Inspiring Journeys: Conversations For Women 50+

From Spa Owner to Branding Powerhouse: Debbie Menke's Journey of Reinvention and Success

• Lauri Wakefield • Episode 2

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Discover the inspiring journey of Debbie Menke, who turned her dreams into reality by founding Spa-Dee-Dah, a day spa in rural Iowa, from an old paint store. Join me, Lauri Wakefield, as Debbie shares how she created a sensory-rich environment and rose to become the national sales manager for Jane Iredale Cosmetics, leading a team of 70 women with her passion for resonant spaces.

Debbie’s story is one of adaptability and growth, transitioning from the aesthetics industry to finance to empower women with financial knowledge. Her successful tenure at Edward Jones and authorship of a financial literacy book highlight her commitment to continuous learning. Despite her success in finance, her passion for aesthetics drew her back, illustrating her relentless pursuit of fulfilling work.

In the final chapter, we explore Debbie's creative endeavors, including her book "Brand Edit AI," which guides professionals in the aesthetics industry on leveraging AI to refresh their brands. Her marketing agency, BrandEditai, offers innovative strategies for business enhancement. Tune in for Debbie's insights on brand identity, creative collaboration, and the synergy between human design types, providing valuable knowledge for aligning brands with their core essence.

Debbie's Bio: Deb Menke is your trailblazing, go-to creative powerhouse and AI-loving sales maven with a knack for helping med spa owners and aesthetic entrepreneurs find their glow. With years in the industry (and the platinum hair to prove it), Deb’s all about blending smart strategies with good vibes to ensure your brand stands out.

As the host of BrandEdit.ai, Deb’s mission is to keep things fun, fresh, and full of AI magic. She believes business should feel more like a creative brainstorm than a stiff meeting. You can count on her to dish out real talk and killer tips that are easy to understand and even easier to put into action.

If you’re here to refresh your brand, get your social media popping, or work a little AI magic into your business, Deb’s ready to show you how—all while keeping things light and fun.

Get in Touch with Debbie

Website: brandedit.ai
LinkedIn: Connect on LinkedIn
Podcast: Listen Now
Download Debbie's Free Branding Guide Here!

Next Episode Preview: Stay tuned for our next episode, where we’ll dive into the journey of another incredible woman who’s making waves in her industry!

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Lauri Wakefield:

Welcome to the Inspiring Journeys podcast. Thanks for joining me today. I'm your host, Lauri Wakefield, and I've invited my friend, Debbie Menke, to be my guest today. You want to say hi, Deb.

Debbie Menke:

Hello everybody. I'm so excited to be here, Lauri.

Lauri Wakefield:

Glad to have you here. In this episode, we're going to discuss Debbie's career in one industry that she absolutely loves and how it led her to launch two unique businesses over the past 20 years, which actually were launched about two decades apart. And then we're going to talk about Debbie's career as a sales executive in the aesthetics industry, and we will talk about how she temporarily pivoted to a very different career as she was approaching the age of 50. The next topic will be three books she's published and went on the way, and then we will end with her current pursuits, or her. Actually, she started a marketing agency, so we'll talk about how what she's doing and how her unique skill set makes it a perfect fit for her business. So let's begin, debbie, with the business that you launched in your early 30s.

Debbie Menke:

Early 30s I had moved to rural Iowa to marry a farmer, which is really funny if you think about it, because I grew up in Florida and traveled the world and then moved to a small town and there was no place to have any services done and I was a cosmetologist back in those early days. So I started a day spa in a small town of 800 people called Spa-Dee-Dah, and so that was really. That was fun, and Cori, my daughter Cori, was really young at the time and she got to grow up in that space. So, yeah, Spa-Dee-Dah is what we did in the early 30s and I had about 15 staff working for me. I don't think anybody knew what an esthetician was back in those days around these parts in Iowa, and so we just had a lot of fun.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, I remember that because that was actually around was the time that I met you, when I went up there in the wintertime from Florida. Really cold weather, yeah and I just remember walking into it and I don't know what the space looked like before you actually did the renovations, but it was really beautiful the wood flooring, just the way that you had things laid out and just the way that you decorated it. And I know that when we've talked in the past you've talked about the senses and how important that is. You want to talk a little bit about that and how you incorporated that into the spa.

