We were lucky to catch up with Daria W recently and have shared our conversation below.

Daria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

SheIsLashed LLC started my sophomore year of college in 2018. I attended Hampton University in Hampton, VA and graduated May 2020. One day I got tired of asking my mom and other family members for money every week to eat and do fun stuff while I was in college. I decided I needed to make money but refused to work minimum wage in Virginia because it was only $7.25/hr. I thought of a couple things I could try out. Back home in Maryland, I started seeing lash extensions become more popular in that area so I decided, “why not bring this to my campus?” I used money from my savings and ended up taking a class to be certified and then began my journey of lashing at Hampton University. I wasn’t really nervous to learn because I had did prior research. It wasn’t much for me to figure out at the moment because I had did the research I needed to begin. I just knew I needed a business name which was the hardest part for me. I told my friends and one of my closest friends named Asha that I met during my time at Hampton, said “You can use this name.” That’s how I got the name SheIsLashed (thank you so much Asha). I knew she would be my lifelong friend from that day. She let me practice on her all the time and motivated me a lot to really take this serious. A year passed and I couldn’t believe my progress so I decided to stick with it throughout my time at Hampton. My senior year of college I was torn between getting a corporate job, just doing lash extensions or doing both. It was a lot of pressure I had put on myself because I was comparing my life to how everyone on campus was and the choices they were making post college. Deep down in my heart I knew I wanted to do lashes full time but had so many people in my ear saying things like “lashes isn’t a real job” “you need a real job” and so on. I ended up applying to a corporate job, got the position and decided I was going to move to Texas for the job and only do lashes on the weekend. Silly ole me! About 3-5 days before I had to start, I prayed to God about my uncertainty with the decision I had made. The next day I called that job and told them I’m sending back everything (laptop, phone etc) and will not be accepting the position anymore. Since 2020, even during the pandemic, I managed to have over 25 clients a week and was shocked. In 2022, I am currently booked with clients every month and even have a loyal clientele list. In 2021, SheIsLashed became a 6-figure business. Who would’ve known!? Taking this leap of faith and trusting in my vision and myself has gotten me this far and it will only get better.

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?

I am Daria Wigglesworth. I am the CEO of SheIsLashed LLC. I am 24 years old and graduated from the Illustrious Hampton University in May 2020.

In January, 2018 SheIsLashed LLC was created. SheIsLashed offers lash extension services, lash products, lash trainings and lash mentorship.

I wouldn’t say there are any problems I have to solve for my clients. I would say that I just create a more enhanced look for my clients. I offer lash extension services that allow my clients to wake up feeling naturally beautiful everyday without having to fit in extra time for their beauty routine. Lash extensions make things easier for my clients. Instead of my clients having to wake up everyday 30 minutes earlier to apply lash strips, lash extensions are already applied and last for 2-3 weeks. It’s a easier and smoother process. If a client arrives with a lash line that doesn’t have many lashes, that’s when problem solving comes about. I would recommend a specific set to her that will have her leaving her lash appointment with a full and fluffy set of lash extensions. The problem is then solved and 10/10, I’l have a returning client.

What sets me apart from others is my versatility, my ability to achieve what is requested at all times and my authenticity. I am very disciplined when it comes to my business and being focused. My goals and my vision has helped me become who I am today. I would like to thank my Alma Mater for molding me into having a business mindset. Hampton also plays a part in this because I am able to run my business with the life skills they’ve taught me. Being very personable with each client is what gets me far. Although many have a business, not many know and/or have the skill set to actually run their business and keep clientele/customers. This is what sets me apart.

I am most proud of the fact that I never gave up. Yes, there was doubt but being able to say that SheIsLashed LLC has been around for 4 years is what makes me proud. The main things I would like for people to know is that SheIsLashed LLC and myself, thrives on authenticity. It’s important to be yourself. People will accept you for who you are rather than someone you’re seeking out to be. I am true to my business, my personality and my values regardless of any pressure coming my way. That is why I’m respected by my peers.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I am big on communication. I keep in touch with my clients through email marketing, text and social media. All of these have been helpful for me because not every client check all 3 platforms. You have to learn your clientele and seek out what communication skills work best for you and your clients. Emails are my favorite because I can reach more people at once by sending out certain information. I use social media daily to promote my work and products to others. This helps me because almost everyone is on social media checking their feed at least once out of the day. I foster brand loyalty by connecting with my clients on a more personable and sometimes an emotional level. People are trusting you to work on their lashes which is basically their eyes. You have to make the environment comfortable as soon as they walk in the door. This is one thing I do to retain clientele. I also make sure that I’m responsible and honest with my brand. That’s also how loyalty is earned. One last thing I would say about being able to foster brand loyalty is always BE CONSISTENT.

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

When I first started lashing, I wasn’t that good. Of course I caught on to the technique fast but it took years for me to perfect my craft. When I started lashing, people weren’t satisfied. Their lash extensions weren’t lasting or they just weren’t pleased with my work. This made me want to give up but I knew I couldn’t. I’m not the type to just throw things to the side so fast. It was difficult for me because the negative comments didn’t motivate me. It more so hindered me. I refused to let go of something I invested in so I decided to do research to get better at my craft. I kept practicing and made sure I was applying the knowledge to each lash set I did. With that, I ended up getting better with time and realized the difficulties I once had, were now fixed. I’m four years in and this year I feel like my lash services are beginning to be exactly how I want them and I’m more comfortable with the outcome of my services.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sheislashed.com
• Instagram: @sheislashed_
• Other: Link Tree: linktr.ee/sheislashed

Image Credits
Jacob Webster