Who is Aliza Clarke?
I am a busy fun-loving extrovert, who is the mother to three amazing boys and a wife to an awesome husband. I graduated from UWI Cave Hill, with a Bsc- Sociology and later went on to the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College where I completed a Special Needs educational course. That is just a tip of the iceberg as it comes to my educational pursuits! Life’s journey has surely been interesting, as I am now a certified Beauty Therapist ( Nikita School of Cosmetology graduate)/ Sugarist (Alexandria Professional certified) /Pedicurist (advanced pedicuring with North American School of Podology) and owner of the soon to be two years old, The Lady Gardener – Sugaring & Beauty Studio.
What services do you offer?
The business is a cozy home-based studio, where I offer body sugaring, ingrown hair & illuminating treatments and medi-pedicures.
Body sugaring if you never heard of it, is an ancient art of hair removal using a ball of sugar paste (how sweet is that?!). The paste is artfully molded onto the skin in the opposite direction of the hair growth and flicked off in the natural direction of the hair growth. It is a sweet hair removal process one must experience.
What do you love most about what you do?
When I get the desired results to a challenge a client is experiencing, the satisfaction from that alone is exhilarating, and it continues to solidify my passion. One of the many experiences I can happily recall was that of a new client who came in for a sugaring treatment. After the initial assessment and questions, I noticed a few things that I discussed with her. To make a long story short, she took my advice, saw a doctor and was given the diagnosis of what I suspected; I was the answer to her jig saw puzzle she was trying to figure out. When she called and thanked me, I was literally in tears (yes, I am a big cry baby..lol), she was so very thankful….that is what I absolutely love about what I do.
I also love interacting with my clients, who are now more like family and I appreciate each of them as they have trusted me with their treatments; they always make my day a satisfying one. In saying that, I am always learning, I definitely do not know everything and that is where leaning on others who are in the field comes into play, as well as continuous education to ensure my clients are receiving the best version of me.
Did you always want to become an Entrepreneur?
I smile whenever someone ask me how I entered this field. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be an Entrepreneur today, but I am in love with it. I initially wanted to be a Social Worker, but life got interesting and changed my course.
I always say this profession picked me. It started out with me trying to get waxed, ended up frustrated as I could not get an appointment and decided I would learn to do it myself. I was travelling that particular year and I thought that I would pursue a course where I was going, you know, kill two birds with one stone. That was not successful, but I am grateful for all the roadblocks that popped up along the way, for that guided me onto the right path that I needed to take. Let me say here though, entrepreneurship was still not even a thought, I just wanted a skill that I could use for myself, close family and friends. I searched for an accredited school to do just the waxing module, and I forever thank God that he guided me to Nikitas’ School of Cosmetology. Mrs. Debra Proverbs spoke to me like a mother and suggested that I pursue the Beauty Therapy course, and as people say, the rest was history! It was there that I found my love for pedicuring, and whilst a student, travelled to New York (love travelling, so that was fun) to complete the sugaring course. When I returned to class, the seed was sown as I finally listened to the weekly entrepreneurial talks Mrs. Proverbs use to give (I must admit, I never listened because opening a business was never a goal I had in mind, just wanted the knowledge). It was at that moment The Lady Gardener was born and my thirst for knowledge intensified.
How do you manage to overcome challenges that come your way?
Any challenges that I encounter, I try to break it down in bite size pieces until I find a solution. Sometimes the answer does not come right away, I may have to walk away from it and come back with a refreshed set of eyes to see if I can work out a solution. Every challenge is an opportunity to grow, remember that, hold on to that. Do not get me wrong, every single challenge that I was faced with, they were a few that I could not overcome, and that was ok by me, because that too was a learning process. Do not, and I repeat, do not let a challenge floor you; dust yourself off, have your good cry and use that challenge as a stepping stone to get to the next level. Never doubt yourself, you got this!
What advice would you give a budding entrepreneur?
Ensure that when you choose your passion, have a clear plan and vision for your business (don’t worry, this changes every so often as your business goes into motion), sounds a bit cliché but this will be your guiding light. Be in love with what you are aspiring to do, because when the challenges come, and they will, this will center you and remind you why you started in the first place. Seize every educational opportunity you can to enhance yourself, never ever stop learning. Think of this analogy, you download an app to your device, and at times, aren’t you prompted to upgrade? So, you as the Entrepreneur, keep current by updating yourself in your chosen field, your future self will thank you tremendously and so will your business.
Name one (1) thing that your clients may not know about you?
They may not know that I am a WIPCC (The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada) certified Wedding Coordinator. Weddings will always have a place in my heart, what can I say? I am a helpless romantic! My most memorable experience was when I worked on a very complex and highly detailed Jewish wedding; I fondly remember it was the biggest file in the office. It was a very intriguing wedding, from obtaining the rights for the Rabi to officiate the wedding to seeing the couple post wedding before they left the island, simply amazing!!
Where can our readers connect with you online?
The Lady Gardener – Sugaring & Beauty Studio
Marchfield, St. Philip
Instagram: Theladygardenerbb
Facebook: theladygardenersugaring
Email: theladygardenerbb@gmail.com
Contact #: 265-5289
