We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dana Persia. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dana below.

Dana, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

When I originally started my mobile hair and makeup business as a side hustle, it was just me, my small makeup kit, and a desire to leave my corporate life as a marketing and PR professional. I wanted to be my own boss and do something that was truly aligned with my authentic self. So, quickly realizing that weddings were going to be a way to actually make a living, I decided to name my business exactly by the clients I served— and Beautiful Brides Philly was born!

Fast forward to 2022, I relocated to Southeast Florida with my husband and brought my business with me, launching Beautiful Brides Florida and growing my team to a sum total of 25 artists.

All that being said, I do not recommend naming your business using a city or state as it limits any potential of growing your brand in different markets. After much time and money spent, I eventually combined the two separate entities under one new brand now called Beautiful Brides Hair and Makeup — a much better fit for entering any new location in the future. It was not easy! So choose your name wisely from the start.

Dana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I spent approximately 20 years working in corporate America. I started right from high school–at the age of 19— working as an executive assistant, getting coffee, typing 100 wpm and managing executive calendars. I eventually attended college full time, working my way through, and graduated with honors – something I’m especially proud of being one of the first people in my family to get a degree. I received my BA in English and headed toward a career in corporate straight away.

I happened to be a decent writer, so I worked in various marking, public relations, and corporate communications positions over the next 15-20 years. By the early 2000’s, I had spent nearly three decades behind a desk, working for other people. I was burnt.

As a pitstop, I attended beauty school and received my license in esthetics and makeup hoping to change direction and follow a different path. While still working a full-time, 9-5 corporate job, I decided to launch a side hustle doing makeup for friends, family and anyone who would take a chance on someone new. I was close to 40 years old.

And here I am. Now running two bridal beauty powerhouses — one in the Northeast and one in the Southeast — and I pinch myself every day. It didn’t happen overnight, and it wasn’t easy. But 25 team members and over 5,000 brides and party members served since 2007, I’m happier than I ever was.

What I love the most is the freedom business ownerships brings to my life. And, providing job opportunities for others. Many of my stylists are single mothers, teachers, 9-5 employees and salon workers who look for second income opportunities. We all work together to provide not only great hair and makeup, but to offer an experience that they’ll remember and value forever.

When a bride finds us or is referred to us, their first point of contact is me. Not my assistant. I think what makes my company a little different than most of the bridal beauty companies out there is just that. From the first contact, my clients get my personal attention. They can email, text, or call any time and I get right back to them. They can meet over Zoom to start the process. They get an almost immediate response from me and that goes a long way in an industry where so many “professionals” don’t get the “business” part of this business. My corporate career really prepared me for this and has helped me to grow my business along the way. Doing great hair and makeup, having a pretty Instagram and website just isn’t enough. So, I guess I pride myself on what my clients receive when the work with. me –the whole package!

Brides who hire Beautiful Brides Hair and Makeup tend to choose us because our overall aesthetic is a timeless elegance. Natural but elevated looks are our specialty. When they look back at their wedding photos, they won’t feel overdone, dated, or not like themselves. More and more brides are moving away from the ‘Kardashian-esq” layers of makeup and that’s fine with us.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’m always reading a new business book or listening to podcasts — although I admit that True Crime is how I unwind!

One of the books that changed the direction of my life is “Do What You Love and the Money will Follow,” by Marsha Sinetar. This is the one that really spoke to me about how you can make money doing exactly what you love to do and that you don’t have to settle working a career that leaves you unfulfilled. She gave me the courage to leave a steady paycheck and the security of a corporate job.

Next I’d say “The Purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren. This one allowed me to dig deep and connect with my inner desires and authentic self. It opened my mind to what my true purpose was, and again, validated the gnawing feeling that I needed to make some changes in my life.

I’m also a huge movie person and there are so many that influenced my entrepreneurial journey. Top of my list is Working Girl. I think it’s because I can personally relate to Tess McGill’s fire and tenacity to escape the secretarial pool and move up the corporate ladder. Another is “Joy,” the story of Joy Mangano, America’s most celebrated female inventor, creator and founder of CleanBoss by Joy. It shows how you can start with just an idea and if you believe in it hard enough and never give up, you can make your dream a reality.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Like many small business owners, the worldwide pandemic almost closed my doors for good. The wedding business was hit especially hard with most 2020 to 2022 weddings either cancelled or postponed way into the future. All business cash flow immediately stopped as current and all future bookings simply ended. No one was even thinking about having a big wedding, and city-wide shut downs made having any event impossible.

I applied for every city, state and national grant I could get. I spent days filling out forms and nights not getting much sleep. Luckily, I was able to secure grant money here and there, PPP funds and one SBA loan so I was able to stay afloat. But it was grim. Credit cards became a life line and I simply kept working. I used the time to launch my YouTube channel from the basement of my home, taught myself how to light, film and edit my own videos and amassed a small library of over 40 videos! I also worked on fine-tuning my processes and creating a solid social media presence and strategy.

Three years later, I opened my second location, completely rebranded my business, and managed to build it back to almost pre-pandemic success. What do they say? What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beautifulbrideshairandmakeup.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/beautifulbrideshairandmakeup
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/beautifulbrideshairandmakeupllc
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/beautifulbrideshairandmakeup

Image Credits
Roadshow Weddings Rachel Pearlman Photography Brashleigh Photography Caroline Logan Photography Anthony Page Photography