We were lucky to catch up with Denise Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Denise, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

I have to be honest in saying I didn’t realize how saturated the beauty business here in Tampa is. I remember after graduating beauty school a few months ago I couldn’t wait to apply for my LLC ,and list my business on Google. I was immediately disappointed when I went to search for my business, and realized how far down the list I was.How would people wouldn’t even know I was there of there are 10+ talented Makeup Artist before me? If hasn’t been easy to bring in more clients, but I wouldn’t trade this journey to entrepreneurship for anything. Im currently working on creating more content on social media to generate more clientele and hopefully Tampa Bay will soon recognize D.Nicole Beauty as another dream flourished in this great city.

Denise, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Im a small town Georgia girl that I guess you can say has been converted into full Floridian as I’ve been here over a decade now. My love for Make Up began around the age of 15. This was an era when youtube was extremely popular and everyone was a self proclaimed beauty guru, or enthusiast. I remember the excitement of seeing how creative each artist could be with their eyeshadow, how they applied their foundation and what color lipstick they would wear. I would spend hours in the mirror just practicing and wanting to learn as much as I could.

Along the way I worked for beauty retailers, such as Ulta, Sephora, and MAC cosmetics. Working for these merchants, ultimately laid the foundation for me to hone my skills by being provided with the unlimited opportunity to learn how to apply make up on any every Skin Tone, Texture, Eye and Face Shape.

I had always wanted to own my own studio and work as a professional make up artist full-time , but beauty school was not in the cards for me a few years ago. The schedule was/is very demanding, and I needed to work to take care of myself. About a year ago and over a decade later I finally came across a job that I could work full-time to support myself and finally go to beauty school. I knew that the road would be hard doing both full-time. I don’t think I’ve ever been as disciplined,determined and sleep deprived as I was during this process. I was so ready to make it happen and start breathing life into my dream again after years of delays.I literally worked from 7:30 PM to 4 AM and went to school from 9 AM to 4 PM M-F.I know everyone is probably thinking the same thing and honestly I’m not sure how I did it either but I’m so glad that I did!

My favorite part about what I do is seeing my clients face after I’m done, seeing that boost of confidence, that smile, or hair flip makes it so rewarding for me. Im a Licensed Full specialist which means I can perform Esthic and Nail Services. How ever my primary focus is Make up. Full Body Waxing, and Brow /Lash Tenting.

My goal is for you feel 100% comfortable and confident when in my chair. I like to create a peaceful and self conscious free zone! We are all beautiful and some of is may need that special someone to help us see it and embrace it!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I have to say it’s the connections and confidence that I create with my clients. In doing what I do, there is a sense of vulnerability there which means that there has to be a trust, and I value that very much. in my profession, there is no such thing as personal space lol I’m extremely close to my clients through out their services so energy is very important.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I would definitely have to say working, and going to school full-time. For so long, I knew that I wanted to be a professional artist, but the time never seemed right. I kept having to put my dream on the back burner because working a 9 to 5 that would take care of me was more important. I guess now that I’ve gotten older, I realize that time frame is not important as long as you get there.I think sometimes we get caught up on this unrealistic time clock set by society, that makes us feel that we are behind that we’re not doing enough or maybe that we never will if we dont by a certain age . i’m so glad I didn’t let that discourage me from continuing to chase my dreams no matter how long it takes. I’m in it for the long-haul.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.DnicoleBeauty.Co
• Instagram: @DnicoleBeauty

Image Credits
Top two Boudoir photos were taken by Kiss of Boudoir Tampa Photographer Kristen