Life After Tech

I have always been a person that when I decide I’m going to do something - it’s going to happen. Rewind to 16 years ago (2008) - I had this crazy idea to enroll in esthetics school at the San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology (SFIEC). I was working a full-time recruiting job and had just given birth to my first son. I didn’t hesitate to commit to a 6-month night school esthetics program (Monday-Friday) plus Saturdays for hands-on training hours. I locked into this program until I passed the CA state board exam and had my esthetician license in hand.

I built a beautiful 25-year career in recruiting starting in a government job for employment services, moving onto financial services, then start-ups, brave enough to enter hospitality, fun e-commerce, and to round out all the bases tech. I worked in every position from coordination, sourcing, full-cycle recruiting, program management, and leadership. There was never a “perfect” time to think about leaving the comforts of stability and what I felt validating at the time. My recruiting career always took the front seat and I always had one eye open for the next step, role opportunity, and certification that I could get my hands on. I wanted it all!

While all of this was happening, for 15 years I have kept my hands warm (off-and-on) doing what my clients and I called “Sunday Resets.” Sundays became the days I refilled my cup doing all things SKINCARE that didn’t feel like a ‘job’ - it was my passion. I did the same exact thing I did in my corporate climb in the spa world - LEARN. I learned from skilled estheticians around the US and honed in with knowledgeable mentors who continue to challenge, elevate, and inspire me located in Las Vegas, San Diego, and Seattle. I invested in my continuous learning keeping my skill-set fresh, modern, and authentic.

Fast forward to April 2023, I was part of the final round of layoffs at a tech company that I had imagined myself retiring at. The year before in 2022, I finally made the long jump from an individual contributor role to a management role and had the opportunity to lead an amazing team of recruiters (such as proud moment). My life then took a hard left turn and there were no words to explain how I felt at the time - other than devastated. The hardest part about this separation were feelings of being unseen, disregarded, and the realization of how burnt out I actually was.

It was finally TIME - time to do what I have always wanted to do. I took everything I learned in the 25 years in corporate america from operations, marketing, forecasting (work-back plans are a recruiting must-do), reporting, and budgeting to lay out the foundation for my new chapter. My pen to paper beautifully curated my business plan and I simply clicked the button to open up my booking calendar to offer services more than just Sundays - and Madison Crown Skin was born! Sunday reset was going full-time.

It has been one full year of being a small business owner and the journey has been no less than amazing. I do it all for Madison Crown from being the hands that provide transformative holistic skin experiences for clients, social media, content creator, web designer, and quickbooks auditor. It has even become a family business where my husband is my brand designer, my oldest son is my inventory coordinator, and my youngest son helps me with maintenance around the studio (aka laundry & cleaning). We are all invested! The validation I once sought from others now comes from myself and the work I put in. The clarity of my hardwork is never a question which has truly been a breath of fresh air. I have been blessed that in one transformative year my practice has organically grown from only 6 clients on a Sunday afternoon to 6 weeks booked out in the future! This is only the beginning.. if there’s anything I’ve learned in my corporate life is “scale”, but I’m absolutely not rushing into it. I am loving the solitude and independence.

It was a perfect time to open my business post covid. There has been a pattern of what I have seen my clients come in to see me (not just skin health) - they come in to be seen, find genuine connection, intimate conversation, refill their cup, and simply to just REST. Our world moves at 100 MPH daily and we have all been guilty of putting ourselves last on the ‘self-care’ list. We are always mid-hustle & mid-grind. My studio offers a space for my clients to restore themselves. I find the most joy knowing that my job now is to take care of clients who were once me - always mid-hustle & always mid-grind.

I am intentional.

I am finally restored.

If you are/find yourself in the Bay Area - I am always ready to welcome you to Madison Crown Skin Studio to hold space for you and most importantly share an amazing Holistic Skin Experience.

-Tiffany (Owner/Entrepreneur of Madison Crown Skin)

Instagram: @madisoncrownskin