We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erick Rodriguez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Erick, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

That was very unexpected and definitely something that changed my life because it motivated me to continue with seeking education and finding the passion for my profession.

I started volunteering for my then boyfriend’s theater company, Helping with costumes sets, etc. When he asked me to help him in the make up department. He was producing the Broadway musical CATS.

And that’s how my love for make up came about. After the theater production was over. I received a call from somebody that wanted make up services, somebody that went to see this musical.
I was very excited and happy that somebody saw my work, and liked my work enough to hire me for make up. I was nervous, excited, and everything in between, but I took a risk and I did a job that person loved it and hired me on the spot.

And that was the beginning of a beautiful profession that I still love and care for.

Erick, 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?

My name is Erick Gerson. I am originally from Mexico and I started my business in 2006 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over the years, I’ve continued with education in make up. I’ve grown my business, and now I teach make up for other professionals, and for the average person that would like to learn how to apply make up on themselves. When I started, I didn’t have a tutor or a near place to go so I could learn this craft. So it took me a lot of effort to find ways to get educated, and now from that struggle, I learned that I can teach other people my skills, and the best reward is to see my clients enjoying every minute of it. I specialize in wedding make up, stage make up, runway, make up, and commercial work. I got the opportunity to meet and work with people in the entertainment industry,I now have my own studio located in the heart of the city, of Grand Rapids where people can come and get beautified or learn and make up skill, etc. everybody’s welcome and my studio is a safe place for everyone. over the years, my work has been featured in several magazines, national and international, and just like other professions,I’m always looking to grow my bueno esa and to also serve my community.

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

There are a couple stories that I could share with people, but the one that we recently experienced was when Covid hit us. Many businesses, small businesses were affected by this, and personally. I didn’t know what was going to happen in the future. I wanted to help my clients that had booked with me I refunded 100% of all of the deposits I got from my bookings which it was a hard hit for me. We all went through it. But to see your business all the sudden crashing down was devastating. I decided to think outside the box, and since I was already teaching make up, I decided it will be a good idea to help people at home somehow , maybe helping by clearing their minds, and focusing on other stuff other than the reality, so I offered virtual make up lessons which I still offer. But at the time it was amazing how a lot of people showed interest which helped me and motivated me to keep going and keep fighting to keep my business alive. The help was mutual because somehow I was helping my clients be in a different world while we were going through an awful time. I could see them smile I could see them be happy and that was very rewarding. Thanks to that I decided to launch my make up brush line for the classes I was teaching and so I will send them to my clients so they could use them for class. That was an amazing accomplishment so big that I was featured in local magazines on top things to do at home, and also on tv spots.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Well, my business partner and right hand is my husband and we are currently celebrating our 15th year together and a business is like a regular relationship. you need to trust your partner a 100% because you know they have your back and if there’s an issue you know you can count on them to put you back on track. And to help you with the lows and highs. I’m so blessed to have him. He is a great partner in life and business and having someone to help you with your business takes off so much stress from you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.erickmakeup.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erickmakeup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erickgersonmakeup/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erick-gerson-0a4552110
• Other: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/erick-gerson-professional-makeup-artist-grand-rapids/dae6b204e8e43b8c.html