We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Naarah & Niomie Mitrou-Long a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Naarah & Niomie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Finding those key vendors can often be make or break for a brand. Can you talk to us about how you found your key vendors?

Getting the best vendors has always been a big deal for us. It’s a must for our business to run smoothly. After years of experience, we have become experts in finding the right vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers. In the beginning, we would start our search on Google and then explore from there. We would contact many vendors all at once to narrow down our choices. Once we had a smaller list, we then would order samples from different places and really try them out in our day-to-day operations to see if they fit our needs.

One important lesson we have learned is to always ask for shipping quotes from different companies. Shipping can get very expensive, and sometimes vendors with low product prices make up for it by charging high shipping fees. learned to consider shipping costs in our decisions. Sometimes the cheapest option ends up being the most expensive due to these added costs.

A piece of advice for fellow small business owners: always have backup suppliers and keep looking for better quality products. We’ve had experiences where our go-to vendors changed their offerings or closed down. This pushed us to quickly find new vendors. That’s why we now have at least 2-3 vendors for each product we use. We mainly use one, but the others are ready in case we need them.
Lastly, a key takeaway for us has been to ask really specific questions. This approach helped us cut down on 80% of the manufacturers we were considering.

Naarah & Niomie, 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?

We are two sisters with a profound passion for makeup. After receiving formal education in makeup artistry, the idea of creating our line of strip eyelashes dawned upon us. It all began with selling many pairs of strip lashes.

As demand grew, we chose to expand our horizons and learn the art of applying eyelash extensions. During this time, Naomiekaybeauty was a side project while we continued to work full-time jobs. Approximately two years in, we took the leap of faith, dedicating ourselves to Naomiekaybeauty on a full-time basis.

Once our home studio, “The Naomiekaybeauty Headquarters,” was fully booked, we decided to complement our services by introducing products. This allowed us to cater to both lash clients and lash technicians. Following this, we began offering lash training, aiming to empower fellow women and help them become their own ‘girl boss.’

Now, our range of offerings has expanded significantly. We proudly provide eyelash extensions, powder ombre eyebrows, tape-in hair extensions, and eyelash training courses. Collaborating with amazing women in the industry, and in our location, we are also able to offer nails, facials, and other services.

Our studio is fully stocked with lash supplies, ranging from luxury Lux lash trays to our reliable Kryptonite eyelash adhesive. Our collection is complete with a wide range of available eyelash tweezers and much more.

After reaching our peak at the home studio and outgrowing it, we established our first external location, where we have been for the past two years. We adore what we do and eagerly look forward to continued expansion. In addition to Naomiekaybeauty, we’ve launched a sister company named NAOMIE, featuring our clothing line.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Our best sources for attracting new clients have undeniably been social media platforms and the power of our work speaking for itself. Social media, especially Instagram, allows us to showcase our skills and share our passion for beauty with a vast audience.

But it is not just about what we post. The real magic happens when our satisfied clients become our biggest advocates. The genuine recommendations and referrals they share through word of mouth are like gold. These personal endorsements hold a significant influence and often bring in new clients seeking our services.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Our venture is unique because we’re sisters. Beyond being family, we understand each other’s minds and goals, and we balance each other out remarkably well.

From a young age, we noticed we not only complemented each other in skills but also shared a similar passion and vision. This understanding laid the foundation for Naomiekaybeauty

Being siblings meant we naturally grasped each other’s strengths and weaknesses, making it easier to blend our talents. Our shared dreams and love for the beauty industry led us to create something exceptional.

Fun fact: Naomiekaybeauty is a playful combination of our names, Naarah and Niomie.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.naomiekaybeauty.ca
• Instagram: @naomiekaybeauty
• Other: Tiktok – @prettyxnaarah , @naomiekaybeauty