We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachel Harris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachel below.

Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

Scaling my hair and makeup business definitely didn’t happen by accident- I was incredibly hungry to make it happen and that took persistence, strategy, and a deep passion for what I do. In the early stages, I spent countless nights on social media researching local photographers, creatives, and wedding vendors, introducing myself for ways to collaborate and get my work seen.

Professionalism can never be understated in my opinion- I made sure every aspect of the client’s experience was seamless and enjoyable. Building a culture of respect and trust by always responding promptly, always showing up early and being transparent with my clients was the foundation I built my business on.

After years of investing in those relationships and building trust in my community, the inquiries started coming in organically. I began booking my own clients consistently and soon built a strong reputation backed by hundreds of glowing online reviews and a diverse and extensive portfolio.

As demand grew, I took the next big step to scale by building a trusted team to assist with larger bookings so I could continue saying yes to more opportunities without sacrificing quality.

Today, I’m proud to have grown my business into something that serves others with excellence and a true love for the art and freedom that comes with owning a hair and makeup company.

Rachel, 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 got into the hair and makeup industry when I was just 15 years old. I began working with photographers who mostly catered to seniors in highschool; After I did their hair and makeup, I would follow them to their shoot and touch them up for the entire process- this is something I would now charge extra for, but at the time I just wanted to be a part of it in every way that I could. I absolutely loved to go to the shoots and see how the photographer would style and pose them.

Eventually after doing years of photoshoots, some of those same clients would ask me to do their wedding. Once I dipped my toes into the bridal industry I was hooked. Bridal is now my bread and butter and I get excited all over again for each one I do- I love the energy of the day, the excitement and suspense. I even love that hair and makeup gets to be their first vendor of the day. We get to set the tone and kick off their day with a relaxing and pampering morning before sending them off to the next chapter of their life. It’s truly so special every single time.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I love this question because it allows me to look back from the humble beginnings to what this business has flourished into today. It definitely took sacrifice and a lot of scrapping by but once it began to output it was so worth it. I remember working in salons part time to help as a consistent income. When I first began to look for salons to work in, it was always a hard rule of mine that I absolutely could not work Fri-Sun at the salon. This was so I could save my weekends for hair and makeup bookings and be available whenever needed. For a salon, that is a tough sell as of course the weekend is always the busiest days for salons too.

When initially applying, I was turned down many times as the schedule just wasn’t doable. But I held fast to that rule and eventually found a salon willing to take me in. I was able to keep my weekends wide open, even when I didn’t have bookings just for those “in case” inquires.

It started off slow, and guilt would creep in when I wasn’t working so if I ever didn’t have bookings, this is when I would reach out to models for free makeup and hair styling so I could continue to perfect my craft and keep content up for social media.

Eventually it got to a point where I was working every week day at the salon, and every weekend doing weddings or freelance hair and makeup bookings. Once I was at maximum capacity, and maintained that consistently, I quit my salon job and went all in.

I remember being terrified to do this, but it ended up being the best decision ever. I went from making minimum wage (sometimes even less when we worked commission!) to a multi 6 figure business that I doubted over and over.

If I could give one piece of advice on starting a business it would be this: Keep. Going. You truly never know how close you are to that break though, especially when your heart and passion is behind it!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I remember when Instagram in particular was growing in popularity; all the business gurus would advise the absolute minimum you should be posting to grow an audience as a business owner was 1 post per day. That is something so many people still cling to, but it is something that has done a complete flip in recent studies.

With so much content readily available, people truly are beginning to value quality, well thought out posts vs consistency. I used to post whatever was my most recent work, even if I wasn’t truly proud of the work. Now, I only post the photos that truly represent the work I want to showcase my business. That is what will develop brand recognition and true consistency and confidence as an artist.

Once I found my signature style and only posted the looks I really loved to do, it not only streamlined my feed, but I was also able to attract the clientele that my style resonated with the most.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rachelharrisartistry.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelharrisartistry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelHarrisArtistry/