We had the good fortune of connecting with Leslie Lake and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind the success of Pale Girls Palace and myself is that my clients are #1 and they know it! I built my company from the ground up taking a few clients here and there after my full-time job in hospitality. My clients would come over to my house as late as 11pm to get a spray tan! I would make their schedule mine, by putting the client first I showed my loyalty and got to share my passion and talent. In a very recent experience my client booked a spray tan for her “Big Day!”, and Brides need to have everything done right you can’t test the waters with a new spray tan artist for a huge event such as your Wedding Day. (I completely forgot to mention that i’m due with my first baby this week!) So I vowed to this client that I would make sure that I spray tanned her ! And every single day leading up to it I would sweat and be horrified; Like what if I go into labor !?!?! What would I do for this client that needs me? I reassured her that I would call her if my water broke and would immediately head into the salon to spray tan her if need be haha that’s how committed I am to making my clients happy. The story has a happy ending I promise , my gorgeous client is glowing and ready for her big day and my baby is still cozy in my tummy.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Pale Girls Palace is one of a kind it’s literally your one stop shop we offer everything from spray tans, facials, microneedling, plasma fibroblast, lash lifts, chemical peels, and the list goes on with an endless growing boutique of swimsuits and necessities ! In recent additions I added in a hair salon IG: _Harborhairco check her out! She specializes in all things hair; color melts, balayage, ombre, tape in extensions, & even hand-tied extensions this is just a few things she specializes in. With her joining the Pale Girls Palace team we have been able to share our clientele and profits have increased on both ends! It’s very exciting when you find the right addition to your team. In past locations I haven’t always had the best of luck with partnerships and you’d know that if you read my last article in VoyageLA last June. Owning a business isn’t for everyone, there will be ups and downs! Financially, emotionally, in your clientele, and with partnerships. But what will set you apart is how you handle these upsets. I always have a back up plan ready to go for any circumstance. I will sit around planning worst case scenarios haha! Just so I know how to handle them if they ever occur and I won’t be blindsided. A few challenges that I have faced as a business owner is poor selection in locations, extremely high over heads, and finding the right team to keep the business afloat. Each and every one of these hiccups has made my business that much stronger and has given me the courage to not fear the business unknown. If you have the right mindset you can work through these kinks and come out on top. Pale Girls Palace will continue to grow so I know there will be a few more storms along the way and I will be ready to face them head on. My goals for 2020 were on the right track until the unfortunate event of Covid-19, but we’re ready to get back in action and take initiative for what’s left of the year. Stay tuned and look out for our next location as that is in the works for 2021. We will continue to serve our clients with our 100% commitment to make each and every one of you happy and continue to surprise you with the best products, and knowledge of the beauty industry.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There is something to do each and every day in Newport Beach! Luckily our weather in California is pretty warm year round. So when my friends come into town we usually start at my salon which is backed up to the harbor on 28th St. and Newport Blvd. footsteps away from all the local shops, bars, and amazing cuisine. My friends usually have sight on a new swimsuit that i’ve posted, or treatment/service that they’re interested in. I love spoiling them and they know it. After we’ve finished at the store I usually suggest lunch at my favorite local spots (depending on what we’re wearing of course). My absolute favorite place to eat is on the waterfront “The Cannery” literally blocks away! Brunch, Lunch or Dinner is perfection. After lunch we usually head over to Lido Marina Village which is where the outdoor mall is located. We have a couple casual cocktails and do some light shopping. By this time we’re pretty pooped and would head home to relax and get ready for our next adventure. A whole week in Newport Beach is almost not enough time and I won’t go into to my crazy details but we usually spend a few days at the beach which is just footsteps from the salon, do a little bar crawling usually at “Billy’s On The Bay” (they have the best mai-tai and coconut shrimp!), ” Mutt Lynchs” (Super casual on the boardwalk offering delicious schooners of beer and yummy shareable food), and “Woody’s Warf” for the most inexpensive brunch in the O.C. with top quality food. My families favorite thing to do on a casual evening is walk around Balboa Island where we support all the small local business such as “Dad’s” where they serve up the world famous sweet treat the Balboa Bar! And they have my personal favorite item – chocolate covered bananas. We enjoy dining at “Wilma’s” which is open for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner its the cutest little mom and pop restaurant offering every type of cuisine. We walk off all the delicious treats we’ve indulged in during their stay while catching views of some pretty spectacular homes, and cute little boutiques. Everything in Newport is a short distance away which is convenient while on vacation here’s a little list of some other fun things to do… – Balboa Fun Zone – The Wedge – The O.C Fair – Duffy Boat Rentals – Fashion Island Mall – Paddle Boarding/ Kayaking the marina – Back Bay hiking trail – Pelican Hill Golf Course

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Believe it or not, I actually got the idea to start my company after reading a little book called “Rich Dad Poor Dad” – By Robert Kiyosaki. I own each and every one of his books to this day and have a library full of inspiring entrepreneurship books. They’re of all ranges from self help books to stay positive and motivated, to Marketing and Business strategies this is how I continue to learn each and every day without forking out the money to go to school. Reading also allows me to continue the hustle of day to day life at the salon and not have to spend hours each week in a classroom. These books can be very inspirational and informative! Great for when you need to spice things up a bit in your business but don’t know the proper steps to take.

Website: https://pale-girls-palace.business.site
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pale_girls_palace/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/palegirlspalace
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pale-girls-palace-newport-beach?osq=pale+girls+palace