This interview with Miranda Voth, Founder of My Beauty Lab, is part of Exeleon’s Most Innovative Women in Beauty and Cosmetics issue. Check out other stories and interviews in our Women History Month Celebration.
For Miranda Voth, her journey began with a passion for creativity and an analytical mind, but it was her desire for freedom and expression that led her into the world of beauty.
Miranda is a dynamic entrepreneur and a visionary in the beauty space. In 2015, she took the leap to pursue a Medical Aesthetics diploma and quickly found her niche in lash extensions, a service that has remained a core part of her service till today.
In this Interview with Exeleon Magazine, Miranda Voth talks about her journey, starting her own business, and her fight against stigma.
Can you share your story of transitioning from a background in marketing to becoming a certified lash technician and medical aesthetician?
I started working in advertising when I was 22, in social media for brands. It was a job that required creativity but also an analytical mind to figure out what content worked best for our clients online. But it was also a very tough industry that changed fast and often. I was working evenings and weekends; it was creatively draining and came with a lot of feedback without the autonomy to fix the problems. I felt like I was giving away so much of myself and not seeing the returns I wanted for my work. I would come home from stressful days at work and look up “best careers for women” or “what industries are up and coming” to see if I could transition my skills to something that fit me better.
Then in 2014 I was laid off from a company I absolutely loved working for and felt like no matter how much I gave to this company, I was just disposable to them.
One night in my Google search, I saw an article about a team of Toronto girls who were offering laser hair removal, and it piqued my interest.
In June 2015, I went to college to get my Medical Aesthetics diploma. While in school, I took a lash extension course so I would have a job on the sides. To this day, lash extension has remained as my most popular service among customers.
I offered beauty services from my home as a side hustle for years and in 2020, I finally quit my corporate job to open a full-time skin, lash, and laser business.
What inspired you to enter this industry and become a beauty entrepreneur?
I had always loved beauty treatments and was an early adopter of lash extensions, having my first set done in 2011. So, I knew I could have some influence with my friends and family to try my treatments.
I think when I was younger, I didn’t know the power a beauty entrepreneur could have. But once I realized how much freedom, money, and peace it could bring to my life, I wish I had taken the leap sooner.
The one aspect I love the most is that when there’s a problem in my business, I have the ability and power to fix it myself.
Can you discuss the process of launching your own line of beauty products? What was the inspiration behind it, and what steps did you take to bring it to market?
When I first launched our Lash Extension Cleanser, there was really nothing on the market that was client-facing. Lash supply companies sold lash cleansers for technicians to retail, but it wasn’t common.
I was noticing my clients leave their lash extension appointments and instead ask me on how to take care of their lashes, considering there was nothing in the drugstores for their aid.
Lash extensions require specialty products to cleanse them as the glue doesn’t hold up well with the use of oil or glycerin. So, I hired a cosmetic chemist who helped me create the formula. We then found a lab that was willing to take my small quantity order and we officially launched the cleanser in 2016! I have been selling it to salons, spas, and customers online and in my shop. But my big goal is to have it in a Shoppers, Rexall, or Sephora one day!
Balancing work and personal life is crucial yet challenging. How do you manage this balance, and what advice do you have for other entrepreneurs?
Having your own business means working never stops. Even when I am on my days off, I am always answering direct messages from clients, creating marketing content, and thinking of ways to expand my business.
But one thing that helps is that I try to schedule my down time and stick to it. I try to plan out what needs to get done when I get to work so that the list is available when I have down time. If I don’t, I tend to waste precious time in my workday and the consequence of that is I end up working on my days off. Sticking to the plan, and having one in general, always makes me more productive.
I also think having a supportive partner helps so much. My partner gives me the freedom to get things done and doesn’t take it personal that I work 6 days a week because she knows everything I put in, we see the returns of it.
How do you use your platform and business to promote diversity and inclusion within the beauty industry?
This has always been something that was a priority for me. Part of my story about working in advertising was how I always felt men were awarded the exciting projects, promotions, and given the opportunities, even though I had the same experience or work ethic as them.
This was a driving factor in why I wanted to be my own boss one day. I am a woman who identifies as queer and Indigenous, so I have seen how the business world favors particular groups above others.
In my business, I strive to offer aesthetic services for all skin types, and I actively stock products that are made by people of color for people of color. For instance, many of my lash supplies are from an Asian-Female owned Canadian Company and one of the skincare lines I offer is owned and formulated by a South Asian owner.
I also do my best to feature diversity in my marketing by displaying different beauty ideals, celebrating different cultures with my posting strategy, and of course supporting causes I believe in such as Every Child Matters and sharing other Indigenous entrepreneurs’ work.
Looking to the future, what are your aspirations for My Beauty Lab? Are there any upcoming projects or expansions you can share?
My goal was always to get my Lash Extension Cleanser into a larger retailer since they don’t carry anything like it yet! So, I will be working towards that this year.
I am also slowly building clients in Toronto. Hopefully I can open a second location for our service business in Toronto soon!
Exeleon’s Women History Month.
