We recently connected with Tamiqua Whittaker and have shared our conversation below.

Tamiqua, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job

The most important lesson I’ve learned at my previous jobs would be that above all else, people always remember how you made them feel at the end of your interaction. I’ve done cashier jobs, tech support for major cable companies, and most recently, being a dental assistant so its always been a personal goal of mine to ensure each customer/patient feels like I truly care about what I am doing, and that they felt better than they did prior to our engagement. I guess you could say I’ve been a customer service oriented problem solver my whole adult work life Lol

Tamiqua, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started my lipcare business as a means for 2nd income. Already in the field I love, (dentistry for 15yrs) I wanted to create something I could call my own at the encouragement of my husband. Im a ‘girly’ girl so I like getting made up, but I never knew enough about makeup (or interested enough) to want to make/sell it. But being in the field I’m in, I’d constantly see the issue of dry lips during dental visits. I decided to create an all natural solution to the ongoing issue of dry lips. I researched a few diy recipes for a lipscrub and found the most needed ingredients already in my own kitchen for start-up. Using money fm my dental paychecks as well as help fm my husband investing in me is how I financed my business. Ive scaled my luxury lipcare business to include lipbalms, a nightime lipmask, and also lipbalm options for men called Kings Only with a bit more masculine packaging. With a SELFLOVE Brand message that absolutely requires you to look at yourself as the QUEEN that you are, and walk in your true Queendom! No negative self-talk allowed, as our lips manifest everything we speak (good or bad)

What I believe sets me apart fm others in my niche, is my dental knowledge that I’ve gained over these yrs as well as a strong customer service foundation fm my past work history. With my background in dentistry, I’m able to create effective blends that more directly address your issues, not only dryness, but lip discolorations, and cold sores/breakouts.

I’m most proud of what I’ve built thus far, building a legacy for your family is no easy task when you’re starting fm zero, but I’ve vowed to keep building, to at least give my kids a better starting point to adulthood than I had. Im looking forward to everything the future holds for Queen Kisses!

Have you ever had to pivot?

A very prominent time in my life/career I had to pivot was when I became a full-time entrepreneur/ stay at home mom for the first time. My dental office coincidentally changed their attendance policy to no longer offer a ‘part-time’ work schedule at the same time my daughter was starting pre-K. I was forced to abruptly put in my 2week notice at my office, after being in the workforce for about 20 years but luckily I had already started my business, so that just gave me ‘permission’ to jump into entrepreneurship with both feet!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Ive built my audience being my authentic self, telling MY truth, and continously showing up to those watching (even if theres not many views or followers). I have a consistent brand message for all watching, new and returning customers. I try to keep my business and personal pages separate, but I sprinkle business posts in my personal feeds (I tend to get more engagement on my personal pages). Ultimately speak to your audience how they speak and show up (authentically) where they hang out (similiar pages to yours, comment section)

Contact Info:

• Website: Https://www.myqueenkisses.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/q_kisses
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Queen Kisses
• Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/tamiquawhittaker