We were lucky to catch up with Gina Kay Osborne recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gina Kay, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

Long story short- making poor business decisions by not keeping overhead costs organized, pricing appropriately, & paying artists a higher percentage that consumes all that overhead, leaving your other budgeting dry as a bone.

I’ve found that so many creatives (including myself!) often struggle with mapping out what your business looks like big picture with finances, marketing plans, pricing, and building teams.

Every company is different, but running a large team of artists requires quite a bit of overhead when providing a studio space, and all the other items that are business standard- marketing, insurance, website fees, software, etc. (that list could go on for a really long time).

I continually prioritize investing into my teams, but deciding their payouts based on what others are doing seems to be a running trend that will not keep businesses thriving in the long run. It took me years of learning, growth and working on my business (not just in it) to really find a sweet spot and finally make a profit from my company, so I know others can do it too!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I own True Beauty Marks, LLC which is an umbrella brand of creative professionals servicing the bridal beauty industry. We have 2 teams of on-location hair and makeup artists, as well as a growing team of on-location barbers surrounding the Philadelphia region.

I started in the beauty industry in 2008 to find a career that I could support myself while working creatively and heavily impacting other women’s lives. After nannying for years, I realized that I wanted to raise my own kids one day, so finding a way to do that while working was my big term goal. Fast forward 15+ years, and I run my company from home, with 3 little toddlers, and retired my husband from teaching to help!

We currently have over 20 incredible beauty artists working with our team, as well as some admin positions- who are mostly moms raising their babies & are able to help provide for their families. I love the community we have built around us of strong, capable women that keeps continuing to grow, We service over 200 weddings per year, some commercial catalog shoots, and help tons of other women feel empowered and confident in themselves! A literal dream come true!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Canva is such an incredible tool for small business owners! Another women- owned company (yay!) she was brilliant in creating a user-friendly online way to create any type of graphics needed.

I’m also a huge fan of a great CMS- Dubsado girl here! Automating emails and workflows has changed everything when you can’t (or dont want to) be at your desk all day!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

In my opinion, working in the trenches with them and knowing the challenges they face makes a huge difference in relating with your team. Consistently showing your appreciation in small ways- sending a little gift, planning fun team building events, wishing them happy birthday, and just showing a genuine interest in who they are as a person makes all the difference in the world. Also choosing like minded individuals to build your team, all those things will just happen naturally bc you genuinely love them as people & want everyone to succeed!

Not allowing past scars and trauma from being burnt to effect how you treat your team, or anyone new joining & keeping out toxic negativity and drama. When a person feels supported by not just a leading role, but others in their team, they feel like a part of something special. We def have something special here with my company of ladies- I love every single one of them & we embrace each other fully. I feel so lucky.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.truebeautymarks.com
• Instagram: @thatswhatgsaid @truebeautymarks

Image Credits
Gabrielle Barrantes Photography