The Sugar Show

Sweet Success: Building a Sugaring Empire with Sarah Herbst

• Shannon "The SugarMama" • Season 6 • Episode 4

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Sarah Herbst's remarkable transformation from a struggling single mother to the "million-dollar sugarist" reveals what's possible when passion meets perseverance. Fourteen years ago, Sarah was living with her mom, jobless with a newborn baby, when she encountered someone performing sugaring at a spa. The elegant technique captivated her immediately - not just for its beauty benefits (it cleared up her eczema) but for the profound human connections it facilitated.

"When someone walks in the room to get a Brazilian with you," Sarah explains, "it's almost like they tell you things that they've told no one else. You bond with this person in such a special way." This realization became the foundation for her business philosophy when she eventually opened Sugar Bar in Ohio.

Her success didn't come overnight. Sarah candidly shares how she cried during her first attempts at sugaring and couldn't afford formal training initially. She developed her skills through relentless practice while building relationships with clients who valued both her technique and her authentic care. When opportunity arose to create her own business environment, she took the leap despite doubts about being "cut out" for ownership.

Today, Sarah manages two locations with thirteen employees, having strategically grown by one staff member per year initially. What makes her business model particularly meaningful is her commitment to hiring single mothers and women in recovery - creating opportunities for others facing challenges similar to those she once navigated. "If you have happy employees, you have a good business," she emphasizes, a philosophy that has clearly served her well.

Sarah's latest venture, SugarCon, represents her gift back to the sugaring community. This first-ever convention dedicated entirely to sugaring professionals takes place June 29-30 in Cleveland, bringing together brands, educators, and practitioners from across the industry. For anyone passionate about sugaring or contemplating their own entrepreneurial journey, Sarah's story demonstrates that success comes not just from technical skill, but from genuine connection, community building, and lifting others along your path.

If you’ve connected with or been inspired by this episode in any way, leave us a review and let us know your biggest takeaway - I’d love to hear how you embrace Sugaring For All!! And while you've got your phone out, make sure to follow us on Instagram @Love2Sugar.

If you are interested in learning more about Radeq Lab's Premium Prebiotic Sugar Line of products, you can find them at www.radeqlab.us.

If you are interested in our business planner you can find the SugarBoss Planner here --->https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/love2sugar

The link to our Monthly SugarBiz Blueprint: https://www.love2sugar.com/offers/cMhp76LA/checkout

Cheers to your Sweet Success!

Speaker 1:

Hello all and welcome back to this episode of the Sugar Show. You know when you meet someone and you just easily hit it off. That is this episode of the show. This is my time with Sarah Herbst. She is the self-proclaimed million-dollar sugarist, and rightfully so. She has built a beautiful business in Ohio and she has now taken that to the next level and is sharing her expertise with all of you.

Speaker 1:

We talk about that, we talk about how she started in this business, we talk about just what she is all about, and I learned some pretty cool stuff about little Miss Sarah, and I say little miss because she's a tiny little human In addition to being a great human. Um, I'm tall and she's a tiny little thing, so I cannot wait to wrap my arms around her live at sugar con and I hope to wrap my arms around many of you as well Um, and really just spend some time taking our businesses to the next level and taking our relationships to the next level, and that's really what our friendship is, and I am looking forward to you getting to experience that. So, ladies and gentlemen, sarah Hurst, I've got her here. Folks, it's Ms.

Speaker 2:

Sarah Hurst. Hello everyone, I waved, even though no one can see me.

Speaker 1:

Oh, they'll be able to see you. Oh, they will. Okay, we'll put it on YouTube.

Speaker 2:

I've never been on a podcast before.

Speaker 1:

Really yes, well, I'm so glad I could be here for your first time. This is my first time, I know I'm so excited. I love this. It's just two chicks hanging out talking about sugar, oh great. Yes, I love it.

