We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Megan Herlocker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Prior to owning my own business I was working in the not for profit sector for a child advocacy center locally as a their Director of Philanthropy and was in charge of raising fund for our cause and event planning. During the pandemic, my co-workers and I were sent to work from home like so many others and forced to work under a different set of circumstances we weren’t used to. As an extremely social person, who loves to plan events and be around people, and do my job, this was a very hard time for myself and my team.

One day, my soon to be husband asked me, “if you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you want to be doing?” I had no idea. No one had ever asked me that. He went on to ask me, ‘What would make me happy? What do I enjoy doing?” All things I had never thought about when thinking about work or a job. I had been a single mom for four years and had always had to work to support myself and my family, had to carry medical benefits, etc. My happiness wasn’t always a factor in that.

So I’ve always had a passion for makeup, hair and all things pretty, but had always considered it a hobby or something fun to do for friends, not ever a career path. However, when my fiance brought this up to me I started to think about opportunities for myself and maybe a niche I could fit myself into. I had previously worked for a local golf course as their Sales & Marketing Director and had helped plan many weddings for them and they always had vendors coming to help specifically with makeup and hair for the wedding day. I figured I’m a little too old to really go back to school, apprentice at a salon, build up a clientele, pay rent to someone else, and wait for clients to find me. What if I built an entirely mobile business that focused only on onsite services just for special events, that cuts out the overhead of having to be at a salon, and gets referrals from makeup artists and hairstylists who don’t want to leave their salons to have to do a wedding. And boom, Glam on the Go Pensacola was born.

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 Megan Herlocker, I started Glam on the Go Pensacola in 2021 after completing coursework with QC Makeup Academy in International Makeup Artistry and Hairstyling and I’m also a certified spray tan technician. My business specializes in offering onsite makeup and hairstyling services for special events for individuals along with groups for events like weddings, Mardi Gras balls, charity galas, pageants, dances, etc. I also offer group and individual makeup lessons along with custom airbrush tanning for individuals or groups who need an added glow before their next big event or vacation.

I like to take the stress out of getting ready for some of the biggest days of my clients lives. Whether it’s your wedding or your first date, figuring out what to do with your hair or having to buy the right makeup shade can be paralyzing for some, I enjoy it. On that day you should be focused on writing your vows or socializing with your family members who have traveled a long way to spend time with you, not worrying about getting your lashes on correctly, I can handle that for you.

Many people I meet think I must come across stressed out brides, crazy clients, demanding people with impossible requests, but I truly love what I do. I get to hear about love stories, I get to hear about causes that people cherish I didn’t know about, I get to make people feel beautiful when they didn’t know they could, I feel very blessed that in a short period of time I have grown a small business that has allowed me to feel like I’m making an impact in a way I didn’t know I could.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I live in a fairly small town and word of mouth is gold here. I wouldn’t be in business if it wasn’t for referrals from my current clients and fellow makeup artists and hairstylists in my industry. I believe networking and making friends within your trade is essential at least in my field. Twice a year I visit local salons, boutique dress shops, dance studios, lash studios, etc. and give out goodie bags of sample products, maybe holiday treats, and my business cards and I introduce myself and explain my business and let them know if they have clients who need services they don’t offer or want to partner in any way I’m open to helping in any way I can.

I get more referrals from people who do the exact same thing I do, but they are already booked for a specific date or I they can’t take the job for whatever reason. I feel like sometimes people are afraid to befriend their competition, yet I always feel like there is enough business to go around. Paying it forward, and being kind has gotten me a lot further than being selfish.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

When I first started my business all of my clients were people I knew. Being that I had come from a career where I was out in the public a lot and at social gatherings and at the types of events my soon to be clients would be attending, that gave me the confidence to know that I would have clients for my business. I had the confidence in my marketing background, in the time I had invested in networking within my community, and I had worked with wedding professionals prior so I still had some connections there that I could lean on to work my way back into this industry. I just had to get through the educational part, build my toolkit and arsenal of products, and get a few events under my belt so people would trust that I could actually do this. But truly I think many people believed in my skills before I actually did, building my confidence that I could actually run a successful business and I was good enough was a struggle but has paid of.

Contact Info:

• Website: glamonthegopensacola.com
• Instagram: @glamonthego_pcola
• Facebook: facebook.com/glamonthegopensacola
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/glam-on-the-go-pensacola/
• Youtube: @meganherlocker1152

Image Credits
Transcending Dreams Photography, Nicole Piper Photography, Taylor Howton Photography