Today’s Notable Young Entrepreneurs are Kendra Lovick and Tayler Rogers, co-owners of make-up, skincare and fashion boutique BeautyMark in Vancouver’s Yaletown. What advice do they have for other young professionals? Find out in today’s profile…
Kendra Lovick:
Elevator Pitch: Describe your business in a nutshell.
We are a boutique Located in Yaletown, Vancouver, specializing in niche, hard-to-find brands. Our staff are industry professionals specializing in make-up, skin care and fashion. We provide a fun and laid back shopping experience.
Why did you start your business, what was the inspiration?
It’s always been something that Tayler and me have wanted to do. Right after we first met each other, we started coming up with different business plans and ideas. We had both spent the past six years working for Marc at BeautyMark, so when the opportunity came up for us to buy the business, we jumped at the chance. It has really been a dream come true.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
The best part? Working with my best friend. The most challenging? Paperwork… I hate paperwork.
Where do you see your business going in 5 years?
Our online store already ships across Canada, but I think there’s always room to grow and to be creative and innovative in the online world.
What does success look like to you?
I think success would be for us to be able to take a step back; Tayler and I are both very creative people, so to be able to take the time to explore that would be really exciting. To know that we’ve put into motion the necessary changes to have BeautyMark run smoothly without us would be very exciting.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
We’ve only just had our one-year anniversary, so I’d have to say that. It’s exciting to know what we can accomplish in just one year; it makes me so excited for the next one!
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
I think it’s important to take it one step at a time; you’re not supposed to know it all right away. Sometimes you just have to learn as you go.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
We’ve donated to many charities in the past, but the most recent was Camp OUT.
What is Notable to you?
A great way to read about fellow young professionals.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
iPhone. I’m hooked.
How do you keep active, energetic, and vibrant?
Spending as much time with my friends and family as possible.
Tayler Rogers:
Elevator Pitch: Describe your business in a nutshell.
We offer a little bit of everything now at BeautyMark. Along with specializing in hard-to-find, niche beauty brands, we have a great selection of Canadian lines as well. We have a really strong emphasis on our personal relationship with clients – we love educating anyone who is interested! We have a second floor of services featuring the ‘best of beauty’, as we like to call it. Varnish Nail Lounge has your hands/toes covered; Alisha Noon is the eyebrow shaper extraordinaire and our newest addition, Kathryn Saywers, is our skin specialist.
Why did you start your business, what was the inspiration?
The inspiration behind BeautyMark has always been to offer the best of best when it comes to beauty, skincare and everything in between.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
Best part day to day is the people I work with and of course all the amazing products! I’ve always been a product junkie, so being able to try the newest items is huge.
Most challenging: Any business owner will tell you how much work goes into owning a store! There’s a lot more to it than you’d think.
Where do you see your business going in five years?
We’d love to see the second floor of services grow, as well as our online store – it’d be great to expand that. But at the end of the day, I’d love to see our store still going really strong here in Yaletown.
What does success look like to you?
Success to me is being truly happy what you are doing, every single day.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
After working here at BeautyMark for six, years I was being offered the opportunity to take it over with one of best my friends. It was literally a dream come true.
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
If you work really, really hard and keep a positive attitude, amazing things will happen. Everything will just fall into place.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
We usually donate gift bags to lots of fundraisers that are going on around the city. Our most recent was campOUT, which supports queer/transgendered youth. I think it’s a huge priority in our world right now. Making all youth feel happy, comfortable and confident in their own skin is very important.
What is Notable to you?
Notable is a great place to catch up on what’s going on in our amazing city – and see what people are up to!
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
iPhone. Gotta love it!
How do you keep active, energetic, and vibrant?
I ride my bike to work during the summertime, so that is always a nice boost of energy for the day. if not, hitting the Seawall after work is a great way to keep active; we are lucky it’s right beside the store!