My Business Journey, Chapter 3: A Permanent Home

In Chapter 2: Sleeping Babies and Homemade Price Lists, I shared how Paul and I began taking my little business seriously. As my client list grew, one thing became clear: our living room could not keep doubling as a treatment room.

Welcome to Chapter 3 of My Business Journey: A Permanent Home. This is the next part of the story behind Karen Alexandra Beauty and Well-Being in Tonbridge, and the beginning of a workspace I could truly call my own. In Chapter 4: Discovering the Skincare Range That Shaped My Business, I share how finding Éminence Organic Skincare helped shape the direction of my work.

Time to give the business its own space

I welcomed my very first client into my home in March 2005. The business had begun around my young family, with appointments fitted around the children and Paul’s shift patterns.

Happily, my clientele began to grow. But transforming our living room into a treatment room, then back into a family space, was becoming tricky. It was time for a permanent space without the toys.

A cosy treatment room at the back of the garage

Together, Paul and I transformed a cold, damp room that the previous owners had used for storage. We managed to create a cosy little space with just enough room for my treatment couch, a trolley for my equipment and a chair for my clients.

It was tucked away at the back of the garage, nicely hidden by a lovely curtain made for me by my sister. A little more family teamwork behind the scenes!

The children loved the treatment room too. And there I stayed for four years.

Why the little room worked for my clients

I sometimes found it strange that clients were happy coming to my tiny room just off the kitchen, which had to be made spotless after every dinner time.

But I had met many of my clients through having children, and most were at a similar stage of life. The late-evening hours suited them, as did a location away from the town centre with easy parking.

For me, it felt like the best of both worlds: work that brought in regular income, the chance to meet wonderful and interesting people, and the ability to structure my appointments around my little children.

A leaking roof and a much bigger decision

Those four years treating clients in my bijoux room passed so quickly. Then the leaking flat roof gave me a sign: it was time to take a bigger step.

We decided to extend the mortgage and convert the garage. This would become my third treatment space, following the living-room setup and the little room at the back.

It was a significant commitment. Once we made that decision, there really was no turning back.

A light, spacious and dedicated treatment room

The new room gave me a spacious, light and dedicated place to work. More and more clients came, and there was another very practical benefit: I no longer had to tidy every other part of the house before each appointment. Just the hallway!

Happy days.

The photographs below show how the space evolved, from the early days with a small family visitor, to me posing for an article in a national beauty magazine in 2011, and later changes to the room.

Building a business around family life

Looking back, having a permanent treatment space was about more than gaining a room. It made everyday family life easier while giving the business space to grow.

From a couch in the living room to a dedicated studio, each step happened as our needs changed. There was still family life around it all, but the business was finding a home of its own.

Read all 12 chapters of My Business Journey

1. Chapter 1: A Baby, a Beauty Couch and a New Beginning
2. Chapter 2: Sleeping Babies and Homemade Price Lists
3. Chapter 3: A Permanent Home (you’re here)
4. Chapter 4: Discovering the Skincare Range That Shaped My Business
5. Chapter 5: Finding Clients and Keeping Them
6. Chapter 6: The Ultimate Juggling Act
7. Chapter 7: The Pivot, Finding My Niche
8. Chapter 8: The COVID Years
9. Chapter 9: A New World After COVID
10. Chapter 10: A Family Affair
11. Chapter 11: A Huge Change
12. Chapter 12: On into the Future!

Previously: Chapter 2: Sleeping Babies and Homemade Price Lists.

Continue to Chapter 4: Discovering the Skincare Range That Shaped My Business, where I share how I discovered the skincare range that would shape the future of my business.

Explore Karen Alexandra Beauty today

Visit Karen Alexandra Beauty to explore skincare, makeup and wellbeing favourites, with personal advice from me in Tonbridge.

Thank you for reading and for being part of the journey. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

Karen xxx

Karen Alexandra Beauty and Well-Being

2a Avebury Avenue, Tonbridge, Kent