Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Thompson.
Krista, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began my career studying at Rutgers University. I majored in psychology and minored in sociology as I have always been phenomenally fascinated with people and society.
Upon completing my Bachelors degree, I continued studying at Rutgers Business School where I was awarded a graduate certification in Web Design and Development, earning a 4.0 GPA. I then founded a boutique web development firm which I managed for several years, focusing on small businesses. My work with business owners really sparked my interest in business law and intellectual property, thus I decided to move from NJ to attend law school here in Miami. I fell as much in love with the spirit of entrepreneurs as I did the diverse culture of Southern Florida. During law school I founded a company with my oldest son, who at the time was just 6 years old.
He invented a really cool fashion accessory for kids that he wanted to sell. I embarked on the mission to assist him and before I knew it we had a store in the Dadeland Mall, international wholesaling accounts, were featured in a nationwide retail chain, and our business won the Miami Heralds Elevator Pitch Contest in 2012. We are now co-authoring a book based on our insight and unique experience as parent/child co- business owners.
Upon completing law school, I moved to New York City where I worked as a legal consultant on Wall Street on some of the largest corporate law matters seen in the news this decade. Being an attorney is an incredible responsibility and remains one of the most noble professions. I am so honored to be an attorney licensed here in the State of Florida. It was my greatest goal in my life and I love knowing I achieved my dream.
Now, I hold a deep commitment to live each day by helping other people achieve their dreams. However big or small, the important element is to take a step forward every single day. I truly gripped this reality when I learned my father was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer. Every single day matters more than many people realize. Taking small steps each day accumulates into huge accomplishments and the time will inevitably pass by in what feels like the blink of an eye.
My Dad passed in just four short months after his diagnosis. In each moment of that time it became all the clearer that the time had come for me to embark on this new path.
Previously a very close friend, Janine P. Slater, had consulted with me regarding her substantial success in the field of Permanent Cosmetics. It was not just our collaboration regarding effective business strategies but rather her motivation for her work that resounded with me. She embarked on her career as a medical esthetician after her Granny passed away from ovarian cancer. Janine is now a renowned artist in the micropigmentation field. She shared with me that her motivation to practice areola reconstruction for cancer survivors was to honor her Granny. This deeply resonates with me as I have also lost my father to cancer. The connection was immediate for us and Janine was recently name our International Director of Technique and Training.
Losing my father to cancer yields a deep compassion in me to help restore the lives of those who have battled cancer and survived. My father, though tough as nails in life, a former Marine Sergeant, a lifelong firefighter and law enforcement officer unfortunately did not survive cancer. Though what has survived my father are the lessons he taught me and my brother, along with the loving guidance of our mother, that we shall serve our community, and the lives of others as much as we shall ever serve ourselves. My brother is also a lifelong firefighter, saving lives every single day. I couldn’t be prouder! I wanted to do something I could be equally proud of myself for doing and despite being recognized as a rising star for 2017 in intellectual property New York Metro Area by Super Lawyers, quite honestly serving corporate giants on Wall Street just was not “it” for me. The Center For Permanent And Corrective Cosmetics is my arena where I can not only dutifully serve the lives of our clients as the director, I also advise industry business owners through our various training programs. My position marries all of my passions together, I could not be happier!
My Mom as a 25-year Master Cosmetologist and Chief Cosmetology Consultant at Our Center taught me early on that beauty was more than skin deep. That, ironically, could not be clearer when working in the field of permanent cosmetics. At Our Center we aren’t just enhancing beauty, we are often repairing a part of a person that may have troubled them for weeks, months or even years. We restore not just the physical appearance, but a part a person that they have felt was missing or was lost from illness, injury, aging, etc. Having the capacity within your hands, to renew a person not only physically but emotionally, is nothing short of a miracle.
What I love most about founding The Center For Permanent And Corrective Cosmetics is teaching other professionals in the industry not only the techniques they need to succeed but the tools they need as business owners. So many professionals take courses in this field that will not offer them any business development. I personally studied permanent cosmetics at the world-renowned Beau Institute under the guide of Rose Marie Bachamin. A world class institution founded by Rose Marie, the President of the American Academy of Pigmentation. We are deeply committed to providing every student of ours with a world class technique training experience at our luxury cosmetics center, However, we uniquely incorporate a detailed business development component. That is where we truly differentiate ourselves from other facilities. We are collaborators from a variety of specializations. We invite only the best practitioners, and instructors to our center to meet with our clients and students. We concentrate on mastering not only the art of micropigmentation but on teaching students how they can realize phenomenal success in this business.
Merging my lifelong love of the cosmetics industry, my motivation to honor my father’s legacy and to collaborate with my industry expert mother while harnessing my extensive education and real-life business experience I have gained, I now honorable serve as director of The Center For Permanent And Corrective Cosmetics.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, NO! Things will always happen that are outside of your control in business and in life. You are best suited to consider Murphy’s law: What can go wrong, Will go wrong! I follow this motto in everything now. Even as a parent. Plan, Prepare, Pray, and always, always Persevere.
The most heart wrenching experience for me was losing everything except my life in Hurricane Sandy. My home in NJ was under water for several days and needed to be demolished after. I had nothing physical except my car and what fit into it while I evacuated. It took me three years to buy the “extra” things for myself again. Not that I couldn’t, but because I no longer felt material possessions were important after losing everything I had valued.
