SBA Success Story: The Lovely Lash Company

My name is Brea Binstock. I am the owner of Lovely Lash Co. We are an all exclusive lash teak located in West Fargo. We specialize in the art of lash extensions. Lift intense. And really building that confidence in our guests. In 2000, I was a college student and I joined the North Dakota Army National Guard. 2003, I was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Changed my life. Finally felt like I was a part of an organization and that I belonged. The military has been my foundation of who I am and who I continue to be. It has allowed me in every opportunity I have to be successful because of what I've learned and what I carry with me every day.

Lovely Lash, take one.

Ashley is my business partner, and she was also my lash artist. For seven years leading up to us opening Lovely Lash company we would talk about everything we want to do. And as we were talking, I remember saying, I have an amazing idea. Like, we could do this together, right? You do the lashes, I can do the business. Like, this is going to be amazing.

I met Bria when she was in the very beginning stages of her business. She wasn't currently even open. It was during the pandemic. So it was very interesting because they weren't sure if they should open or not right away. And what we did is we worked together to come up with a marketing plan. We also worked together with other SBA resource partners, and we became a team for her.

Let's go into my office and see how we can help you. I like to say that SBA is the umbrella, and under the umbrella, there are four resource partners. Sbdc, Small Business Development Center, VBOC Veterans Business Outreach Center, SCORE and the Women's Business Center. When Wendy referred Brea to the North Dakota Women's Business center, we were able to side by side, walk together and find the best needs for Brea and her next steps for growth.

The SBA has been such a valuable resource to us here at Lovely Lash company Being able to reach out to them, whether it be for a business plan, cash flow plan. Am I on the right track? Am I looking at the right things as well as marketing or even next level? They have all been there to support us.

I absolutely love that I get to serve a military spouse or a veteran or active military. And why do I love that? Because I get to see their dreams come true. They come to me with an idea, and I get to help them formulate that. Not only formulate it, but I get to be there when they open their business and when they're successful. I always find it interesting to watch Bria because she makes it look easy. She has a family, she's still currently serving, and she's running a full time business. I don't know how she does it, but I'm going to say it's because of that determination and those skills that she learned while being in the military.

Bria is the epitome of a fearless woman. And to have that partner that you can dream and strategize with is really amazing because you get to then bring that to life in the culture that you have here with your team, and you get to showcase that to your guests, those visions and those dreams that you want for them. With the art of lash extensions, you get to truly transform your clients. You get to see the sparkle and the confidence in their eye. It seems like such a small part of somebody's outer beauty, but it is such a huge impact on how they feel on the inside. As a small business owner, you truly wear many hats and you have to wear them well. And it's a daily hustle to find those networking and to find those resources. And that's where the SBA has been amazing to help us connect and to grow. And if you have dreams and aspire to be a business owner, the SBA is going to be your number one resource. And you don't have to have a business partner. You don't have to even have a game plan. You can just show up with an idea and they will break it down for you to the smallest, most intricate details to really get your brain working to see. Is this the path for me? Is this where I want to go and how do I get there?