Speaker 2:

Well, welcome to the show, Thank you, thanks for having me. I'm I'm very excited about this and I just saw we were saying we can talk about sugaring for days.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, before we uh, before we hit the record button, I mean we really probably could have kept going, but I said we got to get started here, so let's do it. These folks are in their treatment rooms cleaning up, or maybe they're walking the dog, or maybe they're on a long road trip and they've chosen this episode to hear all about you. And I want to make sure that what we do with this show is talk about sweet success in addition to business and technique and theory and all of that. But really the important piece is lifting each other up and and hearing what other people's stories are, so that hopefully it'll resonate with someone in the audience that is similar to you or, you know, just wonders how you got to where you got to, and so thank you for sharing your sweet success, Cause I know the roads aren't necessarily paved in. You know candy and and sweetness the whole time.

Speaker 2:

Sunshine and rainbows and all of that. You know, it's so interesting because when I look back at um, my sugaring journey, and I think about where I started and how I got started, um, it's, it's amazing to think about Um. I was just talking with my oldest daughter the other day about when she was a baby, like when she was first born, and I was reminding her that I did not even have a job when she was a tiny, tiny baby, when she was first born, and I lived with my mom and had nothing to my name. You know this little tiny baby, and within a few months, you know, I started working at a spa, this second spa that I had worked at, and I watched my boss sugar and I thought it was the most beautiful, elegant thing that I had ever seen in the entire world. And this woman that I worked for was extremely successful and busy and she had showed me like a little bit of what to do with the sugar paste and I took some home and I was like off and running, practicing with it constantly. I literally thought it was the most amazing thing in the world and it was. It was the most amazing thing in the world. It eliminated the eczema that I had all over my legs, which made me fall in love with it. And from there I kind of realized I'm pretty good at this and I can use this tool to make people feel really good about themselves.

Speaker 2:

And then something special happened when I was doing the Brazilians because that was a big service for us I realized that women wanted to be connected with like on a different level. In those in those services it was very different and special compared to like when you're doing a facial. Even I felt like when someone and you've probably noticed this too, just from years of like being a service provider when someone walks in the room to get a Brazilian with you, it's almost like they tell you things that they've told no one else. Like you, within minutes, bond with this person in such a special way.

Speaker 2:

And, um, being so young, I had never like experienced that with experienced that before with people of all ages and different backgrounds, and I loved it so much. So when I left that place that I was working at, I had a huge clientele that I had built up. I knew that I wanted to continue on with how I was treating my clients. I went to work for another woman who was absolutely wonderful and amazing, but she had different ideas about how her business should be run, and I didn't agree with it or like it. I wanted to be able to continue nurturing my clients the way that I had you know, taking them up to the front desk, making sure their experience was absolutely perfect and phenomenal.

Speaker 2:

So then I knew I was going to have my own business someday. I didn't start out thinking I was going to be a business owner. I felt like that was a lot. I didn't know if I was cut out for it, if I was that type of person that could do those things and be in charge of that much, and so it kind of just like fell into my lap and came naturally. And I really always say that that I was in the right place at the right time to see sugaring, to fall in love with it at the right time, to see sugaring, to fall in love with it, to bond with people, to know that I was good at doing that. And from there I just became a business owner. So Sugar Bar was born and I really had the benefit of watching my business grow and bringing on my first employee within that first year. Um, and then every year after that I brought on another employee.

Speaker 1:

How many do you have now?

Speaker 2:

Now I have um 13, which is wild, and two locations, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Which is crazy.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to stop you for a moment and I want to bring you way back to that day before you were, when you just started starting sugaring. You're a new esthetician, you're a new mom. I want to bring you back to that place for just a moment and we're going to bring you forward again. What do you remember feeling like? Because there's a lot of people that are listening to this right now and they're like oh wait, she's like me. I feel like that right now.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

How many years ago was that?

Speaker 2:

Oh my God. So my oldest daughter is almost 14.

Speaker 1:

Okay. So, 14 years ago, right yeah. And you're a new mama and you're thinking, oh my gosh, how am I going to, how am I going to make this? I don't have a job.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Go back to that moment, Cause I want to honor you in that way and and say congratulations, girl, you did it.

Speaker 1:

Because I think sometimes we forget where we came from and we forget those moments where we looked up at the ceiling and said how am I going to survive? I have this baby and I had two little boys. Like, how am I going to feed them? How, how, how, what does this look like? Right, you're kind of like looking up to the heavens, like for answers, and feeling at the moment you know, as you're laying in bed at two o'clock in the morning, how am I going to do this? And and so, first of all, you made it congratulations Cause we forget those days they feel like so long.

