Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jade Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jade , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I believe that we all want to be remembered for something or to be known as more than merely ordinary. We aspire to create a path for generations to come to follow in our footsteps and live out their own dreams, creating their own legacies. My legacy is in my purpose. And I believe that my purpose here on this earth is to be a leader; a trailblazer. I want to change the dynamic of the beauty industry. For decades, men, Caucasian men, have been the leaders in the cosmetic industry creating products for women. There’s no passion behind it, in my opinion. Just the capitalization from a billion dollar industry. My assignment is to bring our women to the forefront of this industry, not only as laborer, but as pioneers. Through my business that I am dedicated to building for myself and the future, I am aiming to make an imprint on every area of operation in the industry from formulation, manufacturing and retailing to bringing new innovations to the technologies and procedures we use in the industry. Someday when I leave this earth, young women will be able to say, “Someone that looks like me built this”. And that alone is motivation enough for me to continue to reach for the stars and beyond. There is a small piece of a song from Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap album that I reference a lot when thinking about what I want my legacy to be. It was sampled from “A Little Bit of Business”, an interview with Don Peebles, founder and chairman of a multi-billion dollar real estate development company. I want to close with this as a little motivation or thought provoking question on what and how you want your legacy to live on.

“And I’m actually gonna get right into it.
And I really wanna know how?
You know how can I blaze my own path?
How can I be successful?
How can I follow the path that someone
Else has laid for me to be successful?”

Jade , 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 Jade Williams. I am a 28-year-old entrepreneur, building my empire as “The Beauty CEO”. This is my story.

MAKEUP ARTIST
I can remember being a small girl playing in my grandmother’s makeup. As I got older, I started to play around in makeup on myself and developed a real passion for it. When I was in high school, YouTube makeup tutorials were the popular thing. I spent a good amount of my free time watching different makeup tutorials and learning new skills. Shortly after I graduated high school, I started a YouTube channel and began to create my own makeup tutorials. I would share my content to my other social media pages and people grew fond of my work. My family and friends encouraged me to begin doing makeup on other people, including themselves. In 2014, I took my first makeup client, and I began to gain traction from there. By being consistent with posting content to my social media pages and developing a great relationship with my clients, my clientele grew quickly.

COSMETIC CHEMIST
I went to the University of Missouri – Kansas City to pursue a degree in chemistry, in which I had intentions of continuing to become a doctor. Halfway through my collegiate career, I realized, that was not really what I wanted to make of my future. I researched different ways that I could utilize my chemistry degree in the beauty industry. Through this search, I found two things: Esthetics & Cosmetic Chemistry. I immediately tried to enroll in a local esthetics program, which didn’t work out due to financial aid. When I graduated college in 2016, I enrolled in the University of Cincinnati’s School of Pharmacy: Cosmetic Science program. In this program, I would become a cosmetic chemist in which I would be able to formulate my own cosmetics. From this program, I currently hold a post baccalaureate certificate in cosmetics science, which places me at the halfway mark to completing the master’s program.

CEO
While in graduate school, I began to develop my very own cosmetic line, Heiress Cosmetics. I started off small with products like glitter, eyeshadow and lip gloss, and expanded from there. I never wanted to dive into the more complex products like foundations and concealers until I completed my cosmetic science program. I promoted my business constantly and attended almost every vendor event I could, to spread the word about my business.
In Fall of 2020, I opened my very first location in which I retailed my cosmetic line, as well as offered beauty services. Heiress Cosmetics was the very first cosmetic store front inside of the Hy-Vee Arena. In Fall of 2021, we temporarily closed our doors in search of a better suited location. During this period of relocation, I decided to go back to school to obtain my Esthetics License, so that I could expand my services upon reopening. In May of 2022, I took the leap and enrolled in an Esthetics program, exactly one week before the program was set to begin.

SKINCARE SPECIALIST
Since starting esthetics school, I have become just as passionate about the skin as I am with the enhancements we choose to put on it. It is important that under every flawless makeup application, we are prioritizing healthy skin. With this, I am beginning to expand my business’s products and services to include skincare. Earlier this year we announced the start of Heiress Cosmetics’ sister company, The Skin Lab Esthetics. Upon reopening our storefront in Summer of 2023, we will then house both entities under one roof.

You can continue to purchase your favorite Heiress Cosmetics products at www.heiresscosmetics.com, as well follow both The Skin Lab Esthetics and Heiress Cosmetics on social media to stay updated on our reopening and upcoming launches.
I am very proud of everything I have accomplished thus far and I am very grateful for all the love and support I have received on each and every one of my endeavors. I am excited to see what is in store for myself and my businesses, and I hope that everyone continues to follow along this journey with me.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I opened my very first physical location amid the pandemic. I decided to rent a storefront suite inside of the Hy-Vee Arena. It was said to be a location with tremendous deal of foot traffic, due to the number of big events and competitions held there bringing visitors from all over the U.S. There were times when there were good turnouts from events being held at the arena, but there were also a lot of times where Covid placed a big restriction on the success of certain events. There was potential in this location, but as a smart business owner, I had to make a decision to stay the course and wait for the possibility of the number of visitors to increase, or to pivot. When my lease was up in Fall of 2021, I decided that in order for my business to be as successful as I wanted it to be, I could not place limits on myself. I had built a steady clientele of makeup clients over the years, however that was not going to elevate me to the level I desired to be. I wanted to build a business that would withstand every high and low season, and that I will explain. With me obtaining an esthetics license, I would now be able to fully fill my books no matter what season the beauty industry is in. For example, during prom/wedding season my books would be filled with makeup services. During the summer, my books would be filled with hair removal services and during the winter season, my books would be filled with facial services, etc. I also will be a 2x certified lash technician, so I will be able to add that in the mix as well, on top of the retail sale of my cosmetic and skincare products. So in all, I fill like the pivot I had to make was a true eye opener on how I wanted the blueprint of my business to be.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I do not currently manufacture my own products but in the near future I will be able to once I obtain my master’s degree in Cosmetic Science and fully become a cosmetic formulator. Currently, I have developed great relationships with a several vendors that I use for the manufacturing of my products. I had to do a lot of research and spend a lot of money purchasing samples from different vendors to find the best product for my brand. Since I am also on the consumer end of purchasing cosmetics, I am very particular about the specifics of each product I retail. It is a very time-consuming process, as a lot of products are not made in the U.S. and therefore you spend a great deal of time and money on the total shipping process. Through trial and error, I have a developed a team of go-to vendors for my retail products. I have learned that you really must not only thoroughly test the products you receive, but you also have to be knowledgeable on the processes and the types of ingredients go into formulating your desired product.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.heiresscosmetics.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/heiresscosmetic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/heiresscosmetic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/heiresscosmetic
• Other: Instagram for The Skin Lab: www.instagram.com/theskinlabesthetics TikTok: @therealbeautyceo