We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erika Abreu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erika below.

Erika, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I am 100% happier being a business owner! Certainly it is not always as easy as it seems as it requires every little ounce of effort in order to have a successful business.

I did have the thought a lot of times of just dropping everything and going back to having a regular job, especially when things used to get difficult! It was like wishing I could clock out and having someone else finish the tasks for me.

I remember one time I had so many clients and so much to do that I felt extremely overwhelmed, it was the middle of the night and I was sitting in my bed staring at the computer with so many things to do, so many ideas going through my mind, with a huge headache and I just stopped for a minute and thought: “this is insane, I can’t do this on my own, this is too much for me… maybe I just need a 9-5, be a regular person and stop stressing so much! This is pointless!” And I went to bed that night convinced that the next day I was going to quit my project and look for a regular job. As soon as I woke up I couldn’t stop thinking about it, went to my studio and just sat there for hours thinking if I really wanted to do this. And the voice of my dad came to my mind saying: “If you want to be extraordinary and successful you can’t just follow the crowd, you’re meant for greatness and you have to really go for it”. And it clicked! I was meant for this, to let my creativity explode and stand out!

And that’s the beauty of being your own boss and creating your own business… you can build every bit of it from scratch and put your essence, heart and soul in it! My business is what represents and defines me and I am more than proud of it! And the best part is that the growth never stops. There’s always room for so much more to create and so much more to bring to the world. The idea of bigger things coming my way really excites me and motivates me to keep putting all of my heart in this project!

Only if your dreams scare you they really are big enough and worth it! So, this is your sign to really go for it!

Erika, 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 Erika Abreu, I’m 30 years old and I’m Dominican. My passion for beauty started at a very young age. I used to see my mom doing her makeup and I remember always wanting to look like her. As I grew older I started doing my own and practicing with the very few things I had. Later on a lot of my friends and family always wanted me to do their makeup for all type of events so at that point I decided that I was going to take it serious.

In 2016 I launched my business as EAbreu MUA, I was very scared but excited at the same time! I was having a lot of fun but there was still something missing… in 2018 I decided to take the next step and get certified as a professional makeup artist.

2018 was a great year for me! A lot of education, knowledge and growth. My passion for beauty got extended! I started cosmetology school and at the same time took classes to learn the art of eyelash extensions and eyebrow threading. (Oh, what a passion did I unlocked!) I fell in love so badly with eyebrow threading… it really pushed me out of my comfort zone! People really loved this service so it became the main “attraction” in my service menu! By the end of the year I was mostly doing eyebrows and just every now and then makeup.

I also opened my own studio where I offered all of my services. I was really enjoying what I was doing. I was then known as “Erika Abreu Makeup Artist”.

By the end of 2019, due to personal circumstances I came to the United States. Starting from scratch in a whole different place was very challenging and scary.

I used to post pictures of my work on local Facebook groups so that people could get to know me. For my surprise I immediately started receiving my first few clients! I was really happy because people loved my work and I was getting referred too.

Regardless of all the love and support I was receiving I struggled a lot with insecurities. In times I found myself wanting to quit and just get a regular job. It was really frustrating.

After a lot of self motivation, counseling and family support I now have my own studio, offering new services as eyebrow threading and waxing, regular and hybrid tint, brow lamination, lash lift and makeup, and receiving a lot more clients each and every day! I am now Erika Abreu Beauty, with the purpose of expanding in the near future!

I am forever grateful for all the opportunities life has thrown at me and for the constant love and support I receive from everyone around me. And I know it’s just the beginning! Big things are coming my way and I am very excited to share it with everyone!

How did you build your audience on social media?

I remember when I started my Instagram page for makeup. I was so shy and scared to connect with people! One day, after watching so many lives of girls I looked up to doing they’re own makeup, I was like “let me just see what’s up with this thing”, I was soooo sure nobody was going to watch me! I didn’t have in mind what to actually do so I just started doing my makeup and talking about it. A few girls where watching it and asking me questions about the process and I was like “oh, this is actually interesting!”. By the end of it a total of 25 people watched the live and I was blown away!

I started doing my makeup on live more often and more people were watching and following me. I started to connect with my audience, posting several times in a day. Pictures of myself, my makeup, makeup tips, etc!

To me, taking the time to connect with your audience is very important. But consistency is the key. When you give people what they like they will keep coming for more!

And of course, being yourself matters a lot because people can relate with you in ways you wouldn’t ever imagine.

So my advice is, stay true to yourself, be consistent and give people the opportunity to connect with you! Nowadays social media have a lot of tools and resources to help you stay connected with your followers! Take the time to really learn about it, practice and crate a pattern that works for you! Never compare yourself to others and TAKE YOUR TIME!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being authentic.

People love to see other’s true colors. I am a very honest and open person. And a lot of my clients, besides loving my work, could connect with me in a human way. So it’s not always the work you do, but also how you make other people feel.

And, of course, on a business way, I always care about learning and improving myself. Being able to learn new techniques helped me improved a lot the results of every service. I love paying attention to details. Making sure everything is perfect and of course that my clients feel comfortable and satisfied with the results.

I care a lot about my clients. Always trying to make them feel happy with what they’re getting and making sure they have a great time in the process.

I enjoy my work a lot, so pleasing my clients needs is a pleasure for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://erikaabreubeauty.as.me
• Instagram: @erikaabreubeauty | @browsbyerikaabreu
• Facebook: Erika Abreu Makeup Artist | Brows by Erika Abreu

Image Credits
Blue Franswa