Meet Marshe Watkins | Serial Entrepreneur/Instructor/Business Coach

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

Hi Marshe, why did you pursue a creative career?
One of the most important reasons I chose to pursue an artistic or creative career is I honestly feel my most free and whole when I’m being creative. I know that we all have it in us in some field or another, and getting as close to your creative self is imperative when we consider what our purpose is.

I know that me being creative is a passion for me but my purpose is much bigger. I’ve also realized that my creative thinking has stimulated by critical thinking. I haven’t quite found at what degree it impacts, but I know that my thought process has definitely improved because of it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Makeup Institute, has always been a dream for me. I was a makeup-artist for seven years, once my daughter (Miabella) was born I developed a cosmetic company. The Miabella Collection in light of me and her. I was not fully aware of what my life would become but instructing and teaching has always been embedded inside of me. My initial thought of The Makeup Institute, Ohio’s 1st and only makeup school, came to me in a dream. I was granted a small glimpse of what my future would look like. I had never opened a physical location nor did I personally know a lot of people that had done it, so their were times where I felt like I was going into blind.

The Makeup Institute offers a variety of different courses and all of our makeup artist are licensed in that State. I think the fact that I have developed an entire school, lesson plans, hired staff (for the first time) and grossed almost a quarter million my very first year is what I’m most proud of. It took a lot of faith, planning and trust within myself to accomplish this and it was probably the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. The amount of pressure and negative thoughts that you can encounter while trying to accomplish a goal may be the most daunting. It is not our physical bodies that keep us from doing things, but it is our mind.

I have learned that God will never give you all the pieces you need at once, but instead you have to be willing to keep going even when you don’t have everything you need and what you seek will become available to you. I’ve also learned that leadership an entrepreneurship can be very lonely and you have to have a really good sense of self and faith!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I currently reside in Cleveland, Ohio but plan to move and open my second location in Atlanta, GA. I’m one of those people who’s addicted to knowledge and can only celebrate when I feel like I’ve done enough work to deserve it! So all my friends know, we have to work at some point. I truly enjoy conferences and entrepreneur events, networking is really important in this field.

I absolutely love wineries, rooftops, lemon drops and sushi! We have really nice sushi places in Cleveland like Jade, or Sora! I’m not completely familiar with Atlanta, GA but I know they have really good food and nice vibes.

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?
When it comes to my success I have definitely been blessed to have such a great support system. My grandmother is my rock and even though she has never done exactly what I’m doing, her support alone has taken me really far. My fiancé, Carl , has also been a really great support for me. Building a business and brand from the ground up and him being there every step of the way, willing to do whatever it takes has truly impacted me positively and I am blessed to have that.

Website: Themakeupinstitute.org

Instagram: @__thebusinessguru

Facebook: Marshe’ Watkins