Speaker 2:

Right, a hundred percent. And it's literally how that conversation even started with my daughter is because she we were talking about something that her dad was buying versus I was buying, and she was like I don't want my dad to have to buy that for me, and I was like there was once a time where I also couldn't buy things, you know, or something like that. Yeah, just kind of, you know, humbling ourselves for a minute and I that's kind of how it started and I was like I even forget sometimes that, you know, this was all from nothing and we have to remember those things, right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, when I was new and doing that, it was sort of like I don't know how to explain it. I just felt like I knew when I picked up that sugar that I, this was something that I really wanted to be good at. And it's important to know for all the people out there listening who are brand new or who are feeling like I don't know how I'm going to do this. You guys, I was not good at it right away. I cried first few days I was learning it. I put sugar on my arm. It got stuck. It was terrible. I was bad at it. That same boss I was talking about that. I, you know, watched her sugar and she was. I thought it was so beautiful. She I don't think she let me see sugaring clients for months because she thought I was bad at it. Like it wasn't, like I instantly became this like master sugarist.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I couldn't afford to go to an in-person class. I had to pay for it myself. So I saved up money and it's funny because now I know it costs like I think it was like $500 to go to a class. That was like down the street for me, but I still couldn't afford it at that time, you know, Um, and then when I finally did, I'd already been sugaring for a little while, so, and then, maybe a year and a half after that I think, I took an Alexandria class, Um, so anyway. So I was kind of like trying to find a lot of educators back then.

Speaker 2:

No, there were not. Um, it was not a thing. And so when we did that Alexandria class at the spa I was working at, I'm pretty sure people came from other spots to train with us because it was like so few and far between that somebody would come to train. Like that wasn't a thing back then. Yeah, um, so a lot of the things I do today, like with education, with sugaring, are because I had no choice and I was then booked with like 20 clients a day. So I had to figure out okay, I have to get every little hair out or else it's not coming back. How am I going to do this? And, yeah, it just it was.

Speaker 2:

It was pretty amazing. I remember very clearly those, those first few months of sugaring and all the clients coming in and, um, we were also very blessed that because the sugaring was not well known in Ohio at that time, I think we were one of maybe two spas that offered it. Um, we ran a group on sale and we sold like 800 Brazilians in three days or something insane. Yeah, so it was pretty, it was a, it was a pretty awesome time.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and then you had to figure out how you sugared all those Cause. With Groupon you made like half of the half, oh, like a dollar. Yeah, you're basically sugaring for free. It covered your expenses. That was pretty much it.

Speaker 2:

But you know, everybody came back, and so that's why, even today with my business, a lot of people say don't do Groupon. I'm like listen, pretend like you're doing it for free and any money you do get is just bonus, and the goal is to get that client to come back to you for the rest of their lives, because that's what you really want to do.

Speaker 1:

And we know that once you put sugar on their body, they're coming back.

Speaker 2:

Oh, they love the sugar, but they have to love you because lots of people sugar now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And that's something that's very interesting. Like now with my salons. I think there's at least six or seven sugaring places within 15 minutes and that's pretty wild, how much sugaring there within 15 minutes. Um, and that's that's pretty wild, how much they're sugaring.

Speaker 1:

there was in Ohio Cause it's a lot and I love that.

Speaker 1:

You know, now it's becoming like we're shifting the tide right. We're now shifting from, you know, nobody even heard of sugaring, to now there's more and more people doing it, branching out. You know, people are really sugaring, which means you need to take your skills to the next, next level, because at the beginning it was kind of like, oh, you know, you were the only sugar you could kind of get away with, maybe not being the best, but you were the only one, yes. Now it's like oh, no, no, no, no, they're starting to learn in school, they're learning, you know, in your space they're learning and they're branching out, and now there's more people. So we have to really step up our game, which is why it's so critical to learn these advanced skills. And yeah, and so I want to keep on your success story really quick, because then we're going to talk about how you can improve your advanced skills if you're in the audience. So your sweet success. So you now have two locations, which is not for the faint of heart, my friend.

