We were lucky to catch up with Katelynn Martin-Isip recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katelynn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Before starting my business, I was working at a call center in collections which was a 9-5 job. I had planned to grow within the company and go to school (since they offered school reimbursement). I worked so hard to make it at the top of my department, that the next step was to become a manager for new hires. I was so excited to finally be off the phones and help agents that are coming into the company. They did not officially hire me, but decided to give me an “internship” role for 2 month to see if I’d be a good fit. I outshined most of my peers, created new projects, and help succeed the agents on the phones. However, they asked me to stay another month (still without hiring me and without giving me a raise). I was disappointed, and I did not want to work extremely hard for someone who didn’t appreciate me. That’s when something sparked in me, and I knew I wanted to become my own boss. While I was working, I was brainstorming ideas and ways I can create my own business. After the month passed, they officially were hiring for the manager spot! I was told multiple times that I was going to get the job! I went through with all of the interviews with my peers, and unfortunately they decided to not hire me and put me back as an agent on the phones. I was devastated and heart broken. I knew I did not want to be back on the phones and I needed to do something about it. Something in my heart wanted me to quit so I can find something better. But of course, scarcity was in the back of my mind. I realized, my mental health matters, I matter, and I need to take a risk and quit this job so I can be happier. I decided to leave my corporate job . I had no plans, I had no idea what I was going to do. The next day I went on my Instagram and I see a microblading course ad and i was hooked! I research everything about permanent makeup, I used ALL of my savings to take a course, and my heart knew I was going to love it and be the best at it! 5 courses later. I am here, making over 6 figures my first year, I have my own studio, and I am an entrepreneur! I am so blessed. Without taking a risk, without taking a leap of faith, I would still be miserable at my job.

Katelynn, 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 Katelynn, and I have been in the permanent makeup industry for many years now. I was born in Reno, Nevada, and later moved to Austin, Texas, where I stayed until my freshman year of high school before moving to Phoenix, Arizona.

Before I began my brow journey, I worked at a debt collection call center. By the third year of working there, I realized that this was not for me and that I wanted to start my own business. I had no idea what, how, or where to start, but I knew I had to take a leap of faith and quit my job to figure it all out. Beauty has always fascinated me!

I created YouTube videos and makeup tutorials to become a social media influencer. However, it was extremely competitive, and I was starting to doubt myself. Then, one day, an advertisement for microblading courses appeared on my Instagram, and I was HOOKED!

Before signing up, I researched everything I could about permanent cosmetics and state regulations. I had a gut feeling I’d fall in love with the industry and excel at it.

All of my life, I have struggled to find my passion, go to college, get a good-paying job, and so on. Now I am here, and I get to positively impact many women’s lives by enhancing natural beauty! I believe my passion drew me in, and I am grateful for my wonderful clients and supporters!

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

As a new business owner it is very challenging to gain clientele. Being consistent on social media definitely helped me, however I was not receiving the amount I wanted. Out of the blue, I had someone message me on Instagram explaining how they can help me with clients and being booked out in advanced. I usually ignore these messages, but for this person, I knew this one was different. She offered to do a complimentary phone call, which we discussed sales and how to pursue clients in booking an appointment. During this call, she was so genuine to help and I knew she was passionate about what she does. She reminded me of myself. The only thing holding me back was that I had to pay $2,500. I was nervous and scared because I did not know what the outcome would be. I had a bunch of “what ifs” in my mind. What if I waste my money, what if I don’t get enough clients. This was definitely a risk and an investment towards my business. My heart was telling me “no matter what, I will learn from this experience, I am going to receive my money back”. I remained positive and I did it. For one month, she had created a lining page for clients to fill out with their information and what service they are interested in. Then, that would transfer to my phone and excel page. Each client that filled out the forms, I would have to call them immediately, create an exceptional customer service, talk about their brow goals and what they struggle with, explain my service and how it would benefit them, and get them to book before hanging up. That month I received 30 new clients. I charge $400 x 30 which I made $12,000. It is so important to invest and this helped me to become a better and stronger business woman.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is key to starting a business. It is a free platform that offers business to receive clients and become known all around the world. Creating my Instagram, I started out with 0 followers, Fast forward, 2 years later, I have about 4,500. I organically grew my business by being consistent on social media by staying consistent. What people struggle with is being accountable. It is not easy to post everyday. You want to be entertaining, interesting, and relatable. A great way to show off your creativity and have your audience know more about you and what you do is posting reels and TIK TOKS! Most businesses actually gain thousands of views, followers, and will get booked out in advanced! Use the most trending sounds and have fun with it! Provide educational posts to show your audience that you are an expert in your field. You never know, that one viral video will incredibly boost your business! As long as your posting professional content, people also like to relate to the real person behind the brand! Post yourself, your hobbies, interest, etc. Create a relationship with your followers, and post Q&A’s, polls, and quizes on your story.As well as message your new followers and introduce yourself. Its important to show your personality so you become more likable!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katecosmeticink.as.me/schedule.php
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katecosmeticink/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=kmi%20beauty

Image Credits
Ise’ah Bentley