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

Hi Kiuana, thanks for joining us today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

When it comes down to your friend and family members for your business, you have to separate. Understand that your target audience is not your family and friends and that the support that you will get, WILL COME! Most of the time, friends and family support after the world supports your business or more of when you take it serious and respect your own brand. I will say when it come to business and they want a service done, they actually support and pay for the full service. However, I know other people in the beauty industry that says their friends and family asks for discounts or free services and all honesty I look at that as a disrespect thing but thank God I haven’t ran into that. When it came down to the last major event I did, which was Hulu, the support and love was great but you had some that supported for their benefit. Overall, you have to give them grace for it and keep pushing.

Kiuana, 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?

Bright Aesthetic is a place to get a whiter,brighter smile and express yourself through unique tooth jewelry. Bright Aesthetic is based in Birmingham, AL, The city of MAGIC!

In the beginning of 2022, I set a goal to start a successful teeth whitening business while continuously expanding. By the end of the summer, I received training with the greatest teeth whitening trainer there is, my girl Tj. TJ taught me the ropes and I continued to expand my brand. In July of 2023, I continued to learn from the best in the industry; sweetpeachgems for teeth jewelry in Philly. I just want to THANK GOD for giving me the strength and faith to push forward with my vision. I set a goal to run my business successfully and I’m doing just that! Seeing the smiles and joy the results bring to my clients make me feel so DAMN GOOD! Like I did it, I did the right thing. THANK GOD I followed through with it and ima continue to expand!!!

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

So, the end of 2023-2024 I went full time with my business. All honest I was just moving fast and had this delusional mindset where my business would take off within a year! IT DID, but it was some bumps and rumps in the road along the way that I didn’t understand nor was I ready for. So at the beginning of me going full time, my job was stressing me out and I was trying figure out if I wanted to leave but all of sudden I got an email from Essence to do an event for them. So I’m like I just got this gig, people gone really want to book with me after they see who I just worked for. However the gig was in November but also November is a slow month in the industry. I never knew about slow seasons or slow months so i started to doubt myself like “did they not see who I worked for or do they not like my work?” So I’m basically working off of 2 last paychecks from my last job and the check i just got from Essence, but I also have to pay rent every week to stay in my shop. However, im not sure if other people are religious or not but it was just me and God and a few other people he sent along the way to help me out. from November – March oh it was SLOW! but I managed to hustle the mindset of others and also I got a call from Hulu to do a event for them. After the Hulu event my business went up!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

All honesty, from high school and college I was always very active in organizations and on and off the campus. I have a degree in Journalism that I used to have open/ safe conversations. My platform really came from already being known in my city as well as being cute. Like i know it sounds weird but sometimes people book with me just to see if I’m real.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brightaesthetic.as.me/schedule/f3e88d1d/appointment/68073696/calendar/7374953
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightaesthetic.as.me/

Image Credits

Essence- GU

T.Sharphotography

Siah