Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Terri Tomlinson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Terri , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
After 20 years working in the retail and production industries as a freelance makeup artist, the economy and my own feeling of burnout told me it was time for something different. Work was scarce and my passion for working on set and the constant hustle was lacking. After taking some time away and looking around I realized that education was the next step for me. In a market where (at the time) there we no professional makeup focused schools, I knew that I could create and provide something that would be essential. Students did not need to go to L.A. or NYC for professional training. I had the experience and the skill set to teach here, in Dallas. I came up with the idea to open my own educational space – Makeup Training Academy. At first, I started small and treated it like a freelance gig. I wrote a curriculum, built my website and organized how classes should run. I would rent a friends studio when I had a class…However, I quickly realized that I needed processes and structure…and a space! Makeup Training Academy was so much more than a “gig”. I was starting a business unlike anything in this market, with very few examples to follow, in a frightening economic time. I took an entrepreneur class. I needed to know what it would cost, how to get started, how to build-out a brick-and-mortar…the list was endless. It was a huge risk and investment but it felt like the thing I needed to do, something I needed to create. . Learning the financial keys to starting a business gave me a good base to work from. The hardest part however was not having an example to follow. My business was so specialized, so specific that nothing I learned fully applied to my situation. I wasn’t a salon, wasn’t a store, wasn’t a cosmetology school…..I was literally making it up as I went. Every business owner, designer, consultant I spoke with would tell me how I should set up the academy, but none of it felt right. I created a business plan so I would know how much everything would cost and my bottom line for revenue. For the rest, I followed my own creative intuition, especially with building the space. I wanted to create a place where the makeup community would feel welcome, a place where I could teach the classes I created, a place where I could see private clients and maybe have a bit of retail. I beat my bottom line number in 6 months. I don’t think of myself as a risk taker in life but as a creative, I take big risks. But they don’t feel risky as long as I’m following what’s right for me. I know that I’m most successful when I stay true to my creative ideas, my creative path. So I do my homework on the fundamentals, financials…the things I don’t know and then I create and let it fly.

Terri , 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?
Terri Tomlinson is currently obsessed with color. As a working makeup artist for over 30 years Terri brings her experience working in both the retail and production industries to her students and clients. She values natural, effective makeup as every face is its own beautiful and unique work of art. She loves the technical aspects of the craft of makeup and the power of color. Terri is the owner of Terri Tomlinson Makeup Training Academy and the creator of The Flesh Tone Color Wheel®. She has her own makeup and brush line which is sold at Makeup101.com and in her studio. After “reinventing” the wheel, Terri created a method of working color theory in skin which is now taught on her digital platform MakeupClassOnline.com and is licensed by various cosmetology and makeup schools. The wheel is sold all over the globe and expanding as it becomes a staple in all artist kits, schools and studios. It is a powerful tool for seeing and working color theory in skin. With the pandemic Terri has found a new niche on social media blasting makeup myths and teaching makeup. She gives a mean Zoom talk on color and makeup for mature skin as well as how to look human on camera. Terri consults with brands on color theory in skin and creating global skin ranges. Her Tik Tok videos are world famous. @territomlinsonmakeup

Have you ever had to pivot?
Makeup artists work very close to peoples faces and when teaching both student and instructor are working closely with the model. The pandemic shut my business down and I was slow to start in-person classes again. It just felt too risky. I was fortunate that I had just filmed my first video class and was able to get a virtual class up and running within a couple of months. It kept the business open during a time I couldn’t see clients or teach. I realized I could sell wheels and teach color theory online and so began creating content about color for my virtual platform and social media. When a video went viral I realized that I had a voice and something to say about color in makeup. The success I have had on social media platforms as well as my online platform has kept my business moving.

How did you build your audience on social media?
I think most importantly is that you have to have something to say. And then you need to find your voice. Many people on social media are not good on camera. But not everyone has to be on camera, find a creative way to tell your story. Others are selling the same thing that everyone else is. Too many just repeat what others say. We all have something unique about our business that we can focus on and create a story around. For me it was my color wheel. It gave me something distinct and so I started talking about color theory in a way that no one else does. I created my own niche.

Contact Info:

• Website: Makeup101.com / TheFleshToneColorWheel.com / MakeupTrainingAcademy.com
• Instagram: territomlinsonmakeup
• Facebook: territomlinsonmakeup
• Linkedin: TerriTomlinson
• Youtube: Terri Tomlinson
• Other: Tik Tok: @territomlinsonmakeup