Meet Paige Viggiani, an Eyelash Entrepreneur who took the Leap

Paige Viggiani is the Co-Founder, and lead Lash Extension Artist at Studio Eighty Seven. Before entering the beauty industry, Paige received an honours degree from York University in Communication Studies and a Diploma from Humber College in Fashion Business, and served Women of Influence as our Events and Marketing Manager. With a passion for beauty, an entrepreneurial spirit and an eye for detail, it became clear that eyelash extensions would be her main focus. So, in 2017, Paige attended Lash Forever Canada and received her Certification as an Eyelash Technician. In 2018 she became a member of WALAD (World Association of Lash Artistry and Development), and joined the Sugarlash Pro brand Ambassador team to continually refine her craft and stay up to date with the latest techniques and products in the lash extension industry.

My first job ever was… as an admin assistant for a small entrepreneurial company. I learned so much from this position because I got to see how a small business owner has to be able to take on every role in their company. It also taught me to be creative with marketing and to always think of exciting new ways to reach customers, since often times marketing budgets are very tight.

I decided to be an entrepreneur because… I wanted the freedom of making my own schedule and being accountable to myself. I was also a part of planning the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Gala presented by Women of Influence for two years. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many successful women and see them being recognized for all their hard work; it is such a strong motivator for anyone thinking of starting their own business.

My proudest accomplishment is… This would have to be when I was selected to be a brand ambassador for Sugarlash Pro. Sugarlash Pro is the leading eyelash extension supplier and training academy in the world. I was lucky enough to be selected as one of five lash artists in Toronto to be an Ambassador for them. This would have to be my proudest accomplishment in my business to date because I felt that all my hard work and dedication to being the best lash artist I could was recognized.

My boldest move to date was… when I quit my job as events and marketing manager and took the leap to focus on my business full-time.

My best advice to people starting a business is… to learn everything you can about marketing with social media. It has been the main driver of my business. It doesn’t matter how great your service or product is, if no one knows about it and customers can’t find you, you won’t have any clients or sales.

My best advice from a mentor was… to fake it til you make it, visualize your success and whole heartedly believe in yourself.

I would tell my 20-year old self… not to worry so much what other people think, and to do what makes you happy.

My biggest setback was… This would have to be when I first started to learn to do eyelash extensions. There were so many times I thought I would never be good enough to be able to offer my service to paying clients.

I overcame it by… being persistent and trusting the process. There is definitely a learning curve and with any skill, practice makes perfect.

Work/life balance is… very important to me, and I think a realistic goal that people can achieve. I spent so many years running around working multiple jobs just trying to save up for the next steps in my life. I would put work above my relationships and friendships. I’m realizing now that those relationships and experiences are so important in life and that we really do have to put work and our phones to the side occasionally and spend time with the people who mean the most.

The last book I read was… I don’t often have time to read books, however the next book I’m planning to read is Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port.

I stay inspired by… always wanting to improve my skills and be better than I was yesterday.

The future excites me because… I am just now starting to scratch the surface in my business and there is still so much to achieve!

My next step is… to focus heavily on marketing and expanding the services I offer to clients.