We recently connected with Morgan Monkou and have shared our conversation below.

Morgan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you ever had an amazing boss? What did you learn from them? Maybe you can share a story that illustrates the kind of boss they were or maybe you can share your thoughts on what you think made them an awesome person to work for?

The woman that really helped mold me into the business woman that I am today was the best boss I ever had — Sarah Bombard. I responded to an advertisement on Craigslist looking for makeup artists to join her team. She held an interview at a local Starbucks. I walked up and I was immediately impressed, and a little intimidated. From our email exchanges, I assumed she was older but she was in her twenties, like me, yet so put together. Sarah was beautiful, well spoken, and she clearly knew a thing or two about business. At the time she was really one of the first companies to provide on-site makeup and hair styling for events in the area. She was one of the pioneers to establish an onsite bridal business, at the time it was not even a thing yet. I was completely in awe of the idea that I could work part time and make decent money. Furthermore, I did not need to pay booth rental fees or have a salon space. I was young and could’t have afforded that even if I wanted to, so it was a perfect opportunity for me.
I worked with Sarah for seven years and only stopped working with her because she moved away. In that time, she taught me so much about how to be a better artist and run a business. I never once saw her stressed out or out of control. Of course we had our tricky customers and stressful situations from time to time, but I never saw her lose her cool. She had a gentle way of commanding the room. You knew she was in charge but she was never overbearing or pompous in any way. I respected the way she would handle business so professionally and politely. She was incredibly organized and understanding.
My boss understood the importance of always putting your clients first and treating everyone the way you want to be treated. She also gave me the freedom to be myself and be the best artist I could be. She never put restrictions on me, never micromanaged me and would defend me in any situation if she needed to. As cliché as it might sound, I felt like she really took care of me. I learned how to be the business owner that I am today, from Sarah.

Morgan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I went to a performing arts high school, so growing up I knew that I would end up in some creative field because the arts sincerely make me happy. After high school, I decided to take a swing at makeup! I never looked back. My very first job was as a Beauty Advisor at Clinique. That job taught me so much about skincare and makeup. After a couple years, I got the opportunity to work for M.A.C Cosmetics and that is where I really shined. I learned so much about makeup artistry and it was so exciting to me.  About six years into my makeup career, I decided that I also wanted to learn how to style hair, so I enrolled myself into cosmetology school. I wanted to put both hair and makeup together to be able to offer my clients a full beauty experience. I never thought that I would love doing hair as much as makeup, but while attending cosmetology school I found that hair was just another avenue for me to expand my creativity.
Currently I offer a range of beauty services from styling, weddings, events, photoshoots, lessons, as well as hair salon services at the Metropolitan Makeup and Hair studio suite in Germantown, Maryland. We are able to provide an intimate white glove experience to our clients. We only take one customer at a time, it is very important to me that every client gets our undivided attention. My aunt told me long ago, that if you find a career that you authentically love, you will never have to work a day in your life. She was right. Of course we all have the occasional bad day but I can honestly say: I love my job.

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

I think the biggest thing that has helped me build my reputation in the business is the way I treat others and pay attention to detail. If you genuinely care about all of your clients, treat them like family and give them the attention that they require, they will come back. I get a lot of my business from referrals. when someone has a positive experience they will tell their friends about it and then their friends come too. I also never cut corners and keep things very consistent.  When it comes to running a successful business I like to use the analogy of a new restaurant. When you go to a new restaurant for the first time it’s delightful, the food is delicious, and everything is on point. You might go back years later and notice they have cut down on portions and the quality. Unfortunately, the dining experience is not as great as it once was. If you have this experience you won’t return. However, if you have a favorite restaurant that you go to and the consistency and quality of service remain the same, customers will always come back. I take customer service and quality rather seriously, and customers appreciate that.

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

I remember a few years after I became a freelance makeup artist, I was working elsewhere part time and I happened to leave my makeup kit in the trunk of my car. After work, I went to grab my kit and it was gone. Someone stole it from my car. I was devastated. I had an appointment the next day that I reluctantly had to reschedule (I never cancel appointments). That day I cried my eyes out. My kit was worth thousands of dollars and I had no idea what to do, where to start, or how I was going to fund a new kit. I took that day to be sad and grieve.  The next day I had a different attitude, no more tears, it was time to be a grown up and figure it out. My incredible cousin helped me by gifting me some of her makeup products. I went to M.A.C Cosmetics, used my artistry discount and bought the majority of the essential things that I needed. I put everything on a credit card and I was able to pay it off within a few months. I could have said to myself “maybe I should just give up on makeup for a while” but I didn’t. The next day I was ready to make a plan to dust myself off and get back to work.
Looking back I think it ended up being a blessing in disguise because I upgraded my entire kit and had even better products to offer than I did before! I also learned a valuable lesson that nothing is ever as bad as it seems, and you will get through anything if you have the right mindset.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.metropolitanmakeup.com
• Youtube: Morgan Melanie

Image Credits
Julie Lieblich from Market Street Studio