Elizabeth Navarro & Martha Camacho (Nebsi One) - Owners of Beauty Ink Studio & Academy

Speaker 1: 0:31

My name is Marta, most known as Nepsi1. I do tattoos, and not really just tattoos. I keep people confident and self-expression by tattooing. I love that. What about you?

Speaker 3: 0:55

My name is Elizabeth Nice to meet you, thank you for having us, and I'm a permanent makeup artist. Our business is named Beauty Inc Studio and Academy and we are helping persons to enhance their natural beauty with long-lasting results, and we empower them with confidence and flawless makeup. I mean with no effort.

Speaker 2: 1:21

Okay, yeah, and just to clarify, is it tattoos like body art, or is it makeup as well? Both, both, okay, that's awesome. And how did you guys decide to start this? Like? Who started it first and then did you join the party?

Speaker 1: 1:36

tell us the story about that so I started getting into tattoo about 15 years ago. I always been involved in art like since I was a kid I liked drawing. Then we moved to the States to start, you know, meeting artists, having invites to local events for the community, and that's how it starts and I get in love with tattooing and then I start coming to supporting her you know what mommy doesn't and I take her to different galleries like New York, new Jersey, any kind of graffiti events, any art events.

Speaker 3: 2:27

she wants to be there. So I was there with her, I'm taking her and I started, you know, loving the art coming from her, so I always try to be there, help her to promote herself. And that time I was collaborating with a local magazine, event magazine, and I do like a little like promotion.

Speaker 3: 2:51

I was the best advisor for her. Every time someone asking for my tattoos, I was like she's my artist, taking the car out and you know all style. And then I started working with her like an assistant, helping her. She started getting, you know, more busy, growing, then more family member joins and I was just the assistant. Then we decided to Just the assistant. Then we decided to Just the assistant.

Speaker 2: 3:18

Come on, the thing was like always supporting, you know, my kids.

Speaker 3: 3:26

So then we just One idea Martha has is like you only need to start tattooing. And I was like, oh, I don't see myself tattooing. Wait a minute, mommy, you have to try. You don't know if you don't try. I started. And then my aha moment coming. I remembered a few years ago I'm not going to say how many, but I got my eyebrows and my eyeliner done permanent makeup and I get in love with them. And I remember that feeling and I was like you know what, martha? I think that's my call. I have to help another woman to feel this confidence, feel that freedom and have more time for the kids, for themselves. For, you know, and that's the way everything is stopped wow, that is crazy.

Speaker 2: 4:16

That like your daughter is like. You know what this is my calling. You're like come on, mom.

Speaker 3: 4:19

You're like each other's cheerleaders.

Speaker 2: 4:21

So I really love and respect that so much because she helped you come out of your comfort zone too. Same with you. Like each other. You guys like help bring the best of each other, Exactly so I love that. And then can you tell me a little bit about your business? As far as marketing goes, how are you guys marketing yourselves out there? How are people hearing about you? What are you doing online to promote yourself?

Speaker 3: 4:43

We try everything.

Speaker 2: 4:45

Tell us about it Everything we can.

Speaker 3: 4:47

Social media right now is several platforms you can use to promote yourself. We do Google, promote yourself. We um do uh google. We do um every. Every customer we have is a uh advertisement you know walking advertisement because they the satisfaction they have with the art we provide and the service we provide and the confidence and the, the trust they. You have to engage with your customer. This is something you have to trust. You have to engage with your customer. This is something you have to trust. You have to connect with your artist, even if it's permanent makeup or it's body art. You have to get really good connection, a lot of confidence and trust in your artist. So we've built that and they just referral us, which is a lot of good.

Speaker 2: 5:34

You know, free advertisement, yeah, word of mouth we don't want that.

Speaker 3: 5:37

um, in everything we can, I mean we still use in the old style like cards, business cards, yeah, and I think pretty much that's it okay, yeah, do you have anything to add to that?

Speaker 1: 5:51

yeah, like, uh, nowadays, days like, marketing is very important. So, honestly, we love the connection with creating the connection with our clients. That's the most and is that goes by my. You know your work, your personality. The experience talks by itself, but definitely marketing it helped us a lot. It's been hard finding people who really understand your idea, or sometimes it's hard for us to express it.

Speaker 1: 6:29

so we need a professional to guide us, help. As entrepreneurs, sometimes we start like doing everything ourselves, but we're, you know, evolving, meeting people and that's why like this never stops. Like branding, marketing in social media, in person.

