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

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

Vacations are an important part of self-care, in my opinion. When you allow yourself to take break and go immerse yourself in a new surrounding, it allows your body to recharge and your imagination can flourish.

I think a vacation, whether it is across the country, World, or across the state, is important to person’s well-being and inspiration.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Lip Lock’d Cosmetics is led by an Unapologetic woman, Ashley Turner. Her strength and creativity give this brand life, but let us introduce her properly and with flair: Ashley Turner is a 33 year old Capricorn woman, that currently resides in Houston, Texas, but was mostly raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Yep, the Show Me State! She earned a Bachleor’s Degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia (Go Tigers!) & in 2013, finished a Master’s Degree from Webster University.
Since arriving in Houston, Ashley has worked in the cosmetic industry. Specifically, in Operations, which involves Sourcing, Planning, Procurement, and Logistics. Utilizing these skills within her own organization gives her a leg up on staying organizing, bultivating vendor relationships, creating reasonable pricing structures and so much more!
In 2016, the idea of Lip Lock’d Cosmetics was conceived and the idea of creating a brand that focused solely on one’s lips consumed Ashley’s thoughts. Officially launching in 2018, this brand is intended to attract and cater to women that have an interested in cosmetic products, want to feel beautiful, and also have social lives that require long lasting shades and moisture elements for all seasons.
One of Ashley’s passions is helping and encouring her peers around her. She has so much knowledge to share, not just about your lips or lipstick, but about industry trends, how to find what you’re looking for as an aspiring entreprenuer, etc.
Continue to Follow Ashley’s growth and expansion, as she launches a Youtube channel, a Podcast, and so much more.
She continues to inspire us as a tenacious leader and aspiring mogul!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The initial capital for Lip Lock’d was my own personal credit cards and extra money from my full time job. I didn’t know much about business credit so all I knew was use what I have available.

I started Lip Lock’d as a big grand idea that was going to cost thousands of dollars and alot of time. Since I was using a much smaller amount of inital capital, I had to simplify the idea and do what I could to launch and build the brand, the way that I wanted it to be portrayed.

The pros of this method are that I was not stressed about paying back a large business loan and also that it forced me to reposition the brand in an obtainable manner. The cons are that inventory is always bare minimum (which isn’t such a bad thing when you want the product to turnover quickly) and that it leaves little room to save in my personal life when all of my extra goes to the company.

If I had to do it all over, I would stil choose to fund the company in the same way that I did. It allowed me to move slowly and have a plan before each purchase.

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

The best source of new clients is doing pop-up shops and events where I can set up and display the products. Ladies love lip products, but it is hard to commit to a new brand without seeing and trying the colors first. With the pop-up shops, they are able to play in the products and colors and really find what works for them.

The cosmetic industry is so saturated and women have lots of choices for their lip care needs, but I find that if I catch them in person, they try on the product and talk to me about the ingredients and brand, they fall in love. The price point of my products do not exceed $20 so it is easy to commit after a quick demonstration.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.liplockdcosmetics.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/liplockdcosmetics
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/liplockdcosmetics