Debbie Menke:

Yes, that space was an old paint store, so we just completely gutted the building and I executed that vision. Just, I took a clean slate and just beautifully executed that vision. I think people were wondering what the heck I was doing over there, but it is. It's really important when, and since then, I've built other businesses, but it's it was with a focus on all of the senses. What do people see, what do they smell when they walk in the door? What are they listening to and what kind of music is your vibe right? What do they feel? Is it cozy, is it warm, is it inviting? And so all of those touching people with all of their senses was really important to me when I created that project.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, you actually did a really good job with all that and which isn't surprising. At every home that I've been into that you've owned or lived in, it's just you just have that sense of you just know how to create that type of inviting and warm environment. But, anyway, another thing that you did too and it's something that you've done in other things that you've done in your life but the voiceover. You did the voiceover for the Spa-Dee-Dah commercial and yeah, wasn't it the? Actually, when people called, that was what they got right, they did.

Debbie Menke:

And yeah, definitely wasn't it the. Actually, when people called, that was what they got right they did, and then we also were on the radio all the time and it was so funny. I just remember back in the day. We're in rural iowa, so farming community and the farm was like what the?

Debbie Menke:

heck, those farmers would come out of the field and buy gift cards for their wives. Because I was on the radio going and they were like, can you please stop singing? Was on the radio going and they were like, can you please stop singing that on the radio Because I can't get it out of my head.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, like one of those things that keeps looping in your head, yeah, yeah. So anyway, you ended up selling a business and then you started your started another career in the aesthetic industry and worked your way up to a sales that you're actually vice president, right, Jane Iredale, wasn't that?

Debbie Menke:

Yes, I led Jane's company as her national sales manager for Jane Iredale Cosmetics. And, yeah, when I sold the spa back, when I went through a divorce and I sold the spa and I went into corporate America at SpottyDot, we actually had become one of the top accounts for Jane Iredale in the country. So I went to Jane and I said I want to work for you. I was so passionate about her product and I ended up taking a sales rep job for Iowa, illinois, nebraska and drove all over the cornfields in the Midwest and worked my way up into basically leading her company. And I worked for her for about a decade leading a team of about 70 women. I had the most fun during that time. It was really a beautiful and I learned so much. Everything I learned about business. I think I crammed in that decade. It was just. It was a beautiful time of learning and really such a really such an honor to work with those women and meet those women. So I still have such great friendships to this day from that time. Yeah, so you.

Lauri Wakefield:

You had the management experience as an owner of the spa and then you went into corporate and you had just the. You had a couple of different levels of management. You worked your way out vice president position but in that position you you were really good at leading teams, leading, developing, motivating. That was really something that you excelled in and enjoyed, and people enjoy working for you.

Debbie Menke:

Yeah, for me it's never been. I've never had. We've all had those bad bosses, right, I think. Because I did own a day spa, I could relate to the customer. I could also relate to what I wanted in a sales rep, so I was able to speak to not only the customer and customer service, but also as the day spa or med spa owner and and the rep.

Debbie Menke:

I had been a rep, so I had worked at all of those levels and I think it's important we all have dealt with those people that just are in a role at the top without having been in, walked in the shoes of other people, and so when you have that experience behind you, you're able to relate to them on a whole different level and I think that's important. And I never looked at myself as their boss, right, right, I looked at myself as their partner, right, and we cared about them and their physical being too and their wellness. I did focus, I had wellness Wednesdays, right. Like really cared about them as a person and who we're going through at home, because we spend all of our waking hours really at work and it's really important that they love what they do, because happy people sell to happy people.

Lauri Wakefield:

Exactly, exactly, yeah, and definitely. That makes the difference when the people who are I would I don't want to like the people who are working for you that they feel like they're appreciated and they feel like you really do care about them and that you're not just trying to get them to do their job so you look good, yeah. So, anyway, you worked out for about 10 years and then you had a temporary pivot to something really different from the aesthetic industry, so you want to talk a little bit about that.

