The shiny, instagram friendly side of small businesses is hard to escape but sometimes, we need to get real and into the numbers! Today we chat with Camille, founder of leading semi-permanent make up brand Camille Beaute .

We loved speaking to Camille as she’s so real and inspiring – I mean, she went from starting her business from £2K to having clients travel to her from mainline Europe to snag an appointment spot in her 4 month waiting list…

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HOC: So nice to meet you, Camille! Can you tell us why you do what you do?

Camille: Hello! I guess first of all, it’s about my clients! Seeing happy faces and making lives so much easier (I can save them time every day as they don’t need to draw their eyebrows every morning!) For some clients this can change their life. I’m so passionate about my work!

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HOC: What is your journey to starting your business; we know you started with only £2K…

Camille: Yep! I started three years ago, with just £2k. I didn’t have a job at that time and my mum offered for me to do some training. Throughout childhood I was an artist. And I see permanent make up as being art, because you are drawing on faces!

I came across courses for Micro-blading; and did them all! Getting started was really hard because I was new in the beauty business. Of course, semi permanent make up it’s not easy, you need to put in lots of practice and hard work! .

HOC: What difficult choices did you have to make when starting the business?

Camille: When I started, day by day I kept practicing and learning from my mistakes! The beginning was very difficult, but every day I woke up and thought ‘it’s new day to make something good for my business!’ At the beginning I was working so hard just to survive in London. When I became busier and got used to seeing so many happy faces and getting good reviews, I started to love what I’m doing. That feeling just makes me work harder and harder!

It took me half year to become busy. And now I’m a woman-in-demand; this is what my clients call me! The most important part of my business is that I love meeting amazing people from all the world. Having clients from Australia to Canada including New Zealand, Middle East, Asia, Pakistan, Mauritius, Nigeria, Zambia, Canada, USA, and South America! I even have clients who travel to me from all over Europe just for their eyebrows! It might sound crazy, but it’s amazing to have such a great clients, who say that they only trust me!I will always keep training with best trainers in the world especially as my industry is such a big business at the moment! There’s always something new to learn, for instance there are lots of more natural looking techniques; it’s nothing like the old fashioned permanent tattoo eyebrows or lip contour!I started with one client per week and now I have a 4 month waiting list! It’s so important to never give up! .

HOC: What does the team at Camille Beauty look like?

Camille: Because I’m so busy, I found a great assistant! I’ve trained her, showed her all my skills and step by step she is becoming an amazing Micro-blading artist!

At the beginning it was challenging for my clients to trust her work as well as mine but now she is doing so well! Hopefully soon she will become just as in-demand as me!

I’m also on the lookout for more girls to work with me but it’s tricky finding the right people that me and my clients can trust.

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HOC: How can someone prepare themselves for entrepreneurial life?

Camille: You need to find something you love to do. And then it doesn’t feel like work anymore. Starting anything new is difficult and mistake after mistake! But if you keep learning, you won’t repeat your mistakes!

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HOC: What’s your most popular service?

Camille: Semi-permanent make up is very popular at the moment. Clients here in the UK are still really into Micro-blading but also ombré eyebrows or soft shading it’s also amazing treatment which looks natural. Many clients are still scared of semi-permanent make up, probably because of bad experiences with old fashion tattoo make up on faces. Everything is so much better these days! It’s looks natural and doesn’t go so deep into the skin and last around 12-18 months. For sure, everyone needs to do lots of research into where they go and who they are going to trust. This business is very popular and many girls think that it’s easy! In every salon you will find a beautician who’s doing Micro-blading or semi-permanent make up. But of course… not everyone can be good in this business! ..

HOC: What’s your ambition for your brand?

Camille: My dream is to be one of the biggest brands of semi permanent make up treatments and academy in the UK. I always want to offer the best and the highest quality service for all my clients and – of course- always keep them happy and pleased.

HOC: What trends are coming up in semi-permanent make up that we should look out for?

Camille: There’s new trends coming through: hyper realistic hairstrokes, natural looking lip colours, permanent BB cream, shaded eyeliner, scalp micro-pigmentation…. everything that enhances your beauty without changing your face!

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HOC: The ’10 years ago’ challenge is all the rage on insta at the moment, what advice do you have for the 2009 you?

Camille: Omg! At that time I was just a child! Honestly, I didn’t care about anything ; I was just thinking about each day and living flippantly! I made so many mistakes but now I’m thinking that I was learning all lessons all the time. If I hadn’t have enjoyed my careless life I wouldn’t be where I am now! Everything comes at the right time and everything has a reason. Even if something bad happens, it doesn’t matter; just learn from it and keep moving. If you believe in yourself and also believe in karma you’re on the right path.You can’t ever expect someone else to create your future. Only you can do it! .Learn more about Camille’s business at CamilleBeaute.co.uk Follow @microbladinglondon

Author

Living on the sunny Kent coast you'll find Anna tracking down the best new coffee shops and craft beer dens. With a penchant for vintage, she's more likely to be exploring thrift stores than Bond Street but she'll never say no to a little touch of creative luxury.

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