How do we turn our passions into a thriving professional business? In today’s episode, I have the honor of introducing you to Susan Talamantes of Jireh Artistry. Susan has decades of experience working as a makeup artist and hair stylist in the wedding industry, and she is sharing her best tips for turning your business dreams into reality. Expanding your luxury destination wedding business.
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Review The Show Notes:
Makeup And Hair Styling Business Mistakes (3:00)
What Makes A Professional Stylist (6:31)
What To Prioritize First When Building Your Business (10:15)
How Business Models Have Changed Since 2020 (13:42)
Systems And Workflows For The Luxury Market (22:05)
Advice On Payment For Artists (27:59)
Building A Business In Destination Locations (31:18)
Stepping Into The Luxury Market (35:53)
How To Maintain Consistency With Photos As An Artist (43:33)
Stepping In Front Of The Camera As A Business Owner (50:39)
Is Your Industry Oversaturated? (54:01)
Coaching Programs For Makeup Artists (58:00)
Key Tip From Susan (1:00:10)
Connect With Susan:
Review the Transcript:
Quianna Marie
Many of us are incredibly talented at what we do. But unfortunately most of us weren’t born with a business savvy gene. What exactly draws the line between something we’re good at to a thriving and professional business? Today I have the honor of introducing you to one of my longest wedding industry. Besties Susan Talamantes with Jireh Artistry. Susan is a powerhouse woman that has decades of experience in the beauty industry.
Over the years she has established herself as a professional serving brides in Northern California from Lake Tahoe to Big Sur, and lots of national parks and breathtaking destination locations in between. Not only does Susan run a successful makeup and hair styling business for weddings and elopements, but Susan also has a generous heart for teaching artists to help turn their passions into profits. I’ve had the honor of working closely with Susan on wedding days curating styled shoots and collaborating for work dates, and Rising Tide Society events over the years.
Today, Susan will be dropping juicy educational tips, encouragement and the roadmap that will help entrepreneurs turn their business dreams into their reality. We’ll break down what to prioritize first when it comes to building your business and share insight for embracing the different seasons of your life and how your business can expand and grow with you through the years. The best part about this podcast is that I get to connect you to my real life friends.
Consider my network of business professionals and industry leaders, your network too. With a warm welcome from the Bay Area, California to Scottsdale Arizona. Please welcome my beautiful friend Susan.
Welcome to Quianna Marie Weekly, a podcast for creatives who love to celebrate wins big or small by dancing in the kitchen photographers who are excited to serve their clients and friends who are ready to chase really, really big dreams. You can find all of the resources mentioned in this episode at Kiana murray.com/podcast. Join me as I share weekly motivation, chat about growing pains, finding genuine connections and celebrating your wins through the lens of a photographer at heart. Come join me for a dance party. Ready? Loves though. Hey, hey, hey, welcome to the party. Susan, thank you for joining today.
Susan Talamantes
Yay. Thank you for having me.
Quianna Marie
I’m so so blessed that you can join us our roots run really deep in the Bay Area, California. Yes. And I just remember that you were one of my very first wedding vendor friends.
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, I think the same for you. You’re my first like photographer friend to I think we met like, at the perfect timing. Yes,
Quianna Marie
yes. And it’s so amazing to see how far we have both grown and how much our businesses have expanded. So I would love to just get right to these juicy questions. Are you ready? Yes, I am. Yeah. So please tell us Susan, what’s the biggest mistake makeup and hair stylists make when trying to build their business? Okay, so
Susan Talamantes
I think the main thing is pricing too low. I see this all the time. And of course, there’s a lot of, you know, tips that I would have in this area. But I think setting your rates to actually be able to make a profit because hair and makeup artists are the worst at this. I’m sure it kind of runs in every department, you know, photographers, videographers, and all of that when you’re first starting out. But you really need to take the time to actually calculate and do the math.
There’s plenty of courses, you could talk to an accountant on that. But to really calculate your product costs, your overhead fees, licensing fees, insurance, like all the things that you need to take into consideration and you will be so surprised because I’ve done this throughout the years. And every time I do it, I’m still surprised at what my rates should actually be. So I think that that is a huge mistake. And I think that you know, not only are you doing yourself as a professional, a disservice by setting your rates too low.
Because, you know, a lot of times you’re not making the profit that you think that you’re making, per booking, but you’re also doing the industry as a whole a disservice because you’re under charging. And so I just want to encourage everyone to not I know the first step that everyone does usually is that they go online and they like research okay, what are other hair and makeup artists in my area charging or what are other photographers charging in my area?
They kind of go based upon what everyone else is charging and then like, okay, maybe I’ll fit right here in the middle or, you know, just below or just above, but a lot of times those are professionals that you’re searching have not actually done the math either. So it’s kind of like the blind leading the blind. And if they have done the math, let’s say they’ve calculated everything they have calculated everything for their specific business, and every business is going to be so different.
We all have different product costs, some of us might use lower end products, some might use higher end products, we serve different locations, we have different specialties, travel distance, you know, like, there’s so many things to take into consideration, that, that you just can’t like, just copy and paste somebody else’s calculations and say, this is gonna work for me, you know. So I would say that’s my biggest.
Quianna Marie
That’s a great tip. And a great way to kick this off. Because I feel like a lot of people have a lot of questions when it comes to pricing, it can be really, really daunting coming up with this price and kind of pulling it out of thin air. And I love and I love how you mentioned that everybody’s businesses are different, right? I mean, you can have an incredibly talented makeup artist, that unbeknownst to you, she may have a full time job.
Maybe she’s only booking a couple of weddings a year. And she’s just doing it because it’s fun. And it just, she’s not even really profiting. She’s just she just getting out in the industry and having fun, right? Or maybe you are comparing your prices to another makeup artists that this is their full time job. Right. And so like their livelihood depends on this. Right? Exactly.
