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

Alright, Austin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My “why”, is to nurture and inspire the human spirit – each interaction at a time. My goal is to use digital creation, and vegan skincare as a way of reaching people. As a registered nurse focused on providing high quality care to the critically ill, I knew my level of care and attention would also translate to how I treated people in my creative community. To help open the floor for deeper discussion, deeper connection, and purpose. I am inspired and uplifted by my community; and I intend to reciprocate that, each passing day.

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

hroughout several years, and multiple degrees focusing in scientific studies; I have always felt that I had creative abilities that I never tapped into. I have written, and been published in school on occasion. Created table center pieces for the the home during the holiday seasons. Partnered on interior decor projects, and decorated for different parties. All of that still left me feeling that I was not channeling creativity that resonated with my soul, to provide a level of fulfillment. Fast forward to 2021, I embarked as an extern for a medical spa, and formed a deep relationship with my aesthetic preceptor. One day, my preceptor asked me to help her create a reel for her business, and something instantly ignited in me during the production of that video. I knew then I found something that made me feel included, inspired, excited, and fulfilled. In the year 2023, I began living on my own for the first time. It was a refreshing, and challenging time as, I was in a dark period of my life. One night I got an intuitive feeling to invest in my own creator studio. I went on amazon, purchased the items with the little savings I had, and never look back. I purchased my business name and license, and instantly began designing my own skincare line. I began creating content for my products, and simply just for fun! Hours would go by while I was creating, and time seemed fluid. All the pain and tribulations helped to give me the motivation to fight, to push forward, and heal through the modality of content creation.

Today I am proud to say that not only have I mastered the foundation of my digital creative abilities; I have also formed strong relationships with other brands, and community members who have seen the light in my eyes and my heart.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

All the funding for my business has came solely from my income as a nurse. You can imagine it was a difficult expense to pour into as a single male. Not only did I have financial obligations such as rent, utilities, car note, etc. I was also responsible to pay for my tuition for Nurse Practitioner School. So I used the savings I had to front the costs of startup, product creation, product photography, advertising, etc. I do not regret it one bit, as it taught me that I was more than capable of tackling these challenges independently, even though I was never alone on this. I express genuine appreciation for the people in my corner, for believe in my vision.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I prefer face to face interactions, as I feel they are most personable, and organic. Most conversations I related to my brand have taken place in person. During the times when dialogue happens online, I make sure to take the extra step to make my community members, and clients get undivided attention from me. My goal is to dig deeper into people, and discover what makes them passionate about life. Oh, and I guess the skincare products are a bonus too. :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ausstheticss.com
• Instagram: ausstheticss

Image Credits

All images were taken by me. Any products displayed in the photos, were displayed for brand collaboration purposes.