An interview with Terryn Hall | The brain behind the Australian cosmetic tattoo business

They say perfect eyebrows can make or break a look. Well, even we agreed after meeting Terryn for the first time. 

Today, Terryn excels at many things, but if we had to pick one that truly sets her apart, it's her mastery of brow artistry.  While thriving as an elite artist in Feathertouch, specializing in mixing the perfect pigment color and correcting colour; her clients have seen people's eyes light up with confidence after they have visited her. 

Hailing from her strong professional background in eyebrow shaping, medical spas, makeup artistry & skincare, Terryn soon managed to establish One Seven Cosmetic Tattooing & Training. With her company, she has created a line of microblading tools for certified artists, brow pencils and other ultimate tools to hone the aspiring artists’ skills.

Since transitioning from being a real estate representative to becoming a powerhouse of her own training masterclass and company, she never lost her passion. Today, her company has grown into a quarter million-dollar business, even in her first year of training. 

Curious about her entrepreneurial success and creative endeavors, we interviewed her and here's how it looked!

1). We are already a bit acquainted with your background. However, would love to know what exactly inspired you to establish One Seven Cosmetic Tattooing? 

The position I started in actually fell into my lap, an old friend I had worked in beauty with offered me a position as a brow shape artist, this then grew into cosmetic tattooing. Although I have a background in beauty, the transition from real estate to brows was nothing short of divine intervention and I truly believe it was just meant to be.

2). You grew your business into an annual quarter-million-dollar success in just 3 years. How did you achieve astronomical growth so quickly?

I actually didn’t realize how well the business was doing until I heard from my insanely talented accountant (MD Tax) upon the tax year with her astonishment. In saying that, I still don’t focus on the money; rather the people, I was always taught if you chase money, not only will you never be satisfied, you won’t have it, if you focus on the people, money will be a by-product. So I really like to think putting people first resulted in a huge & very quick escalation of word of mouth referrals & before long I was doing 3 different generations in a family. I believe finding your niche is so important, and my focus is definitely on those wanting just a natural look. When I started training I really saw a gap in the market for very easily fixed mistakes that weren’t being talked about, the lack of support after training and also simplified methods that don’t leave an artist in the dark after training; also the science behind the pigments and what clients should be aware of and having the knowledge to research themselves. 

3). What exactly can artists expect from your Feathertouch Masterclass and 1:1 Feathertouch Finetuned?

My feathertouch masterclass was created for complete beginners, as in haven’t ever touched a brow before, but also great for those already offering brow services; at the time the courses are all 3 methods of cosmetic tattooing in 2/3/4 days which I just saw as money grabbers. I have a full 5 day class for the one method, and the days are packed with information. I really wanted to create a family of artists that were not just certified but understood the reasoning behind everything we do, basically training the why and not just the how. I wanted completely capable & confident students to leave without worry, hesitation or questions and to start earning the day after the course.

4). What were the main challenges that you faced at the early stages of your business? What solutions have you come up with to deal with those problems?

I was quite lucky to have a background in Business studies and also being an executive assistant for 6 years really threw my entire business together, my job was to organise someone else’s business so when it came time for mine, I actually found it quite simple.

The real challenges actually came with cosmetic tattooing itself after I was certified in Queensland (Australia), as I found some methods I was taught weren’t producing the results I wanted, knowledge behind pigments wasn’t really a thing and pink eyebrows were everywhere. I really threw myself into every little information crevasse I could to form the methods I offer today; in terms of pigment knowledge, brow shaping & the methods of appointment sequence.

5). If you could turn the time, what would you love to do in regards to your business?

Everything I am currently trying to put together now, but sooner and with a business plan. When you run your own show it is very easy to get distracted, and try and do a million things at once. I currently have 3 huge projects in the works and wish I’d just started them sooner and perhaps one by one. All a learning curve for brain that doesn’t stop.

6). If you could change one thing in the beauty industry through your company, what would that be? How are you planning to make that change happen?

In the beginning, I really set out the need to educate people about pigment types and how they will turn out in 5 years time. I started sharing educational videos via social media to help clients understand why their cosmetic tattoo had changed colour, how to avoid that and also how to move forward for a more natural look. I am now creating an online colour theory course for individual cosmetic tattoo artists who want to change their pigment range so they feel safer knowing their clients will still be happy after 2-5 years, rather than having to complete a whole new course, this will be available as a stand alone online course.