Beauty Maven Eyona Mitchell on Using Shopify + Pinterest to Get New Customers

Eyona Mitchell had a plethora of unused beauty products living under her bathroom sink, leaving her husband questioning her purchases. Determined to find suitable hair and skin care products once and for all, she decided to do some research. What she she found was that beauty products are a lot more complicated for women of color, because they don't have a lot of options to choose from.

That’s when Eyona decided to set up My Color of Beauty, a Shopify website selling makeup for women with darker skin tones. Now she's figured out how to keep her bathroom cabinet clear -- and keep her husband happy. 

We caught up with Eyona to chat about how using Shopify and Pinterest is working for her small business and how she stays focused in her day-to-day by tackling small goals that always lead to achieving her main goal.

Name: Eyona Mitchell 

Business: My Color of Beauty

Started: August 2014

How did you create your awesome job?

I have a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas in Business Administration. After that, I worked for a while as a consultant for startup owners. I helped them make decisions about hiring, firing, what types of software to consider and even how to think about online marketing, among other things. I returned to school for my Master’s degree in Community and Economic Development after gaining valuable work experience.

Our family was down on income while I was a full-time graduate student. We were watching our pennies when my husband started to ask about the glut of unused beauty and hair care products in the bathroom. I tried to explain how difficult it was to find products that work, and that nothing on the market catered to our daughter or me.

I thought about subscribing to Birchbox, a service that delivers about five beauty samples per month. But I noticed there was nothing in the box for black women’s hair or skin tones. I thought about starting a company like Birchbox for women of color and conducted market research about makeup, skin and hair care.

I asked simple questions, like if someone had ever heard of a beauty subscription box. A whopping 53 percent of 241 people said no! I decided that was too much of a hurdle to overcome and I’d better think of something else.

Many respondents said they learned about the latest in beauty care online. I thought, since they're already on the Internet, why not make a platform that sells products just for women of color?

That’s how I came to start My Color of Beauty. I host the website, do the marketing, take orders and receive a percentage of sales. 

What has been the biggest surprise after starting your own business?

I learned it's much easier to advise businesses than to run my own! 

My previous work was helping companies boost the bottom line through increased services or decreased overhead. I remember telling someone to fire an employee because his position was no longer viable. I heard the struggle in the owner’s voice when she said, “But I’ve known him since he was in the second grade!”

My challenge has been to stay objective and not be married to bad ideas or concepts. After I had a first draft of the company logo made, I was excited to show it to all my friends. But everyone told me the logo was too light. They couldn’t figure out what it said. 

It took me forever to realize it wasn’t right. When I finally did, suddenly I understood how all those business owners had felt. I did get rid of that logo, by the way!

How do you price your services?

I take a percentage of product sales, so it’s pretty cut and dry. There’s no fee to list on my site and it doesn’t cost anything for me to market the products. 

After a purchase is made, I send the vendor the order information, mailing address and payment for the product, plus shipping and handling. I didn’t aim for a particular margin because I’m not selling something I created. I wish my margin was higher, yet I feel like I charge a fair price for the services I provide.

How do you find new customers and send them to your website?

Social media is where I live. I’m on Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn now, too. I’m also thinking about starting a Facebook Group. I haven't run any ads anywhere yet.

Most of my sales come through Pinterest because they have a collaboration with Shopify. If someone sees one of my products on Pinterest, they can click on the Buy It button and make a purchase instantly. 

To help grow the business locally, I’ve set up some pop-up shops, which were popular. I’ve also hosted events where I invite a makeup artist or a YouTube or Instagram influencer to teach women how to apply cosmetics.

If you could go back in time, what’s the one thing you would do differently when starting your business?

I would’ve created my own beauty products from the beginning. I thought only big companies did that. I had plenty of mentors tell me it was something I should do because I’d receive a higher margin that way. But at the time, I didn’t feel capable. 

I definitely plan to eventually create my own beauty brand, but I’ll continue to sell other people’s products as well. 

How do you juggle other responsibilities and interests outside of your business?

I don’t have huge expectations that every day will be miraculous. I set small goals that will lead to achieving big goals. I consistently chip away.  

I also use all the Google tools to help me, like Google Calendar, Google Drive and Google Sheets. And I try not to work on the weekends because that’s family time.

What would you like to learn today from a community of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?

I’ve tried to have a business partner in the past, but it never worked out. I would love to know, what are your tips for finding the right match, and how will I know if it’s going to work? My Color of Beauty would be humongous today instead of tomorrow if I had someone to work alongside!

Let's help Eyona out with her question!

Are *you* sitting on any helpful hints for finding the ideal business partner? What qualities are important to you when you're building a team or looking for someone you want to partner with in your business? 

Tell us how more about how you found your perfect match in the comments below! :-)