We recently connected with Gheri and have shared our conversation below.

Gheri, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

Taking the leap to start a business or expand is exciting. It was a dream come true to see the birth of my ideas come to fruition after years and months of hard work. But along with the excitement comes the uncertainty of juggling multiple tasks and making decisions that shape the present and future.

While passion and determination are keys to drive the ship, my family and friends have been my anchor while I navigated starting a side hustle that has now turned into a full-time eyebrow focused service and product based business.

I used to be hesitant to ask the people closet to me for help. I wanted to be able to do everything on my own and not be a burden to anyone. We always want our friends and family to be proud of us and asking for help shows our vulnerability. Not being able to do it all in the past made me wonder if I was cut out to run a business. I heard a quote that made me change my mind about asking for help, “If you want to go fast , go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”- African Proverb

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it’s been one of the smartest and strongest things I’ve done to build my business. Whether it has been emotional, financial, strategic, tactical or simply sharing my post on social media, I find that my friends and family are happy to help and want to see me win just as much as I do.

I am so grateful to have a solid support system because the road to entrepreneurship can sometimes feel lonely and rough. There are days when I feel on my A game and others when self-doubt can creep in. My loved ones keep me grounded and are always a phone call away if I need them.

I recently released Brows by Gheri Goddess Brow Oil. I could not have done it without the support of my family and friends. It took two years to complete production and though the journey wasn’t easy, my tribe believing in me and helping in so many ways is the reason I was able to launch my very first product October 2024.

Reflecting on how pivotal my family and friends have been to my entrepreneurial journey, I am so grateful and thankful for them. I feel extremely blessed to have their support, to be be able to share my wins with them or discuss lessons learned.

I would encourage anyone starting or already in business not to be afraid to ask for help. It’s ok to lean on the people who care about you if you need to. It is such a great feeling to have people who support you and to share your journey with!

Gheri, 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?

I’ve always had this passion for making people feel beautiful. When I was younger I would practice new hairstyles and try different products on myself. When I found something that worked I shared it with my friends and family. I became a licensed cosmetologist, then a brow specialist, and transitioned to the healthcare industry communicating ways to improve health and wellness. I felt I was helping more people but missed the personal interaction I had when doing brows, and that’s how Brows by Gheri was born. It grew from a part-time passion project focused on self-care to a full-time service and product-based brand focused on wellness. Now I get to see my clients daily. They’ve become part of my life and I’m part of theirs. And I love that for us.

I’m most proud of my new product Goddess Brow Oil. It is my way of giving back. It’s an answer to the question I’ve been asked so many times – do you have anything that will help make my brows look better? Now I can finally say yes. So many times we feel like imposters when we think of helping others. And I felt that from time to time. But when I look back to where I started, I see now that my passion for helping people feel their best has just grown over the years and positioned me for this moment. It’s the most energizing thing when a person looks in the mirror and sees the best version of themselves reflected back. They light up with satisfaction, they radiate joy and its contagious. I’m just happy to be a part of that daily.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I started my business as a passion project and I had a full-time job as a healthcare marketer. I started off small and was able to fund my initial startup costs from my full-time salary. I started taking brow clients one day a week and I called it “Self-care Saturday”. I purchased all my supplies and rented a small station in the back of my former client turned friends salon. I paid a day rate to save money on overhead costs and would have to lug all of my equipment back and forth each week. Once I was booked out on Saturdays I was able to add more days after work. I hosted brow trainings for those who wanted to perfect their skills and I eventually was able to move into my own salon suite. As my clientele grew I would add more appointments to my schedule. I was able to turn my side hustle into a full-time business when my company got bought out.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I think the most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been doing good work. A lot of my clients found me on social media, but it started with me doing good work and being able to showcase that. Providing a great service leads to people recommending you, leaving good reviews and sharing your page with others on social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://browsbygheri.com
• Instagram: browsbygheri
• Facebook: browsbygheri