Life and Work with Kaitlin Williams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin Williams.

Kaitlin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m 24 years old, I’m an entrepreneur who wears a lot of different hats (so to speak), I own two businesses and I’m also a full-time Makeup Artist.

In early 2012, when I first had to think about what career path I wanted to follow, I was set on two ideas. The first being a publicist of some sort or the second would’ve been a teacher in special education. However, all that quickly changed when my financial aid got pulled because to the school I “made too much money.” This being because I’ve always worked two-three jobs at any given time to be able to support myself fully and invest in my schooling, my financial aid only covered my books, not my classes.

Fast forward two years to mid-2014, it’s summer and I have dedicated over 1,000 hours of my time to the YouTube beauty bloggers. Make-up was always something I knew I wanted to be good at for myself but never did I think that I would pursue a career in it. Until I did.

It took that entire summer of me just practicing on myself to finally get enough confidence to start practicing on others. I spent about $800 of my own money in three months just on building my makeup kit. Once I was fully equipped, I labeled myself as a “self-taught MUA” and worked tirelessly on building my portfolio. Mind you I was doing about 20 faces a month on average FOR FREE. Even when I did start charging, I was completely underpricing myself. I did that for about a year before I decided it was time to take the next step in getting certified and that’s when I attended TNT Agency in Chino Hills. After I was as certified professional MUA, there was NO stopping me. I worked and worked and worked to get the dreams jobs and bookings I set my sights on. I worked everything from L.A. Fashion week to The Latin Grammy’s all in a matter on one year.

Today, my resume could stack up to about four pages if I let it. I have started my own Makeup Line by name of Makeup Le Vie. We sell synthetic, cruelty-free lashes via my online store (www.makeuplevie.com)
I also Co-own an Artist collective named The Dimension Collective based in Los Angeles as the Beauty director.

And finally, I am a Makeup Instructor where I help teach a large number of women and men to become certified as Makeup artists of their own.

Has it been a smooth road?
With most things, the struggle is real. I faced many financial strains and challenges, in the beginning, considering I decided to embark on this journey alone. This is what forced me to work multiple jobs at once.

However, once I realized how much discipline is actually taken to manage yourself and even begin to think about starting a business, things really kicked into gear for me. I forced myself to make a strict schedule to make sure I was accomplishing everything I set my goals towards. It kicked my butt, in the beginning, I won’t lie but the truth is if you don’t do it for yourself no one else will either.

My advice to women who want to follow the same path is to set goals! Write them down, buy a calendar so you physically have to cross days off, do all the research you possibly can on what your passionate about, get friends who hold you accountable and don’t EVER give up.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Makeup Le Vie – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
What sets me apart from others, in my opinion, is the level of positivity and encouragement that I express on a regular basis. The feedback I receive on a regular basis is always along the lines of how much confidence I instill in my clients and students. It’s extremely rewarding.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
My favorite books of all time that genuinely changed me for the better are “You are a Badass: How to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life” written by Jen Sincero, Secondly, “Crushing it: How great entrepreneurs build their business and influence- and how you can, too” written by Gary Vaynerchuk was also known as Gary Vee.

I highly recommend both those reads to my fellow entrepreneurs.

Pricing:

• Makeup Le Vie lashes range from $8- $22 before taxes and shipping
• Makeup Services range from $100- $300

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.makeuplevie.com
• Email: kaitlinr_williams@yahoo.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/kaitlindiaries
• Facebook: Facebook.com/makeuplevie

Image Credit:
Ilana Ludovico

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