We were lucky to catch up with Cindy Bonema recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cindy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
To become successful, I think it’s important to experience failure. I’ve realized a couple years ago, as I was 6 years in of starting my business. Failing is something a lot of us are afraid to experience, and we avoid taking risk because of the thought of failing. However in the entrepreneurial space if you want to grow and become successful, you have to be willing to take risk, sometimes it may be a win but you will also experience some losses.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My introduction to the beauty world was about 14 years ago, my best friend and I were basically YouTube junkies and I was always fascinated by the power of makeup and how it made people feel. It’s interesting because I was a tomboy growing up, but I’ll never forget the day my mum bought me my first MAC pressed powder for my secondary school graduation. I will then play in makeup for a couple of years, never took it seriously until I did a friends (in my college dorm room) makeup for her birthday and posted pictures of it on instagram. The post became VIRAL!! That was the little push I needed, because that’s when the demand came and I started getting booked almost every weekend.
It was important for me to gain more experience about makeup and the beauty industry so I found myself working and freelancing with brands such as Estée Lauder, Chanel, and Clinique. Besides perfecting my makeup skills in those spaces it also helped me with my customer service skills. I always knew that I wouldn’t be working for anyone for too long. As a makeup artist it’s important to continuously create room for business growth and creativity.
About 8 years ago, I was finally bold enough to begin my business Artistry By Bonnie full time, the boldness came from my faith. As I trusted God as I embarked this new journey. I had a name for myself and many of my referrals came from word of mouth. It was important for me to create an experience for every woman that sat in my chair. This helped my business so much because besides their beautiful makeover they also had a lasting experience with me. We’ll talk about everything!
I’m most proud of my journey, because I knew I wasn’t just doing this for myself. As of 2023 Artistry By Bonnie has now shifted mainly to the bridal industry and I now have a team of talented makeup artist that are under the Artistry By Bonnie brand. I love the fact that I can share my experiences the good the bad and ugly so that others can prevent it. Also besides the talent, I share the business skills I’ve gained over the years with my team.
Artistry By Bonnie, focuses on enhancing the beauty that’s already there, however we also provide an experience that’ll have you coming again and again.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
February 2019 my mother passed away, it was such a trying moment in my life. My mother also had wanted me to open my own beauty studio. In May 2019, while heavily grieving I opened Artistry By Bonnie Studio, where women will come and get glammed and we also provided other beauty services. The space was also available for creatives to rent for photoshoots, interviews, and etc. It was a success. However when Covid 19 hit in March 2020, that’s when everything changed and eventually I had to get rid of the space because of all the losses. It was no longer financially wise to keep the space. I didn’t lose hope tough. I pivoted, and started to really dive into the bridal makeup scene. Where I’ll give my brides a luxury bridal experience. I’ll never regret opening the space, who knows maybe some time the future it will be something bigger and better.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Just by being kind and respectful to people. Besides my talent, many of my clientele are fond of me because of the experience/vibe I provide when performing a service. It’s important for my team and I to make the client happy at all times. It has helped our reputation tremendously.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artistrybybonnie.com
- Instagram: artistrybybonnie