Glow Getter: Shonna Dexter, Founder of ASTP and Recreating Rays Sunless Studio
If you’ve been in the spray tanning industry for even just a few years, then you likely recognize Shonna Dexter’s name. The Kansas City native is a spray tan artist, owner of Recreating Rays Sunless Studio, and founder of the Association of Sunless Tanning Professionals which started the first-ever Sunless Summit. After just a year and a half as a spray tan artist, Shonna realized the industry was missing a major component: A community where spray tan artists could communicate, learn, and grow together. Thus, she set out to create ASTP where members pay an annual fee to gain access to a wide range of educational resources, products, knowledge, and entryway to the Sunless Summit. The summit is a two-part event that features a networking, educational portion for all sunless professionals, as well as a tradeshow for sunless industry vendors to set up, demonstrate, and inform others about their product or service.
Although Shonna recently announced that she is looking for a buyer for the ASTP organization so she can focus on the newly-redesigned Recreating Rays studio, the industry should be very grateful for her work in launching its first-ever educational organization and summit. For a closer look at how she started ASTP and Sunless Summit all while building and maintaining her salon business, read on. I look forward to seeing what the future of ASTP holds thanks to Shonna’s bold efforts.
Shonna Dexter
Years in The Industry: 9
How did you get your start in the industry? I started getting really bad tans! In April 2011, I had a formal event for work coming up (I was a marketing and communications professional in my previous life) and a co-worker convinced me to get my first airbrush tan for the event. The tan was pretty good, but the service was TERRIBLE. Two weeks later, I tried another place and this time the tan and the service were terrible. I called my husband from the parking lot and said "I'm going to start a spray tanning business. I have no idea what that means or what that will take, but I'm going to find out!" Less than three months later, Recreating Rays was born.
What were your initial steps in starting Recreating Rays? As soon as I started researching I was obsessed. I love learning new things so I immediately just dove right in. There wasn’t anywhere to be trained anywhere in the midwest at that point, so I did a "virtual training" with a woman from Washington. [The training] essentially consisted of a printed training manual, an hour phone call, and then was sent off to figure it all out. It was a disaster! I spent weeks spraying anyone who would let me and made more mistakes than I could ever imagine, but that's how I learned. I set up a studio in the basement of my home and I would work my full-time job from 7:30am — 5:30pm everyday and then come home and tan until 9 or 10pm at night. I worked those insanely long days for two and a half years before taking the leap of faith and becoming self-employed.
How did you arrive at the concept for ASTP? What was your inspiration? ASTP has been nothing but a labor of love for me. When I started in the industry, there were no Facebook groups and no way to connect with other people who do what I do. The people I met were all just from reaching out and saying "Hey, I like what you're posting. Want to chat spray tanning?" [LOL] I laugh about it now but it's true. I longed for connections, inspiration, and camaraderie. About 18 months after I started my business, I had women from all over the country fly to Kansas City to spend two days with me to learn everything I knew about the business. I loved teaching! So, the idea of ASTP was born out of the desire to create a way to educate and connect simultaneously.
In July 2016, I announced to early ASTP members that we would be having the first-ever event for spray tanners in January 2017 in Las Vegas and with that Sunless Summit was born. We've had four iterations of that event now and each has been so unique and different. I'm incredibly proud to have founded ASTP and Sunless Summit and will miss that part of my life when I step away from them later this year.
Favorite memory from an ASTP summit? Sunless Summit 2018 (year two). The cocktail hour that kicked off the conference.
Year one was pretty damn amazing with 60 women who all have immense passion for what they do in a room together for the very first time. The energy was palpable! But year two; when I walked into the cocktail hour and saw 130 men and women, sunless owners, and vendors, all together — that punched me in the gut. That was the moment I will always carry with me when I said, "Wow! Look what I've created!"
I took huge risks in taking on these events and I'm proud to have had the guts to just follow my instincts even though I had no clue what I was doing. It makes me really freaking proud.
