We were lucky to catch up with Chelsea Portis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsea, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

The biggest risk I took so far in my life was trying to juggle becoming a nurse and running a business at the same time. Ive always wanted to be a nurse my whole life. I knew what I wanted but I didn’t know how I was going to get there. I was in between jobs from 2016-2022 and a full time student. I discovered I had a passion for doing make up back in 2020 right when Covid hit. It was just something to do at the moment to escape the reality of me trying to get into nursing school, due to me failing numerous of standardized ACT test to get into a nursing program. But I never gave up. I started doing make up in my best friend living room taking literally one client a week. I kept going and kept practicing and before I knew it I had got better at my work and my clientele had built up. While putting my all into perfecting my craft, I was still focused on nursing as well. All while maintaining a Monday-Friday 9-5 job. Eventually things started to work out for me because I stayed consistent. I ended up passing my ACT and I was accepted into Wallace State Community College for the RN program. While that was happening I also ended up moving into my first make up suite
as well. My first semester of nursing school hit and it really humbled me because I was doing that make up & working my 9-5. This is where it got really risky for me. I had to quit something, but I knew it wasn’t going to be make up or nursing. So I stepped out on faith and quit my job. Honestly this affected me in so many ways at first because I was under pressure of wondering would I have enough money to take care of myself and school expenses? But God provided and he never stopped. By doing this it opened up so many opportunities for me with my business and school. I was able to study when I needed and work when I needed. Clients were coming back to back. I ended up collaborating with famous content creators and all. This also allowed me to be successful in nursing school without having to fail any classes or repeat semesters. That was a huge blessing to me. I graduated nursing school in August 2023 and now I’m a Registered Nurse & Makeup Artist. I didn’t do any of this with my own strength so all the glory goes to the Lord above. God led my steps this whole journey and I’m so grateful of where he has brought me! My advice to anyone is to put God first, and walk by faith and not by sight! Be consistent in everything you do and know your hard work will never go into vain! Phillippians 4:13

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a 27 year old self taught Makeup Artist located in Birmingham, Al. I got into the beauty industry by watching YouTube tutorials and practicing on myself and others. I specialize in airbrushed soft glams. I provide classes for upcoming Makeup Artists and regular everyday makeup looks for people who want to learn how to do their own make up. One problem in the makeup industry is women being afraid of wearing makeup because they feel like they won’t look like themselves. Im able to solve that issue with my technique that I’ve learned over the years which is ” a little goes a long way” with my service all of my clients will always get out of my chair with an enhanced airbrushed beat. That itself sets me aside from others. I’m proud of how far I have came in the industry and the bonds I’ve made over time. I want my clients to know it’s not all about the make up with me. It’s about the countless conversations and bonds in each and every appointment. You get a make up artist. a word from God, a listening ear, a therapist and safe place all in one!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Starting my business I bought my inventory as I went. I started off with drug store products and I added to my kit based off the type of clients I was servicing. The more clients I had the more products I bought. You want to invest in things you know you will use over and over again, instead of buying tons of products you will never use. By doing that you lose profit. Start off slow and pay attention to what your clients preference.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I honestly think what helped me build my reputation was consistency. Every face I did I posted. It didn’t matter if I liked it or didn’t. People are always watching and paying attention. When people witness your growth they are more likely to book with you and it’s easy for you to gain their trust. My content plays a major factor to! I make sure I take pictures/videos in a certain way that focus on my work so people could see every little detail. I also paid attention to what services I felt like I was the strongest in. By doing that I was able to come up with a signature look that everyone would knows that I’m great in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bamnbeauty.as.me/schedule.php
• Instagram: _bamnbeauty
• Facebook: Bam Portis

Image Credits
Queen Leora Hairstylist: DaReontae Ray