Her Story
About Elizabeth
I've built my career around two passions in the health and beauty industry. For 22 years, I've been a bridal makeup artist, starting with Bridal Beauty Detroit and then branching off to work independently with private hairstylists, doing makeup on location. I was considered very good in my field, and in all my years doing weddings, I only missed one appointment, and that was only because I hurt my back. Reliability has always been my hallmark. My other business has been as a product specialist in promotional sales for natural and organic supplements and skincare, which I built into a full-time business over 15 years in Michigan. This business grew entirely through referrals because people knew who I was and trusted my expertise. When my children both moved to Minnesota, I made the difficult decision to leave my home in Northville, Michigan, where I had lived for almost 9 years, and relocate here in June. I sold my condo, downsized, and started rebuilding both businesses from scratch in a new state. It's been extremely challenging, but I've managed to build up my promotional products business enough to live on it, and I'm now working to establish my wedding makeup business here as well. Throughout my career, I've also been involved in fashion shows, writing makeup and modeling programs for dance studios and community education centers, and I even put on a large charity fashion show in 2009 that raised money for cancer research for women.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to try to listen to what people are saying to you. Another important piece of advice is that if it doesn't feel right, it's not right. You have to trust what you feel, which I had to learn. Your inner person is telling you everything you need to know, it's just a matter of listening.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You have to be consistent, very customer friendly, and always be available. You can't miss appointments - you have to be reliable, completely reliable. In my entire 22-23 years of doing weddings, I only missed one, and that was only because I hurt my back. You have to really like what you're doing, and you have to trust what you feel. You need to have a good work ethic where you'll just keep working to get where you want to go. People are counting on me, and I have to be reliable. Talk to everybody, make everybody feel comfortable, and be kind to everyone. Don't gossip about anything or anyone at all in your industry, because it will come back to you. Industries are so small that it gets around. Make a relationship with everyone. Just talk to everyone and be kind and friendly. Ask people about themselves, ask them what they're doing, how their life is. You can't make judgments or assumptions on what they said or what they should be doing. You can't tell another person, oh, you should be doing this or that - they might not be able to, and you don't know what someone lives like or what they're going through.
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