Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jill Williams Licensed Esthetician & Professional MUA. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jill, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?
I stopped asking friends and family to support my business a long time ago. I try my best not to ask anyone in my family to support my business. If they do its appreciated.
My biggest support came from people I never met.
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?
You could say I was born into the beauty business. My mother being a Hair Stylist and literally dragging me to Powell’s Beauty Academy growing up and taking me to Ebony Fashion Shows from a very young age. My dad owns James Janitorial Service and yes, I had to go with him as well to vacuum and dust of the desks at the banks on the weekends sometimes. I’d say I am more beauty than janitorial lol, but If my dad called me today to help out, I am right there front and center.
My mom would always say she wanted me to get my Cosmetology License and of course I would reply “I don’t want to do that stuff” lol, but little did I know the talent and skills were already instilled and later came out during a fashion show in Miami when I had to apply my makeup and my God Daughter due to the MUA running behind. I snatched her up, ran into the ladies’ room and started applying her makeup and while in the process, A few of the other models asked if I could do their makeup, Thats when I discovered “Hey I like this makeup thing”. During my modeling days, I was also accepting jobs as an Background Extra and blogging for Blinging Beauty and after seeing a post while writing one of my articles that said “Start your own beauty line” I clicked on the link and that is what pushed me to start Jay-Jill Cosmetics, I thought it would be cool to follow in my mom’s footsteps, She never had her own private line but she had Vera Moore Cosmetics in her hair salon that I would play in. Btw, I did meet Mrs. Vera a few years ago in NYC with my Glambassador Kim White and I told her how much my mom adored her products.
Anyway, After the fashion show I decided to look into makeup classes and what the state law required, Got my practice on to better my skills. I had taken a few makeup classes from one of my modeling coaches Ms. Nicki Mack of Diva Day International in Atlanta (The best there is) and later graduated from Omni Makeup Academy in Atlanta. Ms.Nicki always talked about being a Licensed Esthetician which inspired me to find out more, so there I was again doing more research, went to Florida State Jr College in Jacksonville, Fl drove Mon-Thurs for 4 months straight and graduated with my Skin Care Specialist License.
(I guess I should not leave out I was working as a Corrections Officer for the Sherriff while doing all of this) once someone felt I should be placed on night shift, it was time for me to leave, Therefore I took my retirement early and this is what kicked off my entrepreneurial journey.
I launched Jay-Jill Cosmetics in October of 2008 blind as a bat not knowing much about business or marketing and since I had seen the ladies in the mall in Atlanta with their makeup kiosk, I thought this would be cool to bring back home to Gainesville and there I opened the first black owned makeup kiosk in the Oaks Mall. After a year or so I decided I wanted to open a location and from there came Jay-Jill Cosmetics Glamtique, Still not knowing much about running a spa, I was open for 2 years then here came Covid and the Quarantine which happened right on time since my lease was ending. I returned back to corporate life, depressed, mad and angry and not running my online business, my niece Mia suggested I follow this lady on Instagram by the name of Six Figure Spa Chick aka Candace Holyfield Parker, since 2018-2019 joining the Spa Boss Tribe and reopening my 2nd Spa, Jay-Jill Cosmetics Glamtique & Spa, she has helped turned my business around full circle. I wish I had her in my life when I opened my first spa.
I have been a LE for 5 years now and while I was in school, I discovered I had a thing for eyebrows. Since then, Eyebrows are my favorite second to facials. My client based are ladies with thin/sparse eyebrows and they come in with either no brows due to medications or they are simply thin and they may not be good candidate for Microblading or Microshading. I offer Brow Tinting and Sculpting which gives the illusion of a brow lift and tinting gives the appearance of a full brow which can last up to 2-3 weeks based on skin type and when protocol is followed. I love seeing their expressions when I am done sculpting their brows and sometimes, we shed tears together because you never know what a person is going through when they are battleling hair loss so giving them that boost of confidence goes a very long way.
I currently have a 5-room spa with 2 freelance hair stylists, I also own Pure Screening Solutions LLC, which is DOT/Non-DOT Drug Testing Collection Site within the Glamtique which provides additional streams of income when the skin care slows down. I offer TPA/Compliance Services to Owner Operators and small to mid-size companies, Background Checks, Random Drug Testing, Pre-Employment, Probation Drug Testing, DNA Testing by appointment only.
As Black Estheticians, we seriously need to educate our people more on skin care due to the fact alot of our culture do not know what a facial is or has never had a facial and it should not take as much convincing as it does to get our people into the spa to take care of their skin. We have been programmed “Black don’t crack” but it will if you don’t take care of it. Skin care is not cheap, and neither are its services, and we need to get out of the notion of telling other black owned businesses about their prices and your opinion what the price should be, it’s set for a reason. You get top tier spa services when you come to the Glamtique, A safe, quiet, relaxing environment, silk robe and slippers and our signature glamtini if you choose and amazing customer service.
I not only offer Brow and Skin Care Services, I also teach beauti-preneurs and regular everyday women how to start their own product line. Rather it’s makeup, skin care, nail care, hair care, I created the Jay-Jill Glamcademy online. I have over 30 entrepreneurs in different stages of their product launch. I have also taken my Brow Tint & Sculpt Class on the road and partnered with my Spa Boss Bestie Ericka, Owner of Massage World Med Spa in McDonough, Ga. We host classes together to help our businesses grow. Ericka teaches Post Op Lymphatic Drainage & Body Contouring which is eligible for 12 CEU’S.
My tip for anyone starting out, Hire a business coach. Don’t try to go at it alone. Find yourself a business bestie someone whom you can bounce ideas off of, make money with and you hold each other accountable. My circle of business besties is simply amazing, we talk on a daily basis if not every other day. I want to say to Debra, Kim, Abby, Benita, Ericka, Christal, KeeKee I love you ladies to the moon and back and back to the moon again. Since meeting you ladies in the tribe, you have made this journey much more fun and easier.
Thank You to my Husband, Hair Stylist Team Pam & Connie and to all of my past and future clients, family and friends.
To book our classes email jayjillcosmetics@gmail,com
Follow Jay-Jill on Social Media
IG @JayJillCosmeticss
www/jay-jillcosmetics.com
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Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I like to try to think ahead and since reopening my 2nd Spa, I am always thinking of additional services I can add. While attending the one and only Black Spa Expo in Atlanta hosted by my Mentor Candace Holyfield Parker in 2020, I met Sheila Michelle Foye Owner of Precise Screening. Little did I know, nor did I see in my future I would own a drug testing lab inside my glamtique. After a few discussions and meet ups, 4 months later I opened Pure Screening Solutions LLC.
Another milestone for me because I am the first black owned/woman owned drug testing collection site in Gainesville, Fl. When my truckers and clients come in for drug testing they always stop at the door, call and ask are they at the right location because it says “Spa” lol. I tell them sure come on in. They are not used to coming to a collection site such as this and always leave very impressed.
Adding drug testing and compliance services has been very beneficial when facial services are slow. It’s almost 80% of my business with Brow & Glamcademy Classes being the remaining 20%. I must say I feel a definite pivot happening.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The lesson I had to unlearn was years ago when I thought I would have more of my friends and family patronizing more but I had to come to the realization real quick no one is sharing if you are not at celebrity status and my biggest supporters were the people online who I never met who was sharing my posts, telling their friends. Its the like, know and trust factor. Now I roll with the people who roll with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jay-jillcosmetics.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jayjillcosmeticss
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayJillGlamtique
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/jayjillbeauty4u
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Caramelbrisker1
Image Credits
Photography by JWJ Photography & The Book Of DJ