Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Schenika Quattlebaum. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Schenika, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Wow good question… Life I get my work ethic from all of my life experiences, the bad made me stronger, the good may me want to keep going and the failures made me never want to give up but to find another way to master things.
I was always considered the underdog, the wild child, at 18 I had my first child, at 19 I had my second child (Irish twins lol) and being a young black woman with two children by the age of 20 I was looked down upon me. I can’t count the times I’ve heard, “you’ll never amount to nothing.”
I used every negative and found a way to turn it into a positive. I can’t say that this journey has been easy but it is very well worth it.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As a little girl I remember playing in my mom’s makeup. It was something that I loved about putting on my mama heals and beating my face (as only a child could). Who knew then that I was setting the foundation for my life many years later.
As an adult I became the victim of domestic violence in my relationship. That’s when my love of makeup shifted to becoming a necessity. I couldn’t leave my house without makeup. It not only concealed my black eyes and all my other marks on my face and neck, It was in this moment that I realized cosmetics isn’t just about a flawless face but it is actually a lifestyle for many people. It wasn’t just the physical aspect of what makeup does but it was what it did for me mentally as well and it was in that moment I knew I wanted to create my own cosmetic brand.
Let’s be clear we are all beautiful individuals makeup only enhances our beauty. I am so excited to expand our products this year. My goal is for us to be a full cosmetic company.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My three qualities are: research, ability and wanting to always learn and never giving up.
The world shut down in 2020 due to the covid pandemic and as a business owner it was sink or swim. We went from in-person to digital and I had to figure out how to still stay afloat and grow the brand during such a trying time. It was also during this time where we became a vendor for Walmart.com. That showed me while some things I tried failed by me not giving up something better happened.
I always tell anyone I speak with never get discouraged and quit, I literally have quit several times in my head because being an entrepreneur is not an easy task. However, anything worth having you have to work for. Always be open to learning, as we age sometimes we tend to think we know it all when in fact we do not. The world is evolving everyday and you never wanna be stuck in yesterday because you aren’t willing to learn today or tomorrow. Also, be okay with not being okay. Everything will not work all the time and when one thing fails learn from that and move on to recreate.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
This may sound crazy but the most impactful thing my dad did for me was let me hit that brick wall.
I lost my mom at 16, and my dad was always around and spoiled me but with all he did I was still that rebellious know it all teenage girl. As I grew older my dad tried his best to protect me from the world but he couldn’t. You see I always knew no matter what I had him to fall back on so I never really cared about the what if’s or how will I pay this or whatever. Then one day I called him and he said I had to figure it out he finally told me no. Whew, I remember that conversation like it was yesterday. But he made me stand on my own two feet and it wasn’t that I didn’t before I just always knew he was my cushion. That day changed me forever. I went from oh I have my daddy to all I have in this world is me and my whole trajectory on life changed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nataliambeauty.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/nataliambeauty
- Facebook: Facebook.com/nataliambeauty
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/nataliambeauty
- Twitter: twitter.com/nataliambeauty
- Other: TikTok: @nataliambeauty Threads: @nataliambeauty
Image Credits
MUA: @artistrybytia and @daryalatammua Photographer: @eavisualsbookings