Speaker 2:

It is not. And I started doing that in COVID during like COVID times, after we were shut down for a little bit and then reopened, I noticed how truly valuable we were to our clients. We had a lot of clients that were not going anywhere else because they were afraid of COVID. They were afraid of, you know, getting their families sick but they were choosing to come and visit us and I was so honored by that and we did so well in like post-COVID times and it just I really wanted to see can I take my business model and put it anywhere and see how it does?

Speaker 2:

So there was a, you know, another location I had always kind of thought of for a second business and it's a little town called Medina, it's about 40 minutes from my first location and it's a very different small town, vibe from my first location, and I kind of was just like let's do it and I put another location there and it was hard and I was like, oh, I'm used to things just working out, you know, and it was a very slow start. I don't. I wanted to see the same model that I'd done with my first, which was a lot of word of mouth, advertising minus the Groupon could work in that second location and it made it a very slow start for that second business. It was.

Speaker 2:

I would say it took about six months until we had a more steady clientele, which, in retrospect, looking back, I see how spoiled I was with my first business because, like, listen to what I just said out loud it took six months for us to have a steady clientele. Like that's, that's amazing. That's incredible. Um, and today the business is doing very well and it's three years in and I cannot believe that um, it's there and that I have. I'm a multi salon owner. It's like the one thing I often do is I will sit in um either of the businesses and just look around and you know um a spiritual person and I'll just like, thank God in the universe that I have any of this, that this is really a reality for me that this happened because I know how um truly blessed I am that these things have worked out Um, but the biggest part of it is the way that we treat people and the way that I teach my staff to treat people and their clients.

Speaker 1:

You know I I don't want it to go unnoticed, though that it is it comes with hard work. Yeah, it comes with you educating yourself to be a business owner, which is very different than being a good sugar pro. You can have all the great skills you like, but you can't educate. You can have all the great skills you like, but you don't have those business marketing, networking type skills. You might be an amazing owner and not have very great sugar skills. That's what you have staff for.

Speaker 1:

I think that some people feel like, oh, I'm just going to go solo and then I'm going to. You know that'll solve all my problems. I don't like this boss, so I'm going to solve all my problems by going solo. That you know. That's not just it might be God's plan, but a whole lot of work on your part went into it. You know. I think some people feel like we make it look easy. Right, it's faith and a whole lot of sweat. You know, because you, you gotta be the first one that shows up in, the last one to leave for a long time.

Speaker 2:

I am and um a huge part of it is the way that I treat my employees. They are very important to me. Their happiness is like on most days. Their happiness is my number one priority, even on days where I'm frustrated with them.

Speaker 1:

And.

Speaker 2:

I think that a lot of owners overlook that fact that if you have happy employees, you have a good business. And I've been very, very lucky that I have an amazing staff and they are very self-sufficient, self-motivated, but I put so much effort and energy into making them feel appreciated and comfortable and like loving their work environment and that's been a big part of it, because I always used to say I'm not going into owning a business to make a million dollars, I just want to be happy and I want to love what I do. And then then I happened to make a million dollars, which was really awesome and like yay. But my main goal in the beginning was I want to enjoy my life and do something that I really love doing and then help other women do what I love doing A lot of what I've learned too.

Speaker 2:

So I'm very big into like the recovery community and helping. You know women go through that process and stay sober. And when I first opened and helping you know women go through that process and stay sober and when I first opened my business, I only hired women that were single moms or in the recovery community that needed that kind of support and so that I could help them. You know, care for their families, build up the life that I've built for myself, and over the years I've gotten away from that and had to get away from like specifically hiring those people, but it always turns out that they will find me anyways.

Speaker 2:

And so a lot of my staff are going through those journeys and we're kind of doing it together and it's been a beautiful process. And so there is that secondary goal for me with my business is to help as many people as possible, and people don't know that, so it's kind of cool.

Speaker 1:

That's incredible. I love that. I love that you're doing that. Yeah, For so many reasons. You know, um, this, this life is hard and if we can't lift each other up and we can't take each other under each other's wings, you know, and see the good in people, but also the people that work for you, for them to recognize the good work that you're doing and to work hard. You know, this isn't given to the owner, whether it's you, me or someone else. This was hard work by you and you know.