Debbie Menke:

Yeah, my master's degree in finance. When Jane sold her company. She sold Jane Iredale to a private equity firm and she had been in the she's an industry giant. She'd been there forever. And I just decided I had been being heavily recruited by Edward Jones Financial and at the time they were wanting to hire more female financial advisors and I was like I don't know anything about this and so I thought you know what? This is a really good challenge and I'm up for something new. So I studied about 13 hours a day for my series seven and series 66 law and I just remember crying. Every single day I cried. I was like what am I doing? I hate this Ramming all of that knowledge into my head for months, but it was the best thing, because now I know how to handle and manage my finances, I know how to help my children, I know how to help my friends and I actually ended up writing a book during that time because I realized how much that women do not know about investing and planning for retirement.

Debbie Menke:

And it was really scary because I realized in that industry I wrote it as a love letter for those women who I had worked with over that decade because I realized how much we were spending every day to look at those clothes and shoes and I'm like, oh my gosh, these women are not going to be prepared. I had always been very good about putting in the max into my 401k every year, but that's all I did and I didn't even know what I was investing in, and most people don't. But we rely heavily on male financial advisors boyfriends, husbands, fathers to tell us what to do with our money, but yet we really control the pocketbook of the men that are in our lives for the most part, but they're not. We don't know anything about planning for retirement or for investing. So that was a really great pivot for me, because that's something nobody can ever take away. And I did that five years. I was very good at it I was on the top 10% with Edward Jones for assets under management, and I traveled the world so, but I just couldn't see myself sitting behind a desk talking to men about their money. For the rest of my career, I missed the aesthetics industry a lot.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, I was going to say too that was all done like when you were approaching the age of 50. So that's interesting.

Debbie Menke:

Isn't it strange how we it's like you have this, I don't know what's going on you start to am I, do I need to be more serious? Do I need to? How am I going to change Like it's a weird thing? Yeah, it was already Definitely. Yeah, it is, it is.

Lauri Wakefield:

I don't like I think too I don't know I was talking on the last episode to to Leslie that when you're, when you turn 50, it's, you get far away from the 40s. So it's, it's. But then you think about the age 50s I'm like I'm getting old. You still feel the same, and then as you start moving into your 50s and obviously you get farther away from that or further away from the 40s, but yeah it is.

Lauri Wakefield:

And I just but at that time you think about that. You were just willing to take on a new career and do what it took to excel, succeed at it, and you weren't thinking about your age. It wasn't, you know, like, oh gosh, my career's I don't know if I would say almost over with, yeah.

Debbie Menke:

I've never thought that. I know that people say that they it was more like what can I do? I need something new, a new challenge. So for me because and you and I have talked about this through the years I find meaning in work my children, mostly as a single mother, and I think that I just had a different mentality Sometimes I wish I had the luxury to be that stay-at-home mom. I look at other mothers and I think, gosh, that's so amazing. I think I would have loved that. Or to be a stay-at-home grandma, like right now. I have grandchildren and I wish yeah.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, I don't mean to interrupt. We do what I was going to say. I don't mean to interrupt, but do you really think, knowing yourself, that you would be content with it? You wouldn't, because you're so driven. That's like me, like I was a stay at home mom when my kids were little. I got divorced when they were like babies and there was just a lot on me and I just had a lot of obstacles there. I drove me crazy, not the kids as much, it's just feeling. It's like your wheels are turning, but like you're stuck. You can't get like any momentum going and I admire women who are able to do that and make the sacrifices and think about just that and not these things that they want to do with their lives. That's not me.

Debbie Menke:

Yeah, I just had a memory before I started, when I was married to the farmer and I was being a stay-at-home mom for a short period of time, I started this country peddler business. Yeah, what is it? It was called Country Peddler, oh, and we started selling all these home goods and having home parties because I was just bored. I've always had to. I've always had my hand in sales and done something that way. It was so funny, but I was the country peddler.

Lauri Wakefield:

Wow, I actually didn't know about that one, yeah, country peddler Wow, I actually didn't know about that one.

