Chris Kolodziejski | Entrepreneur, Volunteer, Chef, Gardener, Father

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Chris Kolodziejski is the founder of Chella Skin Care, a line of efficacious anti-aging skin care products and also the Chella Brow Bar, a concept which focuses on eyebrow makeovers and using the Chella Brow & Eye Collection products to complete fantastic eyebrow makeovers for its customers. His approach to building Chella is empowering his retailers with proven sell-through concepts that focus not on opening orders, but rather the drivers that ensure sell-through success so there are consistent re-orders.

I came into the industry as a complete outsider. Prior to founding Chella Skin Care in 2003, I played professional football for the Pittsburgh Steelers, owned a real estate construction and development company in Malibu, and also had a financial consulting company. I know my current career is the right one for me because I love the challenge and I love doing it! All of my previous careers had a very profound impact on me but I feel football mirrors life and business in so many insightful ways. Football teaches you that to be successful, you have to get back up and rely on and trust your teammates. The same lesson holds true in business. Build a great team, trust and empower them, love and acknowledge their efforts, and help them grow. Be willing to teach and coach, but also be present to listen and learn. Understand that change and growth as a person or in business rarely occurs when everything is going smoothly. More often, it is when things get tough that you are forced to really examine your beliefs and why things failed. But there is so much more to learn, grow, and evolve into. I have always been very curious about everything that I have ever had an interest in and that curiosity has led me to ask a lot of questions. In realizing that the more I learn and am exposed to in life and in business, comes the comprehension that I barely know anything. I try and learn from others each day and I try and give each person the love and respect they deserve. I love to find people who will own their success and failures and who naturally strive to be better! Hard work, timing, and luck all play a huge role in success and failures. Personally, I think anyone that has kept the lights on and grown their business has found the things that make that can kind of success possible. Everyone has a unique set of gifts and talents. Identify the vital factors or things that make your company successful and focus on those. Anything else that is not a vital factor should be delegated to an assistant. Just remember to follow your heart and passion and choose to do something you love. Find mentors and always be a student.

Here’s more of our chat with Chris:

DERMASCOPE: What adaptations have you made over the years to stay relevant in the industry?

Chris: I try to stay on trend and not follow the fads.

DERMASCOPE: What do you see are upcoming trends in the industry?

Chris: Makeup and makeovers of all types will become more and more in demand and relevant in the spa business. To that point, cosmetic sales have been trending at three percent growth for the last decade. Brow-related products have grown at an astounding 28 percent and are projected to have double-digit growth for the next 10 years. That is on trend!

DERMASCOPE: Do you have a signature treatment or technique that your clients love – a classic of sorts? What makes it so loved?

Chris: We have a facial we call the Chella Hydrating Facial. It combines the best of our Lactic Acid resurfacing mask with an amazing Matricol Mask of combined algae’s for hydration along with our Collagen Eye treatments.

DERMASCOPE: What is the one piece of advice you give to every client you see?

Chris: Learn how to retail.

DERMASCOPE: What tool(s) would your treatment room (or business) not be complete without and why?

Chris: If you offer Brow Waxings as a service, learn to color ion and do a quick brow touch-up and add $30 to $50 in retail to each procedure.

DERMASCOPE: What are the greatest pressures, strains, or anxieties in the work?

Chris: Not making pay-roll.

DERMASCOPE: Do you or your company support any particular causes or charitable organizations? If so, who and why?

Chris: We support an organization called “For the Troops.” It gives special goody boxes of essential supplies and treats, plus letters of support from local school children that support the troops in active combat. It is an amazing organization.

DERMASCOPE: What are your hobbies when not working?

Chris: I love cooking. I eat all organic and 100 percent natural foods. I farm and grow most of the food I eat. I love Pilates and hiking and bodysurfing at the beach.