Kelsey Rae: Behind the Scenes of Building a Brand

Have you ever watched someone turn their love for makeup into a thriving beauty business? That's exactly the journey Kelsey Rae, the makeup virtuoso and brainchild behind KR Cosmetics, takes us on during our latest episode. As we chat, Kelsey unveils the pivotal moments from her modest beginnings as a makeup enthusiast to gaining acclaim as a professional artist, ultimately becoming an entrepreneurial maven. Her tale is a vivid illustration of adaptability in a fluctuating industry and the ingenious tactics employed in diversifying. 

Kelsey's narrative continues as she divulges the strategy behind building a resilient personal brand and the significance of an online presence. She recounts how she leveraged the quieter seasons to diversify her offerings, from makeup tutorials to collaborating on intimate photography sessions, all while nurturing her brand through the savvy use of social media. Her evolution from offering hands-on services to launching a cosmetics line is nothing short of inspiring, demonstrating the balance between artistic passion and the savvy required to navigate the business world.

Kelsey imparts crucial lessons on the entrepreneurial rollercoaster, from the nuances of international product development to the celebratory moments at local markets. Her experiences highlight the essence of patience, the potency of self-promotion, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Kelsey's parting wisdom to our listeners is a reminder of the importance of continuous learning and growth. Tune in to witness the landscape of innovation and determination that defines the journey of a creative entrepreneur like Kelsey Rae.

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Chapters

• 0:27 Makeup Artist Turned Entrepreneur Discusses Career
• 5:36 Building a Successful Makeup Career
• 19:43 Entrepreneurship and Brand Building
• 34:44 Navigating Business Growth and Success
• 40:09 Lessons Learned in Entrepreneurship
• 47:34 Promoting Winning Podcast for Support

Transcript

Shauna Foster: 0:27

Winning is your guide to making it in business. Join our award-winning host and entrepreneur, Mackenzie Kilshaw, and special guests in casual conversations that will educate and inspire you on your business journey. Winning will help you learn the hard lessons the easy way, with guidance from celebrated entrepreneurs and business leaders. It's fun, it's informative, it's winning.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 0:52

Hello, welcome to Winning. I'm your host, Mackenzie Kilshaw, and my guest today is Kelsey Rae. Hi, Kelsey.

Kelsey Rae: 0:58

Hello, thank you for having me. Yeah, thanks for being on. How are you? I'm good, I'm good. How are you?

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 1:05

I'm so good, I'm so happy to have you on. Kelsey is an award-winning makeup artist. She seamlessly transformed her passion for cosmetics into a career, which I love when people take their passion and make it their life. Really, she is a thriving makeup artist career and she actually is ventured into another point of entrepreneurship with the launch of her own cosmetics line, KR Cosmetics. So we're going to talk a lot about that today. But, Kelsey, why don't you just give the audience a little bit more about who are you?

Kelsey Rae: 1:38

Okay, well, my name is Kelsey. I'm from Saskatoon. I don't think being a makeup artist was ever something that I planned out for myself. It was something that just kind of happened. I have been a makeup artist now for almost 10 years, which is crazy, and, yeah, I never really thought that this would be my journey. I went to school for something completely different. I kind of was always the friend that did people's makeup before they would want to go out and before events and things like that. So more and more people just started asking me to do their makeup and then all of a sudden I was like I think this is my job. So, yeah, that's kind of how my journey started.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 2:25

I love that. I love that. And you're self-taught, right? Like you said, you didn't go to school for this, but you've done my makeup, which I've always loved, but you've literally taught yourself how to do this.

Kelsey Rae: 2:38

Yeah, I'm completely self-taught. I had my daughter when I was about 19, and I feel like that time was kind of I was just home with a baby. That's kind of when the first world of YouTube kind of started and all the YouTube tutorials. So during my free time I would just watch tutorials and tutorials and practice on myself because I was bored and at home. So that's kind of where it started from. And then I had a friend who was dabbling in photography. She needed makeup done for a model. So I was like, sure, why not? I had like five makeup brushes and probably like a dirty Sephora palette, like definitely not professional at all, but we kind of played around and that turned out good. And then another photographer saw and then asked me, and then another one. So I was like, okay, I guess I should probably start taking this a little bit more seriously. Yeah, and it just kind of grew from there. It's quite crazy actually.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 3:46

That's you know what it's such a great thing. Like, I love hearing what people's journeys and how they took something, they love doing it and made it into their career, and clearly this is a talent for you, so you took your talent also and made that your job, which is fantastic, yeah.

