ASK ME ANYTHING: We're Talking About Selling Henna Cones, Henna Lookbooks, and Copying Henna Designs
Ask Me Anything!
You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers!
In today’s Ask Me Anything!, we’re tackling the following questions submitted from hennapreneurs like you:
[0:00] Intro + Welcome
[01:01] Is it ok to copy designs when with a client?
[04:11] When we do henna cones to sell, should our stickers match our full branding if we're just starting, and typically, what should they have on them?
[08:16] Do you have a henna lookbook?
Got a question about how to become a henna artist?
Ask me anything about starting, growing, and maintaining your henna business!
By the way, you’re totally invited to join me and other high-aspiring henna artists inside of the private Hennapreneur Community on Facebook! There we connect about henna, about business, and about all things related to crushing it as a henna professional.
+ Read the transcript here
Chelsea: Hey, hey, hennapreneurs! Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. We are live for our ask me anything session and I am super pumped to be able to connect with you today. I have to let you know if it's your first time joining me. Hey, what's up. My name is Chelsea. Stevenson and I am a professional henna artist and business strategist based here in Baltimore, Maryland, and I help henna artists all around the world to start their henna businesses and scale them to five figures.
And hopefully far beyond. Um, and so, yeah. I'm super excited to connect with you. So twice a month, I come live here on Facebook and I give an ask me anything session, the questions are submitted in advance inside of the Hennapreneur community. And then I get to answer them here for you guys live because obvs I'm here to help you out fam.
Okay. So let me give you a little quick rundown today. We have a couple of questions that came in that were about. Working with clients and selling henna products So today's session is going to be actually super, super short and I'm here for this. Let's do it. So this Hennapreneur asked does it look good enough to copy designs when with a client.
And I feel like this is a question that is super, super common. So let me pause right here and say: there is absolutely nothing wrong with you cpying a design in front of a client especially if it is an element or a motif, that's going to be challenging for you from a technical or uh, composition perspective, right?
So obviously we have the instance where a client comes to you and they already have a design in mind and they're like, "Hey, can you create this for me?"
When that happens, what I like to do is instead inquire with them. What is it about this design that they really like and what is it that they are wanting to see on themselves?
Like, what it is about this that caught their attention, that made them fall in love with this design enough for them to bring it to me, then I like to explain to them that every design is in fact created for its wearer and just like handwriting, I can do my very best to copy something from someone else, or I can create something that's unique to them because I'm never going to do it just like the person who made the original. Oftentimes that's enough of a conversation a very short conversation, but oftentimes that's enough of a conversation um, that would move my client to allow me to freestyle, but using those, um, elements inside of that design, that they really fell in love with to create something that's custom for them.
So this is what I prefer, why it takes me less time to create something than it does for me to copy something. And if I have to copy something, I'm going to be pretty meticulous about it. And because I, uh, book my sessions out by time, I want to give my clients the most value possible.
So I'd prefer to just freestyle rather than copy. The alternative, uh, perspective, if you will, to this type of scenario is when your client says, I want something like X, Y, or Z, and then you have to go and look for a design that gives you an idea that you can follow, and then you start to build. So I'll give you an example of this yesterday.
I was working with a client and she said, I want to have this elephant piece. And so I did this large elephant piece on her, butt um, like her butt and hips, right? Um, and so, when she said, "I want to have this elephant piece."
Okay. Now I need to know, um, do you want to have the elephant looking straight forward? Do you want it looking to the side? She lets me know. I want it looking to the side. I said, great. Okay. So I go straight to Google and I look for elephant line drawings. Simple elephant line drawings of a face. And that way I can see for myself, alright these are the major pieces, major points inside of the design.
And I use the tip of my cone to map out where I'm going to be working. And then I went in to start to fill in the design and actually build it out. Uh, but this is something that I definitely suggest doing. And, um, I remember even last night she asked me, are you looking at, are you looking at something?
And I told her, yeah, you know, I, um, I looked at the piece so that I can have a. map for how I'm going to build out this elephant shape. Um, and then after that, get rid of the picture and I start to fill it in and do the things on my own freestyle. Right. Um, so there's nothing wrong with copying a design in front of a client. There's no like. You don't lose cool points for it. It's totally okay. If you need to use, um, some sort of visual support in order for you to be able to create a great experience and a great piece for your client, just do it. It is okay. Nobody will die. I promise. Alright Uh, then this hennapreneur asked uh, when we do cones to sell, should we put-. Wait. When we do cones to sell, should our stickers match our full branding if we're just starting and typically, what should they have on them?
So, okay. This is where I'm going to give you two answers, right? And this is going to be like, you're going to be like, "Chelsea, but you just said..." and I'm still going to stand by both answers. Y'all ready? I know y'all love when I start to do this, right? I know y'all love when I do this.
So the quick answer is if you're putting out a branded item, if you're putting out a product, then of course you want its brand name to be consistent with the branding that you have everywhere else. Absolutely, right? Because people are identifying that this is a certain product that they got from a certain brand and like brand value and brand, um, aesthetic is important. It's part of your story. Yes. Yes, it should match. Um, should your stickers and everything match? Yes, if you can. And this is where I'm now going to backtrack and I'm going to say, this is a place where a lot of hennapreneurs waste absolutely a ton of money. Let me tell you why.
