From the spare bedroom of her home to centre stage at the Australian Beauty Expo, Lauren Lappin's business has taken off in the blink of an eye.
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The owner of Allure Lash and Beauty Bar in Albury is a keynote speaker at this weekend's expo at Darling Harbour in Sydney, which is expected to attract more than 7000 people from within the beauty industry across Australia.
It will be a bumper weekend in the NSW capital for Mrs Lappin, with her business also a finalist in the best salon category of the Australian Beauty Industry Awards after a $185,000 refurbishment of her Volt Lane premises, which employs six lash and brow artists, 12 months ago.
Mrs Lappin, who also offers business coaching and hosts a podcast The Lash Business Lounge, said it was a huge honour to be invited to speak at the expo.
"I have attended the beauty expo many times in years gone by, and listened to other beauty industry experts speak there. I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be up on that stage," she said.
![Owner of Allure Lash and Beauty Bar in Albury, Lauren Lappin, will be a keynote speaker at the Australian Beauty Expo. Picture by Mark Jesser Owner of Allure Lash and Beauty Bar in Albury, Lauren Lappin, will be a keynote speaker at the Australian Beauty Expo. Picture by Mark Jesser](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/xtb7LvhUpWdRyX3MGXCxS3/4d4ca85c-d994-4966-b39f-5751fab45ed6.jpg/r0_0_5568_3712_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I love attending industry conferences and events like this, as it is such an amazing opportunity to learn, and network with like-minded people within the industry.
"I think that as a business owner, you should never stop learning and growing. The moment you think that you know enough, is the moment that your competition will overtake you."
Mrs Lappin, who has coached more 150 women in the beauty industry from Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, UK and South Africa, has also been invited to speak at the LashFest Conference in Toronto in May next year.
The mother of two said she had a "few ideas brewing" about ways to expand her business further as customers on the Border showed a desire for "specialist salon services".
"When I first started my business back in 2014, I could feel that there would be a shift towards specialist salons in the future, this is why I decided to open a lash and brow-focused business, rather than a full-service salon that offers every single type of beauty treatment," she said.
"Locally, we have many extremely talented lash artists, make-up artists, spray tanning salons, cosmetic tattooists, brow artists, nail artists and dermal therapists in their own niches.
"I believe that clients will choose a specialist, over a generalist every time.
"Why go to someone that is 'OK' at most beauty services, when you can get the highest quality treatment, and results from a specialist?"
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