Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Machelle.
Tiffany, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a sold-out vendor at local Texas beauty pageants, I decided to open an online boutique to make my lipsticks available prior to an event for my loyal customers. By word of mouth, friends and family of my customers were able to purchase items online, as well. Now I have expanded my product availability to social media outlets and have customers in many different states.
Local customers are known as ‘Houston Dolls’, and I occasionally invite them out for food and drinks in the city. The group has blossomed to over 120 local women in Houston, with a growing friendship among the group.
Within the first year, I had the honor of being recognized as the ‘Best Startup Cosmetic Brand’ in 2017 by the Houston Press’ annual ‘Best of’ magazine publication. That same opening year of 2017, I also had scored a 2-page spread in a New York based magazine, Fashion GXD Magazine, for an issue which highlighted rising brands. I was hand-selected by the editor, Ms. Pilar Scratch, herself.
Nowadays, I am continuing my passion for lipstick, and am looking to expand to offer additional cosmetic items within the near future. Houston Dolls are going strong and are always looking for phenomenal women in the local area to enjoy a little deserved girl time!
Has it been a smooth road?
My struggle with entrepreneurship had to be taking the 1st step. The 1st step is always the hardest. I had a full-time job with three children and a husband, I didn’t think I had neither the extra time nor the extra money to pursue my dreams. I learned that if you really want something, you’ll save up money or make the time for what you want. So I did just that for myself and haven’t looked back since!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Lipstick Life story. Tell us more about the business.
Lipstick Life is an organic-based cosmetics company. We are known for our variety choice of lip colors, as well as our cotton-candy scented lipsticks.
Local customers are invited out to enjoy a weekend event in the city. Events range from Happy Hours, Dinners, Brunch, local shows, etc. This community is known as ‘Houston Dolls’ and we are an exclusive, invite-only group of women.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Within the next 5-10 years, I hope to continue to grow and research trends as they occur. Social media is a great tool for small business owners, so I definitely plan to keep up with the online marketing and recruit younger colleagues to share ideas for online growth and maintain consistency.
Pricing:
- Entire store is currently $10 until 2020!
- Free gift is included with any lipcolor purchase.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lipsticklife101.com; www.tiffanymachelle.com
- Email: info@lipsticklife101.com; houstondoll@hotmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lipsticklife101
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lipsticklife101
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/lipsticklife101
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LipstickLife101
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