Susan Talamantes
Yes, that’s 100% Yes.
Quianna Marie
So what advice would you give to someone that like, what differentiates a talented makeup artist, let’s say someone who grew up that always did their sister’s makeup and always did all the hair for their best friends before going out. And she’s ready. Like, she knows that she has the talent either. She’s naturally gifted, and has always enjoyed it, and then maybe has taken some courses. But then what makes someone just a talented stylist actually become a professional? Where’s that gap? And is it just, it was it just the title change, like what makes you are professional? Okay,
Susan Talamantes
so there’s a few things that come to mind off top. And the first things are the obvious things like licensing or certificates, you know, like, maybe take actual courses so that you learn in our industry and beauty world it sanitation is like a big one, right, like, learn the actual sanitation. So some of those things like certificates or whatever in your profession. But then the less obvious that comes to mind would be the client experience as a whole. So from point A, when the bride you know, first reaches out to you, or first you know, lands on your Instagram or your website or your Google account, whatever it is, they find you somehow that first experience leading to okay, they contact you.
Then now they’re booking a phone call with you, or they’re signing the contract, whatever that experience and processes, I think that that really can define a professional, a true professional. And clients will notice as they’re comparing and, you know, they’re looking at different photographers or different videographers, they will notice, like, okay, this person seems to have it all together, like, oh my gosh, it’s so easy, you know, run so smooth, she has a really easy system, I just click and select, you know, sign and pay.
She will notice when they don’t have it together, you know, and it’s like, oh, text messaging or like emails takes her days to respond, or things are just falling through the cracks, or she forgot details or, you know, whatever it is. And so I think that that can be a truly and on top of like, of course having like contracts, like having the legit beings, insurance and all the things that you need to operate as a legit business. So I think it covered like a few different things. But they all go together.
Quianna Marie
Yes, yes, you’re right. And it really boils down to communication and professionalism. So how are you communicating? How are you sharing your services? And really having that that gusto to follow up and prove that you’re the professional? Right? I think, I think a lot of you know, not just stylist and you know, in the makeup and hair, you know, community like not only them in that community, but like we have to prove on all business friends, that we are powerful, right?
I feel like a lot of people just they assume Hey, I’m the best. I’m good at what I do come to me because I I’ll take care of you. But we have to be really proactive. We need to set these expectations first, right?
Susan Talamantes
Yes, yeah. And they, the clients will pick that up through Will your communication and you know, contacting you and all of those things? They’ll pick that up little by little.
Quianna Marie
Yes, yes. Well, I love that you have been in this industry for over 15 years. And like Benson, right, like we started so long ago. So Susan, if you had to start everything from scratch, everything from the beginning, what would you prioritize first, when it came to building your business?
Susan Talamantes
Oh I love that question. So, there’s a few things again, that come to mind when, when you’re first starting out. And I think the main thing in the beginning would be like your talent and your skill set. So you know, kind of perfecting your craft. So maybe don’t even charge if you’re just starting out, don’t even charge as you learn, and you you know, hone in on your style and your craft and your skills and just practice, practice, practice, you know, do all the learning that you need to do for that.
But then the other side of that, I would say, don’t get into like perfectionism, because then I’ve seen the other side, too, where like, an artist, or a professional feels like they can never like start because they’re never good enough, you know? So get to a happy place. And then I would say, after that it’s like your processes, your systems, your organization and branding and marketing? For sure. Yeah. Yeah, one thing that worked out great for me, in the beginning, was actually the branding and the marketing.
I had already been doing hair and makeup for like, eight years. So I had the skill and the talent down when I started my bridal beauty company in 2016. I like officially started doing weddings, I done weddings for eight years previously, but I never went out and sought after them, they just kind of came to me. So I already kind of had the talent and the skills down. And so the next thing that I focused on was the branding and the marketing. I feel like you know, building an online presence, building your portfolio, that was awesome. And I would still suggest to go in that direction as well. Like heavily focus on creating, you know, building your portfolio and building that online presence.
Quianna Marie
Yes, yes, yes. And I this once again, like I say, I love having you on here as a makeup and hair stylists that this goes for all businesses, right, like businesses business, babe, like, we have to go back to the basics, and not only honing your skills, because if you are going to offer something like let’s be the best or the best version of ourselves, and then it’s just a matter of getting people to know you and and showing up and creating that brand presence. That’s really powerful. So I love that you would prioritize that too.
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, and our artistic skill and talent will continue to develop and evolve as the years go on, and will just get better and better and better, you know, at our craft. And so that’s what I was saying buy Don’t be like a perfectionist don’t get stuck in perfectionism because we there were never ending, right? Like, our artistic or our talent and our skills. And even on the business side is never ending. Like, there’s always fine tuning. There’s always things that we could do even better.
Quianna Marie
Yes, yes. Well, and as a business, we can both agree that we have to be flexible, right? We have to embrace change, As the World Turns as challenges come our way. And it’s not always easy, right? Like it’s not always easy trying to keep this business not only alive, but to thrive. Yes, I would love to kind of dive deep and kind of go back into history real quick. Which doesn’t. Doesn’t seem that long ago, but it also seems like just last summer. But when the the crumbling 2020 happened with weddings, how has your business model changed since then? I would love to kind of dive deeper into this.
Susan Talamantes
Yeah. Okay. So, pre 2020, I had a large team of artists in California, and Hawaii, and we were booking weddings consistently in those two areas. Then pandemic happens, roll gets shut down. And for like six months, we were not allowed to work. When we were allowed to work, it was only elopements and micro weddings. And for the longest time, it was just a moment. So just the bride and groom, you know, only a certain small amount of people can be there. And all those, you know, crazy things. So I actually didn’t need a team for like a year, year and a half, maybe even two years and sign simultaneously at the same time.
