We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zoe Braun. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zoe below.
Zoe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Thanks! Well, I was never the kid that knew who or what they wanted to be when they grew up. Coming from a small family and raised by a single mother, I worked from a young age: babysitting as a tween, getting my first paycheck at 14 and a half (the legal minimum age for a worker’s permit), and never being unemployed since. I was focused on getting good grades and hoping that would carry me into something great one day. I didn’t have much time or motivation beyond that to find and pursue passions and hobbies. Everything I tried (knitting, sewing, photography, baking, etc.) was fun to learn and do here or there, but none of it screamed “passion” or “career”. So, by the time I was reaching the end of high school, I still had no clue what direction to go. Everyone always said, if you don’t know what you want to do, just go to college to figure it out. If you can’t afford it, take out loans, and deal with that later. Just take a bunch of classes and find what you like and go from there. It’ll be fine…
But how do you find what you like when you are still working 50 hours a week just to pay bills and eat, and college just feels like an extra (and expensive) chore? I did know my strengths, so I ran with that – math and science. Engineering, chemistry, accounting & finance… But in the back of my mind, I always thought, there is something out there I will truly be excited about, that will hold meaning and feel right, I just don’t know what it is or how to find it. I don’t know what I don’t know… But I always kept an open mind.
Although I may not have known what I wanted to do, I did know that I did not want to climb the corporate ladder. I didn’t want to be an executive, a CFO, always a cog in someone else’s machine. But even though the wages were barely enough to stay afloat for so many years, the security of having regular paychecks felt safe. I wasn’t sure I could get away from that stability, but I always felt like I would be happiest working for myself one day; it just felt so unattainable. But I hoped that whenever I found that “thing” I was meant to do, it would be something I would be able to turn into a business of my own…
Finally, a lightbulb went off. Just like so many other events and changes in my life, from personal relationships to career moves, there was a moment where certain things fell into place in just a way that led me, finally, to that “thing”. (And I was right all along, it was something I did not know existed till more recent years, and therefore couldn’t have ever thought to pursue it any sooner.)
As the pandemic hit, and my partner and I closed on our house and moved in together, I began working from home, and I remembered the woman who I had gone to for my own permanent eyebrows in recent years had casually suggested I look into becoming a permanent makeup artist, myself. At first, I was totally skeptical and brushed it off. Going from financial analysis, sitting in front of a computer working on spreadsheets all day, to tattooing people’s faces?! Ha! But the wheels began to turn… we met for tea and I picked her brain a bit more. She gave me pages to follow, podcasts to listen to, told me her own story and how much she loved having made this leap… So I looked into it more, and I started actually feeling like this was something worth trying!
So, since I had too much PTO stacked up with no travel plans to spend it on (and student loan payments paused) due to the ongoing pandemic, a comfortable salary and lessened expenses now that I shared a home with my partner, I decided to invest in a week-long training class and see if this truly was something I could pursue.
And it clicked! I had an absolute blast learning the foundations of permanent makeup. And over the months that followed, I continued to take classes and practice the work in my spare time. I had found an actual passion, and one I could make a living doing! I decided that if I was going to leave my 9-5 for this, I was going to jump in with both feet and start my own business for it.
Fortunately, I have an extremely supportive partner, an entrepreneur himself, who was proud and excited for me to begin this new journey. And with my background in accounting and finance, I had a lot of knowledge to apply to starting and running a business myself. But without his support, and all these other things falling into place just the way they did when they did, I would not have been able to take this risk (at least not yet).
Having lived most of my life barely making ends meet, but with the consistency and stability of regular paychecks, this was an extremely uncomfortable change. I have always been fiercely independent, and have never not known what my income would be week over week, or had to rely on someone else like this before. It’s the biggest risk I have ever taken, and the most trust I’ve had in myself, and in someone else. I left a comfortable salary, good benefits, a flexible job, a fun company with awesome coworkers and a great boss, and student loan debt still looming overhead…
But it has been completely worth it. I have so much gratitude for my partner, and for the friends and family that have supported me (and continue to do so). I am so glad I took this risk, to finally pursue something that holds deeper meaning, and allows me to express myself, directly help people, and be my own boss. These past couple of years have been full of challenges and surprises, both good and bad, and there will be plenty more of that to come as well; but overall, I am seeing growth, I am feeling accomplished, I’m serving a purpose, helping and having a positive impact on people, and am building something that is all mine.
