This week I met with Hollie, a very talented make up artist, passionate about her work. Read her story and how she progressed in the industry...
Hollie, how many years have you been working in Beauty? I am working in the beauty industry 8 years now which has just flown by. Suppose it’s true time flies when your having fun!
What qualifications do you hold? I am a fully qualified Beauty Therapist & Make-up artist. It all started in a beauty college in Newry. The course was more difficult than I had imagined but so interesting, I loved the practical side of it, not so much the theory but I got there. I went on to work in a few different salons, and had both good and bad experiences. I pushed myself on, I worked hard & I paid for extra courses to better myself and to have more qualifications. I did the ‘LA Make-Up’ artist course in Dublin, I did semi permanent make up training, the eyelash extension courses & some more make-up artistry courses with the amazing ‘Callenberry Make-up Artists & Inglot’ in Dublin. This made me more confident.
How did you take the first step of opening your own business? I didn’t always know what I wanted to be when I got older. I hadn’t much interest in school but I was lucky enough to get my exams & stay on to do my A levels which I think was the best decision now looking back. I did business studies & ICT. I had no want for college, I was lost after school. What will I do?.. A constant question that stuck in my head. After doing my A levels everyone was saying to me ‘you don’t want to do beauty, go to college get a degree’ etc.. I’m quite head strong as a person so I always did what I thought was right & I enrolled for the full time beauty course. I made the right decision.
After working locally for years & many things happening in my personal life, I booked to go to Oz to visit my brother for a holiday. The holiday turned into longer than planned and I stayed on and worked in a lovely beauty salon in Sydney. My employer went off on maternity & I looked after the salon. I got the feel for opening up & organising the salon, ordering,cleaning, working & building clients and I enjoyed it all. I met some amazing people that gave me a lot of confidence in myself and made me believe that there was so much more in me than what I could see at the time. I came home from Oz the following year feeling confused and a bit lost, not knowing what to do next. Some off my amazing old clients, friends & family got in touch to see if I was working from home. Why not? I thought, it will tie me over until I get something I want. After a few interviews in Dublin and Belfast and getting offered ridiculous money I said no way, I’m better than that. I listened to myself again, I refused those offers & I put my head down yet again, did more courses, started taking pictures of my work & putting them on social media sites. Word of mouth, being the best form of advertisement helped my business grew, I was working crazy hours and still had people on cancellation lists, it wasn’t always easy. My social life took a big step back and I worked as hard as I could.
What do you love about running your own business? I love the freedom of running my own business, I love doing it all my way and learning as I go. Even though I now work more hours than ever, I’ve never been happier!
What challenges have you faced? You face many challenges. There are some weeks/months that you couldn’t be busier then there’s the quieter ones leading up to Xmas etc. You are constantly thinking of the next step, what else will I do? What courses will I do? Is it worth the money? The time & effort etc! Are my clients happy? Could I do more? You rarely switch off.
What do you do in your spare time? I train, without my weekly gym visits I don’t think I’d be as happy as I am. Training is my time out & so good for my head. I also like a night out every few weeks & coffees & lunches with my friends.
What advice would you give those who wish to work in this area? I highly recommend a career in beauty , it’s very fulfilling & you get so much out of helping people look & feel better about themselves. I know my treatments give my customers confidence, they look and feel better and this is a great feeling for me, its a very rewarding job. Don’t get stuck in a rut in salons. If you’re not happy there, better yourself, push yourself on, have confidence in yourself & always believe you can do better!
So Whats next for you? Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? I’m far from finished, I’l be going forward year by year. Successful, happy & growing are definitely part off my plan.
See more about Hollie on Facebook – Hollie Campbell Beauty,
Twitter – @hollie_campbell , Instagram- HOLLIE_CAMPBELL
If you would like your story here, email maria@beautifuljobs.ie