We recently connected with Jess Bystricky and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jess thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I have always aspired to be an entrepreneur. Shortly after I graduated from esthetician school, I started working on my business. The beginning steps of launching a business are never exciting. With the help of my dad, I set up my business with the state, as well as opened business accounts. Once my business was established, I started building a website. I invested a lot of time into the first draft of my website and frequently changed the layout and design. I wanted everything to be perfect. After my website was finalized, I started advertising my services through Google ads. At the time, it was just me providing makeup services. I took every lead I was available for so I could start building a reputation in the beauty industry. I networked and started connecting with other wedding vendors while I was on site at wedding venues. This really helped my name get out there and generated many word of mouth referrals. Launching a business is just the first step that never really ends. I am constantly working on my brand and keeping it as up to date as possible.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I grew up having an eye for all things beauty. From playing beauty shop as a little girl to applying makeup on friends in high school, my love for makeup continued to grow. In 2015, I moved to Colorado from Chicago and attended the Esthetics program at Paul Mitchell. After receiving my Esthetician license in March 2016, I proceeded to launch my business. At first, it was just me doing makeup for weddings and events. As I started to grow, I met and hired a team of hairstylists and makeup artists, creating Beauty and the Babes.

Beauty and the Babes specializes in wedding and event hair and makeup. We offer traditional makeup, airbrush makeup and hairstyling services that include any and all styles. We specialize in “natural glam” and love enhancing our client’s natural beauty. Our artists are highly skilled, creative and hold a high level of expertise when it comes to wedding hair and makeup.

Beauty and the Babes has won the Knot Best of Weddings for five consecutive years. This award represents the highest and most-rated local wedding professionals. We are very proud to have held this award for nearly the entirety of our time in business. The Knot Best of Weddings award is only earned by 5% of hundreds of thousands of local wedding professionals and we are thrilled to be in the top 5% in Colorado.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The beauty industry is one that allows you to be creative and there are many different avenues that you can take within the industry. When it comes to weddings, the classic bridal look is timeless and natural. When I first started doing makeup, I found myself doing a lot of wedding makeup. I very quickly built a reputation for natural bridal looks. At the time, I wanted to do so much more within the industry. I felt like I was doing the same looks over and over and my creativity felt stagnated. I then realized that I found my niche. I was getting hired by brides that loved the bridal looks that we do. I embraced it and ran with it. Rather than trying to do so many different things within the beauty industry, I decided right then and there that Beauty and the Babes would specialize in perfecting natural glam bridal looks.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I first started Beauty and the Babes, I was trying to keep my overhead low. I decided to build my website myself so I could put more money into advertising and building my kit. I was working a part time job and with each paycheck, I slowly started to build my first makeup kit using drugstore products. Every time I would get hired for makeup, I would take that profit and replace one product with a higher-end product until I had a kit full of products that I love using. Additionally, I have collaborated with professional makeup companies who have provided me with their products to incorporate into my kit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beautyandthebabes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyandthebabesco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautyandthebabesco

Image Credits
Epoch Moment Photography Alicia D’Elia Photography Danielle Roth Photography Jamie Lee Photography Jamie Beth Photography