Exploring Life & Business with Ashley Eskinde of Glam Boutique Small Business Expo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Eskinde.

Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The CEO of GlamHairBoutique and Glam Boutique Small Business Expo! I started my hairline back in 2017 and I actually had my first interview with VoyageAtl Magazine in 2019, fast forward to now in 2022 so much has changed! Everyone knows about my hairline but my events I started August 2020 because I invested $6k into my hairline and only made $1k back so I knew I needed pop up shops to help me sell out because I was just starting on social media to promote my brands and it just wasn’t working for me, Over the years I have always said I wanted to host pop up shops so I put my first date out in August 9, 2020 and it was a success! I sold out fast plus my turn out was awesome and started booking my next pop up shop dates fast, I found myself hosting weekly with 20 vendors on Edgewood to booking 100 vendors monthly in West Midtown area to booking the Georgia International Convention Center on Juneteenth! My brand has had some rough patches and there were some events I had to postpone due to covid. Sometimes I was discouraged because I couldn’t understand why my events went from booking consistently over a year to going downhill due to the pandemic but all I did know was to keep going no matter what situation I was in. I did just that and by me not giving up on myself and my business, I am now doing business with Piedmont Park, StateFarm Arena, Braves Stadiums and convention centers in different states to host my events in 2022 which means I can now provide even more opportunities for my vendors! This journey has taught me many things but most importantly to never give up on yourself, there will be people that will try to stop you or discourage you and there will be things that just doesn’t work out no matter how much time and energy you put into it but that doesn’t mean you should beat yourself up about it and stop your dreams, Keep going and let your pain and struggle be your motivation!!!!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey has not always been easy, When I first started hosting events, I would have issues with some vendors not making any money and some vendors were making money and the vendors that wasn’t would bash me on social media to try to get others not to book me or if an event was postponed my business policy is no refunds but that vendor money is still secured to the next event date, Some people would be angry because of my policy whether the event was postponed to the next date or that person didn’t make money at the event. When at networking events vendors still must network with others, you still must be creative and have good energy to attract your target audience to your table and more so it doesn’t fall on me if the vendor isn’t making money because I did my job which was bring the people out now it’s up to the person to network and makes a sale while at the event. When it comes to my policy it’s in place for a reason because I spend money each event on several things and even if the event doesn’t happen on that date, I do not get any money I invested back so it comes with business, You will lose some investments and you will gain.

As you know, we’re big fans of Glam Boutique Small Business Expo. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My events are for small business owners that want to take their business to the next level not only by making money but also making new connections with influencers and other people in the world, share their story/journey and why behind their business live on radios to target their correct audience and reach more people. I have different vendors from clothing boutiques, kid’s clothing, accessories, bags, men’s custom apparel, skincare, waist beads, food, beauty and more businesses. What sets my business apart from the rest is the value in what I provide to my vendors in order to get them to new levels within their business, the opportunities I provide for them, the ability to make 1500+ off me in one day, connect with influencers, live radio interviews, financial freedom plus I offer help with business owners social media so all in all you get the entire package when booking Glam Boutique events. I’m most proud of my accomplishments and my strength, I have been through a lot over the years and to see me really living out my dreams is amazing to me and keeps me inspired and motivated to keep going, I am also proud of my power to inspire others and give them strength to keep going no matter situation occurs.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I wouldn’t consider myself lucky just blessed. I owe the glory to God for his favor upon my life, I have been through many things, my faith has been tested but he continues to bless me so I can be a blessing to others.

Pricing:

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Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://glam-boutique-small-business-expo-events.myshopify.com/
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/GlamHairBoutiqueCEO
• Facebook: Ashley Nicole