Today we’d like to introduce you to Tia Thompson.
Hi Tia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
One of my absolute favourite things about myself was always my lips, which made me a lover of lip products; especially MATTE lipsticks. I always felt like they helped bring out the fullness of my lips. So naturally, when I was presented with an opportunity to sell or create lip products, I jumped on it without a second thought. My first crack at it was becoming a distributor for Sacha Cosmetics and selling matte lipsticks during Christmas breaks when I came home to The Bahamas from university in Canada. When I moved back home in 2018, I started selling the lipsticks full time while following my then dream of being a news reporter. Fast forward to 2020, while at work one day, I saw another female boss back home make a post asking if anyone would be interested in starting their own cosmetic line and my heart absolutely lit up. I sent her a message, got all the information and BOOM… PainTed Lipware Bahamas was born. I started my company with ten products; five mattes and five glosses. To date, my clientele has grown beyond my wildest dreams, with 15 mattes, almost 20 glosses, seven lip pencils, concealers & foundations, setting sprays & powders, makeup bags AND makeup sponges.
PainTed inspires moments where humans feel nothing but beautiful regardless of shape, size, or color… to enhance but never CHANGE. PainTed consistently provides top-tier service and vegan/cruelty-free products ranging from lip scrubs to help damaged lips to glosses and mattes to help beautify. In addition, I hope to one day provide a comfortable and engaging environment for staff and remain true to my beliefs when creating products. PainTed is not just a hobby for me; it’s a brand… a lifestyle that I am super happy to share with you.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has most definitely not been a smooth ride; but nothing that is going to be great ever has a smooth road, right? I take all of the hurdles that I constantly have to jump over as proof that my business is going to be HUGE. I’ve had to deal with naysayers, competition, lack of motivation, having way too much on my plate all at once and simply occasional doubts.
When I first started my business, it was literally a “side hustle” for me; something that I could jump up and deal with during my free time. However, the more I got fully engulfed in doing everything myself and having to be the delivery guy, the marketer, the accountant, the sales rep, the ambassador and the guinea pig; the more I realized that I wanted my business to be a part of my life every day, all day. So I decided to leave my 9-5 and of course, that came with lots of scrutiny and doubtful comments. To this day, regardless of the comments, I do not regret my decision one bit. But with being a business owner comes days where you have 25 sales and making up to $1000 and others where you have not one sale [which for me USED to lead to lack of motivation]. It is truly a bittersweet situation, but I’m true to it and my good days most definitely outweigh my bad so I’m good with it!
My biggest issue though was realizing that EVERYTHING is content and getting myself skilled on other social media platforms other than Instagram and Facebook. I had to become comfortable with TikTok and I am slowly getting back into Twitter.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am Tia Simoon- a mother, an influencer, journalist by degree, banker by profession, social media lover (for all the right reasons), pageant director, lover of healthy skin, and a beat face (topped off with right lippie, of course)! Although my company is a cosmetic brand, I’m very well known for specializing in and focusing heavily on hosting pop-up shop events and mentorship sessions [for my pageant contestants and business owners], and also social media marketing.
I am most proud of my ability to incorporate all of my businesses into one in some shape or form; i.e., my pageant winners get their makeup done by my company’s makeup artist- TyeishaJ who uses mostly my products on their faces. I then get to deal with the social media pages by posting headshots of them on my cosmetic IG page showcasing the lipstick and other products used and also on my pageant IG showcasing them heading to an event and representing the organization. I AM my brand so I showcase and wear my products every day. I open the floor for persons to ask me about whatever product it is that I am wearing.
When planning pop-up shops, I have the privilege of marketing my business name as the host and lead business for the event, which lets everyone know that planning pop-up shops and giving back to the community is a part of my company’s mantra. I think this is what sets me apart and makes my business stand out. I don’t just sell cosmetics; I plan, I mentor, I give back, I collaborate and I continuously find ways to keep all of my businesses relevant and at the forefront.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have had a number of people give advice if some shape or form since I started my business, but there are very few people that I can say believed in, invested in, and/or pushed my brand. To my closest friend, mentor, advocate and definitely cheerleader; I say thank you. From the moment we met, you believed in my brand just as much as I did and you still do. Thank you for your selfless investments, the constant referrals to your clients, the business conversations and the pep talks that I so desperately needed sometimes.
My parents deserve credit for allowing me to house my products in their clothing store with no cost and allowing me to constantly have customers come there to pick up orders. My first few pop-up shops were held in front of my parent’s clothing store’ which is where I garnered a lot of new clientele and go try business out to the public more. My mother has always been my cheerleader and she takes pride in showing off that her daughter owns a well-known and well-supported cosmetic line.
Although my clientele has grown tremendously and I am grateful for every customer, I can’t say thank you enough to my loyal customers who have been there from day1. I have customers who have been purchasing from me since I had only five (5) colours and little cheap packaging bags, who to this day reorder their favourite colours on a monthly basis and has my brand as their GO TO cosmetic line. My close friends and customers who genuinely promote and share my business without me asking or knowing that they do. My business would truly not be as successful as it is if not for these gestures.
Pricing:
- $12- Mini PLB Glosses
- $14- Lipglass
- $15- Mattes
- $7- Lip Pencils
- $10-18 – Face Products
Contact Info:
- Website: www.paintedcosbah.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/painted.bah?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Image Credits
Neil Cleare Tyeisha Rodgers