Kelsey Rae: 4:02

And I think it's just something like I never thought could be a career, like I'm sure if someone told me like in high school or something like, oh, you should be a makeup artist, that would be a great career. But that just like wasn't an option really Like. It was like go to school, you know, like just entrepreneur, just wasn't really quite what it is now, and even just it just always seemed like a side thing, like it was always just like my side thing while I'm in school or while I figure out my next step. But I think it was only about like two or three years into it and then I was like full time. So it happened pretty quick, thankfully, because makeup is a very seasonal job so it is hard to, you know, make it your full time career.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 4:54

But you've done it, and I mean, we're going to talk a lot about building your brand today. But something else I know that you've done in the past, which I think is really interesting, when you do say it seasonal, because, let's be serious, a photo shoot can happen anytime, but you do a lot of weddings and things like that Well, those are typically like, probably what May through October, you're probably going to be swamped and then it gets quiet, right, yeah? So I know one thing you've done is destination.

Kelsey Rae: 5:25

Yeah, you've gone on location.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 5:27

Do you want to talk about that a little bit, because I think that's such a cool way that you've taken those slow times and still making yourself able to have some revenue.

Kelsey Rae: 5:36

Yeah, totally. So that's been a definitely big kind of milestone in my career was be able to travel. Who doesn't want to travel for their job and get to travel to beautiful destinations and, you know, just be a part of people's special day? So I've been fortunate enough to travel lots to the States, to travel lots to Mexico. Lots of winter destination weddings, which is perfect because that is kind of like the slower time here. I've gone to travel internationally I went to Norway this last summer. I'm going to Scotland this summer.

Kelsey Rae: 6:13

So, yeah, definitely some opportunities that I didn't think were possible for a Saskatchewan makeup artist. You know you have these artists in like Toronto and Vancouver, but yeah, I didn't think that that would be possible.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 6:31

But here we are. Yeah, no, it's fantastic, and what a great way to have that revenue right when it's quiet. You've done such a great job of making sure that you still have an income when it's not busy, right.

Kelsey Rae: 6:46

Yeah, totally, that's fantastic, and I think that's kind of where I have to start getting creative too. So it's, you know, not just makeup applications in the winter, there's a lot of like makeup lessons or makeup classes, like it definitely is something that's just like an ongoing, an ongoing kind of keep the ball rolling, don't just get stagnant and you're, you know, busy, May to September kind of months.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 7:17

Yeah, I think too. I feel like you're one of those people that's really proactive and you've kind of created these opportunities for yourself, like you don't sit around and wait for the phone to ring or to get a message through Instagram hey, are you available, you're making these opportunities and you're really going out and looking for, okay, how can I? Okay, make up lessons. I'm going to do that. I'm going to do I know you do lots of makeup for, like, boudoir sessions and things like that. That's really you've created that yourself and that's fantastic.

Kelsey Rae: 7:50

Yeah, I have a problem where, when things are slow, I get. I don't know if I get bored or if I am like, oh no, because you know if you're not working you're not making money. Really, as a makeup artist it's a very like hands on job. So I don't know if it's like you know, oh, I'm not very busy this month, might not have like the income I want, or if I just get bored or what it is, but I'm not good at not doing anything. So it's kind of a blessing and a curse for sure. So, yeah, you feel me, but yeah, that's help.

Kelsey Rae: 8:23

Yeah, learning to slow down.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 8:29

Well, that is true, taking time to rest and relax is good, but you said it's a problem you have. I think that's actually a solution. I don't think it's a problem, but I can say I understand you because I'm the exact same. I'm like how can I make money while I sleep? How can I make money while I not have to physically be there? And I think that's actually an asset to your career and your brand is that you've done these things that have really helped you built right.

Kelsey Rae: 8:57

Yeah, yeah, exactly, and I think that that is, I think, where a lot of people I think any job that you like physically have to be there, like serving people. So, like you know, photographers, makeup artists, jobs that you like really need to be there. It is true, and especially in this industry, if you're only, you know, busy between X amount of months and X amount of months, if you're not proactive, then I think that's when people get scared that they can't make it their full time job or can't make it a career, and it just does end up being like a side thing, which is totally fine. Nothing wrong with, like having other jobs or other things that you're doing as well, but, yeah, you do. You have to be proactive and you have to, and I think, with the way the world is now, there's so many more opportunities to make money while you sleep, which is the goal.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 9:53

Yeah, I know, that's what I always say. How can I make money without having to like do something right?

