Betting on Yourself: Becca Mader on Styling Celebrities & Building Her Own Empire

March is all about leveling up, clearing out old limits, and stepping into your next era, so this week on The Dry Diaries we’re sitting down with celebrity hairstylist and founder Becca Mader. From moving to LA at 18 from a small town to building a name for herself in the beauty industry, Becca gets real about what it actually looks like to bet on yourself and stay persistent in what you know you’re meant for. After training under Chris Appleton, she’s gone on to work with some of the top celebrities such as Mindy Kaling, Kardashians, and Emma Hernan. We get into the behind-the-scenes of being a young entrepreneur, what people don’t see about building something from the ground up, launching her own app (TheArtistList), navigating pivotal career moments, and staying confident when the pressure is high. Of course, she also shares her favorite hair tips and go-to products because we had to ask. Consider this your beginning of the month March diary reminder: go all in, trust your timing, and don’t shrink when you’re meant to expand.

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Transcript

Meet Becca

unknown 0:06

This is the dry diaries with your author, Alex Dry.

Small-Town Roots And Creative Drive

Moving To LA

Navigating LA, Housing Chaos, And Boundaries

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Hey guys, welcome back to another entry of the Dry Diaries. It's your author, Alex Dry. Hey guys, what's up? It's your author, Alex Dry, and I am back with another entry of the Dry Diaries. Today I have Becca Mater on the podcast. This is so random. We met a couple years ago, literally out at waterfront in Venice. We just followed each other. My senior hair journey through the last two years. I saw that she launched an app. And so I was like, okay, I have to get her on the dry diaries. To give you guys a little background, she started working at a salon, front desk in a small town outside of Boston, moved to La 18, attended cosmetology school, and after graduating in 2019, trained under respective names in celebrity hair. Now she's not only styling in the entertainment industry, she's building her new platform, artist list. Yes. Wow, you have all the facts on. You're like, how do you get all those emotions? These are the intro. I'm so excited to be here. Okay, so take me back to Little Girl Becca in Massachusetts. And how did you get into hair? Yeah. So I grew up in a little town called Wakefield, right outside of Boston. It's like 20 minutes from the city, 20 minutes from the beach. I loved where I grew up. Ever since I was little, I was always super creative. School for me was not always the thing. I was a dancer my whole life. I loved to perform. When I was really little, I used to model and act a little bit. So my mom would take me into Boston to do casting calls. And I was always around set in like being creative. As I got older, the pressure of going to college and thinking about your next steps were coming up when I was in high school. And I felt like my parents are entrepreneurs, they own small businesses. So I was always around that lifestyle. I was never around a parent who was going to a nine to five and coming home. I was always around the hustle and bustle of what it was like to build your own business. When it came time to what were my next steps after school? I always had fallen in love with the beauty industry. And when I was in high school, I was a receptionist at a little salon in my town. I never thought that it could be a full-time career for me. It was a high school job at the time. My friend's mom worked there, and it was an easy way to get money. I realized when it was time to decide what I wanted to do. I was like, okay, if I'm gonna go to hair school, I don't want to stay in my little town. I want to move away and maybe do something bigger than just staying at home. There were so many schools around where I grew up, but I was like, I want to do something bigger. Yeah. I want to get out of my little town ever since I was, I don't even know, like 10 years old when YouTube was huge and watching tutorials. I would beg my parents to let me be homeschooled and move to LA. I wanna do YouTube. I want to be a content creator. I don't want to go to school. And obviously they weren't gonna take me out of school. Let me just go to LA when I was like 15 years old. I just remember looking over colleges. I never even went to like one college visit. I was like, I'm not even gonna like dance with the fact that this could be a possibility. I thought maybe if I went, I would do something like radio or TV hosting or maybe being the weather girl because it was also on set or something more creative rather than sitting at a desk all day. The other thing too that most people don't even know is that I'm dyslexic. So reading and going to lectures and all that just was not for me. I'm like, I'd rather work hard at building something creative than just read a book. I came to the point of deciding where to go. I came across my school, which was Aveda Institute of Los Angeles. They're no longer even open anymore. Yeah, but um Aveda is everywhere. And they had marketed it. Come here, it's catering towards the stars, and you learn like red carpet things because you're in the heart of LA. So I applied, and then I ended up getting in, and I ended up getting like a full scholarship, which was like unexpected. I applied to this contest, and you had to like fly in and have a model with you, and then do like a look. You had to create your dream client and what this client was going for, and then present it to the panel of judges. So then I did that, and then I got like a scholarship to go to school, and I was like, okay, I have to go. So yeah, that's how I got into everything. But that's amazing. I feel like your experience in entertainment with dance act, yeah. You can present things in front of people. I'm the same way. I grew up a dancer, I was always in the industry, begged my parents to move here. I mean, literally begged. And I was coming out here every summer, anyways, and they're like, absolutely not. So I totally relate. When you were a receptionist in high school, training behind the chair. When you're there for those hours of the day, you're just watching all of these services happen. And so at a certain point, I was probably there six months. Then I moved up to passing foils when they were doing color, or then do the laundry or clean up around the salon. So like I was learning all of those salonies. And then eventually I started assisting some of the girls when they would have weddings. I'll travel with them to do weddings and prep a client's hair, all the things that I could do without having a license. And yeah, that's how I was like, okay, I honestly didn't know if I wanted to do hair full-time or makeup full-time. I loved doing both. Having a dancing background, you're always backstage getting ready with like your slick bun and your red lipstick, like competing and stuff like that. Or did you ever do that? Oh my god. Yeah. The big lashes and the massive wing. I look back at my glam photos from when I was 15 and I'm like, what was I doing? Yeah. But that was show makeup. Um I had an interest in both, but having the background in the salon, it was a more hair-based. And then when I was in school, I realized you have to choose your niche. It's hard to do both. If I was to do makeup and hair, I don't know how it balance both with clients. So I geared towards hair. We were all obviously naturally good at it. If you went to a beta model's hair and got a full scholarship, like that's great. It was fun when I look back at what I did on that model, and it was the worst hairstyle ever. It was just big braid into a crazy almost 2016 looking prom look. I guess it was good for the time. But looking back, I'm like, oh my gosh, I had to do her makeup too. So I did a sunset eyeshadow with pink. Or I don't know. It was insane. That was definitely like everyone starts somewhere. Did working at the salon as a receptionist teach you about business? Or you grew up around parents that were entrepreneurs, so you had that innate above. Yeah. The owner too, it was a woman-to-owned business. Like seeing that and seeing how she handled being a mom and handling like a group of women who were under her as her team. I learned all of that stuff. I was so young, so I don't think I was thinking about it as much as I would now. But I definitely think being in that position when I was in high school, I was taking a lot more in than I thought I was. Even in high school, sports weren't a huge thing to me. I always had a job. If I wasn't at that salon job, I had five other jobs. I worked in an ice cream shop. I worked at a restaurant, I worked at an auto-body shop. I always had jobs, always was making money, always was learning to save and knowing not to rely on anyone financially. I think I just learned that from my parents. When you moved to LA at 18, you got a full scholarship to the Aveda school. What were your feelings moving out here? Because 18 is really young. How did you feel? What was that like? Were you nervous? Confident? I feel because I wanted to come here for so long, I was just so ready. I was so down to just try anything. I honestly feel like the confidence I had back then was probably even more than what I have now. And I also didn't know as much. I don't want to say I was naive, but a little bit. You're young, you're coming from a small town, you're moving to a big city. I also think because I was going to a school to help me have a routine, but also in hair school, there's so many different walks of life. Not everyone is just 18 coming from high school. Some people are in their 50s, some people are married with three kids, some people in career change. It also wasn't like the easiest place to just make friends to. So I think that was like a big shock for me. The culture here was just so different. Everything in LA, like people are really out to just focus on themselves and like out for themselves, kinda. So I learned that very quickly. But I loved it. People ask me this question all the time, like, how did you do it? And it's I don't know. I packed my bags, I packed my car, and I flew out here, and that was that. It's so crazy because very similar to you. You just move out here with such confidence. You're saying, I wish I had the confidence that I had back then now. And if I could have that mixed with what I know now, be unstopped. But it's really hard moving out here so young and coming from a small town where you have your friends and your family. And you didn't know anyone, right? No. I didn't know anyone. The one thing is I this didn't even end up turning out well because my school didn't have like housing or anything, and the Aveda was in Westwood. I was able to live with UCLA students. So I was like able to be around kids my age, but that experience in itself was like terrible. Like the girls that I got prepared to live with, it was just like a nightmare. I ended up like moving out three months later. It was just like not the my parents were so excited. They were like, You're gonna be around girls your age. You're in like a some like somewhat college, yeah, but I don't know, those girls. It just was it was just like partying 24-7. It was like so many drugs 24-7. It was insane. And I was like, How are these people going to school and doing all of this all the time? And I think back then the party scene was so much bigger than what it is now in LA. And getting sucked into that was common for people, but I was like, I'm standing my ground and I'm not gonna partake in any of this. So I ended up getting out of there, thank God. But even then, I was like, I'm 18, I'm figuring out how to move my whole life into a new apartment and find new girls to live with and all that stuff. Live by yourself? No, I ended up meeting girls that are still my best friends to the day. They were going to school there, and I met them through being around the campus. Things ended up working out, but the first three months were insane. I would come home, drop my school bags off, and then there's an in and out right there. I would drive to in and out, get a burger, and then like go sit out at a rooftop and just like eat because I hate being home. Things were hard in the beginning. That's what it is when you're moving to a new city and you don't know anyone. That transition phase is even our brief interaction. You are so mature. Thank you. For your age. And so at 18, it's very easy to move out here and fall into the party. No, totally. And do the drug, totally live that life. Totally. And so I feel like that just shows a lot about you. And you've always been a driven person. But I think for my parents, even my peers' parents, when I was graduating, they're like, How are you letting your daughter move to LA when she's 18? Looking at my parents like they're crazy, like the worst people ever for letting their daughter move across the country. And I almost wanted to prove to people that I wasn't gonna fall into what everyone thought was gonna happen, which was move out here and then not have anything come of it, get into the partying drug scene. Like I wanted to prove everyone wrong. As like the Aries in me. I'm such a fire sign. So you should be really proud of yourself. Thank you. Yeah. Guys, she's done so many celebrities. I was looking through your page and I was like, wow, she's killing it. And the hairstyles you do. My own hair. I was like, she's gonna judge me. It looks good. But I needed to do my hair sometime. Yeah. I also have some of the craziest hair horror stories. We all do, but I don't want to tell you because I don't want to get you in trouble. Okay, so there's a big difference between being licensed, being in the room. Yeah. So how did you get yourself into those rooms? So I had graduated in the fall of 2019. Schooling was about like 13 months. There was a couple different schedules that you could choose. So there were schedules you could choose when going to cosmetology school. Some were like nine to five Monday through Friday. Mine was you could choose three days a week. So you either went Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Okay. But you did nine to nine p.m. So it was like full days. And then on those other, which gave leniency to then those people that maybe did have families or did have other jobs to be able to work on the other days. I just focused, like when I was in school, I focused on being in school and doing as much hair on the side that I could. I never got a side job because I really wanted to give it my all when I was there. So I graduated in the fall of 2019 and I told myself, I didn't come out here, I didn't move all the way across country just to get into a salon. That's not what I wanted for myself. I knew that if I did get into a salon, I felt like I would have been stuck because, like most salons, they have you go in, they train you under their regimen. And there are so many amazing salons out here that have academies under them where you have to learn their techniques for color, especially or cutting. So I just knew I dodged the four-year college thing to not wait four years until I could actually work. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to start building clients on my own. So, out of cosmetology school, I had just gotten my license. Where do you start from there? I honestly kept some of the clients that I had when I was in school. Some of my favorite moms wanted blowouts or cuts every few weeks. They started coming to my apartment and they were paying me$30 for a haircut. And I was trying to build things that way. Probably the end of 2019, December, I started applying for assistant positions. I would follow my favorite celebrity stylists, and anytime they would post on their stories. That's how most of them do it. Even to this day, there's not like a job site where you can look for this type of position. I was always keeping an eye out for any time a story would be uploaded of someone eating an assistant. And I would apply to whatever I saw. Nine times out of ten, I would never get responses, or they'd say, Oh, you're not qualified enough. Like you just graduated. Would you send them a message, a DM, or an email? I'd send them an email most of the time. They wanted you to send a 30-second to one minute video explaining yourself so they could probably see who you are. Oh, it's a legit odd. So I did that like multiple times and obviously got rejected. And then I just started to push getting into the influencer space. Like some creators that were getting big at the time. Content houses were really big at that point. So I would just pitch myself to those content houses and I would do a couple girls from there and then have them post me for free. Like I would do work for free and just have them like post me. Did you do some at Clubhouse?

