Community Highlights: Meet Yana King of Beauty by Yana

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yana King.

Hi Yana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Well, let see I was a college student that thought I wanted to be a psychologist. Clearly that wasn’t the path I was supposed to take. I got put on academic suspension my sophomore year of college. Instead of doing nothing during that time off, I gave my aunt a call to see if I could come to her school. So January 2006, I started barber school at Samverly Barber College. I completed my program eight months later and got my license. I ultimately wanted to do hair for TV and film. Maybe four years after graduating, I decided I wanted to learn makeup to add on with hair. Most photographers back then wanted someone who could do both. So I decided to go to esthetics school. I got my license in 2011. In 2012 is when Beauty by Yana emerged. I’m not just a barber, I am a hairstylist as well as a skincare specialist whose main focus in that area is waxing.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road getting to where I am today. I have definitely had to put in work. Long hours, 5-6 day work weeks, working two jobs, as well as being a parent. It’s a process of getting someone to trust you with their hair and intimate areas. I have been blessed to have amazing clients that refer new clients to me all the time. Social media has been a process as well. I started in the beauty industry when Facebook was for college students and Instagram was non-existent. So all you had was business cards, flyers and word of mouth. All of which can be challenging when you are an introvert.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Beauty by Yana is just what it is. Beauty by me. I offer a lot of services to my clients, whether it be hair, brow waxing, Brazilians, or microblading/ombre brows. I’m most known for my silk presses. My ig captions that accompany my pics or videos says, “If your silk press doesn’t look like this you are going to the wrong person.” That’s because I take the time to learn my client’s hair and no matter the texture, I can almost guarantee that your hair will look like the rest of my clients on my page. It has taken me years to build my name to what it is today, so I stand by my work and I make sure my clients leave satisfied.

What’s next?
I plan on adding to my team soon. I am only one person with a large workload.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @beauty_by_yanak
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/zI5KPiHK7ob