Around 2019 I also have started to market towards destination locations in my area. So it kind of just worked perfectly, that we were only allowed to do 11 minutes because those destination locations were where brides wanted to elope. And so I actually just started to do a ton of elopements all the pretty places, traveling, I really, I’ve always been, I’ve always loved to travel, you know that chiana. So I kind of like dove in deeper into that. And then I started to find myself really like investing in myself as an artist and branding and marketing myself as an artist.
I am always I always talk about like ebbs and flows and seasons in our career, right and in our life. So, we are business owners, we’re entrepreneurs, but we also have life outside of our business, right? Some of us are moms, we have kids, or we have husbands or, you know, whatever it is dogs, animals, you know, like, we have a life outside of our business. So in different seasons, your business will evolve at certain points. And so the first for me was when I built my bridal beauty team in 2016. And I was like, we’re gonna do this as a team concept, you know, and we did all that. And then I started my coaching business. And then I started to offer the destination locations, because I wanted to travel, and my kids are older at this point, when my kids were younger, I would not have done so much traveling, my kids are all older, they’re very independent.
So I’m like, Okay, I could go to the pretty places I could travel and do the things. So I am a huge promoter of like, whatever works for you at that time. And what gives you peace, and joy, like what makes me happy, like, the cool thing as entrepreneurs is that we are driving the ship, so we can decide which route we want to go, what we want to do what’s serving us now and what’s not serving us now. So at that pivotal moment, you know, 2020, when I started to do a lot of solo weddings, I realized that I really love serving just the bride. And maybe once in a while will be like a mom, or a sister, you know, but I focused a lot on just the bride.
I’m in and I’m out in like two or three hours, you know, I’m not physically exhausted, drained, I traveled to this beautiful location, you know, fully serve her pour into her. And I also started to enjoy not having to manage a team, even though I had all my systems in place, these are things that I taught in the past and still teach to this day is because there’s so much that goes into managing a team concept as far as having systems processes.
When you’re managing a team, you have to also consider them and their needs and their wants and all of that. So I had everything running smoothly for a team concept. But at that time, I’m like, you know, I just feel like I’m really just enjoying this. And so the team concept for me is still like always on the shelf, like I’m not sure if I’ll pick it up, I might just add like one or two girls to my team in the future. Or I might continue to go as I am right now. So and I love that you can choose to do whatever you want. There’s no rules to that, you know, you can be totally successful owning a team concept. And running solo, like just whatever you want to do. Just, you know you do it.
Quianna Marie
Yeah, yes. And I, I love that you’re making reference to the different seasons, right? Because there there are going to be times as a makeup artist or a stylist where maybe you just want to actually be a part of a team. Maybe you are in a season where you don’t actually want to run the show yourself, right? Maybe you do want to have an entire team where you are, gosh, like you’re working in locations like you can have on one given Saturday you can be in like your business could be in three different cities around the globe or more. That is incredible. Like that is a huge management skill, right? And I love that you are so transparent to share that we have those options.
It’s just a matter of deciding what’s best for you at this time. Maybe what’s coming next like what we can kind of prep for As the World Turns and we’re looking just a couple years ahead of where we would like to be. But you truly are beautiful example Susan have have been able to juggle these different seasons. So thank you for clarifying that.
Susan Talamantes
I also want to piggyback off of that really quick Because I think it’s so important, like, the way that people define success or see success, some artists specifically, I want to say, will think that, you know, if I’m working for a team, and I don’t have my own team, like, I’m less successful now, and that is not the case, you are doing what works best for you at that time, in that season in your life. So, like, there are benefits to working for teams, you don’t have to manage and oversee, like, you know, all the logistics, you just show up and do the work and get paid, you know, and that is awesome. Like, there are times I still work for my friends, and I help them with their weddings.
I love it because I’m like, okay, just show up, you know, this is an easy day for me, no logistics, no worries, I just show up and do the work. And same goes with like having a team concept. Some people think, you know, like, you have to have like this huge, large team to be wildly successful. And that is not the case, either. I have I myself am an example.
As well as I have a few close friends who are luxury, you know, hair and makeup artists, and they charge top dollar for their services. They’re making six to seven figures a year, you know, so anything is possible. And I always just encourage everyone to just do what works best for you. And don’t worry about what anybody is going to think or have to say about it.
Quianna Marie
Oh my gosh, and mic drop moment. Yes. And all businesses, we can relate to that. And I kind of if it’s okay, I love to kind of circle back to sharing that professionalism. So if you’re, if you’re open, I would love to learn a little bit more about the systems and the programs that you use, because like you mentioned, we can’t just be sending, you know, Instagram DMS and then texting and then not sending contracts. And then, you know, asking for Venmo payments, like it can get very sticky and very messy. So I would love for you to share a little bit more about your workflows and your systems that truly elevates you into this luxury market.
Susan Talamantes
I always share this story. Because I remember that time when you and I were at a coffee shop, we had our little work dates at this time. And we would meet pretty regularly and you know, get our little boss babe stuff done. But we were at a coffee shop and I was like “Quianna, I am going crazy!”
You know, all these bookings are flooding in. I have like all these contracts, you know, and I had my tape together system. You’re like, Susan, you need HoneyBook like you are crazy. The way that you’re smiling and laughing at me now was like the same. In that moment. You’re just like, just get HoneyBook you know? So I always credit my life changing moment when I when I switched over to honey book to you Quianna. But yeah, HoneyBook totally has like, changed the game for me, it’s. So if you don’t want to use honey book, you can look into any CRM. But it’s basically a system that manages your whole entire wedding business.
So each client has their own profile, and you can send contracts online, you don’t have to do paper contracts, or like sign and scan and email, no, do it all digital online. They collect the card payment, you know, the retainer, and whatever payment plans you have set up there. It’s automatic, since switching over to this process.