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 9:59

And I think you have done such. Yeah, like that's the goal, that's success. To me, it's not like that I have so much money in my bank. It's like not having to physically be somewhere. And we're going to talk a lot about your personal brand, which now has led into your own cosmetics brand. But I think you are a really great person to talk to about this, because, of course, you're still doing makeup and that's that's obvious. But you're your own personal brand that you have built. I really want to talk about that. Your social media presence. I don't know if it started there. Maybe you want to talk about that. But, yeah, what did you do to build this brand? Because it's it's well known your name right.

Kelsey Rae: 10:44

Good question. I feel like I want to say I'm lucky, but I know that there's obviously hard work that goes behind it. But I want to say I'm lucky in the fact that my social media really grew quite early, in the early stages of Instagram, when I feel like it was easier to grow. I didn't have to really there was no reals, there was no you know, things like that. I just posted my work and people followed me and it was. It was great, it was easy. Now I feel like it's kind of like a learning curve again, because now I'm like oh, I have to actually like work for this now, like I to get those new followers, like I have to do reals, do like there's just a whole nother part of social media now, which is amazing, but also it's like a full time job. But I think like the main thing, I say social media.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 11:38

Yeah, it's a job that you literally could pay somebody a full time wage to do that.

Kelsey Rae: 11:44

Totally, and they deserve it because it's so much work.

Shauna Foster: 11:49

But what I tell?

Kelsey Rae: 11:51

people the most when they're like first, no matter what like business they're in is, put your face out there. People want to see you, they want to connect to you, especially when it's something kind of intimate. Like you know, I'm this close to your face doing your makeup for your wedding day. You want to know me before I'm there for your special day. Or even, like I always say like even like a massage therapist, like I want to kind of know who you are before I just lay down or my waxer or really anything Like.

Kelsey Rae: 12:23

I just feel like I know you a little bit. So I was really good at that at the start. I still am doing stories, doing. I used to do lots of like lives, youtube, like basically any platform I could get on. I was on, yeah. So just making your face part of your business, I think is huge. It can be awkward at the start, but people want to see you, they want to connect to you.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 12:53

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. When I had my clothing stores, I always did try-on videos where I literally took a selfie video for a story. It was like, hey, it's me, here's this outfit. This is why I like it here's outfit. Yeah, honestly, I felt so silly the first probably 100 times, obviously that I did them because I'm like no one cares, no one wants to see me, and then I would get messages where people are like thank you for sharing this. It was so great to see what it was like on a real person, or to get to know you.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 13:26

Yeah, or you liked it or whatever you've realized, then you've built that connection with the person and that connection and being genuine, I think, is actually what gets you yeah it gets you further.

Kelsey Rae: 13:35

I think so too, and I always say talent is easier to be taught than your presence around people or how people feel when they're with you. There's so many people that are talented all over the world everyone's, especially with Instagram now you can see it. But if they don't have that connection with you or that personality, or if they're just not showing you their personality at all, if someone else is just as good and you feel that connection with them, why wouldn't you go with them? So yes, I think getting yourself out there is huge for sure.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 14:15

I agree, and that's what, especially now, you talked about how Instagram, especially, has changed even in the last five years, really, and I think there are so many people that you almost can tell they just want to be like an Instagram star. They don't actually have that connection. Yeah, you can feel it right totally. When it's genuine, yes, when it's genuine, you're like oh, I really like this person. That's why people want to follow you and see what your next thing is.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 14:45

You do such cool, I know, especially around Halloween. I don't know why I always think of that, but you do all of your transformations of your face using makeup and I'm kind of waiting for the next post from you to see what cool thing you did. Now, and I think that goes back to that having that connection. Yeah, I should comment on your page and tell you that, because other people are saying the same thing, but it's true, it's like okay, what's she going to do next, right? Yeah, yeah, so you built your actual physical brand doing makeup in Saskatoon. You built your online presence and then you branched into actually having your own beauty line, your own cosmetics. So let's talk a little bit about that. How did that come about?

Kelsey Rae: 15:36

Okay, so good question. I had a lash line years ago. You carried it at your boutique, actually Wink Luxury Lashes. I think I started that when I was like 23 or 24. And I had no idea what I was doing and I loved them.

