We were lucky to catch up with Kathleen Berg recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kathleen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was quitting my full time job, and committing fully to my business….in the middle of a pandemic! During the early months of 2020, I was working a full time job that I wasn’t thriving in, and managing my wedding hair and makeup company part time up until then. The pandemic brought on so many thoughts like, will the wedding industry survive? Will my company that I’ve worked so hard for go under? Will I be able to perform services on a client ever again? While I was comfortable with the stability of my full time job, I knew something had to change. Due to the stay at home order, I was partially laid off from my full time job, so I had more time than ever to plan for my business, even though everything was still unknown, I thought that if there were to be a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, I would come out prepared and ready on the other side. I began to reach out to other industry professionals for advice, post more on social media, invest in a professional website and booking system, and pay for advertising in my local area. When the laws allowed for business to resume, we were busier than ever. We double and tripled booked weddings every weekend and continued that trend to the end of 2022. I ended up quitting my full time job, still on the shaky fence of a pandemic, but I knew that if I kept pushing my business, I would never have to be behind another desk again. I think a lot of creative minds struggled to find their placement during the pandemic because of everything being so unsure, but I took the time I finally had off to launch my business full time like I had always planned, and while it was risky, I’m so glad it worked out!

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 name is Kathleen Berg and I am the owner and founder of Kathleen Berg Beauty. I am a Michigan native that has over 13 years of wedding hair and makeup experience. I remember loving makeup from a young age and was influenced heavily by my mother, and industry professionals that I met while I was first breaking into the industry. Since then, I have had the opportunity to learn from and work for world renowned artists and institutions, and even hold educational classes of my own. Over the years, I’ve been able to create a talented and strong women-based hair and makeup team. Our artistry and compassion has led us to be an award winning team that looks forward to making our clients look and feel their best on their big day!

Kathleen Berg Beauty is based out of Detroit, MI. Our team offers both hair and makeup styling to engaged couples on their big day, making them look beautiful and feel even better. KBB works with a personalized approach, collaborating with clients directly to understand their vision for their finished look.

We strive to create the most hassle-free experience for our clients throughout the entire booking process – you and your wedding party can relax and have fun while our team works to ensure that your hair and makeup are perfect for the special day. When you book with us, you have the opportunity to have either a virtual or in-person bridal preview, you receive effective communication throughout the entire planning process, and a personalized timeline for the morning of your wedding day to ensure everything runs smoothly and on time. Our expertise resides in natural, airbrushed wedding makeup and hairstyling. We are sure to listen thoughtfully to all clients needs in order to create a timeless look meant for professional photography. KBB strives to create a fun, hygienic, and comfortable environment for all clients.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is watching the reaction of our clients. We normally don’t sit our clients in front of a mirror throughout a service, so watching their face during the big reveal at the end is an incredible feeling! We have the power to amplify our clients natural beauty and bring out their best features so to watch that in real time is extremely rewarding! As a business owner and leader, I also find watching my team perform to be extremely rewarding. I love watching them engage with clients, grow their skills, and receive endless positive feedback. It really makes owning the business feel like it’s come full circle!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Answering the question, “What do you do?” has always been a rollercoaster for me. It’s difficult to explain to some people what I do in just mentioning one title. Most of the time, I answer with “I’m a business owner,” and when prodded for more, I will go into more detail about owning a wedding hair and makeup company and watch their eyes glaze over! Ha! Most of the time, people will take the time to listen and engage with more questions, but sometimes, explaining my career to non-creatives can be challenging. I’d like for non-creatives to understand that for every desk job, there are 100 more creative jobs out there that people accomplish every day. These jobs may go unnoticed because society doesn’t shine their light, but people are happy and financially successful within them every year. I think the more people talk about these unfamiliar jobs, the more non-creatives might see them more as a serious career.

There are some people that thrive in corporate settings, desk jobs, or common careers and love the stability they create for their lifestyle, and the same can be said for people in creative careers. I’ve never been one to flourish in any of those settings, and that’s okay! Within careers and personal lives, there is a path for everyone, and whatever that looks like should be understood.        

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kathleenbergbeauty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleenbergbeauty/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bergkathleen/
• Other: https://www.zola.com/wedding-vendors/wedding-hair-makeup/kathleen-berg-beauty https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x66ffef92926c8fdd%3A0x3a65d175f4b00b78!5sKathleen%20Berg%20Beauty!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipNnzXxybzbyssuce4DRldpsgQWEow7wp9ScV0Y5

Image Credits
Trevino Photography Eli Green Photography Rosy and Shaun Photography Michele Maloney Photography Stephanie McKenna Photography