Speaker 1:

I think some people ask me. They're like, you know, should I be an employer and a solo? And I and I say to them if you're going to be an employee or a solo, doesn't matter, treat as an employee, treat it like it's your own business, and ask yourself am I the best employee I possibly can be? Am I showing up early? Am I, you know, picking up the little? You know dust bunnies on the corner, or am I just leaving that for someone else to do, Cause that's not my job, Right?

Speaker 1:

Am I loving on that client but being professional and setting boundaries? Am I, um, you know, am I, am I giving 110%? Or am I showing up and collecting my hourly Right, Because if your boss is pouring into you, you need to pour into them as well. Now, there's plenty of bosses who are not super great, and you recognize that there was one that was amazing and one that was not perfect, which was a learning experience for you as well. Right, Like I'm always grateful for those experiences that weren't good, because I can say you know, that's not how I want to run my business experiences that weren't good, because I can say you know, that's not how I want to run my business.

Speaker 2:

Oh, a hundred percent. I learned so much about what I didn't want to do in my business and how I didn't want to treat people, and those things I carry with me even today. Sometimes I hear a little voice in the back of my head that was my first boss. This is what she would be saying right now. I'm glad I'm not like that, you know. And then also I remember how I was as an employee and it also reminds me that there's a reason that I'm the boss and that someone else isn't.

Speaker 2:

When I want to get frustrated with somebody, that helps me be a better boss and I just have to remind myself there's a reason I'm here and that they're there and employees are such valuable, amazing, important people and I feel like there's nothing wrong with wanting to be an employee. And everybody kind of gets into this industry and thinks that they want to just be their own boss or be solo. And a lot of my employees have said, like I'm so content working here, I'll try to give them more responsibility, or, you know, I want you to do this or that, and they're like I'm good, like I'm really happy.

Speaker 1:

Well, think about it you buy all the supplies.

Speaker 2:

You're worrying about whether the lights are on.

Speaker 1:

I know, right, you're the one that makes sure that the cotton rounds are supplied, and you know, and all of that. You're the one that's doing all the marketing and this and that. Honestly, like, at the end of the day, if you run your own business, by the time you net it out, you're probably making less than if you were an employee.

Speaker 2:

A hundred percent. I know my first job. I made way more money there than I did in my first few years of business, for sure yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so if you are listening to this and you are an employee, you are valued, you are so important, and if you are not valued, then definitely go somewhere else to be a different person Find somewhere where you are, yes, yes, and you can, you know, hit those levels.

Speaker 1:

They're just, you know, netted out instead of you know they're taking the taxes out for you and you don't have to do it yourself you know that too, and that's what I want people that are employees to really you know, employees and solos to really understand is it's about what you're putting into it and about the care and the love that you're putting into your clients and your technique, because if you're hurting people, go get some education, please, or God, go get some extra education. I learn, you learn, you know. I go to classes and I'm like, well, that's pretty good technique.

Speaker 2:

Never thought I'd do it that way, right? Oh, a hundred percent. I've learned much from other educators, oh for sure. Even in the past few years of seeing the way other people do things, my clients laugh because they'll, I'll do something and they'll be like you learned that from so-and-so and I'm like I know I did I love.

Speaker 1:

when I see people running around with carrots the carrot analogy I'm like okay, I got, you got a carrot analogy.

Speaker 1:

So let's let's shift for a minute because I think that one of the most exciting things I've been doing this a really long time, you've been doing this a really long time we were there when nobody else was sugaring and you know we were trying to really spread the word and you know you go to a trade show and there's no sugar booths. You know you would go to, I would speak somewhere and I'm like, right, raise your hands if you've been sugared crickets, you know now it's.

Speaker 1:

The tables have turned and there are multiple people in your town that are sugaring and learning and students are learning, and it's just this movement that we prayed about 14 years ago, right, and it is an absolute joy. And I am so impressed that you are starting the sugaring convention, the sugar con, because, um, yeah, yeah, it's, thank you for doing that, because it really is. We are not in competition with each other. Our skills are in competition with other hair removal and it's not even competition, right, it's just a different modality. We go to a trade show and there's four sugar booths.

