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

Alisha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I think that as a business owner… you take a risk every time you decide to invest in your business. Espcially when you’re doing it out of your own pocket! The biggest jump you will take will be an investment in yourself! The constant need to do better and wanting your business to grow is a moment where you will be the hardest on yourself. Trying to figure out whats next and assuming that your plan will work out is all apart of the game.

I took my biggest risk by throwing a opening event for Beauty Unlished. This whole event solely came from my pockets while working my 9-5. I hired a PR team to help plan the event, catered, dj, venue, etc. The event had one cost after the other back to back and I didn’t necessarily save up for this! I just knew I wanted to throw an event for my birthday and did what needed to be done in 3 months. The event was a success! After the marketing and everything that went into it, I was proud of the outcome and everyone that came out and enjoyed themselves. In the future I would like to host more events but the risk and cost will be better planned this time around.

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?

My name is Alisha Ward. I’ve been in the beauty industry since I was a child. I started off with modeling, pagents, worked in a hair salon, started doing makeup in college and then turned that into my business. Beauty Unlished began in 2016 with me solely being a makeup artist. I branched out with the need of wanting to offer more services to my clients. I went to Esthetician school in late 2018 until late 2019. After graduating, I continued what I learned through practice and by continuing my courses through personal classes with more seasoned estheticians. I now offer professional taliored facials, skincare consultations, full body waxing, and makeup. I want my clients to really learn how to take better care of their skin and body. It was easy being solely a MUA because the interaction was short.. You service the client and then they leave and typically that is it. With skincare, you have to teach clients the importance of why they need your services.

The main thing that I want potential clients to know is that my business is here and it is growing. As I transition to adding new services and new products Beauty Unlished will soon be a powerhouse beauty brand. I’m currently working towards getting a 2nd degree in nursing, so that I can eventually open up a med spa, where I will offer botox, injections, filler etc. I am also working on bringing back my skincare line Garden of Virgo. This skincare line is handmade with natural products. Garden of Virgo’s sole purpose was to simplify skincare. We are working on the longevity of these products and securing the set up for long term growth.

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

The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth and from my Instagram! With social media you have a chance to reach people outside of my normal scope of local clients. I am also starting a email marketing list to keep up with clients that have been serviced by me before. This will help me to better streamline sales and give them exclusive access to different skincare tips.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

During the pandemic, I started my skincare with really no direction. I did my own reserach, started making products, packed/ shipped them too. I wanted to have something that was hands off from my clients that would bring in profit behind providing a service. When I graduated from my esthetics progam in the beginning of the pandemic, I automatically knew that I wouldn’t be able to actually service clients until the pandemic was over. Getting my feet wet with actually making natural skincare products was a big deal for because I was doing everything myself. When I moved from my last apartment I was not able to continue Garden of virgo because of the space and the amount of time that was needed from me to upkeep. Now a few years later, I am working on finetuning a system for GOV so that once I start it up again this time…. there will be no stopping again. I needed to get systems in place that would help me to be more effective when it comes to placing orders. Garden of virgo will have a comeback story.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Beautyunlished.as.me/
• Instagram: @beauty.unlished

Image Credits
Monica Womble – camera for edited photos