Then you could also have like your notes and your email communication, you could send questionnaires and forums and all that good stuff. But since switching over to that process, I have never had brides not pay their final payment. I remember before it was like oh, you got to send reminders or you know, like honey book takes care of all that for you.
They will send reminders. If your bride has like a day or two late like they’re getting reminders, you know, and and so I’d highly suggest that there’s also automations workflows that you could set up so you could have like automatic emails being sent out like three months prior to remind her of whatever you want and then one month before maybe remind her of preparations for the day, all that good stuff. So I think I think that is my like one and main source of staying organized.
Quianna Marie
I love that so much. I’m so grateful that you share that guys. This wasn’t like a plug like I didn’t ask Susan to say like this just came up organically and it’s true. HoneyBook truly is a platform that just streamlines everything it makes except professional, it makes it friendly to us for our clients. Plus, it’s really pretty. It’s customizable for us. And and I just love the way that literally it crashed. I think I did one time. I think it was like a two minute process.
From by the time someone inquired with me, booked their date, sent the payment, boom, boom, done. Like it was just, it was so seamless. And it elevates you as a professional, right? Because when you’re scrambling like this is this is totally going to date me. But I remember literally, I would send out two contracts, like in the mail, like I would literally print out on my computer at home and just hope that it would make that noise when you hit print. Right? You’re like, please, printer gods, please print today.
Right? And I would, I would in a manila folder, I would send out two contracts, I would send one that was their copy that they would get right. And then I would have another like manila folder in there with stamps, so they could send the contract back to me after signing. This was like this was a complete nightmare. Like, you know what I mean? Because like, the contracts didn’t always get sent back. And I think the climate of weddings is changing a little bit. But back then, you know, 1015 years ago, a lot of My Brides were having their parents pay for weddings. So it was I was I sending the contract to the couple was I sending it to the mother of the bride, right? Like, it just got so sticky. And so quickly, so messy. And so yes, thank you to HoneyBook there’s
Susan Talamantes
technology that exists. So professionals are you know, being stuck back in the stone age is when there’s legit technology that exists. And I think another big fear that they have is the the monthly payment or what the investment is going to be. And HoneyBook surprisingly, is super affordable. Anytime like I share the rate. You know, professionals are like oh my gosh, like I thought you’re gonna say it’s like hundreds of dollars. No, it’s so affordable. And it’s so worth it. The other thing is the tech gets a little scary for artists or professionals. So I also help with that. I don’t know if you do as well. Quianna, Do you help with like the tech side of HoneyBook stuff?
Quianna Marie
Yeah, yeah. If anybody has any questions we can for sure. Do that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, it’s true. And I feel like there’s but yes, to answer your question. I think a lot of people are afraid of it.
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, people are like honey book also has a ton of support, too, which is great. But yeah, I mean, if you just force yourself to dive in, it will change your business, then that’s what I really had to do. I had to like, just force yourself to like, I’m going to sit at this computer. And I’m not going to get up until I figure out, honey, but
Quianna Marie
yes, well, I have a question for you. Because I with a wedding photography background. I’ve seen this happen so many times, where on a wedding day, as the services are being done, let’s say there’s three or four bridesmaids, let’s say there’s the bride and you know, her mother that also got her makeup done. And then when it’s time to pay the makeup artists, there’s always a scramble, like people are pulling cash out of bags. Cash is just sitting on couches and on beds in you know, like the, like the suites and hotel rooms. And it just can get really messy. So are you are you are you having your clients pay in advance? So you don’t have to worry about that. Like, what does that look like for you in the morning?
Susan Talamantes
Definitely. Yeah, so they pay eight weeks prior? I would suggest at least like eight weeks prior four to eight weeks prior. Some artists do even longer than that. It just depends on what your policies are. And, you know, you want everything to line up as far as like your cancellation policies are rescheduling and stuff like that. So that’s why I have an eight weeks but yes, I mean, in the very beginning like 15 years ago, I probably did collect cash payments and it’s very messy. Also, you don’t want to be asking the bride on her wedding day like where’s my money, you know, like it’s her wedding day she doesn’t want to think about like, you don’t want to be hounding her for your money.
She doesn’t want to be like scrambling looking through her purse for like her cash or you know, whatever it is like that kind of takes her out of the moment of like being excited and you know, feeling all the feelings and all the like beautiful things of a wedding day. It takes her out of that moment and it’s like, this is not a fun time for either of us. You know?
Quianna Marie
Yes I love and that’s one thing that HoneyBook can do right is sending out those payments prior. There’s even actually a way to if you’re not familiar with honey book by At our clients can actually add a gratuity. So that’s already in there like and I love that little green plus sign like coaching like thank you. Yeah, we appreciate that.
Susan Talamantes
So funny. Yeah, my husband saw my emails the other days like cha ching ching. He’s like, Oh, what’s that? And I’m like, oh, yeah, it’s my it’s my process my system. Yeah. Gives me a little cheese.
Quianna Marie
I love it. Make that money, honey. I love it. Yeah, well, okay, so I want to chat about a fun experience that we shared when we actually went to Hawaii. So together, we went with your makeup artists with your team. And that’s when we were going out to Hawaii to to our wedding venues, and to build your team. And that was just such an incredible experience. We did styled shoots, we got to link up with other photographers like our our friend, Vanessa Hicks, that was like way back in the day. And I would love to share your heart behind this hustle for elopements.
How would makeup artists build their business and these destination locations like we like we just traveled like we booked it like I just I was just kind of like you’re, you’re basically a content creator back then. Right? Like I was taking photos for you, I was documenting the experience for us. So what would be your advice to tap into these destination location?
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, so what I’m going to share can be applied to any time that you want to serve a new location. So whether it’s like a really pretty place like Hawaii, or Mexico, or maybe there’s just like a city like a large city that you want to serve near you. Or maybe you’re moving from one location to another now you got a market a whole new location, anytime you want to serve any location, and I’ve done it four times now where I’ve served, I broke into the Hawaii market. And then like Tahoe, Yosemite and Big Sur, and consistently book weddings in those locations.
