Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stevi Allen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Stevi, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
The biggest risk I have ever taken was leaving corporate. I graduated college, had the cushy salary, and enjoyed the benefits….but I was not happy. When I got laid off during COVID, I started my company without having any prior experience in the beauty industry. I simply had a passion for making people look their best and feel their best. I went in to the cosmetic tattoo world full of curiosity and excitement. No matter how scary the risk to start something new was, these feelings and emotions kept me pushing through. Eventually, consistency and hard work paid off. Betting on myself was the best decision I have ever made. I went all in and it has paid off tremendously.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Stevi and I am the founder and owner of INKAngel. We are the fastest growing cosmetic tattoo studio in South Florida and specialize in powder brows, lip blush, scalp micro pigmentation, and eyelash extensions. I am extremely passionate about what I do and I believe that passion and attention to detail is what sets us apart from other artists in our field. I have not only studied the art of cosmetic tattooing, I am also a self proclaimed aesthetic nerd. When I see someone’s face, I am always looking at little tweaks I can do to bring out their best features and enhance their over all look.
I starting training over one year ago and have trained over 100 students to do powder brows and lip blush. I love showing women a new skill they can take with them everywhere. Being a single mom, I understand how important it is as women to have our own source of income and be able to spend time with our children. My business was born from a passion for the beauty industry but an even bigger passion for being able to spend time with my son.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I have funded my business entirely on my own. Since day one, the revenue that I generate from services or teaching gets reinvested back in to the company so we have had constant growth year over year and month over month. I am looking to expand so, a loan may be in the near future however, I have not needed it yet. This has taught me how to be cautious with my spending and make sure every investment has a payoff or great potential for a pay off.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When my company was just a few months old, I became a single mother. I was living in a small efficiency I affectionally called “the shack” for about a month with my son who was just 18 months old. I got a job as a bartender so I could make ends meet and put every dollar back in to my business. The space was full of bugs and I had to wash my dishes in the sink. All I had was a mini fridge to keep food in that I could barely afford.
That month was the month I doubled my revenue and realized I could turn INKAngel in to a 7 figure business.
I worked while my son was at daycare and was extremely focused with my time because, when he was with me, it was nearly impossible to get anything done. I remember having my laptop open underneath the blanket so the light wouldn’t wake him up, taking FaceTime consultations with him on my lap, and praying to God people would give me a chance so I could afford to show my son a better life. Today, we live in a much nicer apartment and I am so incredibly thankful for that experience because it showed me just how strong I am and how powerful consistency is. I could have given up but I knew my goal and was relentless about achieving it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theinkangel.co
- Instagram: @the_inkangel
Image Credits
Photographer – Conrad Bleus @Headshots_by_bleus Model – Stevi AKA “INKAngel”