Meet Stacey Banfield, the founder of Soleil and Soul and an accomplished bridal makeup artist in Aotearoa. Stacey shares her journey from leaving school at 16 to work on a makeup counter to becoming one of New Zealand's top wedding vendors without the need for traditional advertising, relying instead on word-of-mouth recommendations.
Stacey highlights her passion for the transformative power of makeup and explains her preference for freelance over counter work due to its flexibility and freedom from workplace pressure. She emphasises the importance of customer service and interpersonal skills, criteria she priorities in her team of artists.
Discussing entrepreneurship, Stacey outlines her experience in starting a beauty brand, including the time and significant financial investment required to launch a product that aligns with her commitment to sustainability. Sustainability is a core value for her brand, which she strives to uphold in both formulation and packaging.
She offers advice to aspiring entrepreneurs based on her own experience of self-funding her business and the meticulous process of finding the right formulator. Stacey also delves into her unexpected role as a social media influencer, which emerged organically from promoting her work and business online.
Furthermore, Stacey shares a personal security concern that arose from working alone, the importance of maintaining booking information for safety, and her aspirations to scale back Saturdays while expanding her beauty brand into the Australian market. She dreams of her products being sold in major retailers like Mecca or Sephora.
Don't miss this intimate conversation with Stacey as we explore her journey from makeup artist to visionary entrepreneur, delving into the highs, the lows, and everything in between on the road to creating Soleil and Soul Beauty.
(00:00:41) Meet Stacey: Bridal Makeup Artist
(00:04:30) Makeup Courses and Career Beginnings
(00:06:12) Choosing Makeup Artistry
(00:08:38) Transition to Freelance Work
(00:10:37) Customer Service for Makeup Artists
(00:12:30) Filling the Market Gap with Soleil and Soul
(00:14:47) Innovative Brush Cleaner Solution
(00:22:09) Sustainability in Beauty Brands
(00:26:43) Connecting with a Formulator
(00:28:57) Investing in a Beauty Brand Launch
(00:35:45) Growing a Social Media Following
(00:39:16) Dealing with Safety Concerns
(00:42:25) Work-Life Balance in Freelance Makeup
(00:45:54) The Three Final Questions
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