Today we’d like to introduce you to Tristen Johnson.
Hi Tristen, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story really begins in college. I pursued a Bachelor of Science in Biology with aspirations of a career in healthcare, and I honored that path, gaining clinical experience through my work at ScribeAmerica. But somewhere in the middle of building that foundation, I found myself drawn to something else entirely: aesthetics.
While working full-time, I enrolled in aesthetics school, balancing both without breaking stride because that has always been my nature. The moment I completed my training, I launched Inked by The Gem Aesthetics Studio without hesitation, building my clientele from the ground up and establishing my specialization in permanent makeup, brows, lashes, and corrective skincare with a deliberate focus on melanated skin.
Entering the industry as a solo practitioner introduced me to the salon suite model, and my curiosity extended far beyond occupying a chair. I began studying how these businesses functioned, identifying gaps, and envisioning what was possible. That curiosity became intentional.
While still actively serving clients, I returned to academia and earned both my MBA and Master of Health Administration. One year after completing those degrees, I finalized the acquisition of Studio 78, my own salon suite business. What began as a need for space had matured into a mission to create an environment where other beauty professionals could build legacies of their own.
Today I operate both businesses in a small but thriving community, serving a clientele that demands luxury, values convenience, and invests intentionally in self-care. I am still the esthetician behind the chair and the entrepreneur architecting something far greater. For me, those two identities have never been in conflict.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth is not a word I would use. Intentional, relentless, and at times overwhelming — those feel far more accurate.
The earliest challenge was simply managing the volume of it all. While enrolled in aesthetics school, I was simultaneously navigating a demanding schedule at the hospital through my work as a manager at ScribeAmerica. My calendar was not a preference, it was a lifeline. Without it, nothing would have gotten done. The constant negotiation between hospital shifts and school obligations was an endless tug of war that required a level of discipline I did not know I had until I was tested by it.
Graduating and going solo immediately after sounds bold, and it was; but bold does not pay bills. The reality of building a clientele from nothing meant watching my savings disappear and stretching every paycheck further than it was designed to go. I kept my position at ScribeAmerica for a full year while building Inked by The Gem Aesthetics Studio in parallel, because the dream had to be funded before it could become a reality.
Building a luxury brand in a small college town presented its own unique friction. The market here skews toward students who are more inclined to treat themselves occasionally than invest consistently in premium services. Establishing credibility, commanding luxury pricing, and attracting the right clientele in a market not necessarily built for it required patience and an unwavering commitment to my positioning.
And then there was Studio 78. The decision to purchase was not purely financial, but it was deeply personal. The building sits in a flood zone and has flooded before. I had to look a potential loss in the face and decide whether the vision was worth the risk. Ultimately, I believed in what I was building more than I feared what could go wrong. That mindset shift was its own kind of turning point.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Inked by The Gem Aesthetics Studio was built at the intersection of science and artistry. With a clinical background and graduate level education in healthcare administration, the approach here has never been surface level. Every service is rooted in skin health first, with a particular dedication to corrective skincare, anti-aging treatments, and the concerns that are often overlooked or mishandled when it comes to melanated skin. Alongside that, custom lash work rounds out an experience that is as precise as it is intentional.
What separates this brand is not just the services, it is the philosophy behind them. Clients are not numbers here. Every appointment begins with truly hearing what someone wants, what they have tried, what has not worked, and what they are afraid to ask. That level of care is what keeps people coming back and what makes the experience feel genuinely luxurious regardless of your zip code. Luxury is not geography. You do not have to be in a major metropolitan area to receive a world class experience, and Inked by The Gem Aesthetics Studio exists as proof of that.
For those who cannot make it in person, virtual skincare consultations are available. Making personalized, corrective skincare guidance accessible no matter where you are. If you have questions about your skin, there is no reason to go without answers.
On the studio side, Studio 78 is more than a building, it is a business home. As both the esthetician behind the chair and the owner of the suite, the goal has always been to create an environment that supports beauty professionals the way I wished I had been supported starting out. Licensed professionals ready to operate independently now have a space designed for exactly that, with daily rentals available for those who are not ready for a full time commitment but are ready to start building. If you are a new esthetician wondering whether it is possible to go solo without a big city platform or a large safety net. This brand exists to show you that it is.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I have learned is that discipline will always outperform emotion. There is a saying I live by: stick to the plan and not your feelings. That has carried me through every season of uncertainty; inconsistent income, slow growth on social media, moments where the results simply did not match the effort I was putting in. Feelings would have told me to quit during every single one of those chapters. The plan said otherwise.
The second part of that lesson is protecting your vision from people who did not build it with you. A small town often comes with small thinking, and the quickest way to get thrown off of your dreams is to listen to someone who has never been in your position or who can only see the worst case scenario. Not everyone who speaks into your life has earned the authority to do so. Learning to discern between genuine counsel and fear disguised as advice was one of the most critical shifts I ever made.
When you combine those two things, an unwavering commitment to structure over feelings and a refusal to let someone else’s limitations become yours, you become very difficult to stop. That is the lesson. Not that the road gets easier, but that you get more disciplined about how you walk it.
Contact Info:
- Website: inkedbythegem.com & Studio78suites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkedbythegem/ & https://www.instagram.com/studio78suites/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TristenTerese
