Meet Dara Walker | Owner, Bel-Air Cosmetics

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

Hi Dara, how do you think about risk?
I think of risks as exciting and Interesting. I do not have a fearful thought process behind taking risks because I walk with God’s guidance. He would not lead me down a path he hasn’t walked down himself and lived through. I took a gigantic risk starting my business with no plan just pure faith and ambition. My decision has made a positive impact in my life. It is given me something to look forward too and enjoy the process of the risk I decided to accept. It helps me have something purposeful to do daily and it has had amazing rewards receiving feedback from customers and changing the lives of customers skin.

What should our readers know about your business?
As of June 11th, 2024, the proudest moment I have experienced with my business is accumulating 15 thousand sales, and gaining confidence to showcase my skincare journey. I started my company at the age of 17 years old and am currently 21 years old. I curated my business around skincare due to skincare products I formulated to suit my skin concerns. Since I experience sensitivity / Irritating sensations to most products. My acne is something I have always been very insecure about and is one the things I experienced the most torment about. Before even beginning the process of finding a solution for my acne, I made sure to accept myself and love myself with ance. I didn’t want to start the journey without appreciating and loving every version of myself I’d encounter. That is why I like to incorporate mental health and acne positivity into my brand. Once I accepted the love for myself with ance and embraced who I was as a person. I was able to now start my skincare journey and market it to the public. I soon began being comfortable with showing my before/after photos, providing voiceovers, and explanations of my brand. My brand is centered around being ” your skin’s loyal best friend ”.

As for building a brand with minimal knowledge and aiming to create a brand I’d imagine has been a struggle. Taking on this task at 17 was difficult. I’ve experienced working and attending school, but working and curating something from the ground up was un-imagineably harder since I’d be now attending college. Navigating work, personal business, and school caused consistent burnout. Did I give up? Absolutely not. With support from family and friends and the pure will of God it keeps me going to continue chasing my dreams and never give up.

I am excited about the endless lengths god will guide my brand to achieveing. I am hopeful to expand into services, new packaging, providing employment opportunities, and turn my brand into a household name.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A sacrifice I decided to make when trying to maintain my business, work, and school was withholding out on exploring. It is something I’d love to partake in when my business is structured how I’d like. When I’m able to obtain positive financial impact and hire employees relieving myself of some of the responsibilities of being a one-woman business. Once I have that situated I will most definitely curate a list of favorite spots.

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?
Firstly, I’d like to thank God because if he didn’t give me vision and courage, I wouldn’t be on the path I’m on today. Secondly, Words cannot express the gratitude I have for my parents. Their unwavering support of my cosmetics business. From the very beginning, they encouraged me to follow my dreams and were always there to offer a helping hand. Having their support truly made all the difference in my journey, giving me the courage to ask for their assistance on important decisions and providing me with an unwavering support system to keep going. I am truly blessed to have such loving and supportive parents, and their encouragement has played a significant role in my business’ success today. I will always be grateful for their love, guidance, and support during the ups and downs of running a business.

Website: https://www.bel-aircosmetics.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belaircosmetics_/?hl=en

Twitter: https://x.com/BelAircosmetics

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Bel-Air-Cosmetics-100064176818838/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bel-aircosmetics5858

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@belaircosmetics/video/7296617759037967662

Image Credits
CheriseRichardsPhotography