We were lucky to catch up with Danielle O’Kane recently and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I was at a music festival one year and saw all these amazing food trucks and trucks serving drinks, but my eye kept searching for a business offering makeup or face painting or hair services which I just did not seem to find, all of a sudden there was a fire in my belly to creat the perfect makeup space that could be mobile and be anywhere and everywhere you needed. Alas, the Blush Bus was born- a mobile makeup studio!

Danielle, 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 am South African and have been based in Dallas for three years this year. I had worked for MAC Cosmetics in the capacity of Senior Events Artist and Manager for Johannesburg for six years, I worked Johannesburg and Cape Town Fashion week, Africa Fashion Week Botswana, curated makeup looks for multiple music Videos and editorial shoots and hosted multiple special events for clients and influencers alike. I love Designing unique makeup looks and specialize in theatrical makeup, SFX, Bridal, editorial and Glam makeup.

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

Starting your own business is incredibly daunting and terrifying, things don’t go as planned most of the time and it takes a lot longer than anyone would like to share with you to get up and running. There were days I was receiving more cancellations than appointments and my schedule was almost completely clear for months on end with pending bills and upcoming monthly payments. It made me buckle down and work harder, it made me realize that I have to do as much as I possibly can and dedicate every second of everyday to this idea that I had in order to make it work and be successful, I had only myself to rely on and I wasn’t going to let myself down or be a disappointment. I had invested everything I had and that gave me the will to fight for it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I was spoiled at MAC because it was such a huge establishment and everyone knew who MAC was and clients would flock to us so we didn’t have to fight for clients’ attention. I had to source my own clients, figure out how to market and sell myself as a small business owner and learn to value each and every client that sat in my chair, I had to learn how to set myself apart from this massive industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://quest40.wixsite.com/theblushbus
• Instagram: Blush_bus
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/nomcheri/