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Meet Makayla Callaway of Prettish Glam Chic in East Atlanta (Decatur)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Makayla Callaway.

Makayla, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Decatur Ga, and at the age of 9 years old, I lost my father due to a heart attack. I had to watch my mom pick up the pieces and I learned my business mindset from watching her work a full-time job and operate her own business. Her business mindset is what got me started into Entrepreneurship. When I was in 8th grade, I had to get dressed up for a dance and I wore makeup for the first time, I became interested but I didn’t wear it as much. I found myself watching a lot of transformation videos of makeup applications. As I started Highschool, it was very hard to fit in and become a social butterfly. Going into high school, I was overweight throughout my 9th-11th grade year. It became a very dark time for myself because I had to face negative comments from my peers about my weight. It made me feel very distant because my confidence wasn’t where I wanted it to be. I wanted to feel beautiful. I decided to pursue my interest in makeup once I started wearing it because it made me feel good and I was able to express my creativity. Starting off, it was self-taught and I started to attend makeup classes to learn more on it. I continued to study my craft and perfect it. During that time I started to develop a clientele and my confidence boosted by starting my journey with my weight loss. In my senior year, I lost a total of 85lbs. My confidence boosted and I felt great. I felt like I became a new person. I learned from my peers and strangers that I was an inspiration. I then realize that I overcame low confidence and low self-esteem. I decided to join the Makeup Artistry because I love putting smiles on people’s faces. Not everyone is comfortable in their own skin and if I can make someone feel beautiful for just one day, then I’ve did my job. I am going on five years of being in the industry and I currently have a steady clientele. It’s been a journey of meeting different people and hearing about their stories. I now realize that I can truly impact people’s lives with my passion behind a brush and my creativity.

Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve learned that in business, nothing is easy, you have your ups and your downs but I also learned that consistency is the key to achieving success. I am a young entrepreneur and one of my challenges is my age. People underestimate my work and my ability of performance. I am 19 years old and I am not a rookie in the game. I took five years into shadowing my Uncle that owns several businesses within Dekalb county. He helped me developed a strong business mindset that pushes me to be greater each day. Another challenge I faced was getting my work exposed. I had to use different marketing strategies crediting my aunt and that’s when I started to see my clientele growing and my work being exposed more. I also had to learn budgeting skills to be able to have good quality products to create a flawless look for all of my clients. These challenges helped mold me into the young successful entrepreneur I am today.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Prettish Glam Chic story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a Makeup Artist. I strive to enhance the beauty in all of my clients. I specialize in Glamour and Natural flawless looks, from exotic glitter looks to soft natural red carpet looks. Aside from the glam and beauty. I also specialize in special effects makeup from the horror to animation looks. I am very proud of my brand because I am very versatile in my work in hopes of being apart of the film industry one day. What sets me apart from others is that I don’t consider this a job or a hobby, this is my passion and I put my all into what I do. I work very hard to be where I am today

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see myself venturing into teaching makeup classes in different states, opening my own beauty bar, starting a black own cosmetic line and starting a non-profit organization helping young teenage girls uplift their confidence and finding their purpose and passion. I just would like to give back to my community and help others find their business mindset and to not be afraid to get out there and push for something they love to do.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Prettish Glam Chic

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