Today we’d like to introduce you to Constance Mack Latham.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Constance. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have been obsessed with the beauty industry since I was a young girl. In high school, all of my friends would ask my advice about skin care and beauty products, so I knew one day I would make my mark in the beauty industry. At that time, going straight to beauty school was frowned upon by my family, so I decided to take the traditional approach of going to college where I studied fashion merchandising. I landed a job working in the Contemporary department of Nieman Marcus, but every chance I got, I would run down to the cosmetic department. I was obsessed and decided to leave school and I began working full time in the Cosmetic Industry. Six years later I finally decided to follow my passion and I became a Licensed Esthetician. It all came so naturally to me but waxing was my thing. I didn’t like the traditional spa environment so I began working as an Esthetician for Benefit Cosmetics. It was the best of both worlds for me; waxing and cosmetics.
After a while, I began to realize that my clients weren’t there for cosmetics, they just wanted me. I took a few business classes and decided after five years I would take a leap of faith and Maven Esthetics was born.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the biggest struggles for me was fear. After being in the industry for so long I knew exactly what to do but I feared failure. Leaving my job and not having financial security scared me, and I didn’t want all of the pressure to be on my husband. One day I sat down and wrote a pros and cons list about starting my own business. I remember my son walked by and asked what the list was about. I began to list off the “what if’s” and he responded by saying “but my Mom, why not!?” At that moment, all of my fear went away. All of my struggles from that point on seemed manageable, nerve wrecking, but manageable. Maven Esthetics is just run by me so I had the struggle of balancing being the receptionist, the manager, and the esthetician. There were days where I literally shut the door of my studio and screamed. But looking back now, it was definitely all worth it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Maven Esthetics – what should we know?
A few years ago, one of my clients started calling me the Brow Maven and it stuck. Maven means an expert. Quite naturally when it came time to name my business, Maven Esthetics was a no brainer. I am known for my waxing and brows skills.
However, I knew that wasn’t enough to set me apart when I initially thought about starting my own business. That’s when I stumbled across what is now known as Microblading. I became a certified Microblading artist before it became the latest beauty trend. I had the advantage of perfecting a craft that I knew eventually would take the world by storm. Microblading is a semi-permanent form of cosmetic brow tattooing that implants pigment into the epidermis to resemble “hair-like” strokes. My clients include women with Alopecia, Oncology patients, and those who have suffered brow loss due to years of over plucking. For me, it is deeper than just giving my clients brows. Whether someone comes in for microblading, or a simple brow wax, what I am most proud of as a company is that I play a role in helping my clients restore their confidence. What sets me apart from others is that I decided to do what always came naturally to me, and I decided to stick to that. I love what I do and it shows through every person I have the opportunity to work with.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. My Esthetics teacher Ms. Glover gave me the foundation to become the best Esthetician that she knew I could be. My clients have always my cheerleaders and I consider them all family. Before I found my studio, I tested out a mobile business and my clients would get all of their girlfriends together and host spa parties as a way for me to meet new clients. My mom was my very first Microblading guinea pig. My friend Krista gave me the name Brow Maven and introduced me to an amazing tattoo artist named Tine Defiore, She wanted me to microblade her brows and I was so nervous! She decided to take and post a live video while I was working on her that got over 60,000 views on Instagram. Since then, I’ve traveled to tattoo salons as a Microblading guest artist, a world that I never thought I could be a part of. My friend Angi Taylor of 103.5 Kiss FM has been one of my biggest cheerleaders. Hearing her mention my name on the radio and social media has played a huge role in my success. My family and friends believed in my dream and saw my potential. They often believed enough for the times that I didn’t believe in myself. Most importantly, my husband Adonis gave me the courage I needed to trust my faith by giving me the security of knowing no matter what, I would be okay.
Contact Info:
- Address: 100 E Walton suite 129
Chicago, Il 60611 - Website: www.mavenesthetics.com
- Phone: 312-945-6290
- Email: constance@mavenesthetics.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mavenesthetics
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mavenesthetics
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mavenesthetics
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