unknown 14:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

We probably across the always there. Yeah, there were like so many. It's so crazy that that feels like yesterday, but so long ago. So I started building that way. And then I would find models who I could practice styles on, take photos of it, and then post it and build my portfolio that way. And then finally, it was spring of 2020 and COVID was just about to hit. And at this point, my parents were like, okay, I was barely getting by with paying rent and groceries because I was charging little to nothing or doing things for free just to get my name out there. I still was like, I'm not getting a normal job. Like I know I'm gonna get stuck. And my parents, it's time for you to look into some salons, you can get benefits, health insurance. And I considered, so I applied to work at a dry bar. This is the like the best thing for me because it is all styling. It's a chain. So I feel like if I had to leave, they wouldn't take it personally. It's not like a big celebrity salon where if I started training under someone, they would be like, She came in for two weeks and then she left. So I applied, did a whole interview thing, and I got the job. Dry bar would always come to my school too and pitch getting us as new cosmetologists to start working in their salons. So I was like, okay, I'm familiar with this. I was excited to start. And then on my first day that I was supposed to start, I see that Chris Appleton had posted on his story that he's looking for an assistant.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

Yeah.

Hair School And Building Clients

The Drybar Detour And Chris Appleton

SPEAKER_00 16:15

And he was like obviously on the top of my list to work for. I was like, I'm applying right now. I'm supposed to start my first day. I was supposed to go in for training in a couple hours. I'm like, I'm just gonna send an email. So I sent an email and his agent responded instantly. And she was like, We love your resume. Any chance you're available to meet today at this park because at this point, COVID was full of swing. And so I also didn't even know if dry bar was gonna be open for much longer because everything was starting to shut down. So I called them up and they were so sweet. I'm so sorry. I'm supposed to start my first day today, but I think I'm gonna get my dream job. I need to go for this interview. And they were so nice. They were like, this is what we're all about. We're all about people moving through. Like, so they were so great. Yeah. And obviously, I was betting on myself completely because if I didn't get this position, did you have a feeling? I just because of how quickly they responded, and I just tried so hard up until that point, messaging every single person that I was like, I feel like this is gonna be the one. I always told my friends and family, I'm like, I want to work for Chris. Everything that he was doing was best today. Like a little bit. I went to the interview and I met with his assistant I was gonna be replacing, and she gave me the rundown of everything, and she's can you start tomorrow? No. And I hadn't even met him yet. Things are so last minute, they just come up and you have to be there and be ready. I showed up the next day, I met him, and I started working for him instantly. At the time, things were slow in the beginning because COVID was ramping up and things were being shut down. But throughout summer and fall, things were slow, little things were open. The Kardashians were still filming their show. So he was still working, and that's when I started assisting him. At first, I was only hired on to do little things, clean the kit, and just be a second assistant, be there if something fell through. And then quickly after a month, he was like, I want you to come on set with me. And he was bringing me to all these things, and it was the most insane thing. I'm 19 years old. I didn't even know how to feel. I think I was just tunnel vision. Then that started. And I was his assistant for almost two years. We did so many cool things. We were working with Kim, Duo Lipa, J Lo. Those were his main clients at the time, and doing their music videos and their skims campaigns. And Duo was doing like YSL stuff in Mexico. We'd like always like we were traveling to like the coolest places. And then by year two, I was like, okay, I'm ready to go off and try to do this on my own. Are you scared? I definitely was. Like I kept telling myself, I'm like, if you leave this position, I was fearful of so many things. Yeah. I'm like, at that point, I was like 21. And I was like, I'm still so young in this industry. Like a lot of people have been doing this for years. So me coming in at 21 is like really young. I also like the experience of working. Totally. But even like some most of his assistants, too. Like, I think I was one of his youngest assistants that he had. I was really nervous. What are people gonna think of me in the industry? Are they gonna associate me with my age? I'm younger. I had no idea. But I told myself, there's no other option than this. Like, it's this or it's nothing. There's nothing else that you can do. You're not going into a salon, you're not gonna move back home. This is what you came out here for. So if you're gonna go off on your own, you gotta make it happen. Learning everything from him was like, oh my gosh. How was it like working with him? It was amazing. The experiences that he had brought me at such a young age was so amazing. Being able to learn wigs and extensions and crazy ponytails. He is like a wizard at what he does. That's why he is who he is. And being able to train under this right out of hair school, basically, learning from the best, I was so grateful. Him and I still keep in contact to this day. I really did love that experience, traveling. It was a lot of hard work, don't get me wrong. It was at all glitz and glam, working a lot of long days, working through weekends, traveling. So it's just how it is. And even now, being in the position that I am, I'm like, okay, now I understand why things were exhausting back then for him or me, because now I'm fully in it. But yeah, it was an amazing experience and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. What's one thing you took away from working with him that you'll never forget? I feel like what's one thing I learned from him that I still have with me? Probably the set etiquette that I learned from him has completely stuck with me. Just like showing up and being professional and like being true to who you are. Like he is so true to himself with his clients, and I feel like that's how I am. Building really good relationships with your clients, seeing that from him and who he works with was like inspiring. I feel like relationships and stuff that he taught me. How to build relationships, how to be you, stay true to yourself and also your artistry. If you're good at something, stick to it and build off of that. Don't just keep trying multiple things. Stick to a lane that you know you're really good at. Because I think that's really powerful when you have a niche. A niche. He comes across so genuine and authentic. You guys are hairstylists, but also therapists. Yes. Oh my god, yes. No, totally. It's like a two-in-one job and it's so fun, but it really is staying authentic and true to who you are, is what brings people back. Totally. Anyone can blow dry out your hair. Totally. But they pick to come to you because they love the way that you do it, but also who you are as a person, the conversations that you have. Yeah, and like the connections that you build and stuff are like so special. I'm so grateful now. Some of my clients, if not most of my clients, are almost like family at this point. Like the people that I've been working with since I just left Chris, went off on my own. So cool. Yeah. They're so close to me now. So, what did you do after Chris? Yeah. So it was almost like round two of me getting my foot out there again, except I was trying to do it on my own now instead of getting an assistant position. So I was reaching out to every major influencer. That was getting big and offering a free service for a post or doing a collab, having test shoots to show off what work I wanted to promote on my page, connecting with agents from different agencies, hair and makeup agencies for people that don't know. Like the wall group is really big. And Chris was signed or is still signed to the wall group after being his assistant. I was into the agency world, dealing with his agents. So I got on the assistant list at the wall group. They would give me clients that maybe weren't paying the top prices, but they wanted someone new who was gonna be with them long term. So I got on that list. And then I also sprinkled in with assisting other big artists too who needed assistance for one-off job, just to get my foot in the door. At that point, I was like, there's no job too small or too big for me. I want to learn from anyone as much as I can and have the flexibility to build my own clientele. So it was really just like messaging people. And my dad always says the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Keep making noise, and someone's eventually gonna hear you and things will eventually stick. Yeah. So that's honestly how I like have lived my life in so many different ways. But is your family Italian? Yeah. My mom's Italian. So my last name's not Italian, but yeah, my mom's maiden name is Genitasio. So it's very Italian. My mom's is Cavianca. Okay, yeah. Yeah, Italian. That sounds like something my grandfather. Yeah. Honestly, I feel like when it came to social media too, like at that point, social media was and still is so prevalent. My job. And so really being present on socials, like getting on TikTok, starting to post my work more on Instagram reels to push content. I was low-key like a mini detective when I was trying to get clients. Anytime I saw a client that I wanted to work with, I would closely view their stories, view anyone that they were posting with. If they're tagging their assistant, because their assistant did something for them, follow that assistant. If they post who their publicist is, follow that publicist. Get your name known in people's teams. And I think that's what I did. And I think that helped me a lot. These people aren't always checking these DMs, like their DMs, getting in front of the people that manage their closest to them and who are managing their bookings and all that stuff. That was something that I did to build my roster. But after a few months of doing that, jobs slowly started to come in. Like I started working with Walmart and I would do their campaigns with little kids when they would do their back-to-school campaigns. And we would shoot in like schools and stuff, and I would do like little big deal, like things like that that were super fun. And getting in front of a big crew and getting your name out there and meeting people, I started working with Nordstroms for a little bit. And then slowly but surely I started working with a lot of the sports illustrated girls and working with a lot more creators than celebrities. So it was just keep pushing until something comes of it because there's always someone that needs glam. There's always a door for someone to start somewhere. Someone's canceled on and they need a last-minute person, be available and be that last-minute person that someone can book. And that's how I feel is everything. But I haven't gone that traditional route of really pushing to be signed by an agency. I did work with an agent for a few months. Maybe like when I just met you, I had an agent working with me and I just felt things weren't aligned. Like I just wasn't loving it. At that point, I had built up my clientele where trusting someone with your clientele is so scary. Wait, so do they take 20% of everything you do, even if it's your own client? Yeah. Some agencies work differently from the ones that I've experienced or talked to most of the time, it's 20% from the agency and then an extra 10% on top for the agent. So it's almost like 30%. It's anything they book you or anything that you that's the hard thing. Because I was already more established at the time, it it gets hard to draw the fine line of are they booking this or is this a client you've already had? And are they taking a percentage or are they not? I ended up working for myself being freelance until this day. I'm still freelance, but having an agent is so helpful. Not having to do your invoices, your bookings, not having to deal with all the clients and stuff like that. Being on set and being in front of clients is one thing. And then going home and having to do your own books and your invoices and all of that is a whole nother part of the business. So it's definitely helpful to have someone on your side doing that. And also for an agent to push getting you those bigger clients too. I would rather work 10 times harder to get it myself than give things off to other people. I need to oversee everything to make sure it's right. I'm also so type. Since I've been doing it for so long myself, it'd be hard for me to give up control. I have had meetings with agencies, and there are so many amazing agencies, and I even work freelance through some of them. But I'm a control freak when it comes to that. I like handling my clients a certain way. But eventually I like want to build out a team that kind of can handle everything because it is a lot. Traveling, doing this full-time, and then like coming home and trying to like handle your invoices and all of that and your bookings. It does get exhausting. It's three jobs in one. I feel like one day you'll just have to relinquish because you're gonna get so big. But for now, there's a reason why you have so many clients and you've done this on your own, is because obviously whatever you're doing is working. It's amazing that you came out here at 18, no connections, went to hair school, and now you're in the position that you're in and worked with the people you're you should be really proud of yourself. Thank you. Yeah, I pesticate how consistency and persistence, it really does pay off. You're like, I'm gonna make this happen, and not being afraid to reach out to people. Because I feel like some of people they get a little nervous reaching out to influencers or their dream clients, and it's no, why not just do it? Okay. Even if they don't see the message, then okay, they don't see the message. There's nothing embarrassing about putting yourself out there, especially if you're doing something like this. Also, people love getting their glam done. If you're coming to them and making it easier for them to find someone, just be like, hey, I'm available if you ever need anything. That's how I started. And I feel like people love that. Why wouldn't someone want to get their glam done, especially if you're offering it for free, if you're starting out and then building those relationships too? I feel like it's so important. I still do it now. I have my main clients that I've been working with for years, and it does get to a point where taking on new ones can get difficult if traveling schedules and stuff gets crazy. But when I go to Super Bowl or these other events, always pushing to get the wives of whoever's playing in the Super Bowl. I don't know if you're like into football or anything. Yeah, I am. So I did Anne Michael May's hair and Parker Henry's hair, Hunter Henry and Drake May's wife from the Patriots, okay, which is like my home hometown team. And when I was planning on going to this, it was crazy. I was loving it. Also, I'm not like the biggest sports girl either, but like I'm obsessed with both of them, the wives.

