Today we’d like to introduce you to Danitra Johnson.
Hi Danitra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
DJ SKIN STUDIO didn’t start with a big business plan, investors, or a perfect roadmap. It started with a woman who was ready for something different.
Before I became an esthetician and business owner, I spent 12 years working in customer service. I knew how to work with people, solve problems, listen, and make someone feel seen, but I also knew I was capable of more. I wanted to build something of my own. I wanted work that allowed me to connect with people in a different way, while creating a life that felt more aligned with who I was becoming.
That desire eventually led me to the College of International Esthetics in Denver, Colorado, where I began my journey into skincare.
I didn’t simply fall in love with skincare. I fell in love with what happens when someone finally takes a moment to care for themselves.
As I learned more about esthetics, I began to recognize something bigger. Skincare isn’t just about products, facials, or having clear skin. For many women, especially women of color, finding someone who understands their skin can be a completely different experience.
I wanted to create a space where women could feel comfortable saying, “This is my skin. This is what I’m dealing with. Help me.”
And I wanted to be the person who knew how to answer.
So I started building DJ SKIN STUDIO.
It wasn’t glamorous in the beginning. There was no instant success story. I had to learn how to be an esthetician, entrepreneur, marketer, bookkeeper, content creator, salesperson, and business owner—all while being a mother of five.
I built my clientele organically through word of mouth, Groupon, social media, and simply taking care of the people who trusted me enough to sit in my treatment room.
One client became another. A facial became a relationship. A relationship became a referral.
Slowly, the business began to grow.
And somewhere along the way, I realized that I wasn’t just building a skincare business. I was building a reputation.
People weren’t only coming to me because they wanted a facial. They were coming because they wanted to feel cared for. They wanted someone who understood their skin. They wanted a safe place to relax, talk, laugh, cry, decompress, and walk out feeling a little more confident than when they came in.
That became one of the most meaningful parts of DJ SKIN STUDIO for me.
The treatment room became more than a workspace. It became a place where women could pause.
Today, DJ SKIN STUDIO specializes in advanced skincare, facials, waxing, Brazilian services, back facials, lash and brow services, teeth whitening, and other beauty and wellness services—with a particular passion for serving skin of color.
But the business has grown far beyond the services on my menu.
I’ve learned that entrepreneurship isn’t a straight line. There are seasons when you’re confident and seasons when you question everything. There are moments when you celebrate what you’ve built and moments when you wonder whether you have enough left to keep going.
I’ve experienced both.
I’ve had to build while raising five children. I’ve had to learn how to keep showing up when life outside of the business was complicated. I’ve had to reinvent myself more than once.
And that’s actually what I’m most proud of.
I didn’t wait until my life was perfect to build something meaningful.
I built while I was becoming.
DJ SKIN STUDIO is a reflection of that.
Every year has taught me something different about business, people, money, confidence, leadership, and myself. What began as a career change became entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship became independence. And independence became a deeper understanding of the kind of impact I want to make.
After more than eight years of experience in skincare and building a business that has generated more than $222,000 in lifetime net sales, I can look back and see that the numbers are only one part of the story.
The real accomplishment is everything those numbers represent: the clients who trusted me, the women who referred their friends, the lessons learned through failure, the confidence gained through difficult seasons, and every time I chose to keep going.
I’m still building.
That’s important to me.
I don’t tell my story as if I’ve arrived at some final destination. I don’t believe entrepreneurship works that way.
DJ SKIN STUDIO is still evolving. I’m still learning. I’m still dreaming bigger. I’m still figuring out what is possible.
And now I’m thinking beyond the treatment room.
The Black Magnolia Project , my non profit , is part of that next chapter—creating opportunities for youth, underserved communities, self-care education, mentorship, and eventually helping other entrepreneurs have access to spaces and resources that can help them grow.
Because one of the greatest lessons DJ SKIN STUDIO has taught me is this:
Sometimes you have to build the thing you wish someone had built for you.
I wanted a career that gave me freedom.
I wanted to create a space where women felt understood.
I wanted to prove to myself that I could start over and build something successful.
And I did.
But I’m not finished.
DJ SKIN STUDIO is not just the story of how I became an esthetician.
It’s the story of a woman who decided that her life could become something different—and had the courage to keep building it, one client, one lesson, one difficult season, and one dream at a time.
I didn’t have it all figured out when I started.
I just started.
And that may be the most important part of my story.
– Danitra Johnson
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a beautiful journey, but definitely not a smooth one. I’ve had to build my business while raising five children, learning entrepreneurship from the ground up, and navigating seasons of personal change and uncertainty.
There were times when I questioned myself, struggled with consistency, finances, and finding the right balance between motherhood and business. But those challenges taught me resilience. I learned that success isn’t about having a perfect path, it’s about continuing to show up, learn, adapt, and keep building even when life doesn’t look the way you planned.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about DJ Skin Studio & The Black Magnolia Project ?
DJ SKIN STUDIO is a skincare and beauty studio in Kalamazoo specializing in advanced skincare, facials, waxing services, lashes, brows, and teeth whitening. I’m especially passionate about skincare for skin of color and helping clients understand and care for their skin.
What sets me apart is the personal experience. I want every client to feel seen, comfortable, educated, and cared for, not just receive a service.
I’m most proud of the trust I’ve built through genuine client relationships and word-of-mouth growth. DJ SKIN STUDIO is about more than skincare, it’s about confidence, self-care, and feeling good in your skin.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t really look at my journey through the lens of “good luck” or “bad luck.” I see it as experience. Every opportunity, setback, closed door, and unexpected turn has taught me something and molded my growth.
Some experiences challenged me, but they also pushed me to become more resilient, creative, and intentional in business. I believe even the things that don’t go as planned can become part of the foundation for something greater.
I don’t believe in bad luck—I believe in lessons, growth, and becoming.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Djskinstudio1.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djskinstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19kjAFuUrB/