Kelsey Rae: 15:59

They were great. I had them up until like maybe like two, three years ago, so like I had that business for about five years, Just like reusable lashes that my brides could wear for their you know engagement photos, a bachelorette party, their wedding. I'm like they're using them all the time in my services anyways. It just kind of made sense. So that was great. I loved that. And then, just about oh gosh, a year and a half ago, I kind of got rid of that because I had bigger dreams for more. Like Wink Luxury Lashes just kind of kept me in a box. It's just lashes, so I kind of always knew I wanted more. So I scratched that, started from scratch and I created KR Cosmetics, Kelsey Rae Cosmetics. Yes, that was about a year and a half ago. I started out with brushes, a brush line, because I do a lot of makeup lessons and people would come to me with like one eye shadow brush and one mascara wand and one powder brush and they're like teach me. And I'm like, well, I can't start with the tools right.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 17:12

Yes.

Kelsey Rae: 17:13

You need good tools to get good makeup. So I started with that to create some really good quality brushes that were at an affordable rate. I find that locally it's very hard to find good quality makeup brushes. They're either stupidly expensive, like 60 bucks for a brush, or stupidly cheap and cheaply made. So, anyways, started with that and then it just kind of expanded from there.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 18:09

So when you okay, so you have this thought of like okay, I want to do more than the lashes, I'm going to start with brushes. Do you like go onto Google and say like my own brushes. How do you start that like? What steps did you take?

Kelsey Rae: 18:26

did a lot of research. I have zero business background. I probably should, but I don't ever like starting your own business as a, you know, sole business is one thing, but then once you kind of start like a product line, it's a very different, very different. I've learned, but, yeah, just honestly, a lot, a lot of research. I was in a contact with a lot of different factories and places that create different products and I would try samples and I tried, like so many, until I found ones that I actually liked and liked working with. Being in Saskatoon, I find, is a little tricky because shipping takes forever to get here from anywhere, so it was like it was probably a full, full year process to get the brushes out at least. No, at least yeah, yeah, but yeah, just finding, yeah, it seems.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 19:34

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Kelsey Rae: 19:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 19:37

Sorry.

Kelsey Rae: 19:37

I'm just saying it seems like a long time.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 19:39

No, it seems like a long time, but that probably went by in a flash.

Kelsey Rae: 19:43

Totally yeah. And so once I kind of found you know the quality of brushes that I liked at the facility that I liked and agreed with and liked their you know kind of company structure because that's another thing I obviously wanted things to be as like ethically sourced as possible. It's very easy to just find things on you know from, you know from who knows where, so that was really important to me. So that took a lot of time and effort, a lot of well, my brushes especially come from overseas, so there's a time difference, so I would text them in the morning, they would text me the next night, so everything took very long, yeah. And then, of course, then it's the fun stuff like getting to do like you know your logo and designing it and colors, and so that was really cool.

Kelsey Rae: 20:38

I love, I definitely love the product development side of this business, I've realized. But I've also realized I really really like kind of like the e-commerce part too, like I love fulfilling orders and I love you know all the like analytics behind the scenes. So, yeah, it's been a learning curve, that's for sure.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 21:02

Well, and that's one thing that I think it's like a lot of people don't think about. They think like, okay, I want to have, I have an idea, or I want to have my own, whatever it is, and they think of the end result, but they don't think of finding those ethical companies testing the brushes, figuring out, okay, what's the name of it going to be, what's my logo look like, what are my colors? Oh wait, I need a website. I also need to sell on there. How am I shipping? How am I fulfilling these? What packaging do I use? And there's such a long list of things that you usually don't even realize until you actually jump into it totally.

Kelsey Rae: 21:43

And then it's like, oh, I need you know stock photos and photos now and content. I need another Instagram and I'm running too.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 21:51

Yeah, yes.

Kelsey Rae: 21:52

It is, it's a lot and I think it's something that I I've learned that so solely right now, it's just me I haven't asked, is it just you like, it's just me all my stocks back there in that closet. I have a desk over there that I fulfill the orders I like, run them to the mailbox and ship them out. Yeah, so I, I, I know I need to just learn to give some control away, and that, I think, will be the next step in my business eventually. Is, you know, yeah, letting go a little bit, delegating tasks and because I can't do it all, and I'm learning that if I need, if I want my business to grow, you can't do it all on your own.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 22:41

Yeah, so, slowly learning Kelsey. It took me about five years to figure that out, so I think you're a bunch ahead of the curve there. But it's true, especially when you well, when you first start because you want everything. It's your dream and it's you're like okay, I'm doing this.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 22:58

You want everything to be done like really perfectly in your head, right? Yeah, you think okay, it's easiest if I just do it, plus you probably you have to know what's going on, like. You have to know like how many sales am I getting and how many people are engaging, how many people are visiting the website.

