Meet Yvvey Smith | Entrepreneur & Licensed Hair Braider

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

Hi Yvvey, how do you think about risk?
I embrace risk with open arms! In fact, I have a tattoo on my arm that reads “Live Fearlessly.” It is my constant reminder to not be afraid to take a chance to create the life I want to live. At times when I second guess myself, I look back at my tattoo and I’m instantly reminded that I believe in me, go all in, and bet it all on myself. Even if things do not turn out as I envisioned, I still have no regrets. The main thing is that I’m being my authentic self and living my life on my own terms.

The role of taking risks has played a significant role in both my personal life and career. Like I said I do not want to live a life of any regrets. I would just be disappointed to reflect years later and say “Man, I should of did Plan A instead of playing it safe with Plan B.” I am a pretty unconventional person who always does the latter when others would not dare. When I left my $50,000/year chemist position to focus on starting my business, everyone I knew thought that was a crazy decision lol. I didn’t though. My thinking was that if I did not take this risk now and dive right in, that I would never take the jump. From that I learned plenty of lessons, and found that beautiful experiences happen outside of your comfort zone. You truly can do anything you put your mind to! In all, risk taking for me has had an absolute positive effect on my life and career.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the Founder and Owner of Aries Seduction Beauty! I offer a variety of 100% vegan and cruelty-free liquid matte lipsticks. What sets my lipsticks apart from others is that my background in chemistry plays a major role in my business. My B.S. degree has allowed me to research, formulate, and continue to enhance and grow to be able to one day compete with the major competitors. Also, I can’t forget to mention the names are just as mesmerizing as the colors! I wanted them to be unconventional and allow others to experience the mind, passion, creativity, and beauty of an “Aries Woman.” For instance, I have a lovely red shade called “The CEO” because all bosses wear red. I have another dark red shade named “Love Potion No. 13” because as soon as I made it, I instantly fell under its spell. I also have a baby blue shade called “Cotton Candy Fantasy” because it reminded me so much of the cotton candy that I would get as a child at the local fair.

I am most proud and excited that I am able to express myself via my passions of chemistry and beauty, connect with others just like me through my work, and to provide a roadmap and inspire others to pursue their dreams. It was not easy getting to where I am today business-wise, but the hardships were well-worth it. What helped me to overcome the challenges in starting my business and so forth was to not focus so much on the finish line but to concentrate on each task one-by-one that would help me get to my end goal. It is like putting a 500-piece puzzle together. When you start off, the image looks too hard to complete, but only when you start putting more pieces together do you start to see the picture. By taking this same approach to my business, I see that by breaking my final goals in “mini goals” that I start to see the pieces coming together and that the finish line does not look so far away.

The lessons that I have learned are as follows:
That every experience that is objectively “good or bad” happens for a reason. Learn from it and apply that knowledge to your next endeavor.
There is always more than one way to solve a problem.
There is no perfect time to start that “thing” you want to do so just start and you will learn more as you go along your journey.
To never give up. That is the only way you will ensure that your dreams will never come true.

What I want the world to know about my brand is that it is all about being “Authentically You” and “Living Fearlessly!” I want to show others to not be afraid to go against the grain, pave your own lane, and try something new! I love saying this line because it is so true: You are the Boss of Your Life!
My brand was started on my purpose which is to bring beauty into this world, and to use my gift of chemistry to do that. I did not allow myself to settle for a life without any purpose, a life centered around working a typical job that I did not like with my degree just to pay bills and have fun with what was left over. I decided to do what most people are scared to do – go after their dreams and my brand helps to empower others to do that. If you want to be a business owner, artist, fashion designer, etc. then go for it! I am here to support. Do not let anyone put you in a box to “mold” you into what they want you to be. You always have the power to choose how you want to live your life. We only get one, so why not live it on your own terms?

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?
If my best friend was coming to town for a week, for food I would have to take them to my favorite Japanese restaurant, Konnichiwa. The food and atmosphere are amazing, like that of an upscale dining experience without the expensive price. I would also take them to our local food truck park “Eats on the Creek” in which they have a variety of cuisines from local business owners such as Jamaican, Mexican, and Oriental. I would also definitely have to take them to an all-time favorite of mine since I was a child – Palmetto Subs! This place has encompassed the “hometown” vibe and just makes the absolute best subs! I have always loved eating there as a child, watching the sub makers from start to finish creating my sandwich. From slicing the meat fresh, to building my sub just the way I want it. It is just the whole experience for me lol. They even give you pickle slices and whole jalapeños if you ask!

For a nice “catch up and drink” session, we would head Downtown. There are plenty of options to choose from. We could check out The Loft for a hip-hop scene or the Jazz on Dargan for a more relaxed vibe. If the week provided great weather to be outside, we could head to The Dispensary and enjoy the rooftop bar. If we were in the mood for a good margarita or few, we could check out El Agave Mexican Restaurant and order a pitcher to share.

For a good hangout spot we would hit up The Magnolia Mall. One of my favorite memories as a child was going to the mall with my best friends to spend time together, shop, and of course eat. I mean who does not like spending money with their best friend lol. Of course, I would not be able to let them leave this place without two things – a pretzel from The Pretzel Twister and a to-go box from Magnolia Wok. The pretzels are big and every time I would get one with powder sugar, the dust would always get all over me, but they are so good lol. Do not let me start on Magnolia Wok! The food is good, and they pile your box so high that I am amazed each time as to how they can close the boxes when they are done!

A nice place for us to visit would be the local museum to view the artwork and learn more about the Pee Dee area. I think this would be the perfect way for them to see the local talent, the beginnings of this area, and what we as a community are all about.

To end their trip, I would have to take them to our newest super travel center Buc-ee’s. This place has attracted people from all over to see what all the hype is about. Buc-ee’s has everything and I mean everything you need for your road trip. My best friend would be able to grab all the souvenirs they needed to take back to their family and friends and be able to try their homemade eateries such as their fudges, pulled pork, and beef jerky.

There’s plenty more to do in the city but these are the places that I would absolutely have to take them to on my checklist.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would first like to give a shoutout to my mother. She has always been my biggest supporter in whatever it was that I wanted to pursue. She never judged nor made me feel bad for my decisions even if it was not something she particularly agreed with. She has allowed me to live my life authentically and become the successful ambitious woman that I was destined to be. At difficult times when I did not see the light at the end of the tunnel, she was always there reassuring me that I would make through, and that I could do anything I put my mind to. She has instilled in me the motto to never give up on my dreams.

I would also like to shoutout two books that were crucial to helping me shape my life into what it is today. They are entitled “Black Privilege” by Charlamagne tha God and “What Color is Your Parachute” by Richard Bolles.

Charlamagne is also from South Carolina. By him sharing his story from where he started to where he is at now showed me that your current situation does not have to be your final destination. We have the power to make choices that will put us in the positions that we want to be in. It is all about seeing that potential within yourself and putting in the work to get there!

“What Color is Your Parachute” helped me to discover what I wanted to do with my life. By completing the exercises to fill out my “Flower Diagram”, I not only found my purpose, but also the ways in which I wanted to fulfill it by using my favorite skills and much more! The exercises in the book focused on me recounting events in my life to uncover that I am more than just my current occupation. This book showed me that by taking time to look inward within myself, that I would find that I have everything I need to pursue a career path that I truly enjoyed.

Website: https://www.ariesseductionbeauty.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariesseductionbeauty/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/ariesseductionbeauty/

Other: linktr.ee.com/bossbaevey