So the formula I would say is to, of course, networking, you know, with local photographers and wedding vendors in that area. And then building a portfolio is a really huge one, you want to have photos of the work that you’ve done in that area, because brides want to see that you actually serve that location, and that you’re familiar with that location. So get really familiar with like the landmarks, the hotels in the area, the wedding venues, you know, and the pros and cons to things so that you can be like an expert. So when you’re talking to brides, you can also give them pointers and say it and you know, like show them that you know what you’re talking about and that you’ve served weddings in that area. You’ve you’re familiar with that specific venue, you know, what, you know, the getting ready room, it’s like he know what the ceremony location is, like, you know, maybe there’s like a weather thing that you need to be considerate of or like whatever it is like just really get to know that area, and then start building your portfolio. And that will help with branding and marketing for that location.
Quianna Marie
Yes, yes. And would you say styled shoots help with this too? Or when you are investigating? Is this more like you just go in and scoping things out and maybe taking a weekend trip with the girlfriend or your husband or something like how are you developing these skills in that new location?
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, definitely styled shoots. So you know, network with some photographers, florist models, you know, put all of that together and do some styled shoots to build your portfolio. So every time I’ve launched to a new location and I’m like, oh, I want to you know, climb mountains in Yosemite. I always start off with like styled shoots first before I actually get brides booking me for that location. Yes,
Quianna Marie
I love that. And I feel like this is a huge testament to to any business as well, because people they need to see something in order to believe it right? So if you come on and you’re like, Oh, I am this lake tahoe photographer and I love Tahoe Keep Tahoe Blue. And then they go to your website. And all they see are like for me like desert pictures, right? Like they don’t see like Tahoe. Like they may think Wait a second is this person just making things up? And she false advertising, right. But if you just have like one shot of let you know of just gorgeous Tahoe or the views of Yosemite. It just makes you so much more legit. I love that.
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, yeah. And another thing that you’ll notice is if you don’t have all of those photos, brides will question like, Oh, where are you located? You know, because they’re they’re trying to figure out if they’re going to pay like a hefty travel fee to get you there. Whereas Now my portfolio has a ton of different destination locations, and they’re not all close together, you know? So I’m really branded as a traveling artist. So I hardly ever get that question because they understand that I’m all over the place. Like, it doesn’t really matter where I’m located, where I physically like sleep at night, like, where I live. It’s just that I travel all over the place. And this is just what I do. It’s just the norm, you know. And so that’s what you want to portray, in your portfolio that like, I serve this location.
Quianna Marie
Yes, yes. Well, and I can tell just from looking at your work, and obviously knowing you so well, that you truly are in that luxury in that premier wedding and elopement category, right, or like, market, I would say. And, you know, as you’re sharing about this, about getting into other cities or into other destinations, it’s one thing to have a portfolio there, but then also to be elevated into this luxury experience. And if you just take a scroll through your Instagram, you see that you are delivering these spa like treatments, and even just watching you, like massage the faces and adding your little like, under eye gel pads i i am envious, like I want that service. Right. So can you share with us? What has What have you done to take that leap from not only a destination makeup artist and hairstylist but in that luxury market?
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, that’s a great question. I would say that first. Those spa like experiences that I’ve decided to incorporate and sprinkle in throughout my services really comes from me loving spas, like I love my spa days, I everywhere I travel, I go to the you know, spa there and I get a massage, I just, I love it. And I think that we should all embrace that too, by the way, because we work hard and you know, our jobs are physical. So I sprinkle that in throughout my life, because I just love spa days. And I’m like My Brides really need to be pampered and spoiled on their day, this is their wedding day, you know, and so why not, like add these like, spa like experiences and these touches that just make the world of a difference.
You know, we’re as you know, it’s not just like just doing their makeup or just doing the hair. So another part of that I would say is creating like an elevated experience from them kind of what I talked about earlier from the start point to finish, you know, everything in between having it just flow effortlessly and seamlessly is also a part of that, offering premium to luxury services.
Then the service that you give them, you know, I will also say that as I’ve raised my rates over the years, the way that you communicate, and the sales process is going to be different when you’re charging a higher premium to luxury rate versus when you’re on the lower end. So for example, when you go into Target, you know, you might get greeted at the door sometimes there’s those people like next to the shopping carts, and they’ll be like Hey, welcome in or something you come on in.
When you go to like a Gucci store, for example, because I was there like this last year and and the experience is totally different. Like we had our own little personal like shopper girl that came and greeted us at the door. And then she, like went along with us in the store, like what are you looking for? What can I show you? What can I help you with? And when we made our purchase, she like got my phone and put her contact into my phone. She’s like, anytime you want to shop here, you like text me and I will make an appointment for you. You could skip the line that’s waiting outside the door.
I will be your personal like shopper like it’s a whole different experience that you receive from shopping at Target versus shopping at a high end luxury store, you know, and so how can you create that experience for your brides? From you know, the moment that they contact you all the way to the contract and you know, serving them on their wedding day. I think that when you’re raising your rates you also need to elevate that experience to so it goes it goes beyond just like the luxury touches of the actual service. I want to say like the the luxury touches of the actual service happen on that day, but also should be a luxury experience and an elevated experience getting to that day.
Quianna Marie
Yes, well, and one thing I also want to mention too, part of this luxury experience is like creating less decision fatigue. I feel like business owners, we need to prove our excellence, but also our experience, right. And so by us coming in and saying, Hey, like, these are choices that I have for you, like, this is my suggestion for you. Or, like, I know, you’re really good about going over the style of the dress, which may determine the style of the hairstyle. Right. And, and depending on the location, depending on the season, not, of course, just the bride’s, you know, preferences for her makeup and stuff.