Kelsey Rae: 23:16

So it's kind of easiest when you first start to do it yourself totally, and then I feel like you do kind of need to dabble in all areas to know, then, what is easiest to give up or what you know your strengths or weaknesses are. I've noticed that my weaknesses are like the content part, like just, you know, constantly having to make new content. I'm like I think that's going to be the next thing I can like. There's so many great people and that's people's jobs now is to be content creators and, you know, social media managers and that kind of stuff. So, yeah, knowing your strengths and weaknesses is key for sure.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 23:57

Yeah, yeah, no, I get it, I totally get it. And I think, too, you made a really good point when you said, if I want to grow, I have to give some of these things up, and giving them up it's just having somebody else do them. And I think that's so true, because it's really hard to grow anything when you're so literally just busy. You're busy doing so many things that it's like, okay, tomorrow I'm going to, I'm going to. You know, I have this on my list and that just keeps getting bumped to the next day and next week and next month, and, before you know it, you haven't done it and you're like you know because you're, you're physically, you can't do it, and you have a family and friends and you want to do something else too.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 24:40

You can't just work all the time right.

Kelsey Rae: 24:42

No, and I think that's the thing like when you're spread so thin, you're not giving your best to any area, right. You're just kind of like sprinkling what you can, but you're not really like fully giving your all to the area that's needed. Or at least that's just my brain, because I'm just here, there and everywhere. Yeah, I get you, though.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 25:03

Do you find it hard like you are a mom and a wife? Do you find it hard when you have that business is literally in the room next door? Do you find that hard to separate or say like, okay, I'm not doing that, I have to, or is that been ?

Kelsey Rae: 25:20

I think it's just, I don't know, I think it's just kind of the way it's always been, yeah, and I think I kind of like that a little bit too, that it is very flexible. So, you know, if I have a spare moment, I can run in here and do something quickly, or versus like if I was at like a full time like nine to five. I don't know, I just kind of like spread my hours differently, I guess. So also Ella, she has 11 now. She loves to help me, so she like always gets so excited when an order comes through. She's like can I help pack it up? I'm like sure. So she's kind of gotten involved now, which is which is cute. So I don't know. I mean, yeah, it definitely is something that like having those like boundaries are good, but I don't know, I just love work, so I will never really not work.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 26:19

Yeah, I think too it's part of that, I'm assuming is because you're so passionate about makeup and outcomes that you get it's probably not like it is work, but it's probably not so much like work.

Kelsey Rae: 26:31

Exactly like it's definitely my passion, like it's also my hobby too, like I don't, it's just, it's something I love. Yeah, it doesn't feel like work some some days maybe more so than others, but yeah, I feel like I would be doing something like this regardless. Yeah, I just like to be busy.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 26:55

Yeah, I think too. It just shows that when you do something that you love it, you probably put in more hours in a day than someone going to an office job. That they just it's a paycheck right, but you look at it, so you don't feel like you're spending that much time.

Kelsey Rae: 27:11

Yeah, exactly, and I think that's it like it just it doesn't feel like work, it's fun. I love it, even, like you know, physically, like doing the makeup. I get to be a part of people's like special days and I get everyone around me. Yeah, I think the most that is like it's work, but it I love it.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 27:31

So yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I love hearing that. That just makes me so happy, because that's why we do these things, that's why we're entrepreneurs and why we have these lives. Yeah, you have one life is pretty short, really to think about it, so you might all enjoy it, right?

Kelsey Rae: 27:47

Yes, exactly. I don't think I would be good at working for anyone anymore. I don't know I could go back to like a norm quote-unquote normal like nine to five job. I don't know. That was never really Something that I saw for myself, so I'm glad it turned out this way.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 28:11

You knew right, you knew yeah, um, okay. So you, you build the brand, so you start with the brushes and you obviously have to market it. Like you have to do some marketing, you have to build awareness now for you being so great in the community, well known the community of Saskatoon, but also your online presence. Did you use that to market? Or how did you build awareness of your new cosmetics line?

