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

Melany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

When I was still in high school 2017 . I had no passion to be in school ended up being home schooled and I just had too much free time on my hands & of course too much free time ends up getting you in trouble . I wanted to stay focus but I couldn’t . I ended up picking up hobbies to keep my mind busy but nothing was catching my eye . One day I was getting my brows done & this lady messed up my brows so bad I was crying so from that moment moving forward I wouldn’t let nobody touch my brows & I would try doing my own at home & I feel in love with wax . I slowly ended up moving to different parts of my body & I was just fascinated on how waxing worked. I would do a couple of my friends & I was pretty good . Finally I graduated high-school in 2019 . I was ready to expand my passion & I was looking into beauty schools but of course it was very costly . I started working & somehow I lost track of my vision ended up hanging around the wrong people stopped working moved far away from family & friends . I probably lost myself for 2 years & I ended up getting pregnant & now I had to do something with myself, I have to look after my child so I had to tighten up . I finally gave birth & I got a job moved back home . I was on grind mode . A year in I had my own apartment & I wanted to continue to do what I loved so in 2021 I decided to do waxing & v-steams out my house . I would get a couple clients but some people were still hesitant. I still kept pushing took a couple classes that help me guide myself in the right direction. I ended up enrolling in beauty school in 2022 . It was one crazy journey ! Finally I graduated in may 2023 . Everybody was so happy for me but I wasn’t I still felt empty like I wasn’t where I needed to be yet . Nicole ended reaching out to me & she turned into my mentor . She guided me & I can finally see the light . This is just the beginning I’m just now getting started ! I finally have a name Snatchedbymel

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a 22 years old getting into the beauty industry. It’s a tough journey. I’m a licensed esthetician. I have integrity in what I do. I provide facials where I help clients achieve the skin they have always wanted . I do body waxing . Waxing shouldn’t have to be a scary experience. Snatchedbymel focuses on giving the client the most comfortable experience. I also do brow tint where I enhance the look of your brows . In my book there is no such thing as hating your brows . I work my magic where you will fall in love with your brows again !

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

The way i built my audience is kind of funny because im very shy & I don’t even post on my personal page so for me to actually have a business page was very crazy . I know I can’t get followers if I don’t start posting on social media . I started writing down ideas so when I was ready to post I can follow through. I posted my first reel & it was a hit ! Everybody was cracking up with the video . I started feeling a little bit more comfortable so I started posting more funny reels . Everybody loved it ! I tried changing my content a little bit to make it more educational but I don’t get a lot of interaction. I started brainstorming “ how can I make funny content but make it educational “ I’m very big on education! I don’t want you booking a service if you are not aware . Slowly my audience started growing where I get a couple thousand views now . Moral of the story stay consistent with the content , even if you think it’s bad POST IT .

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

Waxing was really just a side hustle matter of fact I wasn’t even charging for my services in 2017 I wasn’t aware of how much money I could really make until 2022 . Once I had my in home suite I was really getting a real taste of how much money I could make but I still wasn’t legit & I couldn’t really charge my worth until I was licensed. Finally in 2023 working full time in the beauty industry I’m seeing my full potential where I know my value . It’s a lot of money in this industry . Even though some days might be a little slow don’t let that bring you down . Come up with some marketing techniques to make the following better. Don’t give up keep grinding!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Snatchedbymel_