You do not have to come out of the gate swinging like you are freaking, I don't know what big brand, from what big box store you are not one of those brands yet you are still likely a solo hennapreneur who's doing all the things by themself Why hold yourself up to the standard of perfection that looks like a perfectly packaged, anything If it's going to eat into your profits, if it's going to eat into your time, and if it's going to get in the way of you actually delivering the product, I would prefer to see you sell a cone that doesn't have any sticker at all and have enough, um, profit margins inside of your product for you to not go out of business. That's what I would prefer.
So, this is just me speaking this is me telling you yes yes. From a strategic perspective, like from a branding perspective, absolutely. There's value in having all of your branded items and branded materials, being well aligned and showing up in the same way consistently everywhere. And also respect where you're at inside of your journey.
So if you don't have the funds to be able to have the perfectly branded sticker, that is okay, can it be a different sort of change instead? What if, what if, what if, instead of focusing on having like the perfect stickers, what if we just purchased a particular color of cellophane, of paper for your cones? What if you just did that? Right? What if that matched your brand colors? What if you just use tissue paper, when you're packaging the products up that match your brand colors. What if you jus,t like, have little tiny things like this so that you're not running yourself into the hole for premium packaging on a product that I would guess you're probably underpricing anyway, right? Why do that? It's not necessary.
I would prefer for you to be mindful of your profit margins and instead just deliver a really great product, even if it's not packaged. Like, I dunno, like something you'd pick up at, I don't know where whatever store. Okay. So this is me also being like, like the business strategist slash auntie telling you.
Stop Stop trying to be perfect. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to have everything perfect. You just have to show up with excellence and deliver a really great product to your customers. That's it, okay? People will look over the packaging, alright? Now if you got it, that's something else, but if you don't, that's okay.
This is me giving you permission, okay?
And in terms of what's, what should, uh, what should the stickers have on them? If you're, if you insist on having the things we would anticipate you would have your brand name? Honestly, this is something that uh, I don't really have very strong feelings about because my thought is. It's not like these are reusable cones. So the sticker and the cellophane are going to go in the trash probably after 15, 20 minutes of use of that cone. And so I don't have a, I don't have a dog in this fight truly, truly. Um, but if you insist on having a sticker, your brand name, your logo, and if you wanted to have a website, that would be fine.
Um, but in my opinion, I see a lot of hennapreneurs wasting money on these things when it's really not necessary. So, um, yeah, so that's it. So I saw one question come in just, uh, before, here we go. Ah so good to see you here. Alima um, Heather said, I love this. Do you have a lookbook then? So at the henna boutique I do have a lookbook I have so. Every year, actually I create a new lookbook. So what I do is I go through, um, all of the images that I've, taken over the year. And my favorite ones, I upload into like an app. And then I have a book of like my best of that year printed. So every year I have a new lookbook that like goes into the boutique.
Um, but you can have this can be digital. You don't have to print it. You could just as easily use your Instagram feed as your lookbook So when people come and you can say, Hey, like, you know, when they're asking, do you have pictures? I can see. Just as easily tell them absolutely. And give them your Instagram, let them go scroll through your Instagram feed and/or uh, in your stories. I have lookbooks inside of my stories as well. So I have tons of images that like never make it to the book. Right. They just don't, they don't make it to the book. Um, but, uh, when my clients come, if they want to see work, then they can go to the link. Um, they go to my Instagram and there inside of my stories tThere's different lookbooks where they can see images of people who've gotten their henna done. And that way they have the opportunity to look and see different things. Um, but I really don't think that it's necessary. Often times people don't even look at the lookbooks that I have in studio. I have them more as, like, something to kill time, especially when I have groups. So, um, when I have groups, I you know, normally sit down and as I'm working with one person, then the next might say, "Oh, is there something I can look at?" or whatever, And like, I will offer them the lookbooks for them to see, but that is not something that is at all a requirement.
Um, so that was just something for you to think about,okay?
Alright, I'm going to jump off of here because, because that was it for today. I want you guys know that. I love you. um, Oh, I want to give you a quick heads up. I am taking some days off. So I mentioned to you guys, uh, that one of my goals for this year is to have more relaxation to really take advantage of the time, uh, take advantage of time and, like, um, uh, reap the benefits of the, of the work that I've, that I've done. And so I'm taking some days off at the henna boutique and because I'm taking days off the henna boutique, I'm taking days off for Hennapreneur as well. So, um, if you don't hear back from me immediately, like you typically would with emails and with messages and whatnot, know that that's why.
I am off from today. I'm shutting it down and I will be back to work next week. So, um, our community manager, Maryam she's, she will be the one to help you out. If you guys need anything, you can reach out to support at Hennapreneur dot com uh, otherwise inside of the groups and otherwise, uh, Maryam will be there to help you guys out in my absence because.
You're always left in good hands. And I anticipate that you guys will, do right by her as well. So I am looking forward to connecting with you guys when I get back. And with that, I hope that everyone has a great rest of your week and I'll see y'all soon. Alright, I love you. Bye.