10 Words for a Stronger Career

"10 Words for a Stronger Career"
By: Michael DeVellis Founder and owner of The Powder Group and On Makeup Magazine

1. RETHINK: Map out your career, starting with where you are right now. Write out a career plan. If you don’t know where you’re going, you can’t get anywhere. Also, rethink what’s important about your current role and what you would like to change.

2. REWORK: After step 1, you may need to make a few revisions to your plan. It’s OK to rewrite your career going forward, as long as you have a clear plan of action.

3. REMOVE: What elements of your current job are taking up too much time & effort without providing tangible rewards? Could it be your draining, hour-long commute? An expensive project that is leaving you in the red? Or a new staff member who isn’t cooperating with the team? REMOVE also applies to emotional attachments. If it’s irrelevant, let it GO!

4. REINVENT: Make yourself present. Times are-a-changin, and if you don’t reinvent your business model and how you market yourself, you will be outdated. Keep up with the latest business trends and technology by reinventing yourself and your brand periodically. Warning: It can be dangerous to reinvent yourself too much, so be sure that any strategies you put into place are still always in line with Brand YOU.

5. RESTRUCTURE: Here is where you make fundamental changes that will move your plan forward. You may have to restructure how you spend your time or how you spend your resources. Once you start to change one aspect of your career, there will be a domino effect. You will have to constantly be aware of these changes, and work toward managing them into your career and your plan.

6. REORGANIZE: Clear the clutter!! Clean up your computer’s hard drive. Get rid of those old files from 1827 that you DO NOT need anymore. Take a trip to Ikea & The Container Store and invest in new storage solutions. An organized you is ALWAYS a better you.

7. RELEARN: Stop doing the same things over and over and over. You are not smart enough already. There are always new developments happening in your industry, and in order to keep up, you may have to relearn what you’re currently doing in a new way.

8. REDIRECT: Change your direction or focus. If something comes along that is less than desirable, don’t lose focus. We all have life events that throw us off course at times, but if you map out a plan and redirect, you can always find another way to reach your ultimate goal.

9. RECONNECT: Reestablish contact with valuable people in your network. This doesn’t mean send emails to everyone in your virtual Rolodex begging for a hook-up. But it’s OK to reach out to an old mentor or colleague who you once were close with. Life has a way of keeping us distant at times, but reconnecting every few months is always good for your career growth.

10. RESTART: What are you waiting for?! After going through the previous 9 steps, you should be ready to get going with revamping or refreshing your career. As long as you keep your vision clear, map out and work your plan, and believe in yourself you will be well on your way to a stronger career!

(Courtesy of http://glamgigs.blogspot.com/)

..::MUA Spotlight: Makeup Artist Sam Fine::..

One of the highlights of my makeup artist career so far was the time I got a chance to meet one of my idols in the game celebrity makeup artist Mr. Sam Fine. Sam Fine is an outstanding talent and has painted the faces of many celebs such as Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Vanessa Williams, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell and supermodel Iman, just to name a few.











I have followed his career, read his books, and watched his DVDs. He is truly an inspiration to me!

(Click image to purchase the "Fine: The Basics of Beauty" DVD!)

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Check out this interview with Sam Fine. He tells how he got his start as a Makeup Artist!




Here's a (older) video about my experience when I met Sam Fine..How exciting!

..::Networking in the Beauty Industry:TALK TO EVERYONE!::..

So I get a lot of questions about how to get your name out there if you are an up and coming makeup artist, stylist, esthetician, etc...whatever your hustle is, NETWORKING is definitely a key component to expanding your business and spreading the word about what it is that you do.

In the beauty industry, having an extensive network of photographers, stylists, event planners, hair stylists, etc would be very important. You want to build positive relationships with individuals who you could benefit from and also who you may benefit as well.

But it doesn't stop there. I like to meet with people who are not in the beauty industry at all..Sounds crazy but it's actually a very good method to expanding business. In the business world, the most effective way to get business is word of mouth. So WHOEVER you talk to, be it within the realm of beauty or outside of it, someone will speak on your behalf if you're not around and in turn, bring you new business. That means...talk to EVERYONE..not just those in the beauty industry, do NOT limit yourself..you never know what kind of referrals you'll get by speaking up! Sit down and see what kind of services you can offer to different kinds of people. Get creative!

Here's a cool article that I found! "Effective Networking for Busy People"...VERY informative
http://entrepreneurs.about.com/cs/networking/a/networking4busy.htm


Also, here's a quick video: "How To Network" which can be helpful to everyone, not just us beauty industry folks!



Hope this all helps! If you have any tips to share feel free to comment!