But you come in with so much education, and so much knowledge that as someone who’s getting they’re getting their makeup done for their wedding, like we have questions, but sometimes we don’t know what to ask. Right? And so I love that that is a piece of your business where you’re very proactive about answering questions, and and you just diminish all of that decision fatigue, which I think is what makes people actually question you as a business owner and ask if you’re legit.
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, that’s so true. I think that a lot of people don’t think about, okay, so they don’t put themselves in the bride’s perspective for a second, like put yourself in the bride seat first a second, and then see how it feels to walk through your process and your systems and all of that.
As the brides are inquiring what different vendors, they are noticing all those things they’re noticing, oh, my gosh, when I talked to Quianna like, she makes me feel so good, she makes me feel like she has an all together all under control, I can just tell that she’s been doing this for a long time, and she has it like, she will just take care of the whole photography portion for me, like, I don’t have to worry about a thing, I just need to sign this contract, and she will take care of it. And it’s like, that I think does differentiate a professional from like an amateur or hobbyist, you know, like, this is just for funsies. They will, they will be able to tell your experience, the experience that you provide.
Quianna Marie
Yes. And I think sometimes too, there’s this mis misunderstanding with a lot of clients where we think, Oh, the client always knows best. Like whatever the client wants, like I always will go above and beyond for the client. And I believe that’s true. But there’s also a certain extent where we say, wait a minute, but like, I actually know what’s best. And here the parameters are, here’s what I can offer. And I just I just love that. I think that was an important part to mention, too, that, as business owners, like sometimes we do know best, and we just need to lay the foundation for them.
Susan Talamantes
Yes, definitely. And use your years of experience and your knowledge to create, like the experience for them. Yes.
Quianna Marie
So I have a question about building your portfolio. And I just I you know, looking at your Instagram and your website, everything is beautiful. And you can tell that you are kind of showcasing a huge array of different photographers, right? So and I know that we all have our own styles, you know, for example, a lot of photographers will shoot a little bit more true to color, light and airy or a little bit more moody. So I would love your opinion on how do you keep your social media looking cohesive. And, you know, still maintaining that kind of elaborate luxury vibe, and then having that communication with photographers to actually send you the photos like what does that look like for you?
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, that’s a question that I actually get a lot. And I think it’s because a lot of us struggle with, you know, just your online presence, like on Instagram, for example, having everything flow cohesively. And I used to struggle with that too long, you know, years ago, and it used to drive me crazy, like how do these people have these beautiful, you know, Instagram feeds, like it would drive me crazy. So one thing that I found was very helpful was having a pattern, and you can look into different types of patterns for myself, and some people are like, I cannot stick to a pattern because that will drive me crazy because now I feel like I have to, you know, post in this order.
But for me, it gave me parameters and a guideline, okay, like I have three photos and then I have a Canva template that has like, you know, information on it or a review from a latest, you know, bride or whatever you want that Canva template to say, or, you know, do or promote or maybe it’s a cover of something of a reel or something. But it’s like a tech Got a text portion. And then I know like, okay after that is three more photos, you know, and it’s just makes it easier for me. But I also think that it makes it easier on the eyes when the bride is, you know, browsing your page. And that is super important because we have only like a few seconds to capture their attention.
So when they land on our page, it needs to be easy on the eyes, it needs to be captivating, so that the goal is that they’ll keep scrolling a bit, you know, like they’re like, Okay, like what I see, like what I see, like what I see, and then they’re gonna contact you. So, pattern is one. Second one is having guidelines around what type of photos you want to post. So, like you just mentioned, there’s so many different types of photography styles. And so for me, I actually like more of the light and airy style. But not all the photographers I work with, of course, I use that and my brides hire whoever they want, right? Like they might want a dark and moody style or true to color, whatever it is. And so that does limit me. But what happens is, when they share their albums with me or the photographer shares their albums with me, there will always be a couple photos that will work with my flow, it will work with my brand. And so I am just very selective, like I know what I’m looking for.
It’s kind of like, you have to sit down and map that out for yourself write it out, like what is my style, what am I looking for, and really break it down. For example, because I serve a lot of destination locations, I know that my brides want to see the pretty scenic views, like they want to see that ocean, they want to see the coastline, they want to see those mountains. And but they also want to see hair and makeup looks because I’m a hairstylist and makeup artists, they need to see the talent and the skill set as well. So I tried to mix that in, like up close headshots of the hair and makeup, and then faraway scenic shots of like the gorgeousness of the location, because they want to see both, and they want to know that I serve those locations.
Going back to I actually have not had to request albums for years. I don’t know why, but I feel like after 2020 I think that vendors, you know, just like we’re more about supporting each other after that experience of the pandemic, that, you know, I’ve noticed much more like photographers will just like reach out to me, you know, they’re much more friendly with me and like, like, Let’s support each other, you know, how can we help each other. And so a lot of photographers that I work with will just automatically send me the album, like, hey, was so great meeting you this weekend, you know, here’s the sneak peeks or a couple months later, here’s the album, and a lot of My Brides will do the same.
They’ll just send me the album because they enjoyed working with me and they, they’re like, Oh, here’s, you know, here’s the album, here’s the photos, thank you so much for you know, helping me on my big day. Once in a great while I will have like, you know, a wedding in a beautiful location or like a beautiful bride or I really loved her dress or her hairstyle or whatever it was. And and she didn’t send me the photos and the photographer didn’t send me the photos and then I’ll just sneak in the DM usually I reach out to the bride and I’m like, hey, you know, do you have any photos you can share? And they’re like more than willing to, to send those over to you could also reach out to photographers as well, to get those images.