Kelsey Rae: 28:43

Yeah. So after brushes, that took off quite well and then I started getting into a little bit more like color products. So I started with like lip glosses which I was super proud of and I think to market it I kind of took a little bit of my like influencer background. So I've done kind of like influencing a little bit. Other brands have sent me products. I do unboxings, I, you know, test it, do try on things like that. So I kind of did that a little bit and reached out to some of my favorite like influencers or just like favorite people in the community that have a following of the market that I'm kind of going for Also, which, which is huge, that definitely like helped get my name out there and my my cosmetic business out there.

Kelsey Rae: 29:34

But for me also, I see so many makeup lovers and makeup clients in a day, in a month, in a year that yes in person sales work quite easy because you know I do a wedding of eight every weekend or of 16 every weekend, and of course the bride's gonna want something to touch up with and then, you know, maybe a bridesmaid or two, and then from there it just kind of kept snowballing and snowballing. So I'm my online. Online sales do quite well, but my in-person sales do really well as as well.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 30:12

So yeah, and you know why? Right, it's you. It's because you're there and you can show them the product online sale. I mean, I don't online store for years and online stores are great, but at the end of the day, it's you that does the best selling of your own product right totally, and then you can like feel it and swatch it and see it and, you know, hold it or whatever.

Kelsey Rae: 30:38

I think also I so I created. So, yes, I have brushes, lashes, lip glosses and lip liners so far, and my lip glosses I really created with my clients in mind. I know what I use on them. For the most part, I already kind of have my favorite shades that I used on them, so then I kind of knew what they would gravitate towards. So I have this one color called Bliss and it's like the perfect wedding shade and I swear I use it on like 80% of my brides. It's just that perfect bridal color that I know every bride, or most brides, are gonna want. So I think definitely knowing like my clientele helped a lot too.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 31:30

Oh, for sure, and that's so smart to basically create something that you already know is gonna be a seller. What a great, that's a great thing about having your own right. And I know, when I got married, before you had your makeup line, but I was looking for like that perfect nude lipstick and I swear that I had to try on like I bet you're trying on 50 different colors because, yeah, I just you know, I think I went and this is all spring covid, so but I think I went to like Sephora and you know just swatch, swatch, swatch. But you already have that. You probably know the top 10 for like skin tones and hair and all that stuff, right?

Kelsey Rae: 32:10

Yeah, it's quite funny because, like most of the time like bright a bridal in particular they want the same Kind of look like. Obviously it's gonna be different on every person, but for the most part it's kind of the same Handful of looks that I just kind of do, depending on what they're wanting. So, yeah, that was a. That was a really kind of easy transition for sure. Same with lashes, because it's something that they're gonna use, they're gonna want. I know what looks good in photos, I know what styles, tends brides tend to gravitate towards, or just clients in general. So I think just having that knowledge of what people want is has helped a lot.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 33:01

Yeah, that experience. You, you couldn't trade anything. Like you were so smart to use your past experience to build, like you weren't like, okay, my first color is gonna be hot pink and whatever. Yeah, orange because, yeah, not that you can't have those, but you probably know, like the like the nude Shade is gonna be the best one and the easiest for you to sell and going back to your online store and Make money while you sleep, right, like you know that's gonna sell because when they run out of it, they're ordering another one.

Kelsey Rae: 33:32

Exactly. So, yeah, that that's been. That's been a like such a dream, especially, you know, during the, the slower months. Um, that's been really good. One thing that I've kind of struggled with with my like next step in it is I feel like I've gotten the Saskatchewan market pretty good. Obviously lots of like In-person sales, which is great, but now it's going to be the expanding. How do I get it? Yes, you know, across.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 34:09

Do you think that was the was harder or what was the hardest part? Like, was it harder to actually like be like, okay, I'm doing this and get going, or do you think the expansion part is gonna be harder?

