Walking into Yulia’s Skin Care in the heart of San Carlos, one feels the welcoming atmosphere elicited through the lavender walls ornamented with photos of orchids. Customers are warmly welcomed by Julia Yarovoy, the business owner and esthetician of the small business.
“When you step inside, although small square foot wise, it feels extremely welcoming and cozy, as if it was a home,” Aja Teng, a senior, said.
Julia Yarovoy first developed an interest in skincare when experiencing hormonal acne in her early adulthood. Inspired by her personal struggles, she decided to pursue a career in skincare.
“I started struggling with hormonal acne on my chin at the age of 20. It’s also known as adult acne or cystic acne,” Julia Yarovoy said. “Because of these experiences, I grew interested in learning how to properly take care of my skin, the proper procedures to cure acne, as well as the proper medications that needed to be used.”
Yulia’s Skin Care opened its doors in September of 2011 when Julia Yarovoy and her family moved to Silicon Valley from Boston. After obtaining substantial experience with skincare while living in Boston, Julia Yarovoy decided that starting her own skincare business would be the appropriate decision.
“Before moving from Boston, I had just completed esthetician school at the Aesthetic Institute of Boston, and I was working part-time as a skin care specialist at a spa. When I was in Boston, my main priority was taking care of my kids as they were really young. When we moved, I knew I wanted to open my own business,” Julia Yarovoy said.
Julia Yarovoy started growing her customer base through the utilizing of Groupon, which attracted over 500 customers. Due to the volume of the customers, Julia Yarovoy was working extreme hours to build a reputable name. Nicole Yarovoy, a senior at Carlmont and the daughter of Julia Yarovoy, recalls her perception of her mother when the business first started and recognizes the motivation behind her mother’s business.
“She’s a hard worker, and when she first started, I do remember her working a lot. Many small businesses are usually family-owned, and their main motives are supporting their families, including my mom’s. On the other hand, corporations have different motives and from personal experience exploit their workers,” Nicole Yarovoy said.
Although building a business isn’t seamlessly effortless, Julia Yarovoy explains that her husband was extremely supportive of her when first starting the business. From creating a website from scratch to running the Yelp page, Julia Yarovoy’s husband helped tremendously in the marketing aspect of the business.
“My husband and I make a good team in creating this business. He created a website for the business as well as a scheduling system that my customers use. I don’t have a receptionist, so we primarily use that to schedule appointments, or if they have any questions, they contact me directly,” Julia Yarovoy said.
Throughout the years, Nicole Yarovoy has witnessed her mother making personal connections with her clients. She believes that is a pivotal factor to the success of the business.
“Her customers all know [Julia Yarovoy] well, and [Julia Yarovoy] makes an effort to know them. I have even seen some client relationships grow into friendships, and they will get coffee together,” Nicole Yarovoy said.
Julia Yarovoy emphasizes to prospective business owners the importance of specialization. Her specialty, particularly, is Deep Pore Cleansing Facials which exfoliates the skin to diminish blemishes and blackheads.
“Specializing in what you do is also really important in a successful business, and it doesn’t matter what you specialize in, but you need to excel in. For me, I specialize in deeper cleaning facials which is a service many skincare shops around here don’t provide,” Julia Yarovoy said.
Although specializing in skincare, her hospitality is a decisive component to the success of Yulia’s Skin Care.
“Julia is very social with the customers, and I think that is what makes a small business thrive. She’s very good, and I think she’s very experienced. Also, she doesn’t charge much, so I think you get a lot for good service,” Teng said.