Speaker 3: 6:52

It's like it's very evolving, so you have to flow with that. And if you want to grow, you have to use all the resources around.

Speaker 2: 7:01

That is amazing. What kind of resources do you guys use, like, how do you stay up to date?

Speaker 3: 7:07

Advertisement. That helps us a lot and, like I said, the old style is not that many people think it is, but it's not so if you have your business card or your, you know your pop-up with your um, um electronic or scanning and find someone in um in our. What is it? I'm sorry.

Speaker 2: 7:32

In your industry.

Speaker 3: 7:33

Yeah, in our industry it's very important. The connection, and our customers give video testimonials, google reviews, facebook also reference. Everything counts, so it's not just one thing. We're working hard on our branding, it's something we learn from from uh, like, uh. One of our coaches says the other day we went zero to hero because we don't have a clue.

Speaker 3: 8:03

I mean we want to do art, we don't want to do marketing as a business owner, you have to wear all the hats and it's not easy at all. Martha is so creative and she has a lot of good ideas, and we both are learning to fusion all that ideas, which is pretty cool Because we are, you know, family, mom and daughter. But in the business we are businesswomen and we love to empower another one. So that's why we start doing the, the teaching, you know, the training.

Speaker 2: 8:37

so love that. Did you have another thing that you wanted to add to that?

Speaker 1: 8:43

yeah, I was about to say like the, the marketing, like, uh, we're working because, yes, like we work, while we're working yes, um, on right now. And we're working because, yes, like we work and what we're working, yes, um, on right now, and we're working on our image, trying to to, you know, um, how do you say like, express, like what we really want to express, and we're working on the branding, on the platforms, but, yeah, so people can find us, like, as we say, connection and the world works a lot, but we also working on the, on the branding, on the website, so new people, you know, with the advert times, they find us, they connect and that's what is being working right now.

Speaker 3: 9:26

Right, that's correct and also they can identify us and different us from anybody else. So we like to yeah, we want to be not another tattoo shop. We don't want to sell tattoos or permanent makeup. We want to give experience to our customers and be treated like a unique case, like, yeah, they are unique, we all are, yeah and what do you think makes you guys stand out besides that, like what's something that you're like?

Speaker 2: 9:55

okay, our clients definitely come to us because we have got this down it's, it's a fusion about us different things.

Speaker 3: 10:04

One very important is like when someone coming to us, we we like to listen what they expecting from our service and we're trying to give them that confidence. Like they go out super empowered, super self-confidence, and it's not just because they have something done, not just because they have something done, it's because the way our customer service, the connection we do with them, is something. It's a different experience for them and that's what we try to give them.

Speaker 2: 10:41

I love that. And then, if you could give any advice to anybody who's thinking about starting a business, whether it's in the tattoo industry, it could be maybe in the massage industry. What advice would you like to give them?

Speaker 1: 10:57

It's like that, like don't do everything by yourself. Be open and look for a good team to help up. Marketing is a key, is a must right now. You cannot do it by yourself. Work hard on your craft or whatever you're doing, but let a professional guide you. That would be my advice.

Speaker 3: 11:24

Yeah, that's a pretty good advice, martha. As a solopreneur, sometimes you try to wear every hat, like I said before, but when you open your mind and you're open to expert, you know advice, you are getting everything more easy and you're growing faster and you can be focused and do what you really love.

Speaker 2: 11:48

Okay.

Speaker 3: 11:48

But let the advertiser. I know we can advertise ourselves and maybe I cannot say no one is going to promote us like ourselves. No, it's not true. Trust in the experts looking for a good marketer, for a good coach, so you can do it yourself too, or has it been?

Speaker 2: 12:07

Yeah, Love it. And then is there anything that you would like to share with our listeners, anything that's in either of your hearts or on your mind that you're like you know what I want to talk about this Like we need more awareness of this, or anything it could be in regards to your life, your industry.

Speaker 1: 12:27

We are like very inclusive. So inclusivity is is very important, you know. Make people feel part of it, you know.

Speaker 3: 12:44

Yeah, inclusivity is something that is so important. And another thing is, no matter the industry that you are starting, trust in yourself and do everything with a lot of love and nourish and connect with your customers and that's the way always the community is going to support your business. We are a small business and the local community is very important for our growth, so trust in that and do. It's not going to be easy. Nothing is easy, but just looking for the best advice and try to be connected with the, with the community.