Kelsey Rae: 34:20

I think for me I I'm so funny because I never really have like high expectations for things I just like, I'm not like, I'm just like, oh well, just like see what happens. And then things start going well and I'm like, okay, this is great. So I think it's now the starting. It wasn't that difficult for me, it was fun, it was exciting. I did like I said I didn't have, I didn't know what my goal was for it. I'm like I'll just sell it to my brides, it's perfect. I don't have to like you know wholesale something else. I'll cut out that middleman, no problem. But now I'm like, okay, there is potential for a lot more. So now it's like getting it to the next, the next step. So I know I'll come. Yeah, that's one thing that I think my like non business. I'm a creator more than a business. I'm great at creating. I'm great at developing the creative stuff I love. It's the like business side that sometimes I'm like I don't know what the next thing is. Yeah, yeah.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 35:34

Well, and most people don't right, because for most people, you have the idea and you're like okay, I know how to do. Like for you it's like I know you know the colors I want to do, or maybe you want to branch into, you know palettes and all like different lines within your product, and that is exciting, it's fun and you're good at that. But it's like, oh, how do I price it or how do I market it? And for most people, that's the stuff that, right, that causes the like, oh, the grief.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 36:05

Like you said, you weren't really nervous. You're like well, we'll see how it goes. I think probably you knew you'd be able to sell it because you already had the clients. You know it's a good product. But now it's like okay, how do I sell it to people that maybe don't know me? Or how do I get? Maybe you want to get into a store, how do I do that? Right, and I think that's maybe this is, yeah, this is maybe where you pass that off, right, you get somebody to do the business side and you keep doing the creative and that's okay, exactly, yeah, totally.

Kelsey Rae: 36:41

So I think that that is kind of the next kind of step or just, you know, kind of seeing, like I said, I've always been a one woman show, even with my makeup artist business. I am a very I don't want to say stubborn person, but I'm very just, I don't like asking for help. That is one thing that I've struggled with with business is I just I can do it on my own, it's fine, I can just keep powering through. I don't want to like bother anyone or like ask questions. I've never really like, you know, messaging those people on Instagram, being like how you know which is which? That's what the community is for. And there's mentors and there's people that do this. As you know, their job is to help other entrepreneurs.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 37:42

Well, Kelsey, it's you and about 80% of everybody else that has their own business, because we don't want to ask, but you're like I'll figure it out or I won't bother doing it, or whatever it is, and most people are the same. Right, it holds us back for sure. Yeah, totally okay. So you can now say you make money while you sleep because, technically, you have an online store so your orders can come in. What other successes have you found with having your own line now, which is really just adding to your brand, which is you right?

Kelsey Rae: 38:20

Yeah, I think, just I think just seeing like, especially those like like second orders coming in, you know, when people have started repurchasing, or it's huge, just like knowing that the product is good and people do like it and that's been huge.

Kelsey Rae: 38:46

Also, seeing it on like a few, like I said, as my favorite influencers. I did makeup for Sarah from The Birds Papaya this year and I used the lip gloss on her and she looked at her makeup and her first thing was, oh my gosh, I love this lip gloss and I was like okay, so just kind of getting some of that like reassurance. Also, like I said, like I weirdly love like the behind the scene stuff of it which has kind of made me like surprised me, but also kind of made me proud. Like I love the like packaging it up and like the literally like the not glamorous part of it. But I get so excited when an order comes in and gets like, yeah, package up the product and like literally go and ship it out. Yeah, I'm currently working on some new stuff that I'm oh, that's exciting, that I'm excited about. I literally think it'll probably be another year because it takes so long, but that's okay.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 39:57

Yeah, but that's okay because you know what you can build the excitement now and that's part of your marketing strategy, right? Build it up and then, when you have the product, yeah, that's awesome. Kelsey, do you have a most important lesson that you've learned along the way?

Kelsey Rae: 40:18

Yeah, I think definitely it's taught me patience for sure, because so much of it is out of your control. I'm used to working by myself, so it's you know just me, but now I work with like a factory and other developers and I'm talking with them all the time and my last order got messed up and got lost and I still don't know where it is and like things like that that are just out of your control, and I'm also like a very impatient person. I want things now and that's just not the way life works. So when things are out of stock, you know it's not always on my end. It's waiting for shipments and waiting for things that you just can't control. So I definitely think patience has been the biggest thing that I've learned. Also, one thing I will say I'm learning and working on is to I'm not a great salesperson. In the fact that I'm not, I don't want to say pushy, because, like, no salesperson is pushy, but I'm just I need to be more.