Quianna Marie
Yeah, I love that. And right. I think that after a certain point, people are very generous with supporting each other. And I really love that you mentioned like looking at the gallery as a whole there’s always there’s always a couple photos that kind of falls in line with your style with something that you are very proud to showcase your work as and so I love that you mentioned that because even if if it’s a very dark and moody vibe, right like we you know, the ceremony may be outside in the bright sun or something right? Or maybe the sunset photos are a little bit more warm and glowy which would totally be in line with your with your vibe too. So I love that. Yes, yeah,
Susan Talamantes
I’m more on the cold tone side. I like the cool tone. But even in the warm you know photographers do a lot of warm tone editing. There will be some cool tones in like certain sceneries or certain editing. Another thing that I forgot to mention is I kind of do like blocks. So maybe in a block of like nine images, if I absolutely love like this photo, but it’s a little more on the warm side than what I like. I will post like nine warm photos.
That way like okay, I’ll go back to all the albums that I loved but they just didn’t quite fit in and all Take like nine images from all those different albums and do a block of like nine, a little on the warm side, but it flows because they’re all together in that block, you know, so like, as you’re scrolling, it will make sense. And then same thing goes for like colors, like, if there’s like blue like ocean in the background, and maybe I’ll do like nine cooler tones, slash like blue, you know, stuff in the background, or like, you know, like, ocean in the background or something like that. So I pay it or blue sky, you know, like I pay attention to like, the way things are flowing. Yeah,
Quianna Marie
so smart. And I love that you have a vision for that. So I see recently, actually, now that it’s, we’re into 2024 now. But you just recently had done a branding shoot with Jen Vasquez who’s also an incredible mutual friend of ours. And so I would love for you to share your value in actually stepping in front of the camera yourself, like creating those branding and content images for you, as a business owner, how important is that, to prioritize that for our 2020 force, content strategy?
Susan Talamantes
Oh, my gosh, that is insanely important. So Jen, I have branding photo sessions with her on kind of an ongoing basis, like maybe every couple of months or so. We do like the mini sessions, she’s so great. And I know you do this to your mini sessions, where you pack in, like, as many photos in like, one little session as possible. And, and those I think, are so important for showcasing who you are, you know, like, clients really want to connect with you as a person.
They want to get to know you, because they’re spending their wedding day with their vendors, you know, and, and you’re going to impact their day, for however much time they’re spending with you, you know, so they want to get to know your personality, they want to make sure that it’s good vibes that you know, there’s someone you’re someone that they can hang out with and chill with. And then also it portrays you like you are in control of how these branding images look, too. So how do you want to be portrayed? You know, do you want to look like the expert?
Do you want to, you know, maybe have a blazer on and you’re like, I’m the expert. Um, you know, I got this under control. Or maybe you want to be more like, fun, free, spirited, casual, you know, like, I’m a good time, you know, like you are in charge of how you portray yourself and you know, the vibe that you’re giving to your brides. Same thing with style photo shoots. That’s why I love doing styled shoots, because you’re fully in control of your brand and creating those brand images. So I definitely think that’s something that you should do on an ongoing basis. And I can’t wait to fly out to Arizona one day and do another shoot with you. I miss our shoots.
Quianna Marie
Yeah, that would be so fun. I love your email signature is from one of our shoots, and we did a collaboration together. Yeah. Oh my gosh, so cute. I love that. Oh, my goodness, Susan. Thank you. So okay, let’s do a little recap here. So the importance of building your business is truly honing your craft, right? Developing that you are a professional with HoneyBook we’re gonna plug that right in there. Or some type of CRM that truly captures all of your invoices or contracts keeps you up to date. Like that literally takes you from being you know, a sister that’s going to make up to a full blown business. Okay, so we’re getting up to speed with that. We are exploring new cities, we’re booking flights and you know, getting out to destination weddings and you know, you get to choose is this going to be a team effort? Is Mike gonna fly solo? You have so many options. And we’re investing in you for our sold out makeup artists program, like things are rolling, right?
We can talk more about that too. But for someone who is thinking, Okay, I think I got that, like, I think I’m at this good spot. What advice would you give to a makeup artist or any small business that feels that their? Their business is oversaturated? Like ever? Maybe they’re like, Okay, wait, I feel confident I know what I’m doing. I feel like I have so much to offer and I’m really good at what I do. I love making people feel beautiful, but there’s a million makeup artists so should I even do this so like what advice would you tell that sweet soul?
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, so anything that you do, there’s gonna be other people that are already doing it. Right like that’s, that goes for any industry. But I always promote everything that I’ve mentioned throughout this whole thing. Your Branding, your marketing and your sales process. Your client experience is what’s going to separate you from the rest the experience that you provide and one main thing that I promote is getting on the phone with your bride.
Because a lot of professionals will just send like emails, right as all emails and just send even rates through emails. And I highly promote to just get on the phone, because that’s going to automatically separate you from client A, B, and C, and we’re all charging different rates, you know, and so of if the bride doesn’t have anything to go based off of, and it’s just like, well, that all look great, you know, they’re all talented. A, B, and C, you know, they all look great.
Then they’re gonna compare just price points, right? Okay, well, which one’s the lowest, you know, I’ll just go with that one, because they all look great. So you really mean to showcase your personality, showcase the experience that you provide, showcase the things that make you different, the things that, you know, separate you. And then I would say, also get on the phone call with them so that you can really explain your services. And you guys can connect on a personal level, you know, there’s something so different about hearing your voice than just like text on an email, you know, the other thing I want you to keep in mind is that, yes, there’s a ton of professionals in the industry already doing what you want to do, but they’re not always doing it properly, and they’re not doing it, how you would do it, kind of going back to the rights thing, and, you know, everything that we talked about in this in this episode, maybe they have, like, taped together, and maybe they’re back in the stone age’s.