Speaker 1:

Hallelujah, number one, number two, guess what? There's 200 skincare booths. Yes, maybe in my lifetime I will see you know 10 or 12 sugar companies you know at a booth I don't know if there'll be 200, but, um, but really, truly, there's enough hoo-hahs for everyone. There is enough, you know States and cities for us to be in. We should, together be lifting each other up as sugar pros and saying you know what you sugar. Good on you, let me help you. Good on you, what? How can I be of service? Because we are in competition with lasers and razors and tweezing and you know threading and nair and and bad. You know, experiences like that's what we are working so hard to to lift the education about.

Speaker 1:

And so things like the, the international sugaring conventioncom, um, are really saying, okay, you know what? Now there's this base of humans that are getting it and like we don't need to tell you it's all natural anymore, cause all know that right, sugar and water, we all know that right it's. But now how can we take those skills to the next level and that's what you're doing.

Speaker 1:

So talk about how you got the um the nudge to do sugar con and, uh, how you decided to finally go ahead and pull the trigger and make that happen so I think what's so?

Speaker 2:

what I want people to know about sugar con, first of, is that it's sort of like it's not like it's my idea, which you touched on, and I it's like all of our idea, right?

Speaker 2:

Anyone who's been sugaring for decades and been in the industry and has ever, like, touched a ball of sugar and fallen in love with it and then gone to a trade show and you're right, like had no representation of sugaring or it's like all of our idea collectively. And I feel like it's just that all that energy come together. And I was talking with Jamie Renee Nelms and Brooke Kennedy and Ashley Davis and some other educators when we were at an event last March and someone came up in the conversation. They were like oh Sarah, didn't you want to do a thing? And I was like I don't know when I said that out loud, but they think that I want to do a thing and I do want to do a thing and I must have said it in like a comment somewhere, right, just kind of hit me that like all of us are sort of collectively waiting for somebody to like, take that leap and put on the show party yes.

Speaker 2:

Someone has to get the party started. And you know, just like you, like I've been going to the trade show since very early on in my career. I remember my first boss being like we're going to go here and do this and I would just like get a credit card and every last penny went towards the Miami show and the New York show and I absolutely loved it and it was amazing. But you're right, I never saw sugaring at those shows and back then I doubt anybody was even there that I would have known besides Alexandria. Um, and so it's just. This is my dream convention, this is all of our dream convention. Um, I want every sugarist to walk in the door, see every sugaring brand that they've ever heard of or dreamed of meeting, dreamed of trying. See demos, see different techniques. There's so many classes and speakers and anybody you could possibly want to meet and interact with. I mean, they're in one place.

Speaker 2:

For us, the sugar is because for so many years, you know our little like niche industry. We've been I don't want to say the underdog, but we're just. We're not represented at the big skincare shows. And yet sugaring is skincare, sugaring is skin health. You can use sugaring to do so much for the body and I it. It needs to be represented.

Speaker 2:

So this is like you know, sugaring has done so much for me for my life. I've been able to, you know, support my two daughters and travel and have such a beautiful, amazing life, be a part of my community. This is like my gift to our sugaring community and I'm just so grateful to be able to do it. I'm also kind of a crazy person and when I get an idea in my head, I like can't not do it. So within months of like kind of getting the ball rolling, I was like what is what am I doing? This is a lot, um. And now I'm so glad, like it's been so fun planning and I can't wait for everybody to see all of the things that are going to be happening at literally look like a blushing bride planning her wedding.

Speaker 2:

It's so fun. Like I, I get I have to like scale back from like posting in my group all the time about all the little things that I'm, that I'm going to be doing there and what it's going to look like, because it's so fun yeah, yeah, yeah um, everyone the details tell them what to expect.

