We were lucky to catch up with Jahara Jennae recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jahara, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am beyond happier as a business owner. On hard days I always joke about getting a “real job” and then am instantly reminded why I chose this life. I love having autonomy to decide what my life looks like. If I’m working “too much” it’s because I scheduled it that way and not due to anyone else. If I need a break, I can create that for myself. If I have a specific goal, such as wanting to attain a trip or a certain financial goal, I know I am directly responsible for creating a lane for that to be achieved. I am really proud of that.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started doing hair and makeup in high school in 2010. I was a creative arts performer growing up and fell in love with the team behind the stage. I knew I wanted to be apart of that. I learned special effects and stage makeup first. In college I began my beauty business out of my dorm room and it just blossomed from there. I started with beauty appointments, entered the wedding industry, got into fashion and photoshoot looks, and eventually landed in high fashion editorial, beauty campaigns, and tv and film production. Fast forward to today, I work in all of those lanes and have a team of 10 women that are absolutely amazing.

I fell in love with making women feel amazing. With a psychology and fine arts background, meeting people and creating really make my heart so happy. Combining the two just felt right and has fulfilled me so much.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In Spring of 2019, I moved to a new city where I knew no one. I had no steady clientele or connections when I arrived and knew I had 4 weeks before rent would be due again and I needed to sink or swim. I found networks of business women on Facebook and started pitching myself left and right. I met with people every few days to give them a glimpse into myself and my personality first. A year later I had grown my business to the biggest point it had been to date. By the end of 2020, despite the pandemic, I had doubled what I did in 2019. This was in the midst of the pandemic and a health issue that impacted my hands and made me unable to work for 5 months.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Short answer, having the ability to hustle. I worked as a full time nanny and dance and gymnastics coach, and used all of my paychecks to put back into my business to create a kit. I used that kit to show up as professionally as I could every time I went to work. I would work 40+ hours during the week to be able to work weddings over the weekend. I didn’t limit myself at all. If the wedding was 2 hours away, I would go so I could create a relationship with the coordinators and venues. I would come back, go to the gym or go nanny and do it all over again the following weekend until I could replace my day jobs with my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: beautybyjaharajennae
• Facebook: Beauty by Jahara Jennaé