unknown 28:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

And yeah, when I was like going to the Super Bowl, I was like, I need to get. I was telling my friend Alyssa, who does makeup with me a lot of the time. And I was like, I need to get like these two girls. They're so cute. I love them. I love their style. Like, how do I do this? And I just reached out to them on DM. Comment on your their Instagram and just say check DM so they see it. Most of the time, people aren't seeing things. It's not that they don't want to work with you. Try to find who their agents are. Try to find who their assistants are. Like, reach out to people that way. The biggest thing for anyone who's starting out, it's just put yourself out there. It's scary, but things will come back. Yeah. My fate is first. Also believe in manifestation. It goes hand in hand, like praying. But you're a master. Speak out loud what you want. Act like it's already gonna happen and it comes true. That happens. It's real. I fully believe in manifestation. I silently manifest more than anything. I think about something that I really want, and then I forget about it. And then later down the line, it comes back around. And I'm like, oh my gosh. Even just like this, I kept telling myself I was talking to my mom a few weeks ago, and she was like, You have to get on podcasts. Like, you have to get people to understand like what you're building and everything, get the word out there. And like also, which I know we'll get into building a new business like that is very new for me too. And then you messaged me and I was like, wait, this is so crazy. I was just talking about how great that you want to get into the app, but before we get into it, I want to do a little game. Okay. What is your go-to hair product? Something that you've been purchasing for years and you will not give up. I cannot live without Dream Coat by ColorWow. Have you ever used it? No. Oh my gosh. It's like a silver bottle. It's like square. They sell in Sephora. The whole color line is sold in Sephora. I learned this through Chris because he is partnered with them. So I got to learn all the tips and tricks, right? From the main person. I can't. This is like my child. This is what I learned everything with. I can't get rid of it. If I don't have that product, I have no idea how to start. Like on a client. What is it called? Dreamcoat by ColorWow.

SPEAKER_01 30:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 30:57

It's like a heat protectant, takes away frizz, like anti-humidity spray. Okay. It's literally amazing for your blowouts. And then another one is K18, the leave-in mask for your ends. Do you ever use that? I have had it at one point, but now I'm playing this game like selfishly too. Because I feel like I want to know these products. Those two are amazing. And Lnet hairspray. So many people resonate with this hairspray. When I use it on them, they're like, that's what I use when I did cheer competitions or dance competitions. It is amazing. There's no crunch to it. It just holds the hair so perfectly. Elnet by L'Oreal. I'm pretty sure it's by L'Oreal. Is it a green bottle? No, it's like silver with blue writing, white top. I've been buying Orbay Hairspray, which I do love. It's great. But if I could save 50 bucks. It's like a drugstore product and it's amazing. I love that. What's your favorite curler? I probably have two. If you want more of a bombshell blowout, I would use the hot round brush by Maine. It's Jen Atkins Company. That's also sold in Sephora. They have three or four different sizes. You can't go wrong with either. I have all of them. They're all amazing. And then the GHD soft curl iron. It's like a one and a quarter inch iron, and it's so good. What is your hack to grow your hair? Especially for blondes. Because I feel like I'm trying to get back to more of my natural color, the golden blonde. But whenever you're highlighting and bleaching your hair, it naturally breaks off. Totally. And with heat. Yeah. I feel like any girl wants to know how to make your hair healthier and longer. So what's your hack? So I would definitely use cateen. If you're not using caten, it's literally a staple, especially if you're blonde. Obviously, trying not to use heat as much. Try to embrace the natural texture or heatless curls. I would use a good heat protectant if you are using heat in the IGK Good Behavior spray is my favorite. And that smells amazing. It's so good. It's also really good as like a finishing spray if you have frizz and stuff. Sometimes I'll spray it at the root. Help my little flyaways out. Okay. This is what I've been using recently because I have extensions. If people didn't know, they didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 33:11

They look really good. Thank you. Yeah.

