At 14, Tiara Willis began building her social media empire by creating a community around makeup and skincare for black women.
“I started my platform because I felt there wasn’t a lot of representation or education around black and brown skin,” she shares.
Willis grew up loving to do makeup. However, she consistently ran into the same problem when buying different products. Many companies didn’t offer products that matched her skin tone.
A problem she saw perpetrated in the online space. Thus, she decided to do something about it.
“I think as creators, we have the ability to fill in what’s missing and create the content that we need and what other people need,” Willis states. “And I find that I want to see myself reelected online, and I want to see products that work for me online.”
As a result, she started to use social media to curate a more inclusive space for black women by sharing helpful makeup tips.
As her popularity grew, she felt called to do more and share more. Willis started becoming more concerned about the skin underneath the makeup.
“I felt like I had the makeup down, but what about my skin underneath?” she questions. “The Internet is so oversaturated it’s hard to figure out what products to use.”
Dealing with acne and hyperpigmentation, she struggled to find products and information that would give her the knowledge to care for her skin.
“No one really talks about the science or the breakdown of what my skin is made of,” she says. “Instead of just throwing products at you on how to clear your acne, let’s talk about how acne forms so you can better treat it.”
When Willis graduated, she had created a following around makeup and skincare, and after finishing high school, the most obvious move was attending esthetician school.
“I had access to products[due to brand deals] but didn’t understand how different ingredients worked, so I ended up using the wrong products,” she admits. “I went to esthetician school to learn how to clear my skin and to know why my skin is different. Now I can apply that information to myself and other people.”
Her passion and ability to showcase and speak on topics that aren’t mainstream have attracted over 850,000 followers across platforms. Throughout her career and building her platform, Willis has always sought to fill the void of misinformation about brown and black skin.
“I’ve had a lot of girls come up to me and tell me that they went to esthetician school because of me, or they bought a certain product because of me, she shares.”
Willis sets examples for her Gen Z followers that if she can do it, they can do it too.
As she continues to show up for her followers, her main focus is to continue to share the knowledge and information she’s learned with those that don’t have access to skincare resources.
“I know what it’s like not to have money or access to an esthetician or dermatologist, so that’s why I try to share as much free information as possible,” Willis shares.
6 Tips To Help You Become A Six Figure Beauty/Skincare Influencer
The beauty industry needs more professionals and influencers representing different skin types and tones. Here is Willis’s advice on success for those looking to carve out their career in this space.
- Take additional classes to learn more about different skin types. School teaches the basics, but you learn more through advanced lessons. Willis has obtained six different certificates since graduating.
- Know how to market yourself. Willis suggests you know your mission and the type of people you want to reach. How can you make yourself more appealing? It’s about making yourself marketable to different brands you want to work with.
- Be clear on what your page is about. You want to make your brand easily identifiable by stating clearly on your page what you do and who you serve. Doing so will make things easier when brands want to work with you because they automatically see who your audience is and what you do.
- Be a copycat. Willis advises, “Write down a list of the brands you want to work with and emulate what those brands are doing.” By demonstrating that your brand shares similar values as their company, they will be more inclined to work with you.
- Understand the business side of social media. “These brands are corporations, “Willis reminds us. Thus it’s important to have a level of professionalism. You have to balance creativity with the more corporate and business side of social media.”
- Be mindful of your taxes. Willis recommends finding the right CPA and the correct structure your business should be under. Remember that you are responsible for all your taxes as a business owner. “When I started making money, I was fifteen years old, and I didn’t know anything about money,” she admits. “Making content is 30 per cent of the job; the rest is running your business and managing your investments, taxes, and bookkeeping.
Willis was able to gain success through being passionate about her content. She saw a need in the beauty space and created a platform to speak to an underrepresented audience.
She has continued her success because she has acquired the tools and knowledge to make great content and run a business. For any influencer or content creator that wants to scale their business, Willis encourages you to build a solid and supportive team to grow your company.
“Being creative, you can get stuck in your zone because, in your mind, no one can do what you do,” she shares. “However, by delegating work, you are diversifying your business and building a team. As a business owner, you don’t have enough time and mental capacity to do it all. “
If you want to learn more from Willis, follow her on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter. You can also catch her masterclass class on Feb 21st.
