We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angel Gray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Angel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

Before I started my business, I always heard that strangers will support you before your friends and family will. I’m grateful that my experience has been a little different than this narrative. I started my business outside of my hometown, away from my family and friends, and I still feel loved and supported 100%. I’m blessed that I didn’t have to ask my friends or family to support me. I made a business Instagram account, and all my loved ones automatically followed. They automatically liked my photos, and shared my content to their stories. Some friends and family were even models for me when I first started lashing so that I could gain experience. I think when some people talk about friends & family supporting a business, they automatically think money. I believe that support comes in many ways. Have all of my family and friends booked a lash appointment? No. Most of my clients are actually people I have never met before. However, I am able to do what I do today because of the initial support I felt from my friends and family.

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

Hey! My name is Angel Gray! I’m 24 years old &I am a recent college graduate. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to be a businesswoman. Since, I had so many interests, I didn’t know which industry at such a young age. All I knew was I just wanted to handle business. A few years ago, a close friend of mine became a Lash Artist and would practice on me in the beginning of her career. I’m usually not one to invest in personal beauty such as hair, makeup, or nails unless it is a special occasion and I need to get dolled up. Lashes was completely new to me but, I fell in love with having my lashes done. I fell in love with the effortless, natural beauty look. For someone who didn’t wear makeup often, having my lashes done gave me a confidence boost and made me feel even more beautiful when I woke up and looked in the mirror everyday.

Overtime, I watched my friend grow as a Lash Artist and a business owner, and myself as a consumer in this industry. In 2020, I just had a feeling to start a lash business. However, I was still in undergrad and didn’t believe in myself. I tried to focus on finishing school, getting my degree and finding a career, because that is what you’re supposed to do, right? I originally went to school for Finance, and studied this majority of my undergraduate career. I ended up finishing school with a Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business. I was applying to different companies even before I graduated because I knew the next step was to go into corporate America. Let’s just say, the job search was not a success. Since I was already working 9-5 during undergrad & I already had a steady income, I felt comfortable enough to take a calculated risk. After all, I did study Finance & Business.

I decided to take everything I’d learned in undergrad and finally start a business. September of this year, I started providing semi permanent lash extensions to consumers in Columbus, GA. This is a natural enhancement to your eyelashes and extensions are growing rapidly in the Beauty Industry. These extensions are customizable and are great for those who want a more dramatic look that mascara can’t give. My goal is to make women feel confident when they leave their appointment, just like how they make me feel!

I believe my dedication to customer service, and the knowledge I gained at one of the best business schools in the country sets me apart from other Lash Artists and business owners. I enjoy making people feel good, so it’s not just about the money. I want to provide a luxury experience. I want my clients to enjoy getting lashed by me! I am always investing in my business to make it more comfortable for my client and trying the elevate the experience.

I am most proud of my consistency and growth. It’s hard putting yourself out there for the whole world to criticize you, especially when you are just starting and you aren’t that great. I am okay with sharing my journey and telling my story. I would like for my potential clients and followers to know that supporting me, is supporting a little girls dream!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Like everyone else, I started with zero clients, zero followers, zero likes. Nonetheless, since my grand opening, I have been solely operating my business off of Instagram. After becoming certified to do lashes, I practiced on a few family members and friends, figured I wasn’t any good and thought that no one would want to do business with me. I didn’t do anything lash related for about a month and a half. I was talking to my Lash Tech/Trainer and she asked how lashing was going and I explained how no progress had been made. “Have you done at least 5 people?” she asked. After answering no, I quickly accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to be good at first, and my success relied solely on me. Duh, right?

I made a flyer and posted it on Instagram stating that I was looking for models for a free classic lash set. I just wanted 5 models to practice my skills on. I received over double the amount of models that I needed. From these inquiries, I did lashes for free, and posted the pictures no matter if I liked the content or not so that I could start building a portfolio. We all have to start somewhere. I knew my work wasn’t the best, but you have to start. A friend, and fellow business owner told me, “People love to see the process”.

I posted the good, the bad, and the ugly, Nowadays, I think we all have this pressure to be perfect for social media. My advice would be to just put yourself out there. You never know who is watching, or who needs your product or service. Social media is a great tool. You just have to put yourself on the platform. My very first reel received over 3,000 views, and one my more recent reels has over 10,000.

The followers, views, likes, and comments will all come with time. Just stay consistent and you will be surprised how your presence on social media can change in just a few weeks, Not only will you see progression, but so will your followers.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Since my business started on Instagram, many of my clients follow me, and we interact via Social Media. I make sure I repost my clients to create engagement and build a connection. I always reach out to my clients in between our appointments to make sure they are enjoying their lashes as well.

Another huge way I keep in touch with my clients and foster brand loyalty is with my business/loyalty cards. After all of my appointments, I give my client my business card with all my information on the front. On the back of the card is a loyalty and referral program. Clients get a percentage off of a service after a certain amount of appointments, and also receive a discount for referring new clients to me. This helps me keep my current clients coming, as well as gaining new clients, essentially keeping the loyalty to my brand strong.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thelashangelco.as.me/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelashangel.co/?hl=en