Assisting On Major Sets And What It Taught

Finding Her Niche

SPEAKER_00 33:13

The Dyson Air Wrap. What do you think about it? I honestly don't own the Dyson Air Wrap. I own the Dyson professional blow dryer. Okay. I'm obsessed with it. I couldn't live without it. It's so silent and it just does a really good job for a blowout on my clients. I do, in fact, have the Shark. Shark Flex Styler. That's what I have. And I do love it. And I feel like for the price compared to the air wrap and all their attachments and stuff, I love them. They're easy to use on myself. It's easy for me to use on clients and stuff. Do you mix it with a curling iron? Because I feel like it's hard for it to stay. So I haven't used the air wrap at the Dyson. So I don't know. But people have told me that they feel like the air wrap doesn't hold my flex dialer, the shark, holds for like days. So I think you should try it out. It could be because your extensions are so heavy, and I assume that they're naturally a straight texture. Sometimes you just need the right prep of products for your hair. I would use a thickening spray to give your hair some grip before you're doing that. Bedhead has a really good one. It's called Queen for a Day. So what's your go-to shampoo and conditioner? That's a hard one because there's so many out there, and I'm always trying new ones. I'll recommend the best for my clients and stuff. Right now I'm really hooked on Crown Affair. It's a new woman-owned business that's also in Sephora. And I would dive for their leave-in conditioner as well. I use it on myself every single day when I wash my hair. So not every day because I don't wash my hair every day. Their shampoo and conditioner, I do love it. Also, like Redkin is really good. You have color, Redkin's amazing. They just launched a line. It's in a white bottle. I'm so bad with names, I need to see my kit. So do you think orbe gold lust is overrated? I honestly haven't tried it. You haven't tried it? No. Okay. But I love some orbe sprays. Like the hairspray is good. Yeah. They have a really good beachy texture spray though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. Okay. Love that. That's in my kit. It's amazing. But I haven't tried their shampoos and stuff. Okay. Do you love it or hate it? I mean different. I like the smell, but honestly, I can't really tell a difference. Unless I'm using some really cheap shampoo and conditioner. Then I can definitely tell because my hair will feel like straw. But if I'm not using that, I can't tell a difference. But I like to know because I mean anything for hair growth and give it to me. Nourishment. It's just everything on me is dry. I've been recently into scanning my products and I think it's called the yucca app to see what ingredients and stuff are in it. And digging into that stuff. Trying to use clean ingredients for scalp health. Your hair health starts at your scalp. And then obviously what you're nourishing your ends with. Okay, what's the most unhinged thing ever experienced while in set? The most unhinged thing that you can expose. Yeah. Because probably like with Chris and stuff, you signed an NDA. Yeah. That's off the table. With most of my clients, I signed NDAs. But honestly, I don't even know if I can pinpoint one, which is so boring. I'm like, there's not much tea to tell. But like I have some weddings that I've done with some brides that have been like insane. Like they're like fighting before they're like walking down the aisle. But I don't know, like on set if I've seen I definitely have. Yeah. But nothing is coming to mind to me. Yeah. I think that honestly, being a part of people's really big moments sometimes, it's like there's so much going on that my brain can't even you're just focused on what you're doing. I'm like, I'm making sure that that hair is like perfectly in place. What's the most amount of hairstyles you've done in one wedding? The most I think I've done for one bride was like four looks in one day. Wow. She had so many events. It was like starting off with a pool party and then like a spot A with the girls and then getting into the wedding look and then doing an after party look. It was insane. It was insane. It was in Mexico. It was so much fun. When I was in high school, or I was just starting out doing weddings, I would do 10 to 12 girls. That's crazy. I don't know how I would get. I guess I had really early mornings. I always think back to those days. Because now I take weddings very occasionally. I think it's really hard to book out a year. I'm like, I don't know where my life is gonna be in a year. Like yeah, I think the most that I would do now is like four people and just even that's a lot. I really love working with brides where I can focus on just one person. Destination weddings, I will try to do no more than four, maybe five. But I don't know how I was doing 10 to 12 people. That's crazy. At what point, whenever you started working on your own, were you like, okay, I need to bring an assistant with me with clients or even on set? Yeah. And how is that? Like being in the opposite. Yeah. So I don't have a main assistant with me full-time. There's only been a few jobs where I've had to bring someone in, which sometimes at the end of the day, I'm like, I really need an assistant. But for the most part, I pretty much am doing like everything myself. It is only so nice. And those days where I do need someone to come with me, it's like a weight is lifted off my shoulder. But also, too, like finding someone that I really trust to bring around clients too, it's really scary. I think like what I learned with Chris is like set etiquette and like how to read a room and how to know when have you had horror like experiences with having assistants. Bringing on assistant with clients. Sometimes, yes. I know people are learning, and that's why they're assistants, they're in that position to learn how you're supposed to be on set. But yeah, there's definitely been times where I don't know. Why'd you say that? What are you doing? I think it's hard because it's also a reflection of you. Of course. When you're bringing someone into a room with someone who's about to walk out on a big red carpet, it is a little nerve-wracking, but I have worked with amazing assistants. They're just not full-time for me. And those people I love and adore. But when you do find someone good, you want to hold on to them. Learning set etiquette is the most important thing in learning how to read a room. Not just as an assistant, but when you are in that head position and you walk into a room where your client is nervous to walk out on a carpet or something, and you're not gonna come in and start rambling about the weather outside. I feed off of what my clients are feeling. You want to make them feel comfortable before you're with people on the biggest day of their lives, like they're walking the Met carpet or it's their wedding day, and you don't wanna stress them out or you think it's common sense, but maybe it's not. What is the biggest event that you've styled for? You never imagined doing. It was like almost a dream. I think doing the Met Gala last year. That's so cool. With Mindy Kaling was insane. I had done it when I was working with Chris and when he did the Kim K, like Marilyn Monroe look with the blonde. So I was a part of that whole thing. That was a crazy experience with coloring her hair. But then being able to be the head stylist for my own client, doing it myself was a pinch-me moment. Being there and then going in like the sprinter van with Mindy and the whole team and dropping her off of the carpet, and you're not allowed to stay there when you're just like a team. So you just drop them off and they go, and you just quickly can watch the carpet when you pass by in the car. I was like, whoa, did you go back in and do little touch-ups? No. So, like you literally have you pull up right to the carpet and you can step out for 0.5 seconds, do your last touch-ups, and then that's that. The security there is like insane. It's like you get in, you get out, you go on the sprinter, and like the traffic is crazy. It's also, I feel like the last couple years it's been raining on the Met day. So last year it rained, and so also the stress of that. But it's something that someone that's not a hairstylist, you don't really think about. It's the humidity, the rain, so many different factors, and you just have to be ready and prepare. And for the Met, we did a little trial in LA for what she was gonna wear when she found out who was designing her outfit. Did you have an assistant for that? No, wow. I'm really just out here doing it myself. I'm like, I'm not alone, but it's so much dedication and drive that you have to have to keep yourself motivated. You have a boyfriend. Yeah. That's nice. You all have been together a really long time. Yeah. For three years now. So having someone that's been like you can talk to, that's amazing. But having to self-motivate and stick to the mission. No, totally. It says a lot about you. I feel like I just go through the motions. Like sometimes I'm like, I don't even know. You're just like so in it that you're not like realizing what you're doing. And yeah, I appreciate you saying that. So now you've gone from hairstyling, working on your own, doing it all yourself, and to the tech space. So, was this something that with an entrepreneurial background, you thought about how did you land on starting an app? And what was that process