You may be an independent beauty professional, but that doesn’t mean you’re on your own when it comes to building your business. As you continue to develop your brand from a budding salon to a glamorous empire, who you look to for guidance along the way has a substantial impact on your growth.

“I didn’t have anyone to help guide me along the way the first ten years of my career,” says Cassandra McClure, a model and actress turned in-demand makeup artist. Finding a mentor to help tap into her potential is what took her business to new heights and encouraged her to act in service for the up-and-coming beauty pros behind her. “It wasn’t until the last five years that I secured a coach myself and began growing my business in new ways, creating multiple revenue streams, and being featured often in the media… She’s still my advisor to this day, and it makes me so happy to know I can now help others like me that are ‘stuck.’”

Try GlossGenius free for 14 days!

Having a mentor you can turn to whether you’re just starting or looking to level up is invaluable to your evolution as an entrepreneur. For that reason, we’re highlighting a few beauty coaches in the biz here so you can start soaking up some of their wisdom today.

Best for Breaking Into the Business

Victoria Duke, aka Professor Beautiful

Founded by the Paris-trained “Professor Beautiful,” the Academy of Glam is helmed by Victoria Duke, a celebrity makeup artist and beauty brand strategist – she counts A-list celebrities and over 100 national and international beauty queens as her clientele.

At Academy of Glam, you’ll train alongside renowned artists, YouTube makeup tutorial stars, and Fortune 500 beauty business executives to master state-of-the-art techniques and marketing strategies during an 18-week Power Pro Master Makeup Artist program. After immersing yourself in this South-Florida-based beauty boot camp, you’ll leave with a developed portfolio and be fully equipped to cultivate your potential as a professional makeup artist. Come in, see the studio, and discuss your goals with their admissions team, and you’re automatically eligible for $500 off your class.

Best for Getting Your Finances in Order

Kenesha Coleman, aka The Beauty CPA 

Kenesha is an award-winning CPA, IRS Enrolled Agent, and Certified Tax Coach specializing in helping ambitious “beautypreneurs” save money by optimizing their financial lives. In addition to the regular doses of bite-sized tax advice on her Instagram page, Coleman offers a variety of freebies to improve your fiscal fitness; if you’re just starting in your beauty business, snag her Business Roadmap for Beautypreneurs as a resource to make sure you have set your salon up to be legal, legit, and compliant.

Once you’ve laid your financial foundation, you can graduate to her Beauty Business Financials Clinic – a masterclass that you will use to get your books together, even if you did zero bookkeeping last year. After you've completed the clinic, you’ll be a master of tax deductions, streamlining your bookkeeping systems, and flawlessly executing your P&L come tax time.

[CTA_MODULE]

Best for Learning to Practice Clean Beauty

Cassandra McClure, aka The Clean Beauty Queen 

Cassandra has become a champion for the Clean Beauty Product movement bringing new awareness to the masses through information, education, and representation. She now guides those in the beauty field to new heights with strategy and consulting through the perspective she expresses continually “until all beauty is clean beauty.”

Her courses focus on one-on-one programs and are offered weekly, monthly, and quarterly. For those looking for a deeper immersion, Cassandra often hosts the Clean Beauty Business Retreat for artists, service providers, and beauty lovers looking to find clarity around what clean beauty really is. She is currently offering a complementary strategy consultation via Zoom or telephone for professionals starting out on the clean beauty path.

Her #1 piece of advice to new beauty pros: “Be found everywhere! Whether it’s LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, or GlossGenius, you should be listed on every directory, have a professional headshot and website with an accessible phone number or email to reach you!”

Best for Scaling Your Beauty Business

Joi Mebane, aka The Brow Business Architect

Joi Mebane is the Atlanta-based mastermind behind The Look By Joi and has quickly become a go-to expert and innovator in the microblading industry. During the pandemic, she created "The 60 Second Brow Kit," which helped those stuck at home get their brows done professionally. Now, she travels the country to sold-out conferences teaching people in the industry how to open successful brow and microblading businesses. 

Try GlossGenius free for 14 days!

Joi’s IGTV feed is filled with educational videos that range from nine-minute sessions on How to Be Social on Social Media to a 30-minute mini-course on How to Create a Product Line. For a more structured and interactive option, Joi offers a 12-week program called The Brow, Beauty, and Business Mentorship that gives you full access to her step-by-step processes toward success to scale your business and bring home a six-figure salary this year.

[CTA_MODULE]