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

Allison, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Confidence. Confidence is at the core of my business and more importantly who I am. As a kid, I dealt with bullying. Others tried to tear me down on purpose. It was the confidence I had in myself and who I was that allowed me to overcome. Today, I want to give that confidence to others. Our self confidence comes from many difference places. Most people focus inward to find theirs, but I take a different approach. Confidence can be built from the outside in. For many women, this is a less daunting place to start. The physical transformation leads to a mental one. I found throughout my life that some of the times I felt the most confident, started with the reflection in the mirror at the beginning of the day. When I looked good, I felt good! And that positively impacted my day. I stand taller, smile brighter, am more productive and interact with others around me in a more positive and impactful way. At Color Her Confident, that is what we do. We help women feel like their most confident and authentic selves from the outside in through HD makeup application and lessons, certified color analysis and personal style consultations.

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.

My first job out of college was actually in the non-profit world. I was overworked, underpaid and barely making ends meet. I needed additional income and started in the beauty industry in a retail capacity selling skin care and cosmetics for extra money. That was 15 years ago and was what initially sparked my interest in makeup. I really enjoyed learning new trends and application techniques and then teaching them to my customers who purchased from me. Eventually my repeat clients started asking me if I could do their makeup for various special occasions which prompted me to seek additional education and become registered with the state board of cosmetology as a makeup artist. After working under the umbrella of a brand, I finally decided to branch out on my own. I received a certification in HD makeup application designed specifically for photography and video and began developing relationships with local photographers and other event professionals. After seeing success with my new venture, I looked to expand my services. My mission statement has always been “to build confidence from the outside in” and I wanted to lean further into that. Makeup is only one aspect of outward confidence. I sought more education and received certifications in color analysis, personal styling and fashion consulting. I am now the proud owner of Color Her Confident!
The root of everything I do and why I do it is my family! I am married to my husband of 12 years, Peter and together we have two beautiful children, Abigail – 8 and Joseph – 5. I wanted a career that allowed me to be present for my family on my time and my terms while also making an impact on others. Through Color Her Confident I have found the best balance I could imagine! I truly love my work and the way I am able to build and instill confidence in women while also being able to set my own hours and be involved in so many aspects of my kids lives! I want to give them amazing opportunities and experiences and my business is allowing me to do that!

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

As I shared before, I began selling skin care and cosmetics while working for a non-profit as a way to supplement my income. As I continued to learn and grow my client base, I discovered, not only was I good at it and it was profitable for me, but I loved the flexibility I had to control my schedule and the way I structured my day. I realized that I could work hard for someone else for the rest of my life, or I could work hard for myself and I chose the latter. I resigned from the non-profit job and began working in the beauty industry full time. As my client base grew and I sought additional education, I wanted more freedom to control my voice and mission within the industry than what I was able to accomplish under the umbrella of a specific brand. I had previously joined some community networking groups and through the connections I had made in them, I was able to find the resources I needed to step out on my own and create my own business and brand. Building and maintaining relationships was invaluable when I began to scale up and create my own company. It allowed me to focus on my strengths and surround myself with others who could help fill in the gaps.

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

Networking. Hands down. By building intentional and focused relationships within my community, the word of mouth referrals I have received have exponentially grown my client base. People are more likely to do business with someone who was personally recommended to them by someone they know and trust. This trust led to repeat clients and even unintentional, and very impactful, brand ambassadors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://colorherconfident.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorherconfident
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551045411122
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-kwasniak-a3439111/

Image Credits

Brenda Winchester – Brenda Winchester Photography
Gerri Leonard – Serendipity Photography
Michele Kipplen – Michele Kipplen Photography
Toni Dalton Kerns – Toni with an Eye Photography
Karly Fulton