Pauline Yousif
Pauline Yousif tells us that, “I am someone you can say is obsessed with progress so I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit that has fueled me. I find joy in the art of building and nurturing relationships. Traveling the world is my preferred classroom and I spend all my free time with family, friends, and my dog to make memories.”
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I grew up in a single parent household, and my mom worked a lot. My grandma had a big role in helping raise my siblings, and I. I grew up in a traditional Middle Eastern family as the first generation born in America. It was never easy blending my modern day lifestyle with the traditional values I was taught. I started working at the age of 14 and although I always studied hard and got good grades, I found a bigger passion for making money than I did for school. I had big dreams and wanted to travel the world because it was what I would see on tv and in the movies. I knew I would one day make that life my reality but wasn’t sure how. I spent my teenage years working a lot and skipping out on being a kid. I always rushed wanting to be a grown up because i hated being told what to do and when. When I got accepted to the University of Michigan, I felt unstoppable! After my first year of college, I knew school wasn’t for me and I wanted to find my way of connecting with people and building relationships but making a living at the same time. That’s when I started my journey in the beauty world. My career had just begun, and soon after the market crashed, and I was financially drowning. By age 21 I had to file bankruptcy because I had no one to turn to and worked multiple jobs. At the worst of times, I was most happy when connecting with people that I worked with, worked for, or that were impacting my life by teaching me about theirs. That’s when I knew I loved the art building relationships. I feel like my success began when I nurtured relationships not services.
Tell us something about your initiative/business. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?
As a hairstylist of many years, I would have many women sit in my chair that needed someone to talk to. I always felt like it was my job not only to make them beautiful on the outside but to help them realize how beautiful they are on the inside or to help them through whatever struggle they were going through when they sat in my chair. I’ve been so lucky to turn my cosmetology license into a business as a salon owner. Now I get to teach others to build their careers and touch the lives of others and bring their inner beauty to surface. I most recently was able to turn this love for the art of building and nurturing relationships into life coaching.
While the global pandemic of COVID-19 is associated primarily with adversities, it has also brought about a true boom in startups, with successful entrepreneurship in many countries. The pandemic has impacted all of us in one way or another. Would you like to share your experience on a personal and professional level?
On a personal and professional level of the pandemic has impacted me tremendously. It was the first time in my life that I could stop and slow down and reevaluate my goals and what really mattered to me. In my business, I still found ways to reach out to people to make sure they were OK, but on a personal level I wasn’t OK. Although I had a great business, it was the first time I had time to appreciate how far my career had come and what the relationships i had built meant to me. I believe connection is such an important part of life and I was missing that during that time. The pandemic helped me realize I need to help more people realize their potential and that they can do whatever they set their mind to.
What has been the response of the users/consumers towards your venture?
I started coaching because I felt like I needed to learn to better understand my staff, and how to help them get to the next level in their career. After becoming a certified coach, I realized that’s where my passion really is. The more clients I had coached the more referrals they would send me. The response of transitioning from hair stylist/salon owner to coach was easily recognized as this was what I was meant to do.
How has your life changed because of your initiative/venture?
Life has most definitely changed because of this venture because I feel like I’m living as my true self. I have found such joy and helping others that has become my biggest priority. By coaching others I have learned on how to set boundaries in other areas of my life that I’ve helped me progress.
Do you have anyone who is the biggest support system in your life? Please let us know.
My biggest support system is my sister and my family and friends. My sister is my business partner in the salon and I feel like I’ve only come this far in life, because we do everything together. I have always believed in myself, but because I have such a great support system that belief has gotten stronger.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity? OR Share a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
I would say to the young women entrepreneurs that it’s not going be easy, but it’ll be so worth it! Believe in yourself, find what you’re passionate about, study those who have done it before you, and put in the work!
Get in touch with her.
- www.crewzcoaching.com
- @pauline__yousif
- @__crewsalon__