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

Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

What is life without risks? I feel like risk-taking is a part of the journey to success – the ability to step outside your comfort zone and appreciate the beauty of the unknown. This has been my story most of my life. My earliest memory of risk-taking was one week after my college graduation in 1999, from Fisk University, after making my final decision that I did not want to attend law school, I took a leap of faith and moved to New York City, with one hundred dollars, a one-way plane ticket, one suitcase, 100 pre-printed resumes and a whole lot of faith. Moving to the big city – I did not have any family, I only knew two people – one picked me up from the airport and the other allowed me to stay in her house for three months in a small bedroom until I got my feet on the ground. For most students, the dream after graduating college is you either have a job, an internship, or off to obtain some form of postgraduate education – none of which was my reality. For me, I believed in the idea that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere and that was the vision I held on to that inspired me to keep going. During my first week in New York, at the age of 21, I had a strategy and plan to sign up with a job placement agency, go on as many interviews as humanly possible, secure a position by Friday, start the job on Monday – all the while ensuring that I stretch my one hundred dollars as far as I could, which meant; no eating out and walk as much as possible to avoid subway fees. It was indeed one of the most challenging weeks of my young adult life, but I survived, and my plan worked! By Friday, I had 3 job offers and I accepted a job with a firm that represents fashion jewelry brands Monet & Napier thus, my career in brand marketing began, one week after graduating college and taking a calculated risk. I often reflect on that story and stage of my life because it set the tone for the trajectory of my successful 14-year corporate career which then emboldened my now entrepreneurial career. I am often reminded of this quote by T.S. Eliot, “only those who will risk going too far can find out how far one can go.” Something magical happens when you challenge yourself and take chances because for me it has always led to a bigger opportunity. So, for the past 24 years since graduating from college, risk-taking continued to be a key indicator of my desire to thrive and not just survive. For example, I took a risk in 2012, leaving my comfortable corporate career to pursue beauty entrepreneurship – virtually entering a competitive industry of which I did not have much of a track record. But again, I had faith over fear, and I believed in myself enough to position myself in Beauty and stand firm in my vision to make an impact. By taking that risk, I have exceeded my own goals as a beauty entrepreneur and business owner – I continue to scale, expand and acquire partnerships and opportunities beyond my wildest dreams.

Melissa, 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 am a former corporate marketing executive turned beauty entrepreneur. My first business after leaving Corporate America was The GLAM Agency which served as a strategic job placement firm for hair stylists and makeup artists to work behind the scenes in film and television as well as private clients, corporate events, weddings, and award shows. We employed countless talented individuals around the country and partnered with just about every major network including OWN, Bravo, Netflix, BET, WEtv, and others. It was a beautiful feeling to provide opportunities for hair and makeup artists to make a living doing what they love while filling a need within the tv and film industry to hire qualified people of color behind the scenes. In 2019, I made a strategic decision to begin pivoting my business away from servicing people, to working within beauty brands from the inside out and with founders on the product development and brand marketing side of the beauty business. I launched my current business, SHYFT Beauty at the right time, as beauty was the fastest-growing industry for entrepreneurs, and I wanted to find a unique way to intersect my background in corporate brand marketing with the business of beauty and service clients with a consultancy that allows them to accelerate their brands more efficiently and reduce the friction to scale by providing access to resources, partnerships and distribution opportunities for growth.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe what helped to build my reputation in the beauty industry was my belief in Excellence – both in my personal branding and certainly in the quality of work I deliver. Excellence is not about being “perfect” – in fact, Excellence is openness to being wrong. Perfection is having to be right – furthermore, Perfect means “doing things right” but Excellence means “doing right things”. I carry with me the spirit of excellence in whatever I do because I do believe we only get one shot, so therefore, I don’t want to miss it. I make sure that I know my gift, my business my industry, inside and out, the key players, the data & research, the trends and topics from all aspects. I am a subject matter expert in Beauty and that cannot be challenged because I excel and work hard to be proficient in the beauty industry. In addition, I believe in personal branding, therefore, I have a consistent look and presence that people know and appreciate. I look at the reputation the very way we think about a brand – it’s what people say about you when you are not in the room.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has been referrals. I work very well and closely with clients while delivering quality services. The results that I have with my clients are often then conveyed to others and most often, my next client is a direct result of a positive report from an existing client. I don’t underestimate that word of mouth is still a powerful form of marketing, particularly in a space where my business is B2B, clients don’t mind sharing the positive experiences they have had working with me, and that appreciation extends to more doors open for business opportunities and partnerships.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shyftbeauty.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/melissahibbert
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shyftbeauty
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissahibbert

Image Credits
Jonathan Adjahoe