Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree Durham.
Hi Desiree, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Lithonia, GA. I dreamed of being a basketball star and joined the basketball team at Lithonia High School, but that didn’t happen. I don’t think I was mentally prepared and mature enough to go to college. Finances were also a concern so I decided to not enroll in a university. Ultimately, I thought it was in my best interest to go into the US Army. I joined in 2016 and spent most of my time stationed at Fort Campbell in Clarksville, TN. In 2018, I was assigned to go to Afghanistan for a year. My role in the army was as a signal support systems specialist and during my final time was working with the aviation team.
I ended up being medically discharged from the army. When I got out, I had to think long and hard about my next move. I applied to be a police offer in Atlanta and Clarksville. Many thoughts ran through my head in regard to being a police officer and during that time there were a lot of things happening in 2020 like the BLM protests and COVID-19. After about my options, I chose another route and went to school and worked a part-time job. During my transition period after leaving the army, I encountered some unfortunate events that led me to become my own boss.
One day I was in bed on TikTok when I saw a woman from ATL post content about body sculpting. I saw how much money she was making, how young she was, and it inspired me to start my own business doing body sculpting. I started doing my research and found a class that I could take. At the time, I only had $2,000 left in my bank account and decided to take a chance on myself. The class was the same amount and I couldn’t shake the feeling so I signed up.
Fast forward my company was created and I named it TrueBeautyByDee. I started investing in better equipment and the results were improving. I ended up putting 100% of my energy into the business. My sister, Vanecia, helped me take my business to the next level with the help of Instagram Reels. I started to get a lot of views. My passion is educating people and showing the results of what I have done for them.
I am currently a military spouse and that has led me to El Paso where my business has generated a great source of income. All of this success has led me to expand my business into my hometown, Atlanta. My team and I are working to open a TrueBeautyByDee location in Atlanta next year.
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?
Getting out of the military and adjusting to civilian life has been one of my biggest challenges. I was at a crossroads and needed to define my life. I missed having that consistent paycheck that I was getting from the army for being an active-duty soldier. The main struggle that I had business-wise was trying to gain a clientele. Honestly, I did not see a profit until my second year of business! I had to figure out how to finance my business while I was trying to make a business. It took me three months to build my own website and 1 year and a half to make it more professional and user-friendly.
Starting a business is not for the weak-hearted. I was working 12 hours a day and trying to create content when I got off work. I learned that it was important to find a way to delegate tasks so I decided to bring on an operational business partner named Daire’yon Saunders. In order to grow, you have to hire people.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about TrueBeautyByDee Body Sculpting & Aesthetics?
TrueBeautybyDee is my noninvasive body sculpting business. What is body sculpting? Nonsurgical body sculpting is a procedure used to remove or reduce pockets of stubborn fat. Various nonsurgical body sculpting techniques are available to help you shape and contour your body. My clients love their results so much that they call me the “Booty Goat.” The noninvasive BBL is my most popular service and is what I am known for. I believe what sets me apart is my phenomenal customer service and transparency. I love to go above and beyond for my clients. I would also say that my content is fire and is definitely setting me apart on social media. I like to educate my followers on body sculpting. Most of my success on IG has been my before and after photos of my clients. I always recommend the proper services in order to achieve the best results. Professionalism is very important to me and I always make my clients feel welcomed.
My customers have told me that my TrueBeautybyDee Body Sculpting E-book is the #1 book they have read about body sculpting. People have told me that there is such valuable information in my E-book that is being shared compared to other body sculptors out there. I also sell waist trainers on my website.
If you are interested in learning body sculpting then you are in luck because I offer physical and virtual classes! What sets my class apart is that I offer a lifetime membership for anyone who takes lessons with me. I invest in great equipment for my students. Also, I offer a mentor program, and students can shadow me at my location. I am currently accepting new students so please visit my website.
I want your readers to know that my business is veteran owned by a young black woman.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I always tell people to not easily be discouraged especially by those who have not been on the entrepreneurial path themselves. There is high risk but also a high reward when working for yourself and you have to give yourself time to be successful. Spend a lot of time on your business. Don’t allow outsiders to deter you from pursuing your dreams.
Also, I wished I would have saved more money when I first started off. Save every penny. To whoever is reading this, get a business bank account. It is imperative to separate your personal and business finances so that you can get business credit and loans to finance your business.
Ensure that all of the apps you use to accept payments like Cash app are business accounts and not personal. In addition, if you are interested in body sculpting, research the body sculpting industry and your instructors. One of the better ways to tell if you have a good instructor is if the materials and equipment are of quality.
If they offer you cheap equipment then you will get cheap results. Make sure that you receive all the proper licenses that your state requires. Most importantly, create waivers for your business to protect yourself because body sculpting is still a fairly new industry. Lastly, make sure people are educated on what they are signing up for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://truebeautybydee.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/truebeautybydee?r=nametag https://instagram.com/truebeautybydee?r=nametag
Image Credits
Daire’yon Saunders TreNita Boyd Harold Campbell Salathia M. Graham Tankuh Jeremy “Shoots” Vanecia Stevenson