Speaker 2: 13:27

Okay, and what do you guys like to do outside of your business? Like, I know you love tattooing and drawing, but is there anything else you guys love that you're like yeah, I love going?

Speaker 1: 13:39

to places. Uh, yeah, we are, we like to. Um, well, I, I like to go to nature, you know, listening, so like parks and stuff like that. Yeah, parks, yeah, networking, like, but individually, like you know everything you do. It's how is say it? Like I like to get inspired with everything I do, so I like to get inspired by nature, like walking or just being, you know, meeting people. Yeah, I love flowers.

Speaker 2: 14:25

Yeah, I love flowers too, plants.

Speaker 1: 14:28

Yeah, besides the, I love camping.

Speaker 3: 14:30

There must be an ocean view.

Speaker 2: 14:33

Yeah, we love to.

Speaker 3: 14:34

You know getaways and do some like just spontaneous. We try to do planning but it's kind of hard sometimes but we love to do like just a getaway, like hey.

Speaker 2: 14:46

Yeah, go on vacation or something.

Speaker 3: 14:49

Not really vacation, just unplug ourselves to get inspired.

Speaker 2: 14:52

Okay.

Speaker 3: 14:52

Go to natural beaches. Refresh the mind, refresh the mind, refresh the mind Exactly, and you know, play with the flurry babies.

Speaker 1: 15:00

Yes, I love that.

Speaker 3: 15:02

Paula and Lily. They are part of the family.

Speaker 2: 15:06

Of course they are so demanding.

Speaker 3: 15:07

So we have to, you know, help them to burn that energy.

Speaker 2: 15:10

Otherwise it's going to bother us.

Speaker 3: 15:11

That's right. Yes, and to burn that energy otherwise is going to bother you.

Speaker 2: 15:12

That's right. Yes, it will drive them crazy in the house. Dogs definitely need to be exercised because otherwise they're going to start eating your shoes.

Speaker 3: 15:21

Tell me about it.

Speaker 1: 15:22

Especially the snake ones.

Speaker 3: 15:24

Oh, yeah, they love them.

Speaker 1: 15:26

The big print they love the leather.

Speaker 3: 15:31

Yeah, the leather shoes. They love them. Of course they do the ones that are leather.

Speaker 2: 15:35

They can't go for the cheap ones. They have to have the leather, they want them and Lily don't have favorites, they just love the shoe windows. That's doggies for you. Yeah, and then where do you guys see yourselves in the next five years as far as your business goes Like? Even if you guys have different where you imagine, I want to know each one of your Marta can you say Like in work. Yeah, in work.

Speaker 1: 16:06

Or even yourself too. Well, helping other artists, like beginner artists, you know to, not just whoever who want to start like tattooing or something that I can help I I always see myself there like helping someone as someone else help me like mentoring yeah exactly, or yeah, mentoring or inspiring us?

Speaker 3: 16:33

yeah, okay well, it's not that far from there. Uh, that's why we started teaching a couple years ago we want to help another uh person. So I'm not going to say, because we we have male students too. Yeah, so we have to help another persons to be independent, to nourish their art and try to be more, even if they're not business owners. But they want to do the art and they have this call to help another person, guide them, mentor them and, and, yeah, super grow. I mean we start like very, very every everybody having a starting right, but from when we start for now is so far, so we want to be a little bit more always try to grow absolutely.

Speaker 2: 17:30

Any plans to like expand or do you guys have like the size and the amount of team members that you want in your business?

Speaker 3: 17:39

Actually no. The plan is to keep growing and to open more business, but it's something we are in creating right now.

Speaker 1: 17:54

We're working on that, so slowly, we want to grow awesome, I love that.

Speaker 2: 17:59

And then for my final question um, if you could give one piece of advice to anybody, what would that advice be? What's the question again, if you could give anybody advice, what would that advice be?

Speaker 1: 18:13

it could be about life, it could be in tattoos, it could be about makeup, anything uh, whatever you do, do it with love, and if you have a dream, go for it. It's not gonna be easy, but love that one.

Speaker 3: 18:32

Always be yourself. Always be yourself and love what you do, no matter what. About crazy looks yes, go for it and do whatever you have to do in a good way. Yes, to get it, with limits yeah, all right.

Speaker 2: 18:49

Well, thank you both so much for coming in and sharing your story and a lot of advice for people. We really appreciate your time. Thank you for having us.