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Meet Anna Steffensmeier of Nomadic Beauty

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Steffensmeier.

Anna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always had a passion for beauty and making people look and feel the most beautiful version of themselves. As a young girl, whether it was giving my aunts outlandish hairstyles consisting of a plethora of butterfly clips, cutting my family’s hair and yes even my doll’s hair (although my mom was never too thrilled as she explained “it doesn’t grow back”), painting my friend’s nails, or going through my Grandma’s countless items laying around that were hair related, I always had a thirst for dabbling in the hair and fashion world. My grandmother was a hairstylist, so I guess you could say it’s in my genes. As college years approached Cosmetology was really the only interest on my radar. As I pursued the industry in my education and as I entered my first salon job, I found myself always being the stylist to be paired with all the brides. It was terrifying, but I felt honored to be trusted in that role. Seeing the happiness on their face as they told me they “felt so beautiful” was truly satisfying.

I began to receive requests from friends that had upcoming weddings at their lakehouse cabins a few hours away and also from relatives planning destination weddings in CO asking me if I’d like to provide beauty services for the bride, bridal party, and family. These requests sparked an idea for business. I started to wonder if I could potentially offer onsite beauty services as a fulltime business. This thought created a dream for me, one of creating a team of hair and makeup artists and traveling to do wedding services no matter the location. Although, I didn’t really believe it would actually ever happen. Why would people choose me? How would I even start this process? I continued to do hair behind the chair and went back to school for business. My goal was to one day have this dream come true, but when and how, I had no clue.

Fast forward a couple of years and I decided to say goodbye to my little hometown in WI and move to CO. My original job offer fell through the week that I moved out here which left me jobless, yet free to pursue whatever I wanted. It was in that moment that I was reminded of my once found love of weddings and realized what better time than now to start following through on making my dream grow into my reality. I figured what’s the harm in trying? Worst case scenario, I continue as a stylist behind the chair at a salon, but if I never pursue this I’ll never know what could have come of this dream. Motivating factors that drove me in this direction were that I love people, building relationships, helping confidence shine, listening to personal stories, doing my best to allow people to feel cared for, traveling and exploring anywhere and everywhere, and working in a high energy atmosphere. January 10th, 2018 I started an Instagram page with my wedding portfolio, searched all the most well-known wedding photographers and wedding planners and started setting up networking meetings with these fellow industry leaders to discuss my ideas to see if I could gain exposure and or if people would even pay for this sort of service.

I continued my pursuit by working out of a different coffee shop or wine bar each week to meet local business owners and gather an expanded circle of connections. Not having a job really allowed me to focus on this dream and pursue it heavily without any other distractions. The connections that I began to make led to the start of booking clients for model shoots, clothing designer shoots, basic photography sessions, and large bridal parties that I would accommodate alone providing anywhere from 5-12 services for these wedding days. That fall, I received a random call one day. Much to my surprise, it was a rep from the Denver headquarters of Wedding Wire calling to inform me that they discovered my business and would love to have Nomadic Beauty as a featured vendor on their website. As time went on, I started to receive an overload of wedding requests. So many to the point that I was turning some requests away. Year 2, 2019, I realized it was time to start building a team of talented artists for Nomadic Beauty. I now have a team of 5 hair and makeup artists beyond myself. We service all of CO, I occasionally fly back to WI for weddings, and am soon expanding to service SC and NC.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’ve been really blessed and would have to say that the road hasn’t been extremely difficult. A few struggles that come to mind, one being that constant need for attention to every little detail that allows us to achieve a standard of business that proves to stand above the rest. There are so many other onsite beauty service providers that navigating how to have that extra special touch to gain business can be challenging. Next, building a team presented its own challenge as I had already created such a quality reputation for Nomadic Beauty. I was concerned that if I wasn’t cautious in who I chose, my reputation could easily be tampered with. I desired to have a dynamic of ladies working together that was positive and led to a personable yet professional dynamic. That being said, I am extremely blessed with each and every one of my team members and have the utmost respect for them.

Lastly, as an artist, my mind is very creative based leading to finding myself focusing on the artistry and clients which in turn can leave for lack of attention to the business detailed side of my company. Being 100% in every aspect of my business is a challenge no doubt, but I’m enjoying learning and growing in the office aspects of what my business encompasses. I’m also a full-time stylist and while I’m a highly motivated person, owning your own business and managing every aspect of it can be extremely time consuming and wearing on top of a full-time job. One mistake, one wrong email, one forgotten appointment and lack of organization can lead to a huge downfall. Just being sure to take the time needed, recognizing ways to improve, and keeping an open mind is crucial for me to stay focused.

Nomadic Beauty – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Nomadic Beauty is a team of six talented beauty artists, each with high experience specializing in hair and makeup. We offer trial appointments for brides and anyone else requesting one, extensions, pre-wedding hair color, airbrush makeup, and false lashes. I’d say what sets us apart and what I’m proud of is our communication, personableness, and ability to achieve the look our brides have always dreamed of whether their vision is an enhanced natural look or glamorous. Our goal is to be efficient, listen to each bride and what they’re day of look desire is, to build a relationship with them, make them our top priority, and truly cared for.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Communication and flexibility.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Cat Murphy Photography, D Coleman Photography, Gracie Marie Photography, Sarah Barth Images

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