Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Metz.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always had a passion for hair, makeup, and the beauty industry – Seeing the transformative magic of helping people feel their most beautiful was so extremely powerful to me, that I immediately was drawn to a career as a Professional Hair & Makeup Artist.
I began working in the industry and apprenticing as a young stylist when I was about 17 years old. I graduated from Cosmetology school in Chicago, IL when I was 19 and immediately immersed myself into my career. Within a year, I was one of the top stylists in the first salon I worked at and spent much of my free time freelancing as a Makeup Artist in downtown Chicago. Although I loved working behind the chair in a salon, I was so incredibly excited and passionate about the endless possibilities working as an HMUA and loved the thrill of freelancing, which allowed me to work in a different place every day. This eventually lead to me leaving the salon world to work for MAC Cosmetics and further my skills as a professional Makeup Artist.
While working at MAC, I thrived on creating relationships with my clients and quickly built a loyal following as well as a name for myself in Chicago as a Bridal focused Hair & Makeup Artist. I remember this as being one of the most hard-working times in my life, but I was so happy and felt so blessed to be able to do what I loved and get paid for it, it didn’t matter that I worked 12 hour days.
By December 2015, I decided that I wanted to start 2016 new and commit myself to one entire year working for myself – No MAC, no salon, just me. I was absolutely terrified, but so inspired and motivated to prove to myself and everyone around me that I was capable of being a successful Freelance Hair & Makeup Artist. 2016 proved to be bigger than my wildest dreams – It was my very first full year in business by myself, and also my first year making 6 figures.
After that point, I never looked back – in 2017, Hannah Elisabeth Beauty had become so wildly successful in Chicago that I began hiring a team of Artists & Stylists to help support the number of inquiries and business coming our way. I had also begun to travel to Los Angeles, California to slowly build my clientele there in the hopes of moving cross country to California in 2018.
In early 2018, I moved to LA as my team in Chicago continued to grow – Los Angeles was an incredible journey that allowed me to experience so many other areas of the beauty industry. Being on set and working with models, actresses and brands offered a new spin on my specialization of working with brides, and allowed me to connect with, train, and learn from so many of the industry’s top Hair & Makeup Artists. It was an experience I’ll never forget, and although traveling between Chicago, Los Angeles, Orange County & San Diego was a dream of mine for so long, I realized that my true passion was growing and developing my team of amazing artists and helping them achieve their goals in the beauty community.
In 2019, I moved to downtown San Diego and now reside there – Our team has grown to 14 artists all across Southern California (San Diego & OC) and Chicago and will continue to grow in 2020! We have plans to add additional artists to our California teams as well as add additional locations we service throughout the country, and to launch our first pop up beauty bar in Chicago.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s certainly not been an easy journey. For any woman who are looking to begin their journey in the beauty industry or as an entrepreneur, the lesson it’s taken me the longest to learn is that you must fail forward. Mistakes are going to happen, that’s inevitable – Investing in mentorship and education from those who are where you want to be is such a huge investment in yourself and can help you get the answers faster. Failure is important for growth – If you become really good at failing and learning from past experiences, you will come to realize that the journey is your biggest asset. Even if you risk it and lose it all, because of your journey, you will find a way to get it back.
Please tell us about Hannah Elisabeth Beauty.
My company Hannah Elisabeth Beauty specializes in luxury on-site beauty – Think of us as your on-location beauty concierge!
We are a bridal & event focused team and have made a name for ourselves amongst our brides and clients for being a part of some of life’s most memorable events. We also provide beauty services such as hair extensions, lash extensions, microblading, spray tanning and more – Many of our clients will use these services in preparation for their weddings or events to make sure they look their very best!
Hannah Elisabeth Beauty is set apart from so many similar teams because our team is focused and committed to excellence in every area. We built our reputation from priding ourselves on only the highest in quality of services and products, as well as creating a team environment amongst our artists, and always valuing our customer’s needs above all else.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I believe that sometimes we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to barriers in female leadership. It can be difficult to grow into the confidence that you can lead a team – Leadership is more about the OTHER and less about the SELF. If you can always focus on serving others, rather than looking to see what they can do for you, leadership will come naturally.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hannahelisabethbeauty.com
- Phone: 630.818.5152
- Email: hannahelisabethbeauty@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @hannahelisabethbeauty
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/hannahelisabethbeauty
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