We were lucky to catch up with Akua Robinson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Akua , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One deeply underappreciated facet of being an entrepreneur or creative is the kind of crazy stuff that happens from time to time. It could be anything from a disgruntled client attacking an employee or waking up to find out a celebrity gave you a shoutout on TikTok – the sudden, unexpected hits (both positive and negative) make the profession both exhilarating and exhausting. Can you share one of your craziest stories?

The craziest thing (in a good way) that has happened to me so far in business is receiving the phone call sharing that I was being awarded as the recipient of the Black Beauty Roster 2023 AJ Crimson Trailblazer Award. I was at my bestfriend’s house when I received the call from the CEO of BBR, Maude Okrah-Hunter. As soon as she told me the news I instantly started crying and my bestfriend was concerned that something was wrong and I assured her that they were happy tears. About a month later, I traveled to the ceremony in NYC that was taking place during New York Fashion Week and entered a room full of beauty professionals, my mentors, and industry titans. As I finished my speech, Maude then tells me that in addition to receiving the award BBR and Tarte Cosmetics were also awarding me with a $10,000 grant for my business. Now you know I REALLY cried then! Tears of gratitude. I literally cried for about 15 minutes after receiving the news. I was in such disbelief but also extremely honored. I wish I could describe how I felt that day but it’s absolutely one of the craziest moments in my career thus far.

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’m your Best Friend in Beauty, Akua Robinson. I’m an Award-Winning Makeup Artist and Host of the Friends in Beauty Podcast. I have been a Makeup Artist for over a decade now and unlike some people who grow up playing in makeup which then turns into their passion, that’s not quite my path. I didn’t grow up with makeup in the house but I did grow up around hair. My mother was a braider which sparked my interest in creating different styles on my dolls, then on myself and friends. My initial goal was to graduate from high school, attend cosmetology school, then open my own salon. That never happened. I was told that I needed a back up plan and should attend college instead. I reluctantly enrolled in college, received my IT degree, and graduated in the thick of the recession. No one was hiring and needless to say I never landed a job in my field. Years later, after working jobs just to keep money in my pocket, I started to get into makeup on myself. After much trial and error and countless YouTube videos later, I decided that I wanted to do something fun to make money and decided to enroll in a 6 week makeup program at Bennett Career Institute in Washington, D.C. and the rest has been history in the making.

My journey in the beauty industry has afforded me countless opportunities to which I credit to the power of networking. I have worked on productions from Love & Hip Hop, Love & Marriage DC to Real Housewives of Potomac as well as with brands such as Stila, AJ Crimson Beauty, Mented Cosmetics, Danessa Myricks Beauty, and many more.

I currently have growing & thriving beauty community and podcast, Friends in Beauty that provides resources and support for beauty industry professionals. What I’m most proud of is my consistency and perseverance. I know that some people look to me as an inspiration and I don’t ever want to give them the excuse to slack off.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been referrals from my #friendsinbeauty through the genuine relationships that I have built over the years. That’s why I stress the importance of networking and it’s the reason why I created Friends in Beauty – to create a safe-space for beauty pros to make those connections. I have a client that I have traveled out-of-state with 3 times this year, so far. She was a referral from one of my #friendsinbeauty. Futhermore, all of the BIG opportunities I’ve gotten, as far as, production work and working with high profile clients have been referrals. It’s really important to nurture relationships in this industry. You never know what opportunities may lie ahead.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time when I had to pivot in business, like many of us, was during the pandemic. Friends in Beauty originally started as networking events. I literally had an event the day before the official shutdown for the pandemic and of course when that happened we weren’t allowed to go out and socialize. What was a girl to do? I didn’t want my community to forget about Friends in Beauty, so I decided to launch the Friends in Beauty Podcast so that I could continue to network, build relationships, and uplift my community through the stories of our #friendsinbeauty. My little pandemic baby just turned 4 years old in May and I’m super proud to say that for the past 4 years I’ve never missed uploading an episode every Wednesday for my audience. Consistency is key and it’s one of my superpowers. You can tune in on YouTube and all podcasting platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.friendsinbeauty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akuarobinson
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/friendsinbeauty
• Other: https://www.akuarobinson.com
  

Image Credits

FTLA, RUL Photos, Domo Jenkins