We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jenny Araiza. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jenny below.

Jenny, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later? Give us the backstory

Before I started in the permanent makeup industry, I was in the fashion/beauty industry. I owned and operated a front store and online boutique that also offered makeup services in house for 5 years. About two years before transitioning into permanent makeup, I had my eyebrows done and loved the process. It sparked my interest as a service that could potentially be offered in house. Fast forward, I decided to take a leap of faith and took a course with a well-known academy that changed my entire life.

If I would have known how life changing this transition was going to be and how much I would love designing eyebrows for a living, I would have not taken a year and half to jump on the opportunity. Yes, I wish that I had started sooner, however, I am a big believer that everything in life happens at the right time and God’s timing is perfect.

Jenny, 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 am Jenny Araiza, artist & educator at Iza Makeup a Beauty & Skin Studio in Upland, CA. I started my love for the beauty industry at an early age. Playing with makeup, reading up on the latest trends, and watching television shows on the latest beauty routines. I found myself perfecting the techniques by trying out the latest trends on others and myself and started my own beauty business in 2008, among my other business Iza Apparel in 2010. In 2018, I took a leap of faith and decided to take a microblading course training with one of the best academies in permanent makeup. It was one of the hardest skills I have ever had to master, but I did. This industry is tough, but I was determined to be one of the best. I studied and practiced for long hours in order to become the best at my craft.

I now own a studio dedicated just to my love of beauty specializing in permanent makeup. Transforming and creating hyper-realistic eyebrows is my specialty and helping others feel confident and comfortable in their own skin. The reason why I love this industry is because it is so rewarding. I help those that want to look better but also those that suffer hair loss due to medical conditions. I truly love my clients and helping others feel better about themselves and save them time every morning is life changing!

I now have over 10 certifications in different techniques and I am named one of the Royal artists with Phi Academy, recognizing my work as perfect. This industry changed my life and it is so fulfilling. With my extensive experience and training in the beauty industry I am now educating and training others so they can become successful in this industry with my 3-in-1 Eyebrow Course.

With my extensive experience and training in the beauty industry, I am fearless when it comes to business and what I am passionate about, making my clients confident inside and out.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I have experience in manufacturing as I used to work closely with manufactures in the fashion and beauty industry. How I did get my foot inside the door, I honestly do not even remember it’s been like over 10 years. I can say that everything that I have ever wanted to do, I have learned on my own by researching and trying it out on my own and asking people that are doing what I want to do for advice. I was never afraid to learn and teach myself how to do things, I am not afraid to fail or make mistakes because that is how we learn and get better.

I am currently looking into developing a few items for my online store that have to do with permanent makeup. So this is exciting for me as it is going to be a new learning experience. Manufacturing and developing a product involves careful planning, research, and finding the right vendor.

A few lessons that I have learned along the way are:
1. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Ask those that are doing what you want to create for advice, even the manufacturer can help you and guide you.
2. Trademark your designs and logos.
3. It is important to acquire a list of vendors that could potentially be the source for manufacturing your product. There are many avenues where you can acquire these vendors such as expos and online directory lists.
4. Before you contact a manufacturer it is important to have any idea of how your product is going to look and the specs.
5. Request samples and quotes to ensure the quality you are looking for is up par and the cost is within your budget. Ask the manufacturer for their price sheet, OEM costs, and price breaks as most manufactures will provide lower rates when a company orders in bulk.
6. It is okay to negotiate prices and quantities. If you don’t ask, you will not know if you can get a better deal.
7. Build a partnership with your manufacturing vendor because this can lead to a more collaborative and successful production process.
8. Have fun!

How did you build your audience on social media?

One of the many questions I receive is how to grow on social media and how to gain clients through social media. Social media is another full-time job, from creating content to posting. Thanks to technology, it is much easier to automate these tasks. I have successfully grown instagram accounts and a youtube account from 1k to 10k in a few months and I will share what worked for me. Keep in mind that I now do not focus on the follower count now, but the conversions.

1. Have a niche.
2. Have a goal.
3. Post consistent.
4. Collaborate with other accounts.
5. Analyze what is working and create more of that.
6. Don’t stop.

The main thing that worked for me was for instagram is that I was posting 3 times a day and engaging with other accounts consistently. Every single day, until I reached my goal. In addition, with Youtube, same thing, I posted once a week consistently for 6 months to reach 10K. As previously mentioned, follower count does not matter anymore to me, what matters is the conversion rate.

I have plenty of helpful resources on my website for those that need help with their social media, feel free to check it out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://izamakeup.la/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izamakeup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/izamakeupbrow
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/izala
• Other: https://goo.gl/maps/hfTynwbsLWs4j6EX8