You know, and they’re like, doing paper contracts, you know, or, or, you know, charging too low. Like, there’s so many things, and if you feel like, you need to boost your confidence as well, that making sure that you know, like, Am I doing things the right way, because sometimes we get to a point where like, we’re like, Okay, I got this, you know, like, this is, this is good, like, I’m established, you know, I got this, but then when you you know, meet with a business coach, or you know, invest in some courses or something, you realize that, oh, there’s still more to learn, there’s still more like, I could still perfect this a little more or fine tune things.
So if you feel like, you know, that will be a confidence booster for you, I would say, to invest in like business coaching services, or some online courses to see what are the gaps that you’re missing in your systems. And when you invest in your business and fine tuning those processes, it gives you this level of confidence, like, Okay, I, I know for a fact that I got my ducks in a row, you know, like, I know that I can charge these rates because I know the experience that I’m providing for my clients.
Quianna Marie
Yes, yes, amazing. And you are absolutely a living, breathing example of that, like you’re doing it. So I would love to kind of start to wrap up. I feel like I can talk to you forever and ever and ever. But can you please share a little bit more about your sold out makeup artists program? For anyone that is interested in expanding and learning, you are such a wealth of knowledge? So can you chat a little bit more about what you offer for these coaching programs?
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, so the sold out makeup artist program is actually a new program. And it’s a hybrid of my signature, bridal Beauty Academy, one on one coaching program. And now we’re creating an intimate group group coaching program, which is the sold out makeup artists, and intimate like maybe only five women in this group, because I love having that one on one time, I noticed for myself that when I’m investing in education or business coaches, I get the most impact for my business when I have that one on one time. So it’s a small intimate group coaching setting. And we’re focusing on branding, marketing and sales, all the things that you need to raise your rates and it is going to be heavily promoting like raising your rates and stepping into that premium and luxury service as well.
So there’ll be a bit of, you know, education sprinkled in with one on one personal coaching because I want to meet you exactly where you’re at and your business. And you know, the women in this business, you’re gonna be starting from different places. Like we mentioned earlier, everyone’s business is different. So you do need that personalization. There will be specific questions that you will have that will be very specific to what you’re doing, even if we’re all in the same industry.
Quianna Marie
I love that so much and I’m so excited for the incredible artists that get the opportunity to work with you. Because you do you have so much knowledge you have years and years of experience. And I love that you’re so generous with your education like you an open book you’re happy to share. And obviously, you know, if you’re listening like that’s how we roll it. We love to connect with people that also think that way too. So yeah. Yes. So in closing, I love, love, love to ask every guest on the Kiana Murray weekly, please tell us who’s in? What key tip would you like to share with business owners? Is there anything that you wish you knew sooner?
Susan Talamantes
Oh, just one key tip. One key tip, I would say is really like having the confidence, I want to kind of just dive in deeper to the confidence thing, because I know that you know, in our journey, and it is a journey in entrepreneurship and building your business when you’re just starting out, you know, five years in 10 years in, it’s the confidence factor. And so, I think that that’s what really speaks to clients and that’s going to help you to reach you know, each new goal that you have is having the confidence to step into that scary thing. And if we need to find support a support system, like this besties you know, group of business besties to like all encourage each other.
Quianna is so great for that you’re such like a cheerleader, like encourager, I would say that confidence is like everything and and that will help you and anything that you set your heart out to is just investing in whatever is going to boost your confidence and give you that support that you need to get through the hurdles of life and building a business with doing life.
Quianna Marie
Yes. Oh, I love that. That’s a great example. And you’re right, like, we have to have the confidence and if that means that we need to invest in something, to learn a task or to learn a new trick or to learn how to I don’t know, blend something better, I don’t know. But whatever it takes to to really boost that competence. And you can take that into anything, not just business building. Yeah,
Susan Talamantes
definitely.
Quianna Marie
Amazing. So Susan, how can we connect with you? I’m so grateful for this conversation today. How can we what’s the best way to contact you and to start following along with your journey?
Susan Talamantes
So you can find me on Instagram at gyro artistry J R R E H, artistry, and then babes building empires as well and that’s basically empires dot bbe. That’s my coaching business. And then I have the bridal beauty boss podcast and listen there. Kiana is gonna be guest speaking soon. Yeah.
Quianna Marie
Oh my gosh, so fun. Yes. Yay. Well, Tik Tok. Oh, yeah. Tick tock, tick tock. So
Susan Talamantes
you’ve been on tick tock. Yeah, I
Quianna Marie
spend too much time on there.
Susan Talamantes
But do you post on there for yourself?
Quianna Marie
I do. I do. Well, I’ve been in this weird transition for, you know, like, I’m talking to photographers, but then I’m also talking to other business owners. And so I’m kind of kind of a low into place, which is good, but also an international like, niche down a little bit more. So we’re just having fun with tick
Susan Talamantes
tock. Yeah, same. I’m the same. Yes. Well, thank
Quianna Marie
you so much for your time today. Susan. We’re so grateful for all your wisdom and sharing your fun facts, and cannot wait to connect with you soon.
Susan Talamantes
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
Quianna Marie
Thank you. Bye. Bye. Thank you for joining this conversation. I hope it leaves you feeling encouraged with green lights to chase your dreams. If you crave more travel, more adventure, more opportunities. Maybe it’s time to take your business on the road. Make sure to connect with Susan to see her in action and to continue learning from her and her thriving community.
Don’t forget to scroll through the shownotes to grab any links mentioned above aka checkout honey book if you’re interested in getting started to take your hobby and make it legit. We’re so grateful. You chose to tune in and can’t wait to introduce you to more inspiring and friendly guests like Susan. Keep on dancing baby may this week be productive and creative. Okay, love you. Bye.
That’s a wrap on another episode of Quianna Marie Weekly.
Thank you so much for your listenership and support. You can find the resources and show notes for this episode and more at Kiana murray.com/podcast. I’d be honored if you show your support by leaving a review and rating on your favorite podcast app. Until next time, keep on dancing!
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