Speaker 2:

so it's June 29th and 30th and it is in Cleveland, ohio, which Cleveland is so beautiful in the summertime and fingers crossed we're going to have gorgeous, perfect weather. Um, but it's from 10 AM to 4 PM. So it's that Sunday and Monday, june 29th and 30th, in Cleveland, at a beautiful venue called Gordon green, which is the neighborhood called Gordon square in Cleveland, and it's a very trendy, like, very trendy community. There's like 15, 20 different bars and restaurants right across the streets. There's like a community theater center. There's just so many different cool things in the area.

Speaker 1:

I'm excited. I've never been to Ohio ever. I've been to almost all the states. For some reason never.

Speaker 2:

And I actually put like. So the website is sugaringconventioncom and a lot of people have had trouble finding this little drop down menu. But the drop down menu has a logistics page and from there I put some activities to do around the area because, um, an hour away from Cleveland there is Cedar point, which is like the greatest theme park in the nation for roller coasters, like our zoo is nice, like if you're coming to Ohio, come and like see some cool things, cause maybe you're never coming back to Ohio you know, yeah, yeah, um, and then uh, once you arrive at the convention.

Speaker 2:

So when you walk in the door registration, you're going to pick up your cute little hot pink or blue lanyard. You get your little swag bag. Everybody's getting swag, whether you're a VIP or not, you still get swag. I'm giving you a notebook, a pen, all kinds of stuff to take notes with. There are classes every hour, hour-long classes every hour with a little bit of breaks in between. At our lower level of the convention center Also on the lower level, there are little there's a snack lounge which is sponsored by radic labs. They are providing all the snacks and they're going to be good snacks because, again, this is what I would want when I go very particular too.

Speaker 2:

He would not have bad snacks he would not have bad snacks, and I would never have bad snacks. So they're going to have snacks. That a girl, yes, and then, um, so there'll be like three different classrooms downstairs and I think there's 24 classes total, which is a lot, a lot to choose from. The class signups start on March 29th, but I will be starting to send out emails within the next week or so with information about that. So purchase your tickets so that you can get start getting the emails from me.

Speaker 1:

And by the time this podcast airs, which will be the 1st of April, it will already be open, so you better get yourself to to sign up for the for the classes. Because you have to sign up, it's limited seating.

Speaker 2:

It is limited seating. Yes, the on the main level is the exhibitor hall. Um, if you arrive and check in right at 10, which I want everybody to cause, I want all of you to be there there is going to be a light breakfast and coffee and tea bar and I am very picky about breakfast food, so it will be a nice little light breakfast because there's going to be a lot of us, but it will be a nice breakfast. And then the exhibitor hall. We're going to have a main stage area for speakers upstairs as well. There's a beautiful courtyard that you can hang out in and chat. And then, because there's so many, lunch I can't think options literally across the street. I'm not doing a lunch inside or anything, and I want people to feel like they can leave the venue, but it's going to be amazing. There's so much. They're going to be, um, enough for everybody to feel like they've received so much education, and I mean the cost of your ticket. The general admission ticket is $115. And if you were to pay individually for any of this education, you'd be looking at thousands of dollars. So it's really incredible. Um, I, I'm, I'm very excited about it. I'm actually a little bit have a little bit of FOMO because I won't be able to attend everybody's classes while I'm, you know, in charge of things All under one roof.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, and there's also going to be contests prizes throughout the day. I won't tell you what the contests are just yet, because they're going to be like little things. There's an app called Hoova that everybody will be connected to once everything goes live on March 29th, and so you'll be able to see who the other attendees are, who all of the vendors are. You'll be able to see some of the sponsors and vendors have a digital booth so you'll be able to see what their specials are going to be, what their products are videos right on there. You can set up ride sharing in the app. You can. Literally there'll be like little group messages you guys can set up to get to know each other, like hey, we're coming from California, we're coming from wherever, and you can chat and talk about interests. If anybody wants to go for a run in the morning, we can meet up here. Blah, blah, blah, like all sorts of things.

Speaker 1:

I love that. Okay, it's amazing. And then the main speakers. You're going to have a main stage of speakers. So if you are not signed up for a particular class, on the top floor is the main speaker stage right With the exhibitors.

