Meet Ryli Ray | Sophomore college student and Lash and Hair Techican

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryli Ray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryli, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process behind starting my lash business (Luvxslaybeauty) and my hair business (Glamlikeryli) is because I was 16 and 17 working in fast food always being critiqued and harassed about my appearance, physical traits, or my personality. I never felt welcomed or right working for someone else who wanted me to pour all of myself into a company I wasn’t passionate about or didn’t see a future with. These companies wanted their workers to eat, breathe and live for their companies for 10hr. I just couldn’t do that because I knew that wasn’t the future for me and it caused a lot of problems. After being abruptly fired from Cookout at the end of my senior year of high school, I decided I will go work for myself and never work for anyone ever again. The energy they wanted me to put in for the fast food business, I could happily go put in that energy 2x more for myself and my business. Luckily, my dad paid for me to take a lash class at the beginning of my senior year and I had been practicing and buying little supplies here and there while I still was working the cookout job. So, I just decided I’m going to take my lash business seriously and learn how to be an entrepreneur as I go. My dad was there to support me in almost anything I needed so that just took some of the fear away. I wanted to be my own boss and be proud of something that I created in the future.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
In all of my businesses, I want to have a purpose and value behind them. I created my business’ names with meanings and slogans so hopefully, Glamlikeryli and Luvxslaybeauty will be remembered because they were created to help other women find their beauty through my beauty brands. I can only hope that my brand accessories like hair extensions, jewelry, lashes, and hair products from GLR empower women and make them feel good and want to be their best selves in this chaotic world.

I truly believe when you look good, you feel good which is why I created my slogan for GLR “Be The Best You AND Get GLAMMED.” Glamlikeryli is not designed to focus on the things that I do nor my glam, but to inspire and help other women see the shine within themselves and feel confident inside and out when they wear GlamLikeRyli brands.

When designing my brand I try to think of encouraging names for my products like “Boss Girl” for my dollar sign earrings with the idea that every woman feels like a boss girl when they wear them. To feel like that girl and feel beautiful in my earrings cause i provide high quality and luxury beauty women deserve.

I”m really excited about the growth I see as GLR moves towards the future because It’s something about seeing other women feel beautiful and knowing you were apart of that. I share the same experience almost every day with my lash and hair business as I watch my clients face light up with a big smile after seeing the results from their appointment with me. The strong connection and Love I feel when I do hair and lashes gives me so much joy and definitely validates every time that I know I’m doing what I’m suppose to be doing, slaying lashes and doing hair.

Luvxslaybeauty is the first business I started at 17 because of my desire and love of doing hair, making wigs, and styling wigs. The same desire is even stronger today 2 years later as I continue to provide lash and hair services on my College Campus at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University. I started my business in Atlanta hustling trying to gain clientele as a travel lash tech driving all over the city which ultimately helped me build my customer base and grow my business. There were challenges and at times, I did not get paid by a customer and dealt with protecting myself from certain liabilities but in the end those were lessons that made me stronger. I was forced to look at areas in my Business where I can improve, develop and enforce rules that would allow me to become more successful.

Being a self-made boss who don’t mind grinding has taught me that just because no one is rooting for you or giving you a hand up and does not see your vision, you can still make a way for yourself! So go out there and show them know who you are and why someone should believe in you and your business. Show them how you can add value to their life and vice versa. I’m proud of myself for being my age and putting one foot in front of the other and evolving into a great CEO. I’ve been on my entrepreneurial journey since I was 17 and I’m 19 now and I still have so much to learn. Now, I’m in college to pursue a degree in Business Entrepreneurship all while building business credit which will help me find investors in the future when I am ready to open my own salon when I graduate in 2025.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m still exploring and paving the way to find my favorite spots in Atlanta. Atlanta has many great spots I still haven’t experienced but one of my favorites would have to be Avalon. Avalon is an outside mall where you are able to shop, eat and do activities. I enjoy catching the museum every first Sunday of the new month for free entry. I love to go and get dressed up and take pictures for instagram. My all-time personal favorite is going to Loud house studio in buckhead and catching a vibe to record my raps. They are always professional and provide excellent service.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out my dad, Reginald Ray. If it wasn’t for him, my business and success probably wouldn’t be as ahead as it is right now. I took an interest in learning how to do makeup at the beginning of high school and when I started to show my family, my dad didn’t hesitate to provide me with the supplies I need to succeed in my journey. and he didn’t just get me any supplies, he was researching and getting me the best of the best in the makeup game. When I said I want to start making wigs, he bought the hair extensions to make my first wig. Thanks to him, I sold my first wig sophomore year of high school. He always wanted to become better and better as I was growing up so he so took a gamble and invested in 17-year-old me and signed me up for $1,000 lash class so I can become a certified lash technician and grow my skills from just being an MUA. I didn’t even know what lash extensions existed. He believed in me when I couldn’t see my full potential yet. He has helped me thrive into the young entrepreneur I am today. He pushed me to reach for the skies and go get it when it comes to the things I want to do in life. I also want to shout out my mom, Michelle Harris for being a great role model as an entrepreneur for me. She owns many businesses including a clothing line (abackout), an Airbnb property and becoming an amazon seller. She has shown me countless times to never give up and get back up and be better every time when it comes to achieving success. I can’t wait til I can return everything and more on all their investments on me.

Website: www.glamlikeryli.com

Instagram: luvxslaybeauty and glamlikeryli

Youtube: Ryli Ray