going straight into, like I said, being an assistant, and then you got to work for somebody, and you're a commissioned stylist. And that did not work for me personally, because I was getting half of everything I made taken by the salon, that's normal. It just didn't work for me. It just wasn't what I wanted to be more normal. So I made a different normal. And that's why I went at Booth rented, I built a clientele on my own, I take that back, I had so many people helping me however, I was able to stick with it. And to know that okay, I didn't have no money coming in this week. But you know what, next week, fulfilled the last three weeks, I didn't have any money. And I want when other women to come out of school to come at a career change, and have a place where you can come and create and you don't have to spend years building up something. That's just my path personally, there's also other paths that are great, that are very apprenticed, and you stay and you learn, it just wasn't mine. And that's what I want. I know there's a lot of other people in this industry that are like, I'm good at styling, and I'm like, Yeah, you're you need to come work. Well, you know, I can't do this, because of this, this and this, and I'm like, listen, I get it. But when you take the leap, you will be rewarded leaps and bounds. And that's something I want to provide down the road is I want to I want people to come in and be able to work and build a business, I want to provide a vessel where you can build a business, I just provided the ship, you're sailing it, I just provided it.

Kosta Yepifantsev: 46:47

So we always like to end the show on a high note, who is someone that makes you better when you're together?

Emily Bochette: 46:56

Oh, that's a toughy. And you know, I've listened I listen to a lot of podcasts, of course. But I also listened to a lot of like, of course, I'm trying to read and always work on mental development. But somebody said something, and it has never been truer than it is today is you're only as good as the company you keep. And I've been through a lot of different friend groups as I've gotten older, and then you get married, you get different friend groups, and then you know you have a business, you get different friend groups. And there's been a lot of people that were seasonal friends, and they were great for that season. And I'm so thankful and grateful that I had those relationships, even though they might not be in my life today. And I think that I have a really great group of like minded business women, I can't even pinpoint one because they all they all contribute every day. We have group chats, I'm like bouncing ideas off them, that it is safe. I can bounce business ideas that I know that I'm going to take and create a business. Even creatives in my industry that I have that I'm like, hey, what do you think about this campaign? Or what do you think about that doing this, and, you know, let's do this content, it is a safe place. And my girls are like a little mini tribe of, you're always able to level up within that group. And they're not holding you back. They're boosting you. They're pushing you. And I truly believe that's true. I think that you are only as good as the company you keep and that will evolve over time as you evolve as a person. And I'm in a very evolving state and it's evolving all the time. But I truly love that I have a core group of women that I constantly go to that are always have my back. And they're pushing me to be better. And sometimes I say things I don't like I'm like I didn't like that. But I agree with it. But I didn't like that you said it to me. But you know what? You're right. So what do I do? And they have 10 Other ideas, and it's something that I love.

Morgan Franklin: 48:51

Thank you for joining us on this episode of excited.Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev. If you've enjoyed listening and you want to hear more, make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.Leave us a review or better yet,share this episode with a friend. Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a Kosta Yepifantsev Production.Today's episode was written and produced by Morgan Franklin post production mixing and editing by Mike Franklin.Want to know more about Kosta visit us at kostayepifantsev.com We're better together. We'd like to remind our listeners that the views and opinions expressed during this episode are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official policy or position of this show its producers or any related entities or advertisers. While our discussions may touch on various topics of interest,please note that the content is intended to inspire thought provoking dialogue and should not be used for a substitute for professional advice.Specifically, nothing heard on this podcast should be construed as financial,legal,medical or any other kind of professional advice. We encourage our listeners to consult with a professional in these areas for guidance tailored to their specific circumstances.