Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Beukelman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always wanted to be a hairstylist. I remember teaching myself to French-braid on a Barbie doll head. Right out of high school I wanted to go to cosmetology school, but my parents encouraged me to go to college first. So after completing my Masters program, I enrolled in a cosmetology program, and started 10.11 while in school. I attribute a lot of my success to the amazing relationships I’ve established in this industry, and the vendors that refer us. I used twitter at the start of my company (twitter?! what’s that haha) and I really put myself out there in order to build my portfolio and make connections. I was very particular with who I worked with and began to define my niche in the industry. My company is more known for a natural beauty style, so I intentionally aligned myself with the vendors I thought would have clients that would prefer that look. I don’t advertise, so all of our business comes from word of mouth and referrals from those relationships. I’m extremely particular with my artists and have been so thankful to have such a professional and talented group of girls. It’s been pretty incredible to see the growth and evolvement of my company and team, and quite the honor to be recognized as one of the top hair and makeup companies in Southern California. I also feel incredibly fortunate and grateful for the ability to do what I love alongside raising my kiddos and being a wifey.
Has it been a smooth road?
I cannot imagine that anyone starting and running their own company can say it is a smooth ride the whole way through. If someone says yes, I give you permission to give them my number- I want to know everyyyyyyything, teach me your ways haha. I am actually thankful for some of the bumps along the way because each struggle also comes with growth. I think there will always be struggles. I mean, it is impossible to plan for every circumstance…even though I realllly try to. So with each learning experience, I dust myself off and I move forward a little bit more seasoned, and a lot more knowledgeable. But seriously, my contract changes every.single.year. I add to it, or modify wording, because every year something new comes up. This last year I ended up having to eat the cost of some services on one of my weddings because of a technicality in my wording in one of the sections. So changes were made, and lesson was learned. To be honest I think the majority of obstacles we are seeing is with clients directly. We are seeing a lot more insecurities and therefore clients are having a hard time feeling confident in their choices for hair styles or makeup looks. We have seen some clients second-guessing their choices months later, and I think it has to do a lot with just how much is out there on social media and the pressures of having the perfect blog-worthy wedding. I think that, for us, has been the hardest thing to deal with. Helping clients feel confident in their decisions and selections and not worry about what anyone else wants to tell them they should choose has turned out to be more of a challenge than before for sure.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a mobile hair and makeup company that specializes in weddings. We are based out of Orange County, but we travel all over California and do a lot of destination weddings as well. I am extremely particular with my team, which is one of the things that I believe sets us apart. I have hand-selected all of our stylists. Each stylist is a licensed cosmetologist, and the majority of our artists are certified in Airbrushing, specializing in both traditional as well as airbrush makeup applications. We are known for more of a beauty style hair and makeup.
We really focus on the natural side of beauty. To be able to help a woman not only see, but appreciate, their own beauty rather than feeling like they need to mask their features buried under layers of makeup is what we strive for. I also really believe that skill matters just as much as professionalism, and I am kind of like a crazy person when it comes to timing and working efficiently. My team works quite fast, and we are always on time- which I know for sure is something we have developed a reputation for and are known for.
I’m really proud of the growth of my company and the opportunities that have presented themselves over the years. We have had the chance to work with some incredible companies outside of weddings, and it has been really exciting getting to branch out into commercial and editorial industries as well. This year we had work that went up on the side of a building, a hand-painted billboard, in Brooklyn New York for the Wyeth Eyewear Campaign and it was such a OMG moment for me.
Personally, I am known for being pretty awesome at puns. I feel as though that is important to know 🙂
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think in this in industry specifically, if you are flexible and able to be mobile than you can provide your services anywhere. I used to live in the Inland Empire, and I was finding that it was difficult for a lot of my clients to make it out that way for their trials and appointments. I think that being in or around LA, or able to travel to it, is great for business because you are near an International airport and for clients it seems to be a lot more convenient for scheduling appointments. I also think that while sometimes it may seem that the industry is saturated with hair and makeup artists, there really is so much work to go around. LA is such a destination place for people, so it allows for ample opportunities for work. You just need to find a really good podcast, or make a legit playlist, because you will for sure be in A LOT of traffic anywhere in LA 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: 1011makeup.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1011makeup
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1011Makeup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/1011makeup
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Image Credit:
yellow couch, me; pony tail hugging guy Mike Radford Photography; knotted braid, me; model with bangs and the veil Taryn Kent Photography; Curly hair model Taryn Kent Photography; Flower crown Mike Radford photography; Lace shirt blond hair Mike Radford Photography; Braided bun with accessory Carmen Santorelli Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
