We were lucky to catch up with Larica The Makeup Artist recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Larica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

A lot of people who get into this industry (esthetics) have this false perception that everything will come falling out of the sky and success happens overnight. Honestly, one thing I learned about being a business owner is that success is only a small part of the process, but it is the only part that is highlighted especially since social media is such a big deal in this society. I started off doing make-up in the living room of my apartment. Once my mom saw how passionate I was and how happy I was. She quickly invested in a shop space for me. It took me around three years to renovate and get all the tools and equipment I needed. My space is now comfortable and like a second home to me. A lot of people like to move fast and buy everything at once but you don’t want to spend more than you are generating in profit. It will put you behind and stunt your growth. The second most challenging thing is building and maintaining clientele. When I first started my clientele was family and friends. I used to feel like I would never grow but consistency is key. Marketing and great customer service are very important. I try to make all my clients feel important because they are. Don’t be so by the book when it comes to policies, especially for those who have proven to be loyal. Instagram and Facebook will be your best friends when building a business. Keep working and always get pictures and videos for content. In the beginning, I would profit about $20,000 a year, Now I’m making $60,000 in profit and I plan on making $100,000 this year. Adding new skills and services to my business has made it progress so well. There will be good weeks and bad weeks, but you cannot give up.

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?

I grew up with a lot of boy cousins and uncles. That made me kind of rough around the edges. My mom took me and sat me down and made me do a complete 360. I went from Tomboy to girly girl real fast. Once I let go of that rough phase I became very interested in hair, nails, makeup, and fashion. I guess you can call me Miss “put it on”. I won best hair and Miss Vogue in high school. I’m very in tune with my appearance. Fast forward to now. I am a professional makeup artist as well as certified lash tech. I have always been different. I have my own style and that drew people in. Popularity was never an issue for me. I naturally have that IT girl factor. I differ from others because I’m genuine in my craft it’s not 100 percent about the money for me. I want everyone to know even though I feel great confidence I am approachable and relatable. I’m one of the most underrated makeup artists in the city of Memphis but that will be changing soon.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn to only affirm and manifest positive thoughts and emotions. Our brain is a powerful tool. Our thoughts can become a true reality that’s why you have to shut out the negative and focus on things that only serve our greater good.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I lost everything and got it back again and it did not destroy me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: laricaonthebeat
• Facebook: Larica themua