Speaker 2:

Yes, because I've gone to, you know, trade shows too, where I don't necessarily want to sit in a classroom, although I've never been to one for sugaring. So that's probably why, yeah, all of these classes I want to sit in every single one, um. But if you want to just like mill about with the um exhibitor area and then listen to the speakers, there's going to be seating in a, like I say, stage, but it's not like raised or anything. A speaker speaker area, um, right on that same level. So you can, you know, hang out there, listen to the speaker. There'll be that, I think, four speakers a day we'll have, and Shannon's one of our um speakers.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I love it. You're having me towards the end of the day, and so everyone, everybody, back up.

Speaker 2:

Yes, exactly, and so I'll just wake everybody back up. Shannon, yes, exactly, you gotta bring the energy. I have a feeling everyone's gonna wanna stay all of it.

Speaker 1:

You know what I?

Speaker 2:

mean Maybe some little breaks in between I tried to schedule, so there's some time throughout the day if people need to like leave or whatever. But it's gonna be pretty exciting.

Speaker 1:

There's business classes, there's technique classes. I love that there's a little bit of everything for everybody, because I think that the audience will be surprised at what they don't realize, they don't know.

Speaker 2:

A hundred percent. The branding class, the branding. I didn't even realize the importance of having your own like, like branding. I didn't really even know what that was until I was seven years into my business and I did my first branding photo shoot. And now I get to have those photos on my website. And what does it really mean to like, have your, your brand values show through for your business? I mean I, yeah, all of those things are so important.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So you have to be very strategic and you have to sign up early so that you can be in one of the classes that is limited seating. So, girl, I'm telling you we could talk for hours and hours and we will be in Ohio. I'm looking forward to spending some time with you at the VIP dinner and just spending some time with the people that are loving on sugar, like we have been pounding the doors to say please, please, please, put down that wax stick and start sugaring. And it's working, and so we are really seeing some really great changes in our industry and it's just it's fun to spend time with people like you that like we can have a good time with it.

Speaker 1:

You know, it's not that thing that. You know. Oh, we trudge going to work every day. It's like you know, I get to work on people all day long, sugaring them, and then I get to spend time with amazing humans like you that are doing good work, and so kudos to you, sister. I'm really, I really love seeing, um, you know, other women shine and and men, um, we have so many male sugarists, so we have yeah, which is awesome.

Speaker 1:

Our sugar daddy, uh Armando, is uh is on board. He's going to be doing some male sugaring classes for us and I know there's a bunch of other male sugarists that are, you know, probably attending your event and and there's just it's, it's neat to see the men kind of getting involved too, and you know, I just I think it's really neat and I just love what you're doing, I love your message and I think your employees are very blessed that they get to have a leader like you. And what I am really looking forward to is standing next to you at that thing, because you are a teeny, tiny, little, one size human, and I am going to make sure I wear flats. They don't look like an.

Speaker 2:

Amazon. I hate wearing heels too, so I I will have to, because otherwise I'll just. I look up at everybody all day, but tiny, tiny little fun size sugar pro person. I know. That's why I'm always like what are you talking about? This bed is the great height. All these beds are nice and tall and it brings my back. I love it. Like I need a higher bed. I'm like, oh right, yes, yeah, this one's perfect.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, sarah, thank you so much for being on the show show. I'm glad that I could be here for your first podcast and they'll be super fun. They're easy, huh. Yeah, there'll be many more to come, because there's a lot that we have to say, that you have to say. The idea is really to just spread the knowledge and the passion and, um, we're finally able to do exactly that in this industry. So I think it's going to be a fun next few years to see where we take it. It's good stuff. I think it's good too. Thank you, shannon. You're welcome friend. Have a fabulously sweet week and I'll see you in Ohio.

Speaker 1:

Bye, Bye. I hope you enjoyed our time together, Sarah and I. I told you she was an amazing human. If you are interested in coming to SugarCon, I highly encourage it. It is the first ever in our industry and really going to be a special time where we can all come together and rise this not only your skills, but also this industry as well and you can network and hopefully meet your Sugar SD bestie. Come meet some of us who've been in this industry for a really long time, pick our brains, learn some new techniques and that is what getting better and working forward stronger is all about. So I look forward to seeing you at SugarCon. I look forward to having you listen to the next episode of Sweet Success and I hope you have a fabulously sweet month.