We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stacey Israel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Stacey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?
Am I happy as a business owner? Absolutely
Yes!
It’s like a dream come true being able to not only do what I love beautifying Ladies on one of the most important days of their lives
Their Wedding Day.
But Being a blessing to other Beauty Stylist’s on my team that are well seasoned in Makeup & Hair.
This makes larger Bridal & Special Occasion Events fun & fabulous for everyone.
Do I ever wonder how it be like to have a regular gig?
No not at all being that’s where I got my start. With many years of experience as a Beauty Ambassador for major cosmetic lines in High-End Department Stores.
Learned so much product knowledge demonstration techniques impeccable customer service skills. Administration skills special event planning
& executing. Deep down inside I always knew I’d run my own Beauty Business.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
SIB (Stacey Israel Bridal) is an on-site beauty service bizz that provides pro- hair & makeup for Brides their parties & Special Occasions.
I work solo & have a team of beauty pros for medium to large events.
Although SIB is black-woman- owned my client base is very diverse which I do take pride in as is quite unique “beauty has no boundaries” & every woman is beautiful.
Being well rounded & working w/other amazing peeps asking for assistance when needed being versatile working well under pressure meeting deadlines is also an asset.
What sets me apart from others is the value of having impeccable guest service it’s very personal & intimate styling someone’s hair & applying skincare & color.
I got my start as a print work model & makeup artist that worked w/photograpgher clothing & swimwear designers. From there visual artistry &
Selling cosmetics. I’m very passionate about Beauty
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
A story from my journey
Born & raised in Seattle WA had lived there all my life immediate family friends beauty clients& had a band (also a singer/songwriter). A wonderful husnand (who’s originally from Miami FL.)
Dedicated 11 years in Neiman Marcus
Beauty Dept in Bellevue WA. Although challenging I was still able to do Bridal Beauty work part time considering most weddings were on the weekends.
Neiman’s closed when Covid hit situations changed w/hubby’s employment as well so it was time for a major move. We bought a house in a small Florida town while still living in Washington from a video a realtor sent us.
Thank the good Lord the house was perfect.
My husband’s a builder so he was able to find work. Me however brand spanking new to Florida was a bit disoriented knowing going back behind the counter was not for me.
My husband insisted I focus on my bridal business & not to worry he got me.
My resilience was expressed when I began to network reaching out to photographers in the area using social media sharing my work.
Getting out in the community to meet other beauty business lovers. From there I’ve been invited to work w/other amazing beauty teams as well as grow my own business.
Being an independent is so amazing!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
What helped me build my reputation within my market is word of mouth & having a social media presence. From Seattle all the way to Florida I can say my beauty service brand is known & becoming more & more popular.
Having great 5 star reviews being rewarded Couples Choice on Weddingwire 4 years in a row & being on Preferred Vendor List’s of Venues has also been great.
Thanks to you doing this article on new business owners is such a great opportunity
As well. It all creates success & excitement.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://staceyisraelbridal.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/staceyisraelbridal
- Facebook: Stacey Israel Artistry
- Linkedin: https://linkedIn.com/in/stacey-israel-a5698b53/
Image Credits
Photo by Wild Eyed Photography
& Jose and Teresa Photo
@sweetmemo.co (for the last photo)