3 things I wish I had done sooner, as make-up artist.
Let’s go down memory lane in today’s blog post. I like to say, regrets are things we didn’t do, and that certainly rings true for my business. There are SO many things, I wish I had done sooner, or wish I just had the nerve and the courage to do full stop. I’m hoping today I can share 3 of these, in the hope that hopefully someone will listen, take note and shave potentially YEARS off of their business progress. Let’s get it ♥️
1) Branding.
I honestly, didn’t have a logo until about 6 years in. I didn’t have branding shots of myself until 10 years in. I didn’t know the value of branding, and what it could do for my business for a long long time. If I had taken this more seriously, and concentrated on branding for my ideal client right off the bat, I would have saved myself years of time, energy and doubled or tripled my bookings. A strong brand is so key, its the foundation of your business. It can attract clients instantly, put off un-ideal clients and strengthen what you offer. It’s not enough to offer great work and makeup. You need to offer an experience, a vibe, a personality. Branding can help with all of that.
2) Invested in myself.
A little cliche, but hear me out. I barely invested in my business. I’ve always been on the frugal side, if I can do it myself, or attempt to do it myself - then I’ll do it. As such, I made my own website (which I don’t regret, because I’m genuinely very good at this now), I made my own forms, I made my own contracts, I did everything myself. Again, I don’;t regret those things, because they gave me very transferable skills that have landed me here. But genuinely, I wish I had invested more in other things. I was so scared to spend money. I wish I had invested in branding, branding shots of myself, rather than unhappy ones I had managed to get from weddings. I wish I had invested more in test shoots sooner, rather than 6 years in. I wish I had invested in a coach, because I insisted on working everything out myself. Coaching is the fast track, like a Disney fast pass. It pays itself back (with a good coach!) and shaves years off your business where you would muddle around figuring it out yourself. This would be the number 1 thing I would do differently.
3) Curated my portfolio.
You would genuinely be disgusted, if you knew how many years I spent doing a lot of pointless stuff. Let’s take an indie movie for example. I thought, this would be amazing for my portfolio. I wasn’t paid, for 6 days, LONG ass days too. I received some shots back, but the makeup I did was on a 6 year old kid. Is this my ideal client? Is this going to be my big break into the movies? Absolutely not. Another example, was a glamour shoot. I did 6 ladies makeup, for a X rated magazine, unpaid. Is this my ideal client? No. I did a lot of pointless free work, because I heard from a big makeup artist in the 80’s, saying yes to everything was the way to get clients. This is completely untrue. Saying yes to unpaid work that is aligned with your ideal client. Maybe. Maybe this would pay off. But saying yes to eery opportunity that comes in your inbox, absolutely will not get you your dream portfolio. Instead, I wish I had curated my portfolio. Been so specific about what I was shooting, especially for free. Getting super clear on exactly what I needed to do to get the clients that made my heart do a dance. THIS, is what I should have been doing and what I wish I had done sooner.