Debbie Menke:

Yeah, I had a whole closet full of candles and home goods that are country style, and that's not even me If you knew it, but you're a city girl in her. There's no country, yeah, yeah.

Debbie Menke:

I was the country peddler, I ain't proud of it. Know what? It's all? Good experience, everything. That's the thing I think about these journeys and I love that's your podcast name because it's all a journey and every single thing that I can look back in my life, everything has been a stepping stone to the next exactly thing, into the next thing, and you just learn so much.

Lauri Wakefield:

So, when we talk about the three books, you mentioned the one book that you I don't know if you started writing it while you were working at Edward Jones, did you?

Debbie Menke:

Yes, I did. I really was writing that because most of my clients were male farmers, even in their 60s, 70s, 80s, even some in their 90s, so I didn't have female clients, it's just they just didn't exist around here. And so I wrote that book called Powerful Women Plan for Retirement, specifically to gain new female clients and to help them. And so I wrote that first book and then it just led me down a path. Then I decided you know what I want to write a book about leadership and all of the experience at Jane Iredale over that decade. So I wrote a second book called Powerful Women Lead with Vision, and that I just poured all of my experience from that decade into that book.

Debbie Menke:

And then, during the pandemic, I had gone through a difficult breakup and I decided I was going to write a book about how women can heal their hearts from a breakup. And it was called Powerful Women Lose Control and it's focused on the eight areas of wellness. And really, how do we just start to feel good in our own skin again, whether you're even if you're in a difficult marriage, like sometimes, we can just feel lonely when we're in a marriage. I've felt that way before. So not necessarily a breakup, but really how to focus in and feel good about yourself again, and it for any, everything from meditation to just taking care of yourself yeah, yeah.

Debbie Menke:

You don't space yeah.

Lauri Wakefield:

Because if you don't do it, nobody's going to. We can do that for you.

Lauri Wakefield:

So yeah it definitely starts with you how you present yourself in life and just how you feel about yourself and how you feel about life. How you feel about yourself is going to affect how you feel about life, right, yeah, so so, and then you, when we were talking before, you said that you have a book, that you're thinking about writing a new book, so do you want to share that or you want to just leave it as that's going to be in the future?

Debbie Menke:

No, it's in the works right now and um, it's. The powerful women's series is over. I haven't written books for a few years, but this one is going to be more focused on the aesthetics industry and helping estheticians, entrepreneurs, med spa owners some of them have small businesses and help them really to. It's going to be called brand edit AI, so really how to refresh their brand, architect their image, and also teaching them a little bit about leveraging the power of AI, because we're in a completely different world than we were even just five years ago. But a decade ago, oh my gosh, what was AI?

Lauri Wakefield:

We didn't know what intelligence was yeah, so you've actually studied AI. And for the listeners who don't really understand the potential of it and the value of it, why don't you give them an idea of how they can benefit from it?

Debbie Menke:

Oh, my goodness, it's so amazing because we have chat GPT and a lot of people are familiar with the chat GPT and artificial intelligence, but really it's garbage in, garbage out. It's really about how you work with it and prompt it. But I'm also in a mastermind for a lot deeper artificial intelligence, which is really fun and you can just the opportunities are endless and there's some other AI platform or modality that comes up every single day, so the opportunity is endless with AI. But just being able to use basic AI in you could I use it in everything. I do everything from crafting an email to putting together a podcast. But even if you wanted to go in and just refresh your resume, like it is endless the things, the ways that we can use that. Crafting social media even every Instagram post or Facebook post I do. I run it through chat GPT.

Lauri Wakefield:

Right.

Debbie Menke:

So it's just the way of the world right now. But there is a nuance to it, because you can't just say here's what I want to say and then just take it for face value. You want to have your own brand personality or, if you're just using it personally, you want to have your own personality and spin on it. So there's a way to use it, and I think it's really fun to dig into that and to teach people how to do that. That's my newest passion.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, and we'll talk about what you're doing in just a minute. Yeah, I was going to say too, when you're using it and you were saying garbage in, garbage out, you definitely have to have. You have to be specific about what it is that you're looking for. And then whatever comes back to you and it's almost like a second opinion or like a second look or a second perspective, and then you can't just take that and oh, okay, I'm going to copy this and paste it. You have to look at it and go through it and make sure that it matches what your brand is, what your message is and all of that. There's still work that goes into it, but it's a way to give your thoughts or your ideas a boost.

