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

Hi Meraiah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have wanted to start my own business since I was 19! I didn’t know what I wanted to do just yet but I had been introduced to the idea of becoming an entrepreneur and couldn’t get it out of my head. The thought of being my own boss and creating my own schedule with no limit on what I could make except the limits I put on myself, while somewhat scary, was mostly thrilling to me. It wasn’t until I was about 22 though that I realized the beauty industry is where I wanted to establish myself. I had done some modeling and fell in love with makeup and that’s where my passion started. I’ve done makeup as a side gig for the last 5 years while working full time at a corporate job, working my way up and really excelling in my company but I just knew there was only so far I could get being an employee. So I had to make a move and finally decided to phase out of my job and begin to create a real business for myself. I learned new skills so that I could diversify the services I offer, and then just kind of dove in! I guess I just got sick of playing it safe and wanted to see what could happen if I just went all in.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I believe what sets me and glowbetter.co apart from others in the beauty industry is that we are not trying to compete, especially within our own community. I believe that beauty is much deeper than the makeup or lashes we put on, the treatments we do to our bodies or the photos we take and recognition we receive. Beauty is in the way you carry yourself, how you treat others and how you view the world. I want to make my clients feel like beauty is everywhere, and especially in themselves. Im not aiming for a certain look or trend, I just want to do what makes my clients feel their absolute best and see their faces glow with excitement and confidence.

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?
Oh wow I love this question so much. When I first moved to LA I really wanted to start a blog/instagram dedicated to food and drinks, but I wont tell you what I was going to call it because it may still become a thing. My point is that I am such a foodie and we would for sure eat our way through the city. Downtown LA has so many options for good food some of my favorites are Perch for Brunch, Dinner or even just Drinks! I love DTLA Ramen, it was the first ramen I ever tried and nothing has compared for me since! Of course my favorite donuts and coffee from Birdies downtown would be a must. If we wanted to be boujie and go shopping in Beverly Hills were 100% getting Bubbles and Berries at Ocean Prime, along with some calamari, scallops and the best carrot cake ever. I also really love going to the beach, so we’d go to Hermosa or Manhattan beach during because they tend to be a little calmer and less crowded than Santa Monica. Assuming things were fully open again I would also love to take them to a Dodger Game, Lakers game and to see a show at Pantages. I have so many more restaurants I want to mention but you’ll have to keep up with me and check out my future foodie blog.

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 definitely have to give a major shoutout to Bryiana Dyrdek for being my best friend and major mentor over the last 6 years. She’s been my most constant person of encouragement, and has supported me in more ways than I can count. I’ve been able to watch her create two ICONIC brands with Iconic Beauty and Iconic Wine Beauties and she’s always been eager to help guide me with my own business.

I also want to recognize my best friend and life partner for the last 7.5 years, Nick Luevano. There is no one that I have ever witnessed work harder. I have truly never met another person as gritty, disciplined and relentess as Nick. I’m grateful to have such power in my proximity.

Instagram: @meraiah.danielle @glowbetter.co

Image Credits
@ashlynncheungphotography can be credited for the photo of me with my mask on with my client

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