like? Yeah. So over all of these years of me being in LA, I honestly never thought that I was gonna be here for it's been eight years since I've been living out here. I never thought I would make it past four years. And also with that, too, like the lifestyle of traveling all the time and working 24-7 and just really like focusing on my career. I always in the back of my head wondered, like, how am I gonna do this when I'm like married and wanna be a mom one day? Like, how am I gonna be able to manage like raising a baby and like traveling with clients and doing these like crazy events? I always wanted to create a business. At one point I was like, do I create a hair care line? Do I open up a salon? There were so many things, but I fell into this space because I realized that there was a gap in the industry that needed to be filled. I noticed that clients were posting on their stories that they were looking for glam in cities that they were traveling to. And then artists, whether they were freelance or signed, were posting on their stories to promote their services anytime that they were traveling to these bigger events. Super Bowl, fashion weeks, swim weeks, film festival, Kentucky Derby, all of these things that go on in any city. Artists are always traveling in, and there's a gap between clients finding the artists that are gonna be there. So if clients aren't following you or they don't know that you're signed to an agency where they could just reach out to your agent, they're never gonna be able to book you because they're not gonna know you exist. Yeah. So I was seeing it for years with my own clients that would travel, and if I wasn't able to travel with them. I'm always trying to do right by them and find them an amazing artist in the city that they're going to. So I have a spreadsheet of 500 artists that I would refer my clients to anytime that they were going to a new city. If I knew that an artist had posted that they're going to be at Coachella, I would screenshot it and save it and save their profile for clients that were going to Coachella. And I was like, why isn't there a platform designated to celebrity-esque hair, makeup, and wardrobe for clients who are also in the celebrity entertainment space, creator space that need glam? Why is this not a thing? Thinking about it, there's obviously the glam squad and those type of platforms. Totally. But with going on those and booking either last minute or ahead of time, you don't really know who you're gonna get. You get like a random selection of whoever they pick for you, and maybe you don't like their work, or they're just getting started and you're about to walk on a red carpet, your makeup artists canceled last minute or got sick. Yeah. It's like, oh shit, what do I do? The way that the industry works, if I'm going to do a client for a carpet, they're not paying me instantly, like right there on the spot. And if you're assigned artist, like your agent is handling your payments, they're sending the invoices, they're not just like giving you cash, like walking out the door most of the time. With booking apps, a lot of these luxury clients aren't necessarily going through them because you're on a photo shoot where payments are coming in net 30 or you're working with the brand. I wanted to create a platform that worked the way that the industry worked. This curated platform, Artist List, is a discovery platform so that it takes away the hassle of clients having to doom scroll on social media because you can't Google like celebrity hairstylist, editorial hairstylist. You can't Google those things. You also can't really search them on Instagram. You can like a little bit with some keywords, but it only gives you like a short amount of users that pop up. So that's why I was like, there needs to be something, an easy way. At first, I was like, okay, do I build a website for this? That would be really cost effective for me. Then I was like, no, there's so many websites out there. I want, if I'm gonna do this, like I want to do it the right way. And I want to go all in on this because I believe in it. I need it as an artist. Like I know everyone else is gonna need this. And help out the clientele side of things too. Because I was referring all of these artists in so many cities. Why is there not a way to monetize this? And so that's kind of how the idea came from. But I have been working on this mentally and physically for three years or so. I think some people think that I just started this overnight, but I not know the type case because worked in for an app. Yeah. Apps take a bit to develop also finding developers who you trust, the design aspect of the app like you were very on top of, wanting it to look aesthetic, user-friendly. There's so much that goes into it. So once you decided that you're gonna do the app, how'd you come up with the name? It honestly came from me having my own list of artists. And I was like, oh, I already have a list of artists. I was stuck on the name for so long. And some people were like, no, it doesn't really flow. There's uh like a PR agency that kind of like has the same name. There's this company, and I was like, I'm stuck on it. Now people that have come to me to ask me for advice when they're starting companies and they're like, oh, what do you think of this name? I'm like, if you come up with the name and you get hooked on it, like, do it. Don't let people like deter you from making that your company name. So anybody in the entertainment industry that's in styling and wardrobe, makeup and hair and apply and be on it. It's hair, makeup, and wardrobe. Artists have to go through an application process. So I compare it to being the Raya of the beauty industry. On Ray, you have to go through an application process and you just have to wait to see if you're on it. That's the same way with this is we go through all the applicants and check out their work, make sure that they're credible. So there's been so many people that have applied. So when did you launch it? I launched it mid-December. It's globally, we offer it because of the events that happen globally. So in the app, we highlight all of the major events that are happening all over the world. So that way, if you're an artist and you're traveling to say I'm going to New York for fashion week in the fall, I can tap into that event and attend it on the app. So that way clients can then say, Oh, I'm also going to fashion. Click the event and then see all the artists that are gonna be there. So just like Raya, how you can change your locations if you're traveling, you can start matching with people in other cities if you're gonna be in Texas or something. It's kind of like a playoff of that same type of thing. But it's just a discovery platform. So we don't manage like bookings, scheduling, we don't manage payments. It's just a subscription-based. It's still free for people to apply and try it out because we're still growing. I also say we as if it's like me and it's literally just me and like my developer and my designer. How did you find them? It was a lot of hard work to try to find the right people. There's so many websites that you can go on to try to find developers. You can use people from overseas, use people from here. I really wanted to grow this with someone who I knew through someone else. Like I wanted a referral. So I was constantly posting on my Instagram stories if anyone was a developer and like nothing came about it for months. And then I was talking to one of my clients who was building something herself, and she's like, I have an amazing guy. And I was like, oh my God, wait, perfect. And I met with him and I loved him, and he's out of California, which is amazing. And then I had two designers. One was also from California, he was amazing to work with, and then transitioned to someone that I've been friends with for years who we've known each other for so long, and he took the vision of what I had. I have my go-to team, but when it comes to the admin and dealing with the day-to-day and the socials, it's literally just me. So yeah, eventually I'm going to be hiring people. But for right now, since I'm fully building it and it's not monetized, it's just gonna be me building this. This has probably been the craziest thing I think I've ever done. Getting into tech, I'm like, what business do I have getting into tech? I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing. No, it's been amazing. I knew that if the need that I had for this, so many other artists would have. Hearing your friend has been reached out to, I get messages on the daily of artists reaching out to me, being like, this is a game changer. I connected with this person, or they would have never known that I existed because they don't see my DMs. So a lot of people think that it's an agency. I'm like, I'm not an agency, I'm not your management. It's literally just a platform to help artists get promoted more. Because signed and freelance artists are always going to promote on their stories. So it's like, why not do it on a curated place where clients will never miss it? Because the amount of times that like a client influencer, you know, actress, whatever, they're going to all these events, or even their management teams are going or trying to book them, someone and they're posting on their stories to go through all of those DMs, it's terrible. Going back to when you were 19 and 20, post-working with crit, reaching out to all these people.

