Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mia Pixley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Mia , thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I think that sometimes most people mistake Entrepreneurship for a walk in the park. I mean I was one of those people before I started. From the outside looking in, it actually seems to be easier than having to clock into a 9-5. As a single mom, and entrepreneur with severe anxiety…..it can truly be a struggle just getting through the day owning a business. Aside from the pro of being able to create your schedule, entrepreneurship is honestly a 24/7 task. Most of the roles you need to run a business are yours alone; especially in the beginning. There’s no one that tells you how hard it gets trying to make ends meet, or how much discipline you actually have to have, to see through your goals even when you’re not up for it. I started my business to 1.be able to have a career that I actually enjoy, 2.leave a legacy for my daughter to continue on, & 3.To be able to stay home with my daughter in her early years. Although I’m doing 1-3, there are days when I have to be reminded of why I started & exactly how I’m going to leave a legacy behind if I give up now. “To much is given, much is required.” I always remember that quote on a rough day because I know that everything I’m enduring along my journey is only helping me to propel forward. So yes, sometimes I do think about what it would be like to just have a regular job again, and every time I even think im going to go back down that route, something stops me and makes me push forward on the one I already have. There’s something about the way I have never been able to give up on this dream. There are plenty of things I’ve given up on, but MilanLaurenCo. won’t be one of them.

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

I started MilanLaurenCo. nearly 5 years ago, in hopes of finding a way out. Out of a toxic environment and a way out of my own head. I had my daughter and began experiencing post partum depression along with hormonal/acne prone skin. Growing up, I actually never had acne. Maybe a pimple here and there during that time of the month, but nothing like I experienced after giving birth. At this time I didn’t have much, not my own place, a car, or a job. Post partum drove me into a deep depression & then eventually social anxiety. I didn’t want to go anywhere, meet anyone, or do much. I had to find ways to heal myself & build my self confidence while raising my newborn. Building my brand has done that for me.

However, It wasn’t really that far fetched for me. Growing up I had long, thick, curly, hair & I had to learn how to take care of it myself, starting in 8th grade. YouTube University was my best friend. I learned a lot about my culture, my texture, & the beauty of my natural hair. Eventually I began making my own deep conditioners and styling products.
When I was in high school I was not thinking about starting a business whatsoever, but I think my experience gave me a huge head start within the organic skincare industry.

Creating formulas in 2018, was just like being in 2011. Life came full circle.

After creating what actually worked for me, my friends tried what I made & convinced me to sell my products. I didn’t officially launch until nearly a year later, I just remember being really scared of what people would think, but I couldn’t deny what I felt about starting my company. I knew this was the space for me to create by the joy it brought me & the excitement I gained through building. I launched my first two products “wake me up” and “honey oats” on August 5th, 2018.

We’re coming up on our 5th year anniversary and it’s crazy to think about the very first day I began this journey. I had no choice but to become an entrepreneur and to create a legacy for my daughter, but I couldn’t have imagined being in this space. I was just healing and I wanted to show other people how I got myself out of a darkness, I didn’t believe I would survive.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

My faith comes from God, but I believe that one specific aspect of my journey has helped me keep my faith alive, regardless of what trials I face along the way. That is remembering what I started with & how I made a way out of no way.

When I started my company I was a fresh new mom, 21, and owner of absolutely nothing. I had a good $32 to my name & I just remember telling myself that I could do this. With no vision or much of a plan, I was able to create enough product to promote. I had a newborn to take care of & provide for, so I genuinely didn’t care how good it did or didn’t look, I just knew that I did my best with what I had & by the grace of God, it actually worked. My business blew up from 2 products within a few months. I didn’t start getting loans or investors until 2020. Everything I invested before that was out of pocket. No other sources of income, just me investing back into the business.

My business has brought in over 6 figures in revenue, so it’s almost unbelievable to me that I’ve made it this far with $32, a goal, and a whole lot of faith.

Most people have this idea that you have to have your ducks in a row to follow your dreams, when in reality you just have to be crazy enough to believe in what only you can see. Be crazy enough to do what you can with what you have and watch how far it takes you.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2022, I opened my first storefront location. I believe that I could achieve this goal, no matter who told me it was a bad idea, and bad investment. However, when I set my eye on a goal, it’s almost impossible for me not to see it through. I wanted a store so badly, and I believed it would help me expand my brand. I was wrong. Although it was an amazing learning experience for my future, it was definitely a bad investment.

I got the store up and running in a very popular area & it was beautiful, just a bad addition to my journey at the time I chose. The overhead for the store, on top of my living expenses, had me drowning. I had to make a decision to close the store. Yes, I was a little sad, but to be honest….I was more grateful than anything that God gave me an opportunity to do something so amazing. I didn’t give up on myself because I “failed”. What I learned about being a business owner, is that we never truly take losses unless they are looked at as such, but when you change you perspective to view circumstances as lessons, it’s inevitable that you’ll grow from the experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: Milanlaurencosmetics.com
• Instagram: Milanlauren.cosmetics