Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Miller.
Hi Emily, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a kid I was always trying to start a business or venture, whether it be a school newspaper, a band marching in the ‘Just Say No DARE parade, or ‘the Strawberry club,’ I was drawn to owning a business very early on. I spent hours in the woods and on my bike as well, always daydreaming and looking for adventures. I loved to build obstacle courses and hunt for small animals (to keep as pets) and unusual rocks. I was a tomboy and I thrived in nature, surrounded by animals and riding my bike for hours.
I had no dreams of going to college, it didn’t appeal to me but I found myself at Mizzou and didn’t really know what I was going to study so I picked Psychology because it seemed interesting and easy After I graduated, I had no clue what I would do. I didn’t have any dreams of working in the corporate world, but found myself there for 10 years. I probably had over 20 jobs within that 10-year time frame and didn’t like any of them. I would sit in the parking lot and cry and wonder how people sat in cubicles 40 hours a week and enjoyed it.
A big turn of events happened and I found myself a single mom to my only daughter when I was 31. I had managed to hold a job for the longest ever, 3 years, but the thought of giving up my child to someone 40 hours a week for half my pay didn’t appeal to me at all, so I quit. I worked at a coffee shop as a Barista for 6 months while I tried to figure out what I was going to do. I was broke, but relieved I didn’t have to sit at a cubicle for 40 hours a week. Prior to this, I had been dabbling in makeup artistry. Back then, Craigslist and Model Mayhem were all the rage for creatives who wanted to build portfolios. I found a photographer on Craigslist who wanted to build a portfolio, I wanted to build a portfolio, so we found models on Model Mayhem and started creating. It didn’t cost me anything, because again, I didn’t have much money at the time and I was a single parent. We all worked for free creating and building our work.
I really wanted a flexible career, one where I could still see my daughter a lot but still make enough to live comfortably and I didn’t want a boss. Never did I dream I could make a career out of makeup artistry that would do just that. I was self trained. My first two books were Bobbi Brown and Kevin Auchoin. We didn’t have cell phones, youtube tutorials or social media. Everything I did was by reading, practicing, messing up and practicing more and hitting the pavement meeting people, shaking hands and networking. I have very fond memories of those days. It was hard work, but the payoffs began coming. I met lots of entrepreneurs at the coffee shop and I really wanted to start a business but wasn’t sure in what. Someone suggested weddings. I didn’t like weddings, I hadn’t been married and I thought what do I know about wedding makeup and brides? Nothing!! But I started reading, practicing and building my portfolio geared towards wedding work and soon after, I became a Bridal Makeup artist. I felt like such a fraud because I was self taught and had never taken a business class in my life. What did I know about owning a business?!? I lived by the motto, ‘fake it til you make it.’ That is what I did. Airbrush makeup wasn’t much of a thing in St. Louis, so I bought a machine, taught myself airbrush makeup and offered it to brides. It was a big hit for a long time! I quit the coffee shop because I knew I could do this bridal business thing.
That first year I booked 55 weddings and was shocked! I also added hair styling to my resume because I wanted to be in charge of the bride’s entire look.
What transpired from there was an esthetics license, an esthetics business for a few years, a commercial makeup and hair business servicing over 300 clients such as ESPN, Food Network, Mercedes Benz, MSNBC, Facebook, Budweiser, CNN, Dateline NBC, MLB and I even did Joe Biden’s makeup!
I was getting so busy with weddings that I decided to build a team. I wrote a makeup artistry training program because St. Louis had nowhere you could learn makeup and I ended up training over 70 artists locally. I actively recruited several artists to my team as well as in the field and ended up with a team of over 30 makeup artists and hair stylists.
I have had several studios over the years, but my favorite thus far is the one I am in now located near Anheuser Busch Brewery in Benton Park. My team is still about 25 artists, we do close to 400 weddings a year and I have now been in the business over 17 years.
For anybody contemplating a new career, a career move or starting a business, I would suggest three things.
1. Stay true to your style, regardless of what is trending.
2. Stay in your lane and do not compare yourself to anybody else.
3. Stay humble. I haven’t always stayed humble and have learned big lessons over the years.
Thank you for taking the time to hear my story. I wish everybody the best!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
At year 12, I became burnt out on taking weddings myself. The timing was actually perfect with Covid hitting and I decided to step away for a bit and just manage the team from home. I didn’t know how long that would last, but it was off and on an agonizing time.. I didn’t know if I wanted to leave the business completely, try a new career or just keep managing the team from home. I thought I had lost my artistic passion completely and became depressed. It lasted almost 5 years. During that time, I ended up getting various certifications in the health care field, thinking I would transition to something along that career path but nothing clicked.
One day it just became very clear to me that I missed being artistic. Sitting at my desk at home, isolated, was killing my soul slowly. I felt like I was once again back into the cubicle world.
I had many fears about if I would even remember how to do makeup and hair! I feared the trends had changed and I would be out of touch. I feared the passion would be short lived.
I took the risk and dove back in. I trusted I would land just fine and that is what I did. I stuck to my style, regardless of the trends, I practiced a bit to refresh my skills and have booked myself more than ever.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do bridal and commercial makeup and hair as well as manage a bridal team of 25 artists.
I’m known for a natural, never overdone look that photographs beautifully in all lighting.
I believe my years of experience in the industry along with my very talented team sets me apart.
I’m most proud of my ability to take big risks, trust the process and stay true to myself regardless of what’s going on around me. I’m proud of the longevity and consistent success of this business and team. Some of my artists have been with me for over 12 years.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I took a risk when I quit the corporate job and worked making very little at a coffee shop while learning my craft.
I took a risk when I quit the coffee shop to go full-time in my craft.
I took a risk when I started trusting others with my business and building a team of artists.
Owning a business is a risk every day because at the end of the day, I’m the person who it all falls back on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emily-miller.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilymillermakeupandhair
