We were lucky to catch up with Janelle Maestas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Janelle, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

This is one of my most asked questions and I love it! My entire life I’ve had RBF (Resting B*tch Face) which caused people to think I was a “b*tch”. The word “b*tch” has always had a negative connotation and I wanted to reclaim it! Often times being a “b*tch” just means you’re direct or have a strong personality; and a lot of people can be intimidated by that. I wanted to attract an edgy clientele who pushes, even sometimes breaks, the boundaries or standards of society.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My passion for the Beauty Industry started in 2011, when I was given my first Urban Decay Naked Palette. It was summer break, I stayed up ’til all hours of the night for weeks on end practicing eyeshadow looks. My eyelids began to get raw from applying and removing makeup so many times. The room for creativity and endless possibilities is what made me fall in love! From then on, I knew I wanted to turn my passion into a career, I knew that in order to legally do this I had to go to school and get licensed, so that’s exactly what I did. I hit the “fast-track” in high school and graduated early, from there I went to get my associates degree and certification in esthetics. I’ve been a licensed professional since 2017 and have specialized in working on all complexions and full-body waxing in my career. I started at a corporate wax chain and gained a ton of wax experience there while doing makeup on the side. I changed my “day job” industry to admin work and opened Bitchin’ Beauty to accept clients on the side in 2017. My admin work definitely helped guide me in running and owning a business. As Bitchin’ Beauty expanded I was able to go full time and make it my “day job”. I started creating and making my own collection of Bitchin’ Beauty products. Our products include whipped sugar scrubs, body balms, lips scrubs, and lip balms for women AND men. Bitchin’ Beauty caters to women and the LGBTQ+ community only; making it a safe space to get your beauty services done! Making clients feel beautiful and seeing their reactions to being hair-free or “being made-up” for events literally warms my heart.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building a bond through trust with my clients and providing consistent high-quality services is what has helped build my reputation and allowed me to grow. Whether it is comforting my client during a very vulnerable first wax experience or calming a bride while doing her wedding day makeup trust is required throughout each session. Being reliable and consistent has helped me grow and keep clientele coming back for years. Networking and making connections with everyone, especially those in the Beauty industry, has greatly progressed B*tchin’ Beauty as well. Always show love and never gate-keep. There is no competition in our business just collaboration.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

As a service provider being on Google Maps and good having reviews is a VITAL part of my “social media” marketing. As a consumer yourself where do you go first to find what you need? Chances are your answer was Google, This means my consumers (or potential new clients) are most likely to search, “Makeup artist near me”. Having my location on Google Maps has made my listing easily visible to clients in my immediate area. Clients in my area means I am the most convenient professional for them with great reviews. Seeing great reviews on google is what gets my clients to book because they see what other previous clients have to say about their experience. Secondly, as mentioned previously, NETWORKING! “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know.” is one of the truest statements when talking business. Working events for free when I was a new artist has paid off for me in the long run. I’ve gained paying clients that I initially met doing free work at events in exchange for networking. Networking is just as valuable, if not more valuable, than making money in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bitchinbeauty.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btchinbeautycosmetics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BBeautyLLC
• Other: https://g.co/kgs/UQGAzA