How do you juggle running Recreating Rays and ASTP? Ha! I don't! I've been trying to figure that out for five years now and I've never gotten it down. I'm an all-or-nothing girl, so I was always either all in and 100% focused on RR, or all in and 100% focused on ASTP. My personality makes it very difficult for me to juggle anything. That said, when I hired Amanda, my right hand gal, everything in my life changed. She is my rock, my sounding board, and my partner in crime. We have an incredibly unique relationship and she now runs the day to day of Recreating Rays, which frees up my time for my next endeavors.
What has been the most challenging part of being an entrepreneur? The most rewarding/exciting part? For me, the biggest challenge has been confidence — looking myself in the mirror everyday and telling myself “I can do this.” There was a moment in time not long after I became self-employed when I was ready to walk away and go back to cubicle life for good. I was drowning and I couldn't see a way out. But lucky for me, my way out eventually presented itself. I took the opportunity and I used that time to learn everything I didn't know about being a successful business owner. Namely, how to handle the business finances. Once I crawled out from under that low point where I couldn't even afford to pay myself $100 per week my confidence soared. I knew if I could make it out of that, then I could do anything.
The most rewarding part is definitely hiring a team and working with women who understand my vision and want to be a part of it. Being responsible for other people's livelihoods is stressful, especially right now, but it is amazing to know that something that I created is employing other people AND paying me a salary. I feel so lucky to wake up every morning and spend my day however I determine. Not many people get to do that in life and I do.
Best piece advice you’ve ever received (in business or in life)? "Don't wake up when you're 30 and wonder 'what if'.” I was 21 years old when a guy told me that. Him speaking that one sentence to me completely changed the trajectory I was on at that time. Now, at 43 years old I still never want to wonder "what if,'“ so I live my life that way. I'm not afraid of change or big risks. If you don't risk big, you never win big!
Your absolute favorite product or service you offer? I would put our in-studio spray tan service up against anyone else's in the world. That may sound conceited, but I've worked really hard to create an incredibly high-level experience with predictable and as near-perfect outcomes as possible. Nothing we do is status quo and our reviews show that. Our space is beautiful, energetically-driven, and our clients know when they come to us we will do everything possible to ensure beautiful results.
We also just launched our own product line this year and I'm knee-deep in expanding that right now. I have a big vision for our future and I'm excited to put all of my focus and effort into that. In the nine years I've been in the sunless industry, I've never been able to focus on just one thing so I'm excited to see what I can accomplish when I do!
One instance when you should definitely see a spray tan artist vs. using a self-tanner? Weddings. Whether you're in the bridal party or the actual bride or groom, don't do it alone. Natural light and harsh photography lighting will tell the story. Don't ruin your bestie's wedding photos they're spending thousands of dollars on with a DIY glow.
What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs in the industry (especially during these unprecedented times)? The only way you fail is if you quit. I remember telling my first training client that and I still preach it today. Nothing about owning your own business and growing it from nothing into something special is easy. If it were, everyone would do it. You will want to throw in the towel time and again, but if you keep going you will eventually get where you want to be. Some get there quicker and some get there slower, but that's okay. I've been a slowpoke, but I have arrived at what was once my ultimate goal. And now I'm looking for my next thing. Knowing your values and what is really important to you will also be important. Everyone's version of success looks different, so define that for yourself then put your blinders on. What everyone else is doing doesn't matter. That's their journey. You're on our own beautiful path.
What do you know now that you wish you would’ve known when starting out in the industry? Understanding your numbers will make or break you. Period.
If you don't understand the difference between revenue and profit, it's time to learn. And don't just say, "Oh, I don't like numbers so I will hire someone to do that." No. Dig in and get cozy with them. Understanding the trends in your business will be SO important as you grow. This business is incredibly seasonal in most locations, so knowing when to expect a peak and when to expect a valley can and will keep your business afloat. Vanity metrics (like how many Instagram followers you have) don't mean squat. Profitability will determine everything you can and will do. Take a class at your local community college or hire an accountant who will actually take the time to teach you what you need to learn. Then, track everything from day one; number of tans, new clients, client retention, revenue, expenses, profit — all of it! Track it. You will be SO glad you did.