We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kortnee Beazley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kortnee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Consistency. Running your own business requires you to show up day in and day out. For yourself, for your team, for your goals, for your clientele, etc. We are what we repeatedly do and consistent action creates consistent results. In my industry’s case- this means being consistent with your social media presence, the work you do on your clients, the relationships that you build with them by being available to answer their questions and make suggestions, being reliable and on time and building a trusting foundation with them as we are a big part of their important life events.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Kortnee and I am the founder of The Veil Beauty Co. We are a luxury hair + makeup team specializing in bridal and events based in the Tampa Bay area. I’ve been a makeup artist since 2017. My story is not unlike a lot of other artists in the industry being that it kind of happened by accident. Makeup artistry was always a passion of mine in my personal life. I would spend countless hours watching videos, practicing on myself and friends for fun, collecting different products, and so forth but I never imagined how big this part of me would become. In 2017, I was put in contact with a bride whose makeup artist had unfortunately cancelled on her about a week before her wedding day (a nightmare, I know). I was asked to do a “trial” run on her since she was in a time crunch and a majority of the reputable MUA’s in the area were booked for her date. I agreed, she loved what I did, and I was hired for her wedding day. After that day, I knew that this was what I was searching for in terms of a career and that I had been placed in my calling. I worked her wedding and fell in love with the atmosphere. Being surrounded by love, laughter, beauty, sentimental moments (I’m nothing if not a hopeless romantic) solidified that I wanted to build something from this. I then created a brand that taught me so much about the industry, the art and about running a business that was up and running for about 5 1/2 years before I was ready to take the next step to rebrand myself and my team to match my goals for where I saw my business heading, to create something that felt truly “me” as I have grown and experienced the industry, and to develop a unique, personal identity that would set me apart from others in the industry or from my old business name. And thus, “The Veil Beauty Co.” was born. – I am most proud of myself for being able to create a name for myself from the ground up. I’ve never signed on with a big name company or had anyone to show me the ropes of the industry. I was able to discover a drive and entrepreneurial mindset that I didn’t know I even had in me based solely off of the passion I had for makeup artistry and “loving love” and being able to combine the two to create my dream “job”. Something I want my clients to know is that they’re more than another wedding or event to me. I invest myself in your stories and create an experience for you based on who you are as a person. Wedding days and special events are so personal to each and every client, that each job should not be cookie cutter or cut and paste. I take pride in my business but I also take pride in my personal relationships.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I’d love to be able to share the nitty, gritty details on one of the biggest hardships I’ve had since I’ve stepped into the industry but I’ve taken a lot of steps to move past those experiences I’ve had within it. Though, to make a long story short, one of the most impactful parts of my journey to get to where I am was struggling with the decision and process it took to rebrand from my old business venture to my newest one. I spent countless hours researching how to make the transition as smooth and seamless as I possibly could by listening to podcasts, reading articles, making notes and creating a plan that would allow those involved to walk away with a sense of a new understanding and idea for growth. It took a lot of mental and emotional preparation to let go of a business that I had once had so much love and dedication to, to be able to take the next step in my career that would allow for me to have room for the bigger picture of what I seek for my brand and today it is the best decision I could have made for myself and what I envision The Veil to be.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
When creating and managing a team, my biggest advice would be to seek out those whose personalities, professionalism and passion all play a role in how they deliver an experience to a client. Being able to rely on someone to show up to a wedding morning on time with a smile on their face and their excitement to do what they love does not go unnoticed to me as a business owner or to a bride who is wide eyed and thrilled to take one of the first steps on their wedding day with their hair and makeup artists. Nothing can kill a mood faster than an artist showing up to someone’s special day with a scowl and noticeably bad attitude who doesn’t make their client feel welcomed. Your team is a reflection of you and I always want those representing The Veil to feel like a breath of fresh air. We all know how stressful wedding planning is as is!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theveilbeautycompany.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theveilbeautyco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theveilbeautyco
- Other: www.tiktok.com/theveilbeautyco
Image Credits
Photos 2-3: Brooke Albertson Photography Photo 4: Sierra Lynn Photopgraphy Photo 5-6: M.A.S. Memories Photo 7: Lindsey Alaine Photos Photo 8: Brooke Albertson Photography