Pretti Beast Tee Ahmed Talks The Business of Beauty Motherhood and The Importance of Having A Supportive Spouse

 

Tee Ahmed is the CEO of The 26th Lash, an e-commerce beauty business that sells affordable quality cosmetic products, mink lashes, and make-up tools. I've been following Tee and The 26th Lash for some time now. I got a chance to catch up with her just in time for the launch of the new site:

How long have you been in the beauty industry?

I’ve been working in the beauty industry for almost 3 years now.

Beyond selling beauty products, what is your ultimate goal or mission for The 26th Lash?

My ultimate goal for The 26th lash is to be all that we can be. Initially, we started as a small lash company selling only vegan lash strips. Since then we’ve grown into a much bigger company from where we started. Our products have doubled and traveled across America. We now want to spread our wings internationally. February we’ll be starting our wholesale to help other small business owners build their company and will be offering world wide shipping. One day we can hopefully open a store front, but for now e-commerce is where we like to be.

What was your path to entrepreneurship like? Was it something you always wanted to do? Or did it kind of fall in your lap?

I never anticipated I’d be running my own business. I always knew I wanted to be successful. I just didn’t think I would be my own boss. I remember like it was yesterday, I hated the job I had at a restaurant. The constant disrespect from management and low pay, I felt I was wasting my potential. I remember thinking to myself how I wanted to quit because I was so unhappy, I just didn’t have another job lined up. But I knew I couldn’t stay there. So I just put in my 2 weeks and from there is where I began my journey into building my own business. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it.

What is your beauty product go to?

I have a few product goto’s: my “silk” or “Yaya” lashes, my new ‘block em” (dark brown) lip liner that drops February 1st, topped with my fave ‘sassy’ (nude) lip gloss. They all just go together so perfect for me, especially when I’m trying to achieve a soft beat.

What has been your most successful product to roll out so far?

Well, my ‘sassy’ gloss has been one of my most successful products since the time I launched my lip gloss collection. But alongside I definitely must say, my makeup brushes are a HIT! They’re literally perfect and we get so many great reviews on them.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned as an entrepreneur?

There’s a lot of lessons I’ve learned but one big lesson is it’s not all about money. Making money is a major part of your business being successful but what’s even more important is the vision and passion you have for your company. I took a few L’s building my company but I always believed in myself and my vision to help see me through. Self doubt would hold me back from me taking certain risks because I feared negative feedback. These days I’m more opened to all feedback, good and bad.

When you’re working, who is on your playlist? What kind of vibe/environment do like to work in?

Honestly, I love me a quiet space. As much as I love my R&B playlist I feel I’m most creative when it’s quiet and I’m not distracted by any noise. I mean, I can obviously work with some noise like kid's cartoons but that’s about it.

Speaking of kids, how do you go about balancing work life with being a wife and mother? 

Lucky for me, I have an awesome husband who is very supportive and hands on with our daughter. I usually have to balance out my day by setting a time frame for certain things. But in between I’m still doing my motherly and wifely duties- that job is 24/7 without pay. Haha! It gets hectic but it keeps me busy and my family is my motivation to keep me pushing forward.

If you could send a message to your teenage self, what would it be? 

I would say to myself, you are amazing, you are beautiful and you are smart. Everything you’re going through now is only preparing you to become a better version of yourself later. Don’t stress yourself trying to make everyone happy or meet everyone’s needs. Focus more on what makes Tee happy and chase that feeling.