SPEAKER_01 51:12

Yeah.

Starting Her Own App

Girl Boss Nervous System Reset

Met Gala Moments She Manifested

SPEAKER_00 51:13

It's literally from your experience creating something that if you had artist lists back then, it would have been game changer. Completely being able to give that to other people is so cool. Yeah. It does feel so good that I'm like if I'm doing something to help everyone else in the industry. Yeah. And also there's so many more things that we're building that are also gonna help people who want to get started in this celebrity industry do makeup in a certain city, but it's in a different genre of what like a celebrity is used to, but they want to maybe train under a celebrity stylist or they want to be an assistant so they can get connected to artists that way to maybe be their assistants and things like that. So because that even helps me out. Even me trying to find my own assistant. It's like I want a curated place that I can go and trust that someone vetted is on this platform that I could use for it. Do you have a specific process or requirements that you look for to approve people? I'm sure you have a checklist, right? So there's obviously the whole application's answering the questions as thorough as you can. Some applicants I see don't even answer like half of the questions. And like it's like an interview. You wouldn't go into an interview, and if they asked you a question, you wouldn't just sit there silent. Like you need to pit yourself to be on this platform. You're being exposed to so many high-end clients and agents and managers. I feel like that shows laziness if they're just like not answering the question. So that's number one. Yeah, voice detects easy. All you have to do is speak it into your phone. It's gonna be okay. Yeah. So that's the first thing for sure. Oh, linking all of their socials or wherever they post their work, whether it's on a website or most of the time it's on Instagram nowadays. So going through their Instagrams, and that's probably the biggest thing, is seeing people's aesthetics, if I think that it matches with the clientele that is being brought on the platform, if I think that clients are gonna be geared towards someone's artistry, or if they're not. There's been so many types of artists on there which are have applied and it's been so amazing. But I also want the platform to fit who the client may be looking for. It's also your baby and you have a certain expectation, aesthetic that you want to uphold, especially for your client. And I think the exclusivity applying is great. It's like it's an exclusive platform. That's what Raya is too. Like you have to kind of, if you have a referral, like if you've worked with X person and I see that, or if you've had experience with working with magazines or all of that, like that's all in the application process. But learning those for me when I'm going through them is so important because I want to know. Sometimes people's Instagrams don't reflect the work that they actually are doing every single day. Yeah. Sometimes social media is hard. Like being able to manage being an artist and like going home and then also doing all your socials too. But sometimes people's work is just not posted as much on their socials and stuff. So really pushing to have your work promoted and highlight those amazing things that you're doing. Like people want to see them. If you have nothing posted on your Instagram and you reach out to a client, like how are they gonna know to trust you? When you're applying, think about it as like a client that you're pitching yourself to. You'd want to be as reputable as you can. And then for clients, that's the artist side, the client side. How are you vetting the clients that come on a similar application process? So any client can join. Okay. It's almost like an Instagram where clients could just find your profile and reach out to you that way. Obviously, we have flags and things that we can remove people, knock on wood. We have not had any of that. And there are a lot of reputable clients that are getting on there. And also as clients sign up, there's an option to be if you're an agent or an assistant of a client. So, say if like you're a personal assistant for someone who got it, is an actress or creator or something, you can get on and make a client profile in behalf of them. So we have ways to verify it, to seek all of that out, make sure it's all legit and everything. I have to apply on the clients. I saw whenever my friends were applying from their side. I'm excited to see the client side and join. But I definitely think it's something that's been missing in the industry, even traveling to different states, but the fact that it's globally, like I was in Europe for a bit of time, and when I was there, I did a few shoots, and I was like, oh, I really want to get my makeup done. I don't even know if they're good. You can only see so much through Instagram, but the fact that you take these people through a certain process and vet them, guys, you should trust it as a client because Becca's not gonna put someone on the app. It's not good. Like anytime that I was referring clients before artists, I was like, this is also a reflection of me as an artist referring another artist to my client. So yeah, I'm always making sure, especially for the clients, that these are gonna be artists that they can trust and gaining everyone's trust too as a founder has been like insane, but also rewarding at the same time. You said it's been three years in the making. How have the hours been? Because obviously you have your full-time clients, you're also doing the bookkeeping and everything else. But then taking on an app, some people don't realize whenever you're building an app, there's a lot of testing and design work, but also bugs that you have to go through. So it's a very tedious step-by-step process. And each page you go through, or even the application process, each thing is very curated. So, how is the testing learning? I started designing last year around this time. Designing probably took from February to July. And that was very tedious because there's so many things that you don't even think about that these apps have. Instagram. It's like you don't think that, okay, you press this button and you have to know where the button's gonna take you. There's so many things that I learned building this and designing it with the team that I hired. That was crazy to me. But designing it was very exciting because finally seeing my vision come to life. I had my designs for probably one to two months until I landed on my developer. And that too, like I really wanted to find someone that I was gonna trust and also find someone that was gonna do it in a timely manner. So then I started developing it in August, like late August. Um, and I got my first look at it like end of October. So it really only was like two, three months that the first build was created. And then we went into that testing phase where I was sending it to my friends and sending it to my family and having people sign up and it would crash, and people would be like, I can't log in, and all these bugs would happen. And they're like, wait, why is my name backwards? Things are just going wrong. That's just how tech's gonna be. There's always gonna be issues, there's always gonna be updates to fix. So I tested it for about a month and I tried to get it to as many users and have them click through the app like a million times just to make sure that everything was working properly. And then once we finished that early November, then December, I filmed my promo for it. I got like a ton of amazing artists and models. And one of my good friends, Kyle, who's a videographer, filmed the promo that I had envisioned for it and everything to get ready for a rollout. And then it finally launched officially on the App Store December 4th, but I didn't start promoting it until a week after. It was the most insane thing. And launching it too, there was so much stress and pressure around it because I had never launched something like this. This is so new for me. And like I said, I'm literally doing everything myself. So I'm like pressing live. It was just so insane. But yeah, having my team of designers and developers, they made everything so seamless. I love them so much. And to this day, making these new updates and stuff that we're coming out with. I'm really excited for where the platform's gonna go. But now I need to expand my team bigger and start hiring on people and stuff. But I'm a person that I like to do things myself. I feel like if I do things myself, there's little room for error, or if there is error, then I blame myself. But if there's someone else doing it and things aren't done how I would want it, I like to do things a certain way. I'm like type A in that sense. I'm learning, okay, I can't do everything myself. I'm not a wizard when it comes to marketing. I'm not a developer. There's things that are out of my control. So that has been an enjoyable experience on that side for me to realize that it's okay to delinquish control a little bit. And building an app is an investment because being the developers and the designers, like it's a pretty big investment. What was your thoughts around? I have this idea, I want to do it. It is a big investment, but because I believe in it so much, it's worth it. Take me through there were so many points that I would just be like, I have a such a good idea, but I have no idea where to start. I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning and even still going through it. I'm learning as I'm going. But I truly believed that there was such a need for it. I was working overtime last year to save up to be able to pay for all these things. Cause I don't have someone like backing the finances of it. I'm fully doing everything myself. So I had to take a chance on myself. From what I know from other things that I've done, I won't let it fail. Like I've taken so many meetings with other business owners or investors or people to learn about this industry. They've told me like 60% of startups or whatever the percentage is. I don't know if that's correct, but whatever percentage of startups, they don't make it. Most startups fail. And I'm like, mine's not failing. I'm making sure that's not failing. We're only 60 days in, but I'm making sure that this is gonna flourish and help so many. There's over 400 artists on the platform in so many different cities, which is insane. That's it. I'm like, as an artist, maybe I'm just saying this because I built it, but there's really no downside of being on this platform. It's literally just another way to promote you. It's like you're still fully in control of your finances, of your bookings, of your scheduling. We're just out here trying to promote you as an artist. And it's a small subscription every month for you to be on this platform. It's not gonna change the way that your business is ran. Like anything, it's going to help it. Um, and even for signed artists, it's only gonna help agents if their artists are on here because it's gonna make their life easier. They're just gonna be promoted to more people who maybe don't know that there are even hair and makeup or wardrobe agencies out there. With the app, it's launched in 60 days. 400 people already applied. Yeah. That's insane. Obviously, this has been three years in the making, long night, such an investment. Yeah. And again, huge accomplishment. Thank you. It's giving girl boss. Love it. So, with all that being said, what do you want this app to change for the next generation of artists? If you had one statement that you want the app to represent, kind of like a mission statement. What would it be? I feel like our mission statement or like our slogan is connecting with confidence, knowing as a client you're getting on this platform and you're gonna be in the hands of a vetted, trusted artist. I want to pave the way for artists who have amazing work, but maybe they're not having the exposure or the moment that they should be on their Instagrams or their socials because they're just being overseen and really get them to be highlighted on this platform where amazing clients are gonna be able to find them. And they get the caliber of clients that their work deserves. Yeah, exactly. Finally be discoverable as an artist. And you're not chasing for your clients or your bookings anymore just by your Instagram stories or DMs for that matter. And it's just such a testament to you and being an entrepreneur, but also a hairstylist. You started out going to hair school styling, starting this app, but now it's almost like leaving a legacy and like paving the way for like other artists with their career. So to end it, I want to do like a little girl boss therapy because I talk a lot about like spirituality affirmation. So what's a fear you're scared to say out loud? Probably like the fear of letting people down. I always like to put people before myself, which is amazing, but also sometimes can be like a bad thing for me because I like don't focus on maybe taking care of myself as much as I should. Yeah. I'm always like going above and beyond to take care of everyone else. It's the fear of people not feeling appreciated. Yeah. I feel like that's such a common thing, is that putting people before yourself and you neglect yourself to the point where it's okay, now my cup's so empty because I've filled your cup so much. So you're basically like surviving off of nothing. Yeah. And then you're like, but I can get through this. It's okay. I'm good. Yeah. Like, no, like you actually need a break too, okay, to like calm your nervous system and reset. I think that's common being an entrepreneur and having your own businesses. You run on E until the car dies. Super relatable. I also feel like the fear of not being fully satisfied with something. I get such a high from finishing a red carpet and making someone feel so good about themselves or launching a business, but then it's okay, what's next? What's next? You're like, oh my god, you did the Met Gala, you did this at such a young age. To me, I'm just like, what's next? And that's not like a good thing. I should be able to sit with myself and be in the moment and take in what I'm doing because I'm experiencing such amazing things. So grateful for them. But sometimes I feel like you're just on autopilot and you're just going and not thinking about things. That's relatable. And because you're such a hustler, it's like, okay, next thing I want to accomplish almost a checklist, and you just forget to stop and soak it in and be like, oh wow, I actually did this. Or if someone's talking to you, you're telling them the things you've done, and they're like, I'm so proud of you. And you're like, oh, no, it's even so weird. Well, yeah. Like you sitting here and being like, you should be so proud of yourself. And I'm like, thank you. It feels so weird. Yeah. I think that's like a fear of mine. Yeah. So thanks. No, I like that's something I have struggled with until maybe like recently, the last year. But I'm like just soaking it in and accepting the appreciation or whenever people are complimenting you. Cause I guess it's like also living in LA. Are you proud of me? You just saying this. It's genuine or is it not? Because it's easy to just say, Yeah, you're doing amazing, sweetie. Keep going. Okay, thank you. Move on. But I think also like you have a good intuition and you. Can tell who's being genuine and who's not. And being like, oh, thanks. That's so good to hear. And soaking it in. But the way that I've gotten over that is just a lot of affirmations. There's a five-minute gratitude journal. And I started. I have it. The black one. I have the black one. And I've been getting better about trying to do it every day. Because I guess I'm bad at that. Like I only do it, which is not good, and you're supposed to be doing it every day. I only do it when something bad is going on in my life. And that's like not what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to do it every single day so that all of those stick with you. But I find when I go back and read my like journal entries that it's it's never like the good things. I feel like I need to do better. Yeah. That's like a lot of people when things are going wrong. That's when they're like praying and getting on their knees. I need help. I need help. And it's okay. Also remembering that. You should carry it with you every day. That's everyone's human. Okay. Do you ever struggle with comparison in the industry? I think it's a good question. Yeah. I think that especially like in the industry that I'm in, total social media too, being so prevalent in my life. Every Instagram is a highlight reel for most people. I respect the people out there that really post their life with the hard things. I've been trying to do more of that now that I've been creating businesses and post things that it isn't all like butterflies and rainbows when you're creating a business. There's so many hiccups and bumps in the road. I compared myself to other artists when I was first starting out. Like, is my work not as good? Or why aren't I get getting this type of clientele? But as I've gotten older and more secure with myself and like myself as an artist too, I don't compare. I do like it's human nature. Yes. We're always gonna compare, but I wouldn't say I'm like constantly on socials comparing anymore. But at one point, totally. Yeah. And I also think there's a difference of like competitively comparing, yeah, and then comparing out of admiration of yeah, oh my gosh, I want to do work like that, or I want to work with those people there. Totally. So I think that there's different comparison things. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like there's so many like clients to go around for artists. There's so much room to create a new business. Like even with businesses that are maybe similar to mine with artist lists, it's okay. There's Uber Eats and Postmates. Yeah. There's Lyft and Uber. There's Waymo. There's so many things that are so similar, but it's how you build the brand around it. And I feel like also who is the face of the brand makes me want to be a part of a brand or like a brand. So I think that's what differentiates you. And same as like an artist, you can be amazing at a blowout, but if the client's not connecting with you as a person, then maybe you're just not the right fit. And that's what I've learned through the years and become okay with. Because years ago, I would look at people's Instagrams and be like, why am I not at that point in my life? What does success actually feel like to you right now? I think you haven't soaked it in. I know I haven't. I really haven't. Honestly, if you were to ask me years ago, I would tell you like, oh, to be successful, I want a fancy car, I want a big house, like I want like a private jet, I want all these cool things. Like now, like I do not care about materialistic things like out. And I am so due to get a new car, but I'm still driving the car that I had in high school that I shipped here when I moved here. But like now, success to me is just really surrounding yourself with people that love you, being around a really supportive family, which I'm so grateful and blessed to have. I wanna make money to like take care of my family. Like I wanna do things for the right reason, not just to be the face of something or known for something. I want there to be a reason as to why I'm creating something. And I think that is my version of success at this point. I always say that people's passions lead them into their purpose. And I feel like with you, the app itself, you took your passion of hair and turned it into almost a purpose because now you're able to help other artists and almost pave the way and leave a legacy for them to have more opportunity and make it more accessible than it was for you back when you moved out here. And so, like also success is you're changing the industry and how people can connect, which is huge, especially in LA. It's hard to make real connections, hard to make relationships, friendships. And so having an outlet that's from a trusted person with such a passion behind it, it's amazing. It's more than just an app. There's such heart behind it. But I want there to really be a strong community of people in the beauty world, and that's what I'm trying to build. And I don't want to take away from people's businesses and finances, and I'm not here to take percentages of people's incomes. And I just want it to be a platform that everyone can grow together, people can finally connect. There's so many clients out there for artists. It shouldn't be a race to the finish, it should be like everyone's helping each other out. Like gamers have communities, like athletes have communities. There's so many communities. And I'm like, why isn't there one strictly built for artists? So you should host little dinners. Yeah. Oh yeah. There's so many. I used to work for TikTok and like a bunch of different things. Oh my god, wait. Yes. No, totally. Yeah, there's so many like fun things just like that that are coming up. And especially like this new update that we're coming with, the new launch of something on the platform, which is very community-based that I'm really excited for. There's a lot of things. I love this. I'm not even an artist. Like I love this. But I'm a client. Like anytime I'll get a blow or my makeup on. Okay. If you could give 16-year-old Becca one sentence of advice, what would it be? Oh gosh. Let's think. Probably, I would say one piece of advice that I would give myself. I don't know if this is advice or a statement, but what's meant for you will come for you, and what misses you isn't supposed to carry you forward in life. It's probably one thing that I would tell myself at 16. Just trust the timing of everything, even though you are a control freak and still am a control freak. Like what's supposed to happen in your life is going to happen and everything happens for a reason. And don't beat yourself up if things aren't happening on the timeline that you created it. Yeah. Looking back, I fully believe that things happened like when they were supposed to at certain points in my life for specific things. And not just in my career, in anything, in dating with family things. In my career, I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Yeah. Divine timing is such a thing. Yeah. Totally crazy. I've done some inner child therapy. You were looking at a mirror, or like you're sitting across a table from eight-year-old back then, and you're telling her everything you've done. Like, okay, you're not gonna be a dancer. You're actually not gonna be an actress. I'm really sorry. You're not gonna be a famous YouTuber, but you move to LA. You get to work with all these celebrities that you look up to. You have an amazing boyfriend, and your family is so supportive of every decision you make along the way. And just a cherry on top. You start an app that helps hundreds, we're gonna manifest. Yeah. Hundreds of people and connects people in the beauty industry. You're gonna be like, oh my god, that's crazy. Like, I'm so proud of you. And thinking of that and doing that exercise makes you realize, oh shit, I have a lot. Totally. Even just looking back normally, this year I didn't do it because I didn't have time. Like I still need to do it and I want to do it. Making like a vision board every January. You still can do it. Oh, yeah. Just started February 16th was like, okay. That was like the Chinese New Year. Didn't wear red, didn't wash my hair or laundry. Literally, my boyfriend was washing his laundry, and I'm like, you can't. I'm like, oh, you're gonna have a bad year. Literally, I didn't clean, didn't want to keep all that. Yeah. But looking back at the vision, I keep them all. I also keep all of my calendars, like my booklets of my calendars to see what clients I had on which day and stuff, and the prices that I was charging them years ago. And it's just so I was cleaning because my war and I had just moved in together and I was cleaning out and going through stuff and looking back at those. I was like, oh my gosh. Seeing that I have done 10 people from my vision board back in 2021 and I've they're like a main client now, it's just crazy. That's so cool. So yeah, it's little moments like that that get me. Make you a little emotional. You have new updates on the app. Is there anything else? Obviously, you have in the works, or you have a lot on your plate. So it's really just like trying to focus more on the app, growing into a lot more like activations so that artists can really be hands-on with things in person, doing little events, having a community concept built into the app. A lot of that stuff is coming. So that's what I'm focused on right now. But who knows what the universe will throw me over the next few months. Might start like a hair care brand. You never know. Might open a coffee shop. Yeah. Exactly. So focusing on that and then prioritizing my clients. But yeah, it's definitely been a lot like doing everything all at once. Do you have any cool events or styling coming up? The Oscars are going on March 15th. So I'm doing a few people for that. I'm hoping to do the Met again, but we don't really hear about that until sometimes the way that you find out is it can be so close up until the date. I'm hoping putting that out there to do that again and then get into the swim weeks, fashion weeks, and stuff like that. Yeah. That'd be so cool if we could work together. I know, and then I can see you there. I'll be backstage. Yeah. Yeah. So all of that, but just taking it day by day. This year, I like really wanted to focus on making more time for myself. And I think that'll happen next year. Just take like a I'm working like seven days a week right now. I feel that. Yeah. How do you prioritize being in a relationship, but also having some sort of social life? Yeah, honestly, I am so grateful for my boyfriend, Troy, that he's so supportive of everything that I'm doing. I feel like it's probably hard as a partner to not be together all the time. If I'm traveling or I'm on long shoot days, or I have to work on most weekends and stuff where we would be able to spend time together. From his point of view, with his job, he works for the WWE. So he travels all the time. We just moved in January together, and I feel like our schedules have been so off. I'm here and then he's gone, and then he's here, and then I'm gone. But we know that we love each other and we have that foundation that we've built. And this is just for this point in time. And we know that we have a lifelong ahead of so many amazing things together. I'm so grateful that he's so supportive of being like, Yeah, you're gonna travel here, take the job. Oh, that's our one weekend that we'll see each other. It's fine. You have to go do this cool event or whatever it is, and like vice versa, same with him. I'm like, I want you to go and travel and see all these amazing things that he's doing. But obviously, there's points where I'm like, you know, we just moved in. I want to enjoy the little things of us setting up a place together. We try to. We really are good about prioritizing the moments that we do have together, not being on our phones or watching a show together, reading a book, not together, but like reading together, like doing like wholesome things that we enjoy. So I feel like that's the ideal relationship too, is like two people that have their careers, their own things going for them, and then coming together and just making each other better. Yeah. So I think that that's amazing that both of you guys for right now in this season, you guys are traveling a lot, but like in the future, that's not gonna be a thing. But at least you guys have your purpose. Totally. Because some people, usually it's one way or another. Like someone's just chilling and the other person's worst. It's nice that we're both feeding off of our hunger to do more while we're young so that later down the line we can prioritize our families and maybe moving back to the east. South coast. East coast. Yeah. How old are you? I'm 25. I'll be 26 in April. You're so mature for your eight. I wish I could be irresponsible right now and just go out with my friends and not have to like wake up on a Sunday and do like a major red carpet. Like there's moments that like I wish I could feel like a hugover for a second. But no, I really do. You don't struggle with FOMO. Cause I'm like, I know you're gonna wake up and you're gonna feel like shit tomorrow. I'm like, I I don't, I'm not missing out on any of that. Prioritizing friendships too. I feel like at this point in my life, like I have created like such an amazing group of friends around me that are also like and they understand that I have a really odd schedule. I work on weekends, or I work seven days a week sometimes, or I'm traveling all the time. I'm missing birthdays and things like they get it, which is so special because I think up until the last couple of years, it's been hard to find people that really understand what I want to do because it is different. It's not your standard nine to five job. It's very different. If you haven't been around the creative industry, I feel like it's hard to understand that's even like what I'm struggling with now. It's been hard to find people who understand this is my vision, this is where I want to go, believe in it or not. Can I trust you or not? Do I feel safe with you or not? Is this actually reciprocated and genuine? I feel like the genuine part where I've struggled with the most. I feel like it's quantity over quality. It is at this point. I don't need a million friends. I'd rather have four best friends I know are always gonna have my back and like be there than years ago when I would fill the room on my birthday with everyone. This year for my birthday, I'm going to Malibu and I'm sculpting pottery with my friends. And like every year, I literally want to have a big birthday and I want to buy a big expensive pink dress and go all like literally go all out. And I'm like, not this year. I think we covered everything. The only thing that I can say is that if you're trying to start something, just go for it. Block out the outside noise. It's a lot easier said than done. But if you believe in something, I'm sure someone else is gonna believe in it too, but have that confidence to prove to everyone that there is a reason for why you're doing something. Have a little bit of that delusional confidence. Everyone needs it. Yeah. We love it. We love it, delusional confidence. All the things. All the things. Yeah. Okay. So where can people download the app and where can they follow you on socials? So you can download the app on the app store and Google Play. It's just artist list on both of those. You can follow the artist list on Instagram at the artist list. And then also my personal is at It's Beckhamator on Instagram or TikTok. Perfect. I will tag all of her socials below. Amazing. So you guys can follow her and join the app. But thank you so much for coming. Thank you so much. It was so fun. We will see you guys next week on the Jai Diaries. Bye.