For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, what type of products/services/creative works you provide, what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others.
I found permanent makeup first as a client, myself. I feel more awake and presentable with my brows filled in since they’re a bit sparse, and a bit of eyeliner to give my eyes a bit more definition. But I am also not a morning person, and would rather get a few extra minutes of sleep. Working in finance, I spent most of the day in my cubicle working on spreadsheets, so I didn’t worry too much about doing my makeup most days, but I still knew I looked tired or just not like “myself”. Once I grew in my career to a more financially stable level, and microblading started really becoming popular, I looked into it and decided to have it done. But then I felt a bit imbalanced when I didn’t have eyeliner on to balance it out, so I eventually decided I needed permanent eyeliner, too, so I wouldn’t have to do my eyeliner every day anymore, either.
Fast forward to 2020, the pandemic threw us all off in many ways, but it also opened a few doors. Lots of people started businesses. Lots of companies were making adjustments, and many (myself included) started working from home. Student loan repayments got paused. And during this, I happened to discover that I wanted to try learning permanent makeup.
I had the perfect opportunity to take a course (what else could we use our PTO for when no one was traveling anyway?) and see if it was something I could actually be good at. Spoiler alert: I loved it! There are actually several parallels I could draw between cosmetic tattooing and financial analysis, believe it or not: Attention to detail, creativity (but structure and guidelines to follow), numbers and patterns… All my best skills!
I also learned that the cosmetic tattooing industry is highly unregulated in most states. In Wisconsin and most other states, anyone can teach permanent makeup if they can market a course and find students, and students become certified at the completion of a course, not once they master the material. Which means being certified doesn’t necessarily mean quality work, especially when most trainings are mere days, not weeks or months. There are no required exams, no skill tests before you’re allowed to take clients… you get the idea.
But there are a couple organizations that offer ways to hold yourself more accountable, and show that your work meets globally recognized standards: The American Academy of Micropigmentation and the Society for Permanent Cosmetic Professionals. These organizations offer Board Certifications, memberships that require thorough vetting to join: Timed exams to prove proper education, submissions of your work to show quality, confirmation of proper licensing & insurance, accepted sanitation procedures and proper studio/service setup, thorough client forms for proper documentation, etc.
To set myself apart, and because I want to hold myself and my business to the highest standards anyway, I didn’t think twice about joining the AAM and becoming a Board Certified artist. I became only the second artist in Wisconsin to hold this credential through the AAM (and there are only two others through the SPCP as well). Which says a lot, since there are microblading services everywhere these days!
I also believe that it’s important to educate the public about what they are getting done. With such little regulation, there is a lot of misinformation out there, and a lot of unsafe and botched services happening. I want everyone to feel confident that they are seeing a reputable artist, whether it’s me or not, and are aware of the intricacies of the service, how to prepare, and have realistic expectations in the short and long term.
After all, my work is centered around helping people. That’s my purpose here. I want to help people build confidence, feel better in their skin, save time, reduce stress, and heal from past traumas. Most clients are coming in for permanent work on their face, so it’s imperative that they know exactly what they are getting themselves into!
I started with permanent makeup, doing brows, eyeliner and lip blush, and then expanded my services into paramedical tattooing as well: 3D areolas and scar & stretch mark camouflage. Makeup, tattoos, aesthetics… these services may be considered part of the “vanity” industry, but my goal is to focus instead on the healing, the confidence boosts- the health and wellness aspects.
