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

Carla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

That’s a great question, you know they always say hindsight is 20/20 and so often we look back and have regrets. I started Alea Beauty in 2018 after a cross country move to Columbus, Ohio from Seattle, WA. I was 42, had gone through a nasty divorce, just saw my youngest off to college and at the beginning of a new relationship. The timing really couldn’t have been worse. I had a lot on my plate and starting a new business could’ve seemed irrational from an outside perspective. I questioned the decision often, but looking back I wish I had trusted myself more. I had the idea for about two years before taking action. I think it’s hard to know when is the right time to start a new project or explore a passion, but in my experiences since then I’ve always found it’s best to just go for it. If you wait for the perfect time or opportunity, you’ll never do anything. This definitely was not “the right time”, but one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that it’s ok to fail. Failure is just part of the process and it’s where we learn the most. So many people are afraid of failure to the point where they never even start. If I had to go back, I’d tell myself to stop obsessing about the right time and stop trying to make everything perfect. If I had started sooner, it would have given me a more solid foundation before the 2020 Covid pandemic came along. Although the company made it through that time, it wasn’t without hardships. Of course I’ll never know if that extra year or two would have changed anything and I do not regret the timing exactly — I learned a lot and at times struggled, but my biggest failures have led to my best ideas. So to answer your question directly: I do wish I had started sooner — not by many years, but by those couple of years I spent doubting myself. If you have an idea or something you want to explore, do it!

Carla, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been in the beauty industry as a hair and makeup artist for over 20 years now, working everything from stage to corporate headshots. I knew I wanted to do something that was a bit out of the mainstream from what was popular at the time. Alea Beauty is a brand that focuses on a fresh, natural, clean esthetic for wedding hair and makeup. Although that is mainstream in 2026, this was not the case in 2016 when I started playing around with the idea. 2016 was a time of heavy makeup, think extreme contour, hyper defined brows, and cut creases. Promoting something in direct contrast to that seemed a bit out of touch, especially in the world of weddings where everyone wanted to look like Kim Kardashian. Despite this, I knew there was a need for something different. This was long before Hailey Bieber came on the scene, but I really wanted to create a place where women like me could feel confident and beautiful without having to completely change their look.

10 years later looking back, I can say that I am most proud of the community Alea Beauty has created. I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people and have found immense joy in helping people feel seen and validated and like they can be their most authentic selves. Women often feel pressured to wear heavy, uncomfortable makeup on their wedding day. Others feel they don’t fit into traditional beauty standards at all. I’m proud that Alea Beauty welcomes all people and we do not force anyone to wear a look in the name of a wedding or for photography that doesn’t feel comfortable to them. I’m also proud to have worked with a team of amazingly talented women across multiple states as we’ve expanded across the country. And the number one thing I’m proud of is that I’ve helped two members of my team, Rachel Canup (Ohio & Arizona) and Kari Sack (New England), start their own franchises of Alea Beauty, where they can be their own bosses and grow their own teams.

If there’s one thing I want you to know, it’s that you don’t have to wear a mask — literally or figuratively — to be beautiful on your big day. Alea Beauty is for anyone who wants to look like themselves, just slightly polished. We don’t do ‘Instagram face’ unless that’s actually your face. Beyond makeup, we also style hair and offer airbrush spray tans. We serve all clients, female, male and non-binary. Alea Beauty is a fully mobile service and we will travel directly to you on your wedding day or special occasion. We are a safe space where you can be yourself and feel amazing in your own skin.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I’m old school. While social media platforms and tech trends change constantly, I focus on the basics: building relationships and delivering quality service. Growing up in Southern California, there’s a saying: ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know.’ For me, that’s not about leveraging people — it’s about fostering genuine relationships that take you places. And it’s a two-way street: you have to take people with you and give back where you can. By putting a high value on personal connections and local networking, I’ve built a reputation for Alea Beauty that spans multiple states and has lasted almost a decade.

That focus on relationships extends to how we treat every client — with respect. Every single client matters. We show that through timely communication, clear proposals and contracts, upfront pricing, and never being late. A lot of work happens behind the scenes to ensure every event goes off without a hitch. I think that’s what we’re most known for. It’s why venues and wedding planners refer us: they trust we’ll follow through and ensure their clients are happy and on time.

Most of our growth has come from word of mouth. One happy bride tells her friends, and that’s worth more than any ad. Early on in my career, a photographer took a chance on me when my portfolio was small. I made sure his clients had a flawless experience and looked amazing. Since then he’s referred me to countless clients and introduced me to numerous industry leaders. That one relationship shaped my entire approach and helped me grow and excel as an artist and business owner.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Yes — what started as a part-time makeup counter job is now my full-time career and the foundation of Alea Beauty.

I actually went to school for marketing. I never imagined I’d end up in the beauty industry. Life is funny that way. I quickly realized the 9-to-5 corporate grind wasn’t for me, but I had always loved makeup. One of my earliest childhood memories is of my mother taking me to a Nordstrom counter to buy my first ever makeup when I was 14. The woman behind the counter was so elegant, knowledgeable, and kind that the moment stuck with me forever.

So in the early 2000s I did something my then-husband thought was frivolous: I picked up a job at a makeup counter for fun — and for the employee discount. That decision changed my life. Before I knew it, I was working in beauty full-time and going back to school to learn everything I could to become a professional artist.

My big break came when I was hired by Chanel. I absolutely loved Chanel’s approach to beauty and resonated deeply with the French ideals of minimalistic, classic beauty. That core teaching carried into every aspect of my career and is the foundation of Alea Beauty. I loved the luxury of it — how one simple act, like taking care of your skin or putting on a new lipstick, could make you feel so confident and powerful. I wanted all women to feel that way. That mission still motivates me today.

As for scaling: it happened slowly, then all at once. I freelanced for brides for years before I had enough steady work to quit my last part-time job. Key milestones included launching the Alea Beauty brand in 2018, expanding to a second state in 2021, and helping my first team member start her own franchise in 2025. None of it was glamorous — just one referral at a time. But looking back, that makeup counter job was the small hinge that swung a very big door.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aleabeauty.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleabeauty.co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-welechuk-kowski-0b6a0a18/
• Other: https://www.aleabeautyboston.com

Image Credits

Belinda Jean, Robb McCormick, Sylvia Stahl, Cassidy Alane