Business of Beauty: How One Makeup Artist is Expanding Her Brand

Mebane’s luxurious product line was only a stepping stone to an empire she sought to create. She launched her first book, Glam Executive, earlier this year. It was a project two years in the making. Mebane describes herself as a note taker and those reflections were the foundation of her book’s content; industry nuggets that she learned along the way which she refers to as “Joi’s Journal.” Her book serves as a manual for entrepreneurs or anyone interested in breaking into the business of beauty. Glam Executive, the manual of beauty, was a long process, a learning process, and another notch on Mebane’s proverbial belt of success.

With the accolades piling up and her aspirations growing, Mebane has no plans of slowing down. She has hopes of seeing her makeup line sold in commercial stores such as Target, Ulta, and Sephora as well as booking speaking engagements, mentoring, and educating people on business itself. She looks to inspire others and hopes her story will serve as a cautionary tale that others can learn from her mistakes. She advises new business owners to first find an accountant and a lawyer. Owning a business can be tricky she says, people do what they love and forget about the business aspect of it. “It’s going to be a hassle, but at least when things come up they won’t deter you from losing your passion and the reason you started.”

Mebane prides herself on thinking outside the box. She’s known as a bride professional, an entrepreneur, and now an author with a number of titles on the horizon. “The beauty industry, just like any industry, is competitive. Find out what makes you different … make it specific to you … and be able to articulate that. What makes me different is that I’m a business woman first and that’s where my passion lies. I’ve tried all kind of businesses but beauty is the business I fell in love with.”

Author Candace Mitchell (@loveCandyV) is co-founder and CEO of Techturized Inc., enabling hair care personalization capabilities in the market for female consumers around the world. As a computer scientist and fellow coder, she spends her time in the lab working on the company’s first product, Myavana— a mobile social platform for black hair care, available on iOS and Android.