I’ve also encountered bad people, bad friends, bad partners. You exquisitely need to know when to hold them and when to fold them. Walking away from all negativity is crucial to mapping a successful life for yourself. We do not owe anyone our personal dignity. Hit that next button Girl! Same with ideas, not every idea is going to be a home run. Keep at it until you find the one that is! This works with relationships and business. Through trial and error, I have found that 90% likeliness of a successful outcome occurs in your initial decisive process.
I also would like to note that I had my first son at age 20 as a single mother, before finishing college. He has served as my inspiration through every day I worked as hard as I could for the both of us. It certainly was a challenging journey. My second child, also a boy, was born last year. I have two boys now, they are my whole world! Certainly, managing a business as a mother has exceptional challenges. Planning is SO important.
Please tell us about Center For Permanent And Corrective Cosmetics.
I must first note that our center is a remarkably beautiful facility. We have broadened the approach from where you typically find permanent cosmetics offered, as just a supplement to an existing dental office or salon with a freelance artist appearing a few days a week. I created a center dedicated to the large variety of services available through Micropigmentation. We are surely one of the few standalone permanent cosmetics centers you will find regionally and nationally. That enables us to offer a wide range of services and bring you specialists in each arena. We offer Microblading from the renowned Janine P. Slater who was awarded Best in Philly by Philadelphia Style Magazine. She has partnered exclusively with our center here in South Florida. So, if you want the best brows in the business, we have them. Additionally, we specialize in Scalp Micropigmentation as we bring you the artist who is the trusted scalp Micropigmentation practitioner for Scalp Micropigmentation practitioners. Our specialist is the specialist that industry experts trust to do their very own scalp procedures. That is quite an endorsement in my opinion.
We also offer my personal favorite service, scar revision and stretch mark repair via Microneedling. It is the equivalent a magic eraser for those trouble spots and I admit as a mother myself, I swear by this treatment. Simply amazing results when performed correctly. Acne sufferers can be relieved of those crevices and scars that deeply distort their complexion. Through Microneedling their acne scars are repaired and they are relieved of the embarrassment and discomfort they have often suffered with for years and years.
Our training program is where we truly stand apart from other programs. We offer industry leaders that teach techniques by collaborating with artists around the globe and hosting them at our state of the art luxurious treatment and training center. Where we really take it to the top is our one of a kind business development component. It is one thing to teach an artist how to do a procedure. The nature of the business requires artists to be freelancers or solo practitioners as there are simply not many facilities that hire directly. You need to know how to create your business to protect your personal assets. How to promote your services, acquire freelance contracts, market yourself online, social media development, how to actually get clients to work on. We do not want to accept thousands of dollars for training someone and have them sit at home just staring at their expensive equipment. We want them out there working and that is what I offer uniquely. I know business, legal compliance, contract law, web development, social media campaigning, networking, business to business development and permanent cosmetics! You simply cannot go to just any Microblading course or PMU training and learn how you are going to actually make money in this business. Students come to our Center to learn technique, procedure safety, and business training! To really ensure success, we also invite our students to immediately continue working at our facility on their own clients as our apprentice. This way, they can start working from day one and we continue to help them grow their technical skill set and business along the way, until they are ready to go out there on their own. That is where we stand apart. We collaborate and build long term relationships because we genuinely care about the success of others not just the quick buck.
What I am most proud of at our Center is the work we do for cancer survivors and for service members. Aside from our standard discount for survivors and service members (firefighters and police included). We donate our services to very fortunate recipients who are nominated to us anonymously. Nothing makes me happier than knowing we can help someone who perhaps could not afford the service or has already paid for it through their dutiful service to our community and country. We care so much about these lives that we truly are brought to tears when we hear some of the miraculous journeys and stories of survival. It’s incredible and we want to honor these individuals lives with donating our services to them.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Cheerleading! I cheer leaded throughout my entire childhood and teens. I have always been this super positive personality. I just love being a cheerleader for others. (Yes, I still have pom-poms lol) Only now, I cheer people on in their businesses. I love inspiring people and telling them to get up and get out there because they CAN do it! Working with entrepreneurs is SO rewarding and exciting! I love to synergize and I love getting phone calls when hard work pays off. However, as any cheerleader, I take the victories with the defeats. I tell anyone I advise to just think of this world if Mr. Thomas Edison did not keep going with his ridiculous invention of the lightbulb. He failed over 1,000 times. Though here we stand, with all of this glorious light around us. Never quit on yourself, always believe something amazing is about to happen!
Pricing:
- We offer 25% discount to everyone who reads your article and chooses to become our client. For ANY service!
- Microblading $550 intial session
- Scalp Rejuventation $1000 per session
- Microblading $150 touch up session. (Within first 4-6 weeks)
Contact Info:
- Address: 3015 N Ocean Drive, Suite C-117 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308
- Website: www.cfpacc.com
- Phone: 754-301-8791
- Email: book@cfpacc.com
- Instagram: microblade_miami_ftlauderdale Miami.scalp.rejuvenation
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/permanentandcorrectivecosmetics/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/center-for-permanent-and-corrective-cosmetics-fort-lauderdale
- Other: https://squareup.com/appointments/book/6FG0VMVM2D185/center-for-permanent-and-corrective-cosmetics-llc
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
