On our first beauty entrepreneur highlight edition, we had a chat with Biobele Igonikon, a small beauty entrepreneur in Lagos.
Tell us a little bit about you, and how you started Anastasis Signatures?
I’m a makeup artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. I love makeup and I’m passionate about it. My love for it compelled me to start selling makeup products so I started Anastasis Signature in 2016, whilst selling, I had the desire to go into Makeup Artistry fully because of my love for it. So in 2017 I went in for makeup training and the rest is history.
What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?
My driving force in being an entrepreneur is the urge to do what gives me joy and fulfilment and of course pays my bill.
How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?
I market my business through personal selling, social media (Instagram, WhatsApp status/broadcast, Twitter and Facebook). The most successful is WhatsApp.
What are the top 5 problems you face in your business?
- Some customers are not willing to pay the price for quality products due to influx of fake products in the market
- Some customers want to buy now and pay later, so don’t eventually pay
- For now the rise in dollar has affected price of products
- Of course the recent pandemic has slowed business a bit, though things are gradually coming up
- Uncertainty
How can technology help resolve some of these issues?
We live in a technological world now, the world is advancing, everyone is going online to search for products and when they see what they are looking for, they purchase and pay and it’s been delivered at their doorstep. This increases your clientele and reduces debt in the business
What are two problems you face with the make-up service and training part of your business?
Most of my walk-in customers request for a discount for services, they claim I’m too expensive, this is due to the environment and other makeup artists around me who charge extremely low compared to what I charge, I always have to explain to them, I don’t use the same products they use.
When training new students, they come with substandard products, and this makes my work difficult because the outcome is always poor, and I have to explain to them, that they don’t necessarily have to buy expensive products, there are drugstore products that are very good too and inexpensive.
Do you have any advice for new entrepreneurs looking to start a beauty business?
One step at a time, everything is a process, even if business isn’t going well keep pushing, look for other means to make it work, don’t be too rigid, be open to new ideas and change.
Shop makeup from Anastasis Signature’s store here
Book a makeup session with Biobele on Glamafric
Start selling beauty and cosmetics products on the online beauty marketplace from GlamAfric. Create an ecommerce store today and start selling.
