Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikollete Dawley-Kopacz.
Nikollete, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started beauty school in 2015. I had a rough upbringing, so pursuing further education right out of high school simply wasn’t an option for me. I was 23, a single mom, and I had already learned an important lesson: I couldn’t depend on anyone but myself. I also believed that opportunity doesn’t always find you, you have to be willing to chase it.
I knew I wanted to build something for myself, and beauty was the first place where I really saw that possibility. I became licensed in 2018, and by 2021 I had already built several years of experience in the industry. I had gotten married, had another child, been through a pandemic, and was pregnant with my third. At the time, I was working as a Brow Artist for Benefit Cosmetics inside Ulta Beauty, and the management environment I was working under was incredibly difficult. I knew I needed a change.
By then, I had started building a small clientele around brow services, and a coworker encouraged me to reach out to a former Benefit Brow Artist who owned a salon with suite rentals. That conversation ended up changing the trajectory of my career. I started by sharing the owner’s room, eventually moved into my own suite, and spent the next four years growing alongside her through two different locations.
Those years were some of the hardest and most rewarding of my life. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into building my business while raising three boys, working a part-time job, and going back to school for Medical Assisting. My business grew from a small brow clientele into a much more expansive aesthetic practice, and along the way I continued investing in education and expanding the services I could offer.
Eventually, I knew it was time for another new chapter. In August 2025, I opened my first fully independent studio. That location ultimately wasn’t the right fit for a variety of reasons, and in March 2026, I took another leap and moved into the storefront where SC Aesthetic Studio is located today.
SC Aesthetic Studio is really the evolution of everything I had built before it. I started with Star Child Esthetics, and as my education, experience, services, and ambitions grew, I felt that the business needed to grow with me. SC Aesthetic Studio represents not only where I am today, but how far I’ve come.
When I look back at the 23-year-old single mom who walked into beauty school in 2015, I don’t think she could have imagined everything that would come from that decision. I’ve built a business, continued my education, raised three children, navigated some incredibly difficult seasons, and created something that is genuinely my own.
And probably the most meaningful part of all of it is my clients. Over the years, they’ve become so much more than clients. They have watched me grow, supported me through different chapters of my life, and allowed me to be part of theirs. They have become my community and, in many ways, the closest thing I have to a family outside of my household.
Where I started was with very little certainty, but a lot of determination. Where I am today is the result of refusing to stop chasing opportunities, even when the path wasn’t straightforward. And I think I’m still just getting started.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. There have been a lot of difficult seasons along the way, and honestly, I think those struggles have shaped me just as much as the successes have.
One of the biggest challenges has been trying to build a business while also raising three children and continuing my education. There have been many times when I was balancing motherhood, work, school, and the financial pressure that comes with being self-employed, and there simply weren’t enough hours in the day. I’ve had to learn how to keep moving forward even when I was exhausted, overwhelmed, or unsure of what the next step should be.
Being a small business owner has also taught me that growth isn’t always linear. I’ve experienced periods where business was thriving and others where I had to seriously question whether I could keep going. I’ve invested money, time, and an enormous amount of energy into building my business, and not every decision has worked out the way I hoped. Opening my first independent studio in 2025 was a huge accomplishment for me, but ultimately that location wasn’t sustainable, and I had to make the difficult decision to start over again in a new location just months later.
Starting over was humbling. It meant rebuilding momentum, reintroducing myself to potential clients, and accepting that something I had worked so hard for wasn’t going to look the way I originally envisioned. But I’ve learned that changing direction isn’t the same thing as failing. Sometimes you can do everything you can, and a situation still isn’t right. The important part is being willing to recognize that, learn from it, and keep going.
I’ve also struggled with the pressure I’ve put on myself to constantly be better, to take another class, add another service, improve the business, be a good mother, be a good partner, and somehow do all of it perfectly. I’m learning that success doesn’t require perfection. Sometimes success is simply refusing to give up on yourself.
There have definitely been moments where I wondered if I was doing too much or whether I should take an easier path. But every time I’ve faced one of those crossroads, I’ve come back to the same belief I’ve had since I was 23: opportunity comes when you are willing to chase it.
The road hasn’t been smooth, but I’m actually grateful for that. The hard parts have made me more resilient, more resourceful, and much more confident in my ability to figure things out. I don’t think I would appreciate where I am today nearly as much if I hadn’t experienced the moments when I wasn’t sure I would make it here.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about SC Aesthetic Studio ?
