Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Interview with Tracie Rosales - Makeup Artistry by Tracie


I had the pleasure of interviewing the fun to speak with Tracie Rosales with Makeup Artistry by Tracie on January 3rd, 2015.  We met at a local Starbucks for some java and to chat it up.  She was such an easy person to listen to.  Her California gal cadence endeared her to me immediately.  LOVE her!  Totally!  Make sure to read on … you will love her too!



Who are your clients?
A couple of different areas which is what I like about it because they are all so different.  Bridal.  I love my brides.  I like to listen to all of the details of all of their weddings.  I love it!  I can soak it all in until I am full.  Then I have my speakers.  Which is obviously two different worlds of fun.  Then fashion shows, date night, makeup lessons (which this interviewer needs since I wear NO makeup)A few men, who need to do their headshots and TV ads.
There was a twinkle in Tracie’s eyes as she talked of what she did!  A sign that she genuinely enjoys her clients.  A sign that she will bring out the best in them.

When did you start doing makeup artistry?
My company started in 2007.  My obsession with makeup since I was a kid. (Wow!  Just like my 13 year-old!!)  I used to get in trouble for it.  It worked out that eventually that I figured out to take what I love and make a job [of it].

What areas do you serve?
Really I go all the way up to West Palm Beach and all the way down to South Beach.  And I also I started it in Northern Virginia, suburbia right outside of DC, I still go up there.
She is working on growing her makeup artistry team here in South Florida. So if you are a makeup artist make sure to connect with her.

Makeup artistry is kind of self-explanatory but what need does your service provide to your customers?
It’s a couple of things.  Makeup helps with the confidence and they feel better or they feel presentable.  It is the piece that I sell.  For speakers to get ready for the camera and their audience, I help them bring out features that they like and down play things that they don’t like.  For bridal, everyone knows.  It’s your wedding and you have to take a million pictures and those pictures are everywhere so I want them to be happy with their photos.  It is just about helping people feel THEIR BEST.
Tracie and I talked about makeup not being a necessity but what is indeed a need is the feeling of being at our best; therefore, raising our confidence because someone like Tracie applies our makeup professionally.

Who is at your home front?
My husband, a little boy and I have a dog.  My crew!  And they are all boys.  I am a girlie girl.  I have nails and makeup and I live in a house full of boys.  I love them!  My son calls it painting and says “Mommy is going to go paint today”. 
How cute is that!?  We must all take the time to see how those in our home front see us.

Your love for makeup is that the entrepreneurial bug that bit you?
I have had corporate jobs.  A 9 to 5, a 401K, security and work until you retire and get your gold watch.  I had a couple corporate jobs, I was told several that I was too young, I was a woman.  You are doing your job and you are killing it and you still have someone who is doubting your ideas.  I obviously I could not answer to somebody about my own ideas so between the makeup which kind of leveraged an easy way for me to figure out how to leave what I was doing and do something that made me happy and be my own boss.  And once you start doing it, you just cannot go back.

A fun question, if you had only one case of a particular drink to have with you on a stranded island, what would your drink be?
A case of champagne.
My kind of gal … bring out the bubbly!

What has been your biggest challenge so far?
When I decided to keep overhead down.  The best part of what I do is that I am mobile.  I go to the client.  I travel to them.  I work from home. People don’t sometimes understand.  It doesn’t mean that I am not at my computer at midnight sending emails or blogging or doing all the things to run my business.  The home base part that is the biggest obstacle.  Sometimes people think I am at home just watching TV or just being the homeroom mom and not working from midnight to 1 because that is when the house is quiet.

This next question started out as what has your biggest success thus far but it turned out to be the best and funniest to me!
I got to go to the White House.  Not this President but the previous President.  I got a phone call and I thought it was a joke and I thought my brother was pranking me so hung up but they called back.  I got to go and do the makeup for staff appreciation day. 
Fortunately, the White House called back!  Tracie was able to say something that not many get to say … “My name is on the list”. 
I finally figured out that I had given out my business card and my card was passed along.
An amazing testimony that networking can bring the most beneficial referrals and some can even take you all the way to … the White House.
Now checkout Tracie’s accomplishments listed on her email signature.  Impressive!
Y  NAMED 2013 40 Under 40 Business Leader
Y  NOMINEE 2010 & 2011 Northern Virginia Small Business of the Year
Y  WINNER 2009 Northern Virginia Magazine BEST OF: Makeup Application
Y  WINNER 2008 Loudoun County Home Based Business of the Year

How would your friends describe you?
LOYAL!  Fun and giggly.
And if you could hear the playback of this interview, you would hear Tracie’s constant giggle.  She is infectious.

How do you pay it forward?
My husband and I do charity work.  Obviously with the makeup, I participate in things like Dress for Success.

What is it that you love about being an entrepreneur?
 The freedom of it and being able to enjoy the gift of my son.

What is your why?
My why over the years have changed.  At the beginning, it was my husband.  Now it is my son, my family. 
My husband says that I am much nicer now doing makeup than [I was] in my corporate job.  I was so unhappy at work.  I did a good job when I was there but I was watching the clock.   Counting down … 9 hours and 59 minutes to go.  My whole day Sunday was dreading Monday.  I wanted to be happy, fun and laugh.

What value does your business as an entrepreneur bring to your life?
Independence.  Following your own voice.  Not following what everybody else is doing.  Having my own business shows you that you can figure out something that you like and no matter what anyone says you can do it and be happy and make it work!

How do you track your appointments?
My calendars.  I use Microsoft Outlook because of my husband.  His job is very hard.  He is very busy.  God bless him but he is the most forgetful human on the face of the earth.  (Shhh … We won’t tell him!)  The Outlook I like it because I can send to my husband a calendar appointment.  And if he doesn’t reply or puts that he received it or it says unopened it, I resend it!  That way is all on his phone!  It loads right into his phone.  His work phone and his personal phone. 
What a great tip to keep your support system on track with your schedule!  We all love our gadgets and this tip is SWEEEET!!

What are some of the biggest time wasters that you as an entrepreneur get caught up in?  You work from home, right?
It [home] is a trap!  There are traps all over that house.  Even just like the laundry … trap!  Personal calls … trap!  I moved from California and because of the different time zones and people are like she is home.  They don’t do it on purpose and they are not trying to interfere.  But I can talk to them like 6 times a day easily.  You want to make sure that you are working your hours.
The other piece for myself are things like marketing materials, my website.  You want it look nice.  You also have to realize that it is not ever going to be perfect so either outsource and let somebody else do it and that way it is not taking all of your time.  So working on something like graphics and making sure that everything looks perfect before hitting that print button is not making you money.  Some of the perfection stuff, can absolutely drive you crazy or just set a set time to get it done.
I love these tips!  Realize that you are wasting time on personal stuff instead of WORKING!  Also realize that you need to focus on RGAs (REVENUE GENERATING ACTIVITIES) instead of doing the little details.

A special offer just for my systematicYOU TRIBE!  Whaaaat!  Oh  yes!  Tracie is hooking us up with 20% off any service!  Use this link to get your deal BEFORE 10/1/2015!  Oh yeah.  I need to chat with Lady Tracie.  She needs to do my makeup for my headshots.





To contact Tracie Rosales, here is her info J
Tracie Rosales
makeup@tracierosales.com
www.tracierosales.com


571-201-5942

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