Dalebroux faces skincare competition head on

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt
For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Hope Dalebroux, owner of Hope Della Skincare in Bellevue.

In keeping with the season, Hope Dalebroux, owner of Hope Della Skincare in Bellevue, is busy promoting her Pumpkin Marshmallow Souffle facial. 

The Green Bay SCORE client talks about it with the passion that has come to define her business. After a cinnamon-infused oil soak and exfoliation, she says, “You’ll be painted with an organic pumpkin puree and clay mask to detox and refine. A finishing touch of Marshmallow Melt Shea Butter smells good enough to eat!”

This service is among those she is featuring to try to make her business (www. hopedellaskin.com) stand out in an area of great competition.

“There are five similar businesses just down the street,” Dalebroux said.

Because of the competition, she faces it head on with the goal of being unique and offering such great treatments and service that customers keep coming back. The daughter of business owners, her parents both faced competition in their fields yet had success. 

“I definitely learned from them," she said. "Not only about competition, but that there is good and bad in owning a business and a lot of it is sacrifice and trying to find a work/ life balance. You will spend a lot of time working at it, and the challenge is finding that balance.”

While she learned from watching her parents, she also had their support when she dropped out of college to spend time figuring out what she wanted to do. Shortly after, she found that passion while working in cosmetics. Not only did she learn about products, Dalebroux said she also learned about marketing and providing great customer service.

In 2016, she earned a degree as an aesthetician, and thought she would get a job in the field. 

“Starting a business wasn’t my intention,” she said. “But, as I got closer to graduating, I decided I wanted to be independent and be my own boss.”

Hope Dalebroux currently leases space in a salon, but her long-term goal is to provide skincare services in her own building.

Her mom helped her draft a business plan and she went to SCORE for social media assistance, including the development of a website. The next steps were obtaining financing and finding a location. After some revisions to her business plan, financing was approved, and she leased a space at Sola Salons. 

“I liked the fact that it would be a good starting point because I am under the umbrella of Sola Salons and can partner with the other businesses. We support one another,” Dalebroux said.

The networking allows for cross-promoting, and the businesses keep each other’s business cards on hand. She also joined the Bellevue Business Association, is active on social media and has had two open houses since opening 10 months ago. 

To gain additional exposure, she hands out flyers, gives demonstrations, has price promotions and builds a customer list so she can build loyalty. Much of what she does is trial and error; building a business wasn’t taught at the academy she attended.

“School is only the beginning of the education in the field, and much of the learning is hands-on. I learn more every day as I work in the business and with clients,” she said.

Although she started out small, she said she is already outgrowing the space as she adds products and does skincare consultations and treatments. She is optimistic that her love for the business will mean continuous growth. In one year, her goal is to have a full, consistent schedule, and in five years, she’d like to have a full-service spa in her own building.

As she reviews the progress she has made, she said she regrets not seeking help from SCORE earlier. 

“The hardest part of this was the market research and trying to figure out my target client. SCORE could have helped with my business plan.”

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.