How Natalie is building her own beauty education brand

Natalie is a Makeup Artist & Beauty Coach, and the Founder of Natalie Setareh.

Natalie’s big dream is to empower women through beauty education. She believes makeup is a tool that has the power to truly transform how women feel inside, and to make them confident and comfortable in their own skin (with or without makeup). Here’s how she’s making her dream come true.

What was your big dream, and what inspired you to go after it?

I guess my big dream right now is to be the household name in education. Like the new Bobbi Brown! I truly believe that makeup is a tool and accessory that has the power to truly transform us (from the inside out) but there’s a lack of real, tangible, practical education on how to buy, wear, and use makeup in ways that suit our own unique self and personality.

Did you always had this dream?

I wish I could say I’ve had this dream my whole life but that wouldn’t be true. What’s true is that I’ve been doing makeup on others for as long as I can remember. I’ve also always had the dream of helping a lot of people without having to go to medical school (much to the dismay of my Persian father). Through the course of my adult and professional life, I followed a few different rabbit holes until one day, I decided to go for it and start Setareh Beauty, a new freelance makeup artist business. During the first few years, I was fine with my “freelancer” title. It wasn’t until recently when I started reflecting on client experiences, analyzing my testimonials, and watching how people engaged with my content that I realized I graduated to full-fledged business. See, in nearly everything that I created or wrote, things always pointed back to makeup and beauty industry education, and the empowerment found therein.

It was then when I discovered (lightbulb moment) that it’s SO much more than makeup. It’s about feeling empowered (to try new things and be your own makeup artist), be back in control (shutting out all the “buy-this, buy-that” clutter the beauty industry relentlessly sneaks into our pocketbooks), and confident (with or without makeup, making the choice for ourselves and owning it).

What was one of the first thing you did to get you started?

Aside from starting my business and shamelessly putting myself out there, working back-to-back weddings and long, long “hours for photos” days (or small amounts of money) in order to build my professional portfolio, I remember randomly being asked if I offered private lessons. Taken back (wait, I’m an ‘expert’?), I panicked but said “Yes, I do!”. I developed a private lesson structure that evolved into a workbook and sequence that would eventually become the major influence and backbone of my Makeup Reset Workshop Series.

My workshops have been the vehicle to my entry into beauty education. See, I wanted to offer the world an affordable, hands-on workshop where I encourage participants to bring their own makeup bags and learn instead of simply imitating. Participants follow along in this now 26-page book that I wrote by myself. A makeup artist colleague of mine even told me that my book was better and more comprehensive than the one she received in makeup school. And that’s saying something!

What were the biggest challenges you faced in working toward achieving your dream?

I’m knee deep in the challenge. As a woman, I wear so many hats. I wear the artist hat. The business owner hat. The wife hat. The mother hat. The friend hat. Etc. You get the idea.

Having an amazing gift to offer the world takes a team. It takes time. Patience. And a LOT of hard work. So finding time to make sure I work smartly towards getting my message out is always the challenge.

What do you wish you would have done differently? What would you warn others about?

I believe that everything I’ve done so far has led to where I’m now. I suppose I wish I would’ve, at a much younger age, been confident enough in myself to stand up to my family and show them that I got this whole “entrepreneur” thing down. I spent so many years of my life trying to prove I can climb the military officer ranks, corporate ranks, education ranks when really, I should’ve spent that time showing the world what I’m capable of building my own ranks, and climbing them on my own.

Would you say you’ve achieved your big dream yet?

Definitely not! But it’s within reach and sight!

What do you think helped you achieve it?

I wish I could say friends and family, because that’s the expected answer. And don’t get me wrong, they have supported me in so many ways and without their support I wouldn’t be able to keep creating and doing what I do.

But really, the most support I’ve received in my business and what has helped me achieve my dreams has been fellow entrepreneurs. Organizations like the Rising Tide Society and attending local Tuesday’s Together chapters. Tuesday’s Together meetings has been life-changing for my professional and personal growth. Having an entrepreneurial organization at my fingertips has been instrumental in my growth and realizing my dreams.

What’s the best advice you have for others who want to follow their big dreams?

Write down your goals somewhere. A napkin, the back of a piece of paper, a Instagram-worthy mood board… it doesn’t matter. Write down your goals no matter how big or small. Then, try to fill in the gaps in how you want to get from short-term goal to long-term goal. And finally, get ready to roll up your sleeves and put in lots of long hours and hard work.

In this age of side-hustles and entrepreneurial endeavors, we are constantly pressured to buy this system for these results, or automate this process for unparalleled growth, or hire a VA/build your team, I think it’s important to remember the core of it all is {strategic, focused, and smart} hard-work.

I love Yoda’s quote from Star Wars, “Do or do not, there is no try.” Really, it’s not rocket science but hard work does pay off.

Natalie at work during one of her Makeup Reset Workshop Series

More about Natalie Setareh – nataliesetareh.com

Natalie is a US-born makeup artist, educator, and aficionado based in the beautiful spa town of Wiesbaden, Germany. She offers a wide range of conventional makeup artistry services but also offers makeup education for non-beauty professionals, such as her popular Create Your Signature Look and Makeup Reset workshops. When she’s not making up, she’s hanging out or traveling with her two little kiddos and husband, teaching ice skating lessons for the local skating/hockey clubs, and seeking out amazing little coffee shops.

Natalie’s favorite quote is:

I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps. ‘Oh look at that!’ Then -whoosh, and I’m gone…and they’ll never see anything like it ever again… and they won’t be able to forget me- ever.
– Jim Morrison

Natalie’s Big Dream for the world:
I’d love to build a tuition-free makeup school specifically for refugees, asylum seekers, displaced people, and women escaping abuse, that upon graduation, gives them the skills and know-how in how to build a successful, portable, translatable makeup artistry business. Too many women in the beauty industry don’t get a fair deal and I want to change that!

If you want more inspiring stories, I’ve got great news for you! This story is part of an interview series, you can find all entries here.