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

Elisa , appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

If I could go back in time I would start exactly where and when I started, I am a firm believer in everything happens for you when it is suppose too. I started my business journey in 2015 right after I graduated high school, I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do but I hated school. I knew working long hours for someone else’s company wasn’t what I trust wanted to do. I wanted to put those long hours into my own business and I started to do that. I also knew that I couldn’t just up and go full time entrepreneur straight out of high school so I used my 9-5 to fund my makeup business. It was not fun at all but I worked overnight as a security officer and during the day and weekends I would take clients. It was tiring but I knew I had an end goal. I worked at a warehouse with a lot of people I started to promote myself having business cards, posting on social media, at the time I would practice on my friends and family for free and get them to post on their social media as well. I started off with buying drug store makeup, you have to ease your way into your craft as time went on I started to make more money and investing into taking makeup classes to learn better techniques and buying more high end makeup brands. If I started later I’m not sure where I would be I don’t think my journey would of been the same as now, I wouldn’t of mind starting earlier but I was a struggling student, just being transparent so I’m not sure if that would of taken my focus off on finishing school and getting my diploma. When I started I had a good balance between work and the up bringing of my business so it all worked out for me.

Elisa , 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?

If you may not know about me or my business, I started to get into makeup while being in high school but I would only do it on myself. I started playing in my sisters makeup , she was a popular rapper at the time and she would receive a lot of free makeup from the brand MILANI and that’s what I started off working with and as I went to school people would ask me if I did my own makeup they wouldn’t believe me lol so that let me know that I actually have potential and it opened my eyes that I didn’t have to attend college to do what I love or to make money. Disciple is what I learned as I grew more years into my business, saving money for products, makeup classes and etc. Also to balance out not giving all of my energy to my 9-5 job because it was a lot, I didn’t have a specific place to work out of so I was literally traveling to everyone to do their makeup and I didn’t mind one bit of it. I was grateful to even have people wanting to book my services. God willing I was able to save and purchase my own car and out myself through driving school with my 9-5. The type of services I provide is actually a couple of different things; Makeup, Esthetician services (facials, waxing) and Nano- blading (semi-permenant tattoo eyebrows). I always be sure to make sure I am giving the best customer service and always making sure that my clients are comfortable, I always ask for feed back to see what I can improve as well. What sets me aside from other is truly being myself and being confident in my creativity and craft, I started off doing dramatic makeup because it was popular but I soon realized I love natural makeup that is my go to, my energy as well, when anyone sits in my chair we are bound to talk about any and everything I am very open minded and can be transparent with my clients assuring them that life is life and we have to make the best out of it.

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

When covid came about I found out I was pregnant just a few weeks before and I felt my whole world came crashing down because that is how I made a living for me and soon to be child a the time, I can’t lie and say I didn’t loose some type of hope. I didn’t know what this meant for me especially because I touched people faces, very hands on with all of the work I do. as time went on I had to stop being scared. that’s when my resilience kicked in that God would protect me from anything, I started to pray over myself, my baby, my hands and even my products I knew I had to make money either way. My son gave me strength/ form a resilience I never knew I had, I can assure I stayed protected took very cautious matters to make sure I was safe and also making sure my clients were. I even got my own studio in`the mist of a pandemic. Thank God because without God I wouldn’t of gotten as far as I have.

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

I had to unlearn that I have to be perfect in order to be where I want to or to do my craft, I was always very hard on myself because I knew that I could be better but I had to realize that I am in no competition with anyone with myself and if anything it was holding me back from all the potential I had . I also had to unlearn not charging my worth, I would charge what i feel people could afford and that’s no way to run a business. if you know you’re all that then live and carry that out, you have to believe in your potential and charge accordingly so that you can attract the clients you would like.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14064771
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lolaliartistry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beatbyli/

Image Credits
@PHOTOMATICSMITH @EANDREWMURRAY @11THHOURSTU