Kelsey Rae: 41:41

So many people are like I don't even know you had a makeup line, so I'm like, yeah, I know it's just like a thing I do, like I need to be more confident in myself and in my product and be like yeah, here it is, it's great Like. Sales has just never been my strong seat, which is funny because I sell things all the time to people, whether I know it or not, just by showing a mascara online, but it's that, it's so. That's so natural to me. So the actual like I did at my first like in person market this year and I'd never done one before, didn't know what I was doing and I was like I'll just like go and like see what happens. And it did. It did very well, better than I like thought it was going to, but I had to be on it like, I had to be that salesperson. I had to be the like come to my booth, come check this out, which is so outside my comfort zone, but I think that's also a good thing.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 42:49

Yeah, I agree, and I think sales are hard. Say it like sales are, because I think we all have that thought in our head of like kind of that negative stereotype of a salesperson. And then you're like I don't want people to yeah, like I don't want people to think I'm pushy, or I don't want people to be like oh my God, that Kelsey girl or whatever.

Kelsey Rae: 43:11

Yeah, I feel you.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 43:12

I think you have such a talent that you're right. You can actually probably sell things without even being a seller per se, and I think you you'll get there with experience. But you've got it. Yeah, I can tell.

Kelsey Rae: 43:27

Oh well, thank you. Yes, it's definitely. Yeah, you're welcome.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 43:33

Is there anything you wish you had known or something you would like to tell your younger self?

Kelsey Rae: 43:42

That's a really good question.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 43:44

I know everything. So many people say everything.

Kelsey Rae: 43:48

Yeah, literally everything. I think I always kind of knew, without knowing that I would work somewhat in a entrepreneur kind of fields, like I never really saw myself working too much for someone else or too much. So I wish I would have taken some kind of like business course right off the bat, right out of school, whether it was just like a bookkeeping course or a admin course or I don't know, just something related to business, not that I mean, obviously I've done it as I've gone, so and it's worked out fine for me. But whenever I like think about what my daughter's going to do, I'm like just take something in business first and it's going to help you in some aspect of your life, regardless whether it's your own personal organization skills or you know admin stuff in your own personal life like you're going to use it. So I think if I could go back I would do that. I went to school for something in the medical field, so very different than what I'm doing now.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 45:00

Yeah, well, I think that's great advice and the great thing about educating yourself is you always have that right. So you're right, take a business class or a course. It's not like you need to go to four years of university for it, but take something that can help you. And those classes, honestly, they help you in your own life too, like especially financial things. Yeah, they just help you along your way anyways, so you're never behind like taxes.

Kelsey Rae: 45:25

I actually taxes with business. I don't know like I still don't know.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 45:31

I send that away because I don't want to do that. Yeah, but this year I actually have taken, I'm just finishing up a course at York University and I actually just got accepted into a course at Harvard University. So I am, yes, amazing good for you, thank you, but this is what you just said, because there's areas that I'm like I know that I like this and I know I'm kind of good at it, but I don't have as much knowledge as I want to. And so even me at I've been out of school for 20 something years I'm still learning more because it's just going to help me, right? So, yeah, exactly.

Kelsey Rae: 46:12

That's great advice. I think that's a great thing about just like there. There are so many options. Yeah, even whether it's like you know, like no education bad education, that's for sure. Even if it's just an online course from your favorite, or you know a business owner you look up to or a makeup artist you look up to, whoever, yeah, I definitely think like keep learning for sure.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 46:39

I love that advice and I think that's a great way for us to wrap things up. I know people are going to want to know more about you. They're going to want to know more about KR cosmetics. Where can they find you? Where's the best place for them to go?

Kelsey Rae: 46:53

So my Instagram is definitely where I'm the most active, and that's @Kelsey Rae_MUA and then my cosmetic one is @Kelsey RaeC osmetics on Instagram, and then all my websites are linked on there as well.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 47:10

Yeah, Thank you, Kelsey.

Mackenzie Kilshaw: 47:14

I am going to be going online and ordering one of your Bliss lipsticks or lip glosses because I know that, I know that I know that I need to have it, so that's my next step after this, but thank you so much, Kelsey. I really appreciate you being on and for everybody listening. We'll see you. Yeah, thanks. We'll see you guys on the next episode. Thanks for listening to Winning. Be sure to subscribe to get all of our new episodes. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media and leave a rating and review wherever you listen to Winning. To catch all of the latest from us, you can follow Winning Podcast on Instagram @Winning_ podcast, Facebook at Winning Podcast and on Twitter @Winning pod. Winning was created and is produced by me, Mackenzie Kilshaw Music, created by Summer Firby, editing by Seth Armstrong. Special thanks to Shauna Foster for voicing our opening and, of course, a huge thank you to this episode's guest. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you on the next episode.