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

Cat, appreciate you joining us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and there are loads of things that I would do differently, but the one that stands out the most is how I would build my kit if I were starting over today.

As a hair and makeup artist, my kit is my lifeline. It sets you up for success or failure based on what you have in it, the knowledge of products, and their versatile uses. When I first started doing hair and makeup professionally, I invested my life savings. It seems crazy that this number is so big for these products, but I truly started with nothing and felt like I needed everything. I would watch tutorials on Instagram or YouTube and purchase what the pros or influencers were using. I would purchase from the targeted ads because it looked like such a magic product. I’d walk around Sephora or Ulta aimlessly not knowing what I was looking at but purchasing it anyways. This pattern I had of panic buying everything for a just-in-case moment turned out to be a several thousand-dollar mistake. This is the reason it took me until my second year to become somewhat profitable; I became lean on spending in my third year and that has contributed to being a mostly profitable business except for a few operational costs and kit maintenance.

To save capital and achieve success faster, I would also focus on taking as many classes as possible on hairstyles or makeup looks I like to get a feel for the type of products being used but not immediately buy everything being used; just put a focus on the techniques being used. I would buy way fewer products and get comfortable with mixing shades to match them to my clients better. For example, I used to buy 10-12 shades of foundation when I first started, now I’m purchasing 5-6 shades. I also used to buy things with non-versatile formulas like a separate lip liner or eyeliner pencil when in reality there are so many solid options with buildable formulas that create one pencil for both (hello Makeup Forever!). Recognizing this has not only saved me several hundred dollars but also space in my kit.

Since really diving into being a full-time pro artist, I take my time vetting a product before adding it to my kit. I typically buy a singular product to test on myself and learn its best use (I’m a combo skin type thankfully!) and wearability for my clientele. Having this knowledge of the products that are now in my kit has saved me time in services, money from condensing the product, and confidence in what I carry for clients.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As the founder and owner of Cat Boh Beauty Co., it’s our mission to deliver on-location beauty services to our clientele. Whether it’s for your wedding, television production, a branding shoot, the red carpet, a special event, or just because – we’ve got you covered! My style is a very from within, almost editorial type of soft glow. I love focusing on perfecting the skin and adding a lash to enhance our client’s natural beauty. Pair this with a tousled romantic or polished hairstyle to really elevate your look. I am so motivated to help my clients look and feel their best for their occasion and continue the journey with them as their hair and makeup artist on Instagram and in future events.

What sets Cat Boh Beauty Co. apart from others is our passion for education and teaching. I truly light up when working with clients and they ask about my favorite XYZ or how to get that signature soft glowy finish. I remember when I started this career it felt like the beauty space was a sea of products and opinions. I couldn’t tell who was genuine with the products they were sharing and honestly felt overwhelmed consuming it all. I love using my social media to educate everyday girlies and makeup/hair lovers in a way that is trusting, warm, and inviting. Whether it’s teaching others or taking in the education myself, learning and teaching new techniques keep this job fresh and fun while filling my cup.

Within the business, I’m most proud of our ability to create art with the biproduct being greater self-confidence within our lovely clients. It’s so special to see this almost transformative glow within someone as they see themselves in this elevated look without feeling like a stranger is looking back at them. Enhancing a client’s natural beauty is just my favorite thing ever!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

There are so many ways to build up a solid clientele in today’s online world and social media has been my best method for sourcing new clients. While anyone can make a social media account, it takes a vision to understand your ideal client and a marketing strategy. As an artist, you have to ask yourself who is the target audience and what do they want to see more of?

My ideal client is someone who likes softer makeup and tousled/polished hairstyles with a hint of education on how they could recreate it. Therefore, these are the styles I’m showcasing. I also like to add a little pro tip so there is even more value behind an image you’re looking at. I love using social media for productivity; it’s important to me that the client walks away with a hint of knowledge in some form. Whether it’s a product, technique, or tip – I love to share it all!

I will admit that social media is a necessary evil of the job. It is incredibly time-consuming to maintain a social media presence and can feel pointless at times. I always say it pays me nothing yet pays me everything. While I’m not getting paid from collaborations or brand deals, I do book 80-90 percent of my business through my social media with the rest being referrals. Getting past this friction of having to maintain an online presence was difficult, but now that I’m consistently showing up it does feel so much easier to be authentic on camera.

Understanding social media marketing was pivotal for my career and continues to pay itself off in terms of bookings – in fact, I got the biggest break of my career thus far from a DM just yesterday!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

A typical bird’s eye view of this hair and makeup industry is that it’s all glitz and glamour and smiles and playing dress-up. This is certainly the best part of the job, but it’s only what you’re seeing from the surface, especially on social media. A true misconception is how incredibly demanding this job is in all aspects; physically, mentally, spiritually – all of it. It takes a lot of grit and resilience to forge through these exhausting days and choose to show up 1% better the next day. Not only to show up physically (lugging around a 50 lb kit up 2 flights of stairs, standing and pacing for hours back and forth from the client to my kit, hunching my neck over and holding up my shoulders, etc.) but also mentally and spiritually. You meet all types of people in this job and for the most part, they are AMAZING! But there are also times that make you question your worth as an artist. This is the rawest thing to not only feel but to then overcome it and choose to show up again the next day and the day after that. I’ve come to realize that just like a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor, only easy-going clients have never made for a well-rounded artist.

The next time you’re getting your hair and makeup done, I challenge you to really watch your artist. Watch them as they are thinking a thousand thoughts a minute while maintaining small talk. They are analyzing how the products are laying across your skin or hair to continuously see if they need to pivot the rest of the look. They are looking for symmetry, frizz, sharpness, height, details, etc. We typically have long, 10-12-hour workdays and often multiple events in a single day.

I feel so called to do this job and that is why I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Not that it’s easy, but that it completely fills my cup. Sharing knowledge with others and seeing the spark in my client’s eyes when they feel so beautiful is so empowering and special. I’ve never experienced any other career that is so fulfilling and connects me with the best people!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://catbohbeautyco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catbohbeautyco/