We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Holt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Amanda , appreciate you joining us today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

People often ask if I have many “Bridezilla” type experiences – which I don’t! The next question they always ask is “Have you ever cancelled a contract or had someone cancel last minute?” YES.

Early last year, I had a Bride cancel when I sent my standard Details message one week prior to her Wedding Date. Two months prior to the cancellation, the Bride texted asking for a hair stylist recommendation as communication with the one she trialed with had been on and off. I responded immediately and let her know that I was doing bedtime with one of my daughters but that I would send my list over later that evening… and I forgot to send it. The Bride never sent another request as a reminder or had any further communication with me. When I sent the details message out a week out from her Wedding Date, she explained she assumed I had ghosted her so she booked and paid a significant deposit to another hair/makeup team. I panicked. This had NEVER happened to me before in almost 6 years of booking weddings. Not only was this going to affect me, but I had another makeup artist booked to work this wedding with me.

I reached out to other industry professionals for advice. They recommended contacting a lawyer for a collections letter to be sent out. Separately, I felt obligated to reimburse the second artist I scheduled for the date. She was so kind and let me know that she would be fine with receiving payment for only 50% of her contracted services. The lawyer asked to review my contract and said a collection letter would be appropriate but the cost for him to draft and send it was almost the same as the total balance I was attempting to collect. He recommended I pursue filing with small claims court and briefly walked me through that process.

I’ve always been one to believe in trusting the journey and perhaps there was a reason this happened to me. The wedding date came and I had many mixed emotions. Should I just show up to prove a point? Should I pursue small claims court? Should I take the day as an impromptu fun day with my family? As I laid in bed scrolling Facebook, I came across an SOS Post from someone in a Bridal Party. The beauty team booked for the poster’s event cancelled THAT MORNING – I instantly felt nauseous for the Bride, imagining her stress and anxiety that she was feeling. I immediately sent the information to a beauty team I worked closely with letting them know I was available that morning. I was dispatched to this SOS Bridal Party’s location. The Bride and her whole party/family were so appreciative and generous to those who filled the gap in their day.

As it turned out, I actually made MORE money than I would have doing the original cancelled wedding. I was able to pay my secondary artist 100% of the services she was due and still had funds remaining to make up for some of the services I would have had. We can learn and grow from all experiences that cross our path.

In this experience – while I felt panicked, angry, hurt, anxious, etc – my appreciation for my “trust the journey” mindset was reinforced; I learned that my contract (since I drafted it myself) was very straightforward and could stand up in collections; I learned the value of doing the right thing in business for those you employ/book; I learned to communicate better with my Brides/Clients, explaining when they can expect communication from me and being upfront that I am only human with the ability to forget some things, reminding them that it’s OK to follow up within a day or two if I don’t respond; I edited my payment schedule.

While I would prefer to not experience something like this again, I am thankful for the lessons I learned along the way.

Amanda , 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 always wanted to be in the beauty industry. I actually worked as a receptionist in a salon close to my home when I was 15 years old. I loved watching people’s dispositions change from when they walked in the door to when they left after receiving their services. 9/10 times they would say something to the effect of “Wow! I feel so much better now!” I knew then that I wanted to be able to bestow those feelings on others as well.

My family felt that I would never make enough money in the beauty industry and convinced me it was not a fruitful path to follow. I spent the next 10 ish years doing administrative work, which I also enjoyed for the most part, but it never gave me the fire that I felt when working in that salon as a teenager.

After having my oldest daughter, I knew I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I wanted the ability to be there for all the firsts, bus stop/parent drop off, summers with my kids, the school parties and field trips… everything I remember my mom being sad she wasn’t able to do for me and my sister. Thankfully, my husband supported this dream and was able to financially support our family on a single income. After having our daughter, we knew we wanted at least one more kid and preferably a larger home to be able to accommodate that, which meant that I would need to either go back to work or be able to provide income from home.

I have always been a big fan of mascara so when I tried out a very popular mascara product from a direct sales company, I figured I would try my hand at direct sales. To be frank, I was not a makeup wearer nor did I know anything remotely about makeup products, tools or application. I had a goal in mind so I started watching tutorials, practicing and teaching myself. In the days of Facebook sales, I learned to rock the Facebook Live videos and share my products/skills. A friend of mine from elementary school was a hair stylist and repeatedly encouraged me to pursue a career as a makeup artist.

I often felt my abilities were never enough. It was extremely intimidating thinking of applying makeup to another person correctly or in a way that would look remotely professional. One day this same friend messaged me to let me know that she volunteered me to do makeup on a bridesmaid who she was doing hair for one day. I had the products in a wide range of colors due to purchasing them for in person sales parties, I had the tools and I had some knowledge, or theory of application techniques. I was TERRIFIED! I remember sitting in my car for a good 5 minutes trying to convince myself to walk in the salon door and pretend I was a makeup artist.

It probably took me almost 2 hours to do a full face on another person. The client was very happy with the results and paid me $50 plus gratuity, which at the time was insane to me as I was used to making $12 per hour. When I walked out of that salon, my soul was on FIRE! I knew this was what I was meant to do professionally.

I found a makeup artist with quite a few years of experience who taught me so many skills in both makeup and business. I worked alongside her for about 2 years before feeling equipped enough to advertise my skills and book my own clients/Brides.

Over the years, I have invested in my education by taking classes with other local professionals. I pride myself on not only being a business owner, but showing my two girls that dreams are worth chasing and you CAN find a career you love!

With my clients, I want them to feel comfortable with my business ethics and trust that I will make them feel like the best version of themselves. I strive to be a warm, accepting vendor to provide services to anyone and everyone who trusts me to be that for them. Clients feeling better about themselves – mentally, physically or BOTH – when they leave my chair is my #1 goal.

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

Since completing my first client over 7 years ago, this path has evolved from my side hustle into my Full Time Job. I told the story of how I came to be a makeup artist in the previous question so I will just focus on how I got to where I am today. There have been so many people I have met that have added value to my business. I’m so thankful to the artists that have answered every question regarding products, techniques and tools; To the business professionals that have steered me in the right direction for building processes in booking clients and building valued relationships with them; To the friend in SEO that helped me set up my business pages and organically grow my platform.

I am proud to say that I have never spent money on boosting ads or marketing campaigns. I have built my business with the help of referrals, repeat clients, social media support and repeatedly delivering beautiful work with professionalism in business and a great client experience.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

REVIEWS! Reviews are absolutely everything. The majority of people looking into a wedding vendor read reviews. I have had people book me based on reviews alone. Consistently ensuring the Client experience and quality of work are surpassing expectations mean clients are willing to leave reviews.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AmandaKHolt.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeupbyamandakholt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makeupbyamandakholt

Image Credits

Kaylee Elizabeth Photography LLC
Tori Bornholdt Photography
Chasing Memories Photography
BTP by Alison