SC Aesthetic Studio is an independent aesthetics studio in Midland, Michigan, built around the idea that beauty services should feel personal, intentional, and approachable. I specialize in customized skincare, facial treatments, brow and lash artistry, body waxing, Brazilian waxing, and spray tanning, with a strong emphasis on creating treatments around the individual client rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
One of the things that sets my studio apart is the range of services I offer and the education behind them. My background began with brows, but over the years I’ve continued investing in education and expanding my skill set. I have certifications and training in skincare, advanced facial and massage techniques, peels, lash extensions, and other areas of aesthetics. I’m currently continuing my education outside of the beauty industry as well, because I’ve always believed that learning shouldn’t stop once you receive a license.
I’m particularly passionate about progressive skincare. I don’t believe that effective skincare has to mean aggressive treatments or constantly trying to “fix” your skin. I want my clients to understand their skin, have realistic expectations, and have a plan that makes sense for their individual needs and lifestyle. I also love the artistry side of the industry; brows, lashes, and other services that can enhance someone’s natural features without making them feel like a completely different person.
But honestly, what I’m most proud of isn’t a particular service. It’s the relationships I’ve built.
Many of my clients have been with me for years and have followed me through multiple locations and different chapters of my business. They’ve seen me grow from a Brow Artist with a small clientele into the owner of my own independent studio. They’ve trusted me with their skin, their brows, their lashes, and sometimes much more personal things happening in their lives. I don’t take that trust lightly.
I want SC Aesthetic Studio to feel different from a place where you simply come in, receive a service, and leave. I want clients to feel known. I want them to feel comfortable asking questions, changing their minds, admitting they don’t know what products to use, or telling me that something they’ve tried before didn’t work. There is no judgment here.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the fact that SC Aesthetic Studio represents growth. It evolved from Star Child Esthetics as my education, experience, and vision evolved. The name changed, the location changed, the services changed, and I changed with them. I didn’t want to create a brand that felt disconnected from who I had become professionally.
At the heart of the brand is the idea that beauty and self-care can be both results-driven and genuinely enjoyable. You don’t have to fit a certain mold to belong in my studio. Whether someone is coming in for a Brazilian wax, a facial, a spray tan, a lash service, or simply needs help figuring out what their skin actually needs, I want them to feel like they’ve found a place where they can be themselves.
More than anything, I want readers to know that SC Aesthetic Studio isn’t just something I opened—it is something I built. Every service, every client relationship, every certification, and every chapter of the business has contributed to what it is today. And I still have a lot I want to learn, create, and accomplish.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m a big believer in always learning, but I also think it’s important to have things that simply make you happy and give your brain a break.
I’m a huge reader, and two of my favorite contemporary authors are Nora Roberts and Sara Cate. I think my love of romance probably comes from much earlier, though. I grew up reading Charlotte Brontë, Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen, and Bram Stoker, so I suppose becoming a hopeless romantic was inevitable. I’ve always been drawn to stories that are dark, moody, complicated, and desperately romantic, the kind of love that consumes people, even if they’d burn the world down for it. Apparently, that particular brand of romance has followed me into adulthood.
I’m also a bit of a true crime junkie, so one of my favorite things to watch is Bailey Sarian. I love that her content combines makeup and true crime, it is basically the perfect combination for me. It’s entertaining, but it’s also something I can put on while I’m doing other things.
Professionally, I’m constantly consuming information from other people in the beauty and medical aesthetics industries. I follow some of the leading estheticians and skincare educators on YouTube and social media, as well as plastic surgeons from around the country. I’m fascinated by the science and artistry behind what we do, and I love seeing how other professionals approach treatments, techniques, patient education, and the business side of their careers.
I think that curiosity has been a huge part of my growth. I’m always asking, “What else can I learn?” Even after being licensed for years, I don’t ever want to feel like I’ve learned everything there is to know. The beauty industry is constantly evolving, and so am I.
At the same time, I don’t think every resource that helps you grow has to be educational. Sometimes reading a romance novel or watching a true crime story while doing my makeup is exactly what I need to recharge. I think having that balance actually makes me better at what I do. It gives me room to be curious, creative, and inspired without feeling like I always have to be productive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fresha.com/book-now/star-child-esthetics-llc-eukup2hu/all-offer
- Instagram: @scaestheticstudio_mi
