We were lucky to catch up with Rachael Hoch recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Rachael, thanks for joining us today. How do you think about spending on the little things / small joys when finances are tight?
For the past several years, we have focused on servicing brides and their bridal parties for their wedding day. Doing so in the Arkansas Valley of Colorado, we have a limited season for our work. That said, once we reach mid November, our bookings dwindle to just a few, if any, until spring reaches us again.
Every year it is important to budget and plan for the slow months ahead. I personally plan for a portion of each events earnings to go into savings for the wintertime. When we reach that time, I tend to do less for myself of course, and focus the money that I have saved for my child and household expenses, and simply making ends meet in the meantime while waiting for the warmer weather to arrive and bookings to begin again.
If it were possible to put a hold on studio rent, and other business related expenses during that time, it would be a huge help! However, that is not an option. So, continuing to maintain the business expense when the business is not actually busy is a challenge that I must always keep in mind and plan for.
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 time as a hair stylist and makeup artist began year ago in Atlanta Georgia where I completed schooling to become a Master Cosmetologist, and was lucky enough to land a wonderful job at CNN. While there, I styled for the anchors, guests, and contributors for the network at the Atlanta location, and spread that to the Turner Studios entertainment side of the company where I then styled for TNT, Turner Classic Movies, NBAtv, and many other live or taped productions that were filmed in their studio.
In the midst of that whirlwind of growth and opportunity, I began Face of Makeup. The focus for my company was and still is bridal, and event hair and makeup services at your doorstep. I would travel to clients to get them ready for various events throughout my time in Atlanta, and I brought that with me out to Colorado in 2017. Here, I have managed to create a pretty much full time career out of services wedding clients and have acquired a small team that works with me so that we are able to accommodate larger parties and do so in a reasonable timeframe for them.
We arrive to the location of our clients choosing with everything needed to do both hair styling and makeup applications, with a mission to make everyone involved feel great about themselves and have a wonderful time getting glammed up! I believe what sets us apart is our ability to perform our services very well and in a speedy manner so that our clients are not having to start the process of getting ready several hours before they need to be. We work efficiently, professionally, and we make sure everyone has a great experience with us.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When my husband and I made the decision to relocate from Atlanta Georgia to Salida Colorado, we essentially decided to pivot completely in all aspects. Life, career, proximity to family, home, all of it.
Coming from a full schedule of bookings in the film industry, to a place that has no real film circuit to speak of, it was necessary to refocus on what I could do here and how to make that work. I made a point to get out to venues, local businesses, and local people in general to let them know what my skill set was and to see if I could be useful to anyone here. I found that the wedding industry was creating a boom in this valley, and it just so happened that all of the artists and stylists that were servicing them were coming from locations like Denver, 3 hours away.
I was able to provide my services to clients here at a lower cost as I was not traveling as far, and managed to make a name for Face of Makeup right here in my own small town and surrounding areas. This season, we are set to complete 85 wedding events, and numerous other small events intertwined. In 2017, I did 18 event total, on my own. Needless to say, this pivot has been working.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Maintaining relationships with other vendors in my area has been very beneficial in building my reputation here, and getting my business name out to future clients. Website and online marketing tools help, and of course social media is important, but the word of mouth aspect in a small town setting is key. When people are looking for professional services in a rural area, they tend to ask those that they know more often that sourcing the internet which is different in a city setting. This was a change for me coming from a city, but a welcomed change for sure.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.faceofmakeup.com
- Instagram: faceofmakeupartistry
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/faceofmakeup
Image Credits
www.daylenewilkinsphotography.com www.hickorygrovepictures.com www.heatherjacksonphotography.com www.taylorjonesphotography.com