Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tara Vicknair. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Honestly, it was a total whim! I told my husband I was going to post my glitter balm on Facebook marketplace and when doing so I hash tagged #GlitterOverNola and he jokingly read the post I made out loud. After he read it, I sat there for a moment and said, “welp there’s my business name..”

Tara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Tara Vicknair and I am a born & raised Louisiana girl. I am married to one of the most amazing guys on the planet and have two adorable boys. I’ve worked as a receptionist / manager in the veterinary industry most of my life up until I grew Glitter Over Nola. What is Glitter Over Nola?! Well it’s glitter that you WEAR! Mainly for face and body, some even venture out and add in their hair. Basically it’s magic and the perfect accessory for any look. I started Glitter Over Nola in February of 2019 when I was hosting a King Cake Party – for those of you wondering, what the heck is a King Cake Party? Well here in Louisiana during Mardi Gras, there is this amazing cake that you get to celebrate the season. So I had a Mardi Gras themed party where all of my friends got together and brought a King Cake from different bakeries around the area. Naturally, being a total theme junkie, I had to have ALL THINGS purple, green & gold, which clearly included face glitter. I decided to gather some stuff to make it for myself and wah-lah, Glitter Over Nola was born. I have been so fortunate enough to have the support of all my friends and family, they all support Glitter Over Nola to no end and I am so grateful for them. Each of my jars of glitter is done “in-house” (sometimes I have a helper here and there, my husband or my mom – even sometimes a friend) – So from the time the order is placed either by social media, Facebook or instagram @glitterovernola, or my website, www.glitterovernola.com – I handle it all. My glitter balms are all hand mixed and created by me, so it is all made local! I do craft shows here and there throughout the year and am so excited to say I have glittered several teams, from cheer to dance to softball, across the area. I stay pretty busy throughout the year, however the busiest time of the year for me is definitely Mardi Gras. So many people get glitter balm for parades, and I have even branched out to offer Parade Throws! I am so proud of the little business I have created and hope to keep it going up from here.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for Glitter Over Nola has been Social Media platforms for sure. When I first started, I made a business Facebook page as well as an Instagram. I realized doing a few giveaways would get people sharing and bring more people to my pages. I ended up getting into some shops around the area and then created a website, which new clients have found by googling as well. I find that my page stays most relevant by making several posts throughout the day to keep clients engaged, by liking, sharing or commenting on my posts.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

So when I began Glitter Over Nola, I was working as the assistant manager at a veterinary hospital in New Orleans. I remember I would travel around with my little bag of glitter balms I had made and would meet people or leave orders at the vet for customers to pick up. Throughout the year my business began to grow and in the fall of 2019, I decided to dive into being a full time entrepreneur. I had gotten so busy with my own business that I couldn’t dedicate myself to a full time job as well. I will say thankfully my bosses at the veterinary hospital were super understanding and so dang supportive of me leaving to focus on Glitter Over Nola – I seriously couldn’t work for better people, they were and will always will be a second family to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.glitterovernola.com
• Instagram: @glitterovernola
• Facebook: @glitterovernola

Image Credits
All images were taken by Glitter Over Nola.