Debbie Menke:

And it gives it some really good structure and then you can play in nuance and give it your own brand voice. I love that so much because it's the structure sometimes that is missing and it helps you to formulate your thoughts and then you go in. So it's really an editing tool. Is how I look at it, yeah.

Lauri Wakefield:

And I think, too, that everybody who knows about AI isn't going to be interested in and try to use it themselves. They're going to want to work with somebody who has the understanding and the experience doing it. So let's talk about your new. You created a marketing agency. Can I talk about that? And we'll talk about how your unique skill set makes it a perfect fit for you. I was going to say too, before you talk about that and we'll talk about how your unique skill set makes it a perfect fit for you. I was going to say too, before you get into that quickly, is that for all of our listeners? If you notice that, the podcast, the intro of it, debbie is the one who did the voiceover for that. That's one of her, that's one of her skill sets. So you want to talk about the business?

Debbie Menke:

I love that, yes, and it was so fun to do your intro. I just, I love that so much. I, yeah. So brandeditai came about over the last year because of a company I've been working with in the aesthetics industry, corganix Clinical CBD. They asked me to do some of their marketing and branding and I started creating video content for them and I started doing social digital media, social media posts for them, and just over a period of months, I was like, wow, I've already done the voiceover thing.

Debbie Menke:

Right, I have written press releases for the companies I've worked for. I have done video editing, I've done all of the things and I started to pull together everything that I had done over the years. And writing books right, I've written books, so I can. I actually even help people write their own books and the structure work with them over a three month period to pull a book together. I've done all of those things because I'm just, I'm so creative and in those leadership roles and the businesses I've owned, I've done the marketing for businesses myself.

Debbie Menke:

And so I realized that, like I'm putting together my daughter's business right now for her O2 Lux, for everything from the logo to the brand messaging to promoting it, and it's just what I love to do. So I pulled an entire new company together called BrandEditai, with a little spin on the AI portion, because I love that so much right now. And yeah, all of a sudden, a new company was born, and so that's my new passion project here, and I'm working with aesthetics professionals and entrepreneurs, helping them, whether it's to start their business from the ground like Corey's doing my daughter or just to refresh their brand image and help them to fill the gaps. What are they missing? What could be refreshed in their brand? Because that's, I think, a lot of times people get stagnant and stale or they're using an outdated logo and it's oh my gosh, no, this doesn't speak to your brand personality.

Lauri Wakefield:

Right, yeah, and it's one of those things like when people look at it, like how do they feel when they look at it? Is it like representative of what should be, how much they're trying to project for your business, right?

Debbie Menke:

We talked to you like business. Your business should be like your home, your sacred space, and it should convey who you are and what you're all about and it should feel like an extension of you when you walk in the door.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, it's, definitely.

Debbie Menke:

In the door. But it should feel that way too. When you look at your logo, like your logo should be you should feel that brand essence come right through there too.

Lauri Wakefield:

Look at a Logos. I may need to get you to redo mine.

Debbie Menke:

Yeah, yeah, hey, new project.

Lauri Wakefield:

I can do stuff like that, but I can't say it's not something that I'm like. You're really good at stuff like that, I'm okay with it, I'm good with that, but I'm,

Debbie Menke:

Your brain is going 24 7 and it is the same as mine, mine. We're so different. We talk about our human design. You and I are so different. Yeah, but our brains really are on overtime.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, well, getting into human design, I think, like with ours like you actually, because I haven't well, people aren't going to know what the heck we're talking about. But if anybody's listening, who knows about human design? Debbie's a projector and I am a manifesting generator, but through the centers, like my. I have an open head center and an open ocean center and Debbie has both of those defined and she actually defines mine. So, yeah, we definitely feed off of each other as far as ideas and communicating and stuff like that.

