We recently connected with Bryana Bertrand and have shared our conversation below.
Bryana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
To other aspiring business owners, my one piece of advice is always to promote, promote, promote. Start recording all of your business-related activities; people are interested in seeing how you work and how much you admire the business you run. Put pride into your content! Since social media is the most powerful network out there, consider what you can do to differentiate yourself from other businesses. Whether it’s giving out a free service, money off a service, or even giveaways, you want to think of creative ways to market yourself and offer deals that will draw in more customers. Collaborate with other entrepreneurs as well, create business cards & flyers to put out around your area. I believe that I could have gone further in my profession than I have now if I had taken this action sooner. Remember that word of mouth travels quickly. If no one knows of your business, how will you become successful?
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a 20-year-old makeup artist based in Palm Beach County, Florida. I’ve now been providing client service for two years. I do natural makeup in addition to my specialty in soft, glam, and SFX looks. I took an SFX class during my freshman year of high school, and that’s when I became interested in cosmetics. It gave me the idea to start doing makeup for others. I practiced on myself every night after that, shared my looks on Instagram, and a variety of others saw my potential. I started a business during my senior year of high school after friends and family encouraged me to take the idea seriously. It turned out to be the greatest decision I have ever made. What differentiates me from other people in my field is that I excel at creating different canvases based on the features of each person’s face. You will still look like yourself, but with a greater sense of confidence. I prioritize my clients first and ensure that they are completely satisfied before they leave my chair. I’m proud of how far I came in a short period of time. Nothing could be done without the grace of God; he has a plan for me, and he’s going to work wonders.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I used to earn a little money in high school by selling snacks to all of the students. After that, I started purchasing a bunch of makeup products and collecting a large amount of it. My parents supported me as well, since they saw my potential and were happy that I wanted to eventually launch this as a business.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I had a lot of encouraging classmates when I first started, but I needed to reach out and connect with new people. I started to join Facebook groups for entrepreneurs, and that boosted my following big time. I would constantly post my work and prices a few times a day. I started out by doing a few faces every day, charging $30 for a makeup look. Sometimes people noticed my work, and sometimes they didn’t, but my advice is to always remember that when you don’t get any likes on a post and you start to think nobody is watching, there is always somebody watching.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://projectgllam.as.me/
- Instagram: @projectgllam
- Facebook: Bryana Bertrand
- Youtube: ackire.b