We recently connected with Danni B. and have shared our conversation below.
Danni, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
After losing my job in Atlanta, I was encouraged by a former friend to leave my parents & the life I knew, to move to Charleston, Ms. and pursue my beauty business. The person that I moved with ended up leaving me stranded in a new city/state all alone, and as upset & scared as I was, I decided to turn that pain into power & progress. I worked my butt off & was able to move from Mississippi to Tennessee within 4 months, and I opened my 1st beauty bar in Charleston, Ms. 3 months later! I didn’t have much in my home at all. I didn’t have any furniture & was sleeping on an air mattress for months before I got a bed. For entertainment, I had my dog, a laptop & speaker. I didn’t even have a tv, but my shop was fully furnished and that’s all that really mattered to me at the moment.
Danni, 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?
My name is Danielle but everyone knows me by Danni. I’ve always been interested in the beauty industry having a fashion/modeling background. I was working as a front desk receptionist at a hair salon in Atlanta back in 2010 & I had a friend that was a hair stylist. She asked me to do her lashes & brows one day & I did them even though I had no idea what I was doing. And surprisingly, they turned out very well! I surprised myself with that one and that birthed the beginning of my beauty career. I decided to go to school to got my esthetics license & now I am licensed in Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee & Arkansas.
My 1st beauty bar was in Charleston, Ms. but after closing that location, I have now opened my 2nd location in Memphis, Tn. My business is constantly growing & evolving and I am forever grateful & thankful. I specialize in brow services but also provide lash & waxing services as well. Ombre powder brows -aka- microshading is 1 of our newest services but our OG service is our infamous brow tinting service. That is what we are most known for. Facial & makeup services will be added back to the service menu in the near future.
We have just launched our new Brow Pro Pencils & Pro Concealers that are so amazing in quality and we have so many more products to launch throughout the 2023 year ranging from more makeup products, skincare, bodycare, kittycare & haircare.
On a personal level, all marketing has been done by me. When I was in fashion school, I learned how to use photoshop, so I’ve created all my promotional materials. From logos, to flyers, websites, business cards, etc., I have made them all for my business. All the creative work has been done for me, by me!
The problems I solve for my clients are that I give them what they aren’t able to give themselves. Whether it be a natural, fuller, bolder & more even-looking brow, or natural/fuller lashes along with hairless body areas. What sets me apart from others is that I truly love what I do. I have been in this industry for years and have undercut myself a lot to make myself affordable for most people. But as with all things, there must be growth, for without growth, one will wither away and die. So even though my prices have raised a little, the love & passion I have for my craft is still there. And I know my clients can feel and sense my passion from the quality of my work. The smiles I see once I finish their service tells me everything that I need to know and it makes me feel so good to see them feeling/looking enhanced to their liking.
I am most proud of myself for not giving up and quitting even though there have been many times when I wanted to. I have dealt with more than a fair share of liars, manipulators and backstabbers since joining this industry, and even more since moving from Atlanta; but I am happy that I have stood my ground. One thing that I love about my parents is their installation of perseverance in me. I am not a quitter. I never have been & I never will be. The main thing I would like for all potential clients, followers and fans to know about me & my business, is that exceptional customer service is my #1 priority! Because without you, there is no me! I can’t do what I do, if you don’t trust me to do it. So I am always thankful & grateful for anyone that sits in my chair or lays on my table and I take great pride & honor in my work. I hope that one day you will get to experience the ‘Dollface Experience’ by Danni B.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I think that the most effective strategy for growing your clientele is word of mouth. Word of mouth can truly make or break a business. Of course, with technology being so prevalent these days, one might say social media; which I do believe is an effective strategy as well, I’m just old school. So I don’t believe there’s anything better than good ole’ word of mouth or walking around passing out your cards & flyers to people in shopping areas, malls, etc.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
‘The Secret’ is a book/movie that I encourage everyone to read/watch. Whether it is for personal use or professional use, the gems dropped in that book/movie will impact your life tremendously if you take heed. I have been on a personal, spiritual journey that has helped my entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy. I was so close to quitting, but after getting certified as a spiritual life coach, instead of focusing on trying to get other clients, I decided that my 1st client was going to be myself! Everything that I learned, I then applied to myself. Daily affirmations, meditation, yoga and 3 of the main things that I have done to encourage positive thinking. for both myself & my business. There is power in our thoughts & power in our tongue and we can literally think or speak life/death into our life & into our situations. So, I have been re-training my mind to vibrate on a higher level where I think more highly of myself & my business. My focus is now self-centered whereas it used to be outward. I used to pay so much attention to what everyone else was doing, that it caused me to be stagnant & left doubting myself. So now, I’m strictly focused on me & the things that I can control, myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DollfaceBeautyAndCo.com
- Instagram: @DollfaceBeautyAndCo
- Facebook: @DollfaceBeauty&Co
- Youtube: Dollface Beauty