Lauri Wakefield:

So cool, yeah, so, anyway, if people want to, you offer a free 30-minute consultation, right, yes, so if people go to your website at brandeditai, there are actually a couple of different places the the page that you can schedule a consultation with her, and then, if you scroll down the page, you can see the different services that she offers, which are there are several different things that she does and she's very good at, and then, if you scroll down to even further down the page, she has a portfolio of things that she's created. So, yeah, that's that's probably how you can find out just more about Debbie and then whether or not you there's something that she can help you with.

Debbie Menke:

So did you have anything. Yeah, I focus on the aesthetics industry but listen, I've always I've also done work for farmers and bigger companies. So really, whatever your company is, I can take a look at your, your brand and and kind of help. So really, whatever your company is, I can take a look at your brand and kind of help you to freshen it up and maybe bring it into vibration with who you are.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, I was going to say one of the services. It's called the BE Blueprint. Brandedit Blueprint, which would be what it is, right? And then the other thing when you're talking about working with people who wanted to write a , you have a service that's called Become a Published Author In four months yeah.

Debbie Menke:

Yeah, that Brandedit Blueprint is something that I do for every single business, because I have to set it up, so it's the setup fee. It's what we do to set the stage for every single thing, because I have to set it up, so it's the setup fee. It's what we do to set the stage for every single thing that we will do together. It's really getting to know who you are, your business, your brand, and putting it into a blueprint that allows us to create any bit of content that we ever have moving forward.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, I think that can be the hardest part sometimes of trying to even if you have a business that's been around for a while to just really focus in on zero, in on just what it is. It's not a you know what. Does it fit Like what you're trying to project? Does it fit what you do, what you do do? Does it fit with what you say you do? Right like that? Yeah, so anyway, I will, um, I, I'll put a link to debbie's website in the show notes. So the website is brandai um and that's. Did you have anything else that you want to add before we wrap things up?

Debbie Menke:

no, but thank you so much for inviting me. It's always a pleasure to join you and I just love everything you're doing, lori, so thank you so much. Y'all get such value from these, yeah.

Lauri Wakefield:

Thank you. Thank you so much for actually I don't even know if I should say this, but we did a recording last week and there was a problem with the audio. It's a good thing we did it over anyway.

Debbie Menke:

That's just the way it is People see better?

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, because I was telling you it's been like when I had the other podcast. I've been doing it for probably close to two years and so I was in the groove with it and then I started this and it's, oh my gosh, like I and it yeah, it's different because I don't have a co-host. We talked about that a little bit, but just trying to get my groove and trying to get a bit getting organized, getting my thoughts organized, okay, what, I am the only host and there are no guests.

Debbie Menke:

And so it's much easier. I think it's in the easy way. Yeah, speaking of the other, I have some guests, but right now it's just been me talking and I think that's a lot easier.

Lauri Wakefield:

So, speaking of the podcast, Is there a way that anybody can see the episodes that you've already created, or are you going to?

Debbie Menke:

Yes, so those episodes are live on Spotify right now and Buzzsprout a few different platforms. There's three episodes up and running right now that are all about branding.

Lauri Wakefield:

Okay, okay. And then you. I don't know if you've already done it, but you were going to put together like a free guide for branding something like that.

Debbie Menke:

Yes, yes, I'll add those into the show notes for those, because there'll be a free guide coming out next week that you can snag on those podcasts.

Lauri Wakefield:

Yeah, and also, if they go to your website, there will be a form or something where they'll be able to get a copy of it.

Debbie Menke:

Yeah, yeah.

Lauri Wakefield:

So that's going to wrap things up for this episode. Thanks so much for joining me today. If you'd like to see the show notes for today's podcast, you can find them on my website at inspiredlivingforwomen dot com. The show notes will be listed under podcast show notes, episode two and, like I said, I'll include a link to Debbie's website in the show notes. And if you'd like to join me as I continue my conversations with other guests exploring topics for women over 50, please be sure to subscribe to the Inspiring Journeys podcast. Also, if you have your own inspiring journey to share and would like to be a guest on this podcast, you can reach out to me using the contact form on my website. It's on the podcast page, but I'll link to it in the show notes too. Thanks again and have a great day. Thanks, Debbie, thank you.