As I continue to grow my business, and in this industry in general, I want to help promote accountability and better regulation around safety and quality, and change the narrative a bit. It doesn’t have to be about vanity, and “making people beautiful” – all of our unique features are beautiful! But I do want to help you feel better, help you heal, and help you save time, stress less and be more present. Swim and exercise and play in the rain without worrying if your makeup smudges. Look at your body without being reminded of past trauma when you see that old scar there you wish would go away. Restore the areolas you lost while you kicked cancer’s ass, or revise them to match your identity as part of a transition. Or heck, just sleep those extra few minutes in the morning and not worry about having to do your darn eyeliner before work.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I think the most effective way to grow clientele is really to balance of a variety of strategies. Great clients come from various places, and I think it’s important to look everywhere. Consistent posting of good content on Social Media, search engine (Google) ads, ensuring your business is listed in all the online directories, networking within your community (attending events, visiting complementary businesses, leaving business cards, etc.), maintaining a good website and portfolio, and perhaps most importantly, having good work to show! Oh, I am also sure to ask for reviews and testimonials, and I incentivize referrals. These are all important strategies, and I have had great clients come from all of these sources. I could go into much more detail about each one, but suffice it to say that the best strategy is to have lots of strategies and utilize them efficiently to find the best ROI on each for the time and money you put into them.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I started with creating business pages on Facebook and Instagram and inviting my friends to follow, sharing them in my personal profiles, etc. I verified my business on Google and iOS, and I created a website (I used GoDaddy since the platform is easy to use but versatile). I linked my socials to my website and vice versa. Once I had this foundation set, I also listed my business on Yelp, and I added a page on LinkedIn, Nextdoor, Tiktok, and more, for the sake of SEO even if I don’t use some of these other accounts as much, and again linked it all up.
My main focus in the beginning was Instagram, Facebook and Google. I followed others’ advice on the IG algorithms, batching hashtags and trying to time posts well. I also keep my grid organized, posting on a variety of topics, not just portfolio stuff, and ensuring it aligns with my brand aesthetic. Before and afters are important, but there are a handful of content topics you should be including: educational, inspirational, fun, interactive, and behind the scenes. These show your mastery of what you’re selling, show your brand and personality, engage and inspire your audience, and allow them to relate to the human behind the business. Everything I post on IG I cross-post to FB. I keep the Google business profile a bit simpler with mostly portfolio material but also any updates, promotions, location info and some of the images that feature me to again give it a more personal touch.
It is important to have quality over quantity when it comes to follower. You only want followers who are real people who are actual clients, potential clients, friends and family, and other real supporters. Having 400 quality followers, where a large percentage have or will use your services, is always better than having 40k followers if only a handful of them are true potential clients. With all the time you spend on content, it should be bringing you clients (revenue)!
Once I had my footing, I started up Google ads. I prefer this to Facebook/IG ads as these leads are generally already warm- they are actively searching for your services; whereas FB/IG ads target people passively in their feeds, so you get a lot of cold leads who aren’t even always sure what they’re clicking on or what you’re selling if they might not have heard of it before. But it’s worth trying it all to see what works for your business and demographics.
I post Reels and Tiktoks occasionally (though admittedly these just aren’t my forte and I probably should do more!).
A useful tool I just found is a site/app that pulls all your social accounts into one platform to plan your posts – you can create all the content more efficiently, and schedule it all out on the planner/calendar. I definitely could have used this sooner – it is definitely a time saver and I have been better and more consistent with posting since I found it.
Lastly, between my website and Google page, I keep tabs on my keywords and SEO scores. Google Analytics and the Google Ads manager are very helpful with ad copy, keyword monitoring, etc. I also use a third party that helps analyze my SEO, my search engine ranking, and ensures my business is listed correctly across all online directories (several dozen I have never even heard of!) – this also helps with search results and validation.
This is everything that has worked for me. I may not have a ginormous following (yet) but I do see good results from all of this – my bookings are steadily increasing, I’m getting great clients, I’m growing month over month. Having started from zero, and not hiring someone to do any of this for me, I feel it’s been a great learning experience and I am proud of where I have gotten with it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: tigerlilycoll.com
- Instagram: @tigerlily.pmu
- Facebook: facebook.com/tigerlily.pmu
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tiger-lily-collective-llc/
Image Credits
The two images with me in them were taken by Lien Phu @lienphuphotography but the rest were taken by me.