Keep up with Nafisah Carter

Photographer: Nathan Pearcy

How the Coronavirus is impacting the beauty bag?

It's definitely hitting small businesses harder than anyone else. We're not making the money that we used to make. This situation reinforces how important it is to have a backup plan. I don’t think anyone saw this coming. I know I didn't see this coming. And I'm learning a lot from this, along with a lot of other people. I definitely think it's important to have a good amount of money saved up and to invest. I think a lot of people now are realizing this. So when things pick back up, I think that many people will start saving and investing. But this time is also influencing great innovation--more beauty professionals are really maximizing during this time to come up with new busines models and ideas to innovate during this time and beyond. So while it is drastically affecting the economy, this time can also prepare entrepreneurs to launch new empires that will have even greater impact and longevity in the economy for years to come.

Do you have any tips or, or ways to excel in beauty industry while being stuck at home?

I think right now beauty professionals, or any entrepreneur for that matter, should focus on their goals and that's what I've been doing. Rebranding should also be a priority as well. I have my organic hair line, Pyara Hair, and during this time, I have really been focusing on rebranding my line. I also recommend hosting hair webinars--a lot of beauty professionals should use this time to facilitate informative, yet informative webinars to showcase their techniques. I also recommend getting rid of old product/hair inventory. So if you have old hair or products, just get rid of that and put it on sale. This is a prime time to do that as the majority of the world is at home and making a wig is so convenient right now, especially because people can't get their hair done. Plus, it's a great way to generate great income right at home. I actually saw this service online, and as a hairstylist, I thought it was a really cool idea. Hairstylists were making these little color care packages for their clients. So basically they had the formulas for their clients, which consisted of a little bit of color, and a little bit of developer. The touch up kit was customized for their client's personal touch ups. This is a brilliant example of how a hairstylist can make money right in their home all while practicing social distancing. During this difficult time, the possibilities are still endless to innovate, create, and generate income.