Becoming a Boss

In a busy house of five siblings, Mamie was the family’s beautician. At seven years old, she gave her father pedicures and learned to style and dye her siblings’ hair. She took pride in using her hands to make people look and feel like their most empowered selves.

Growing up in Harlem, New York, during the Civil Rights Movement, Mamie’s parents worked long hours for little pay and faced constant discrimination. Still, Mamie felt loved and cared for.

“We never realized we were poor,” Mamie said. “Until I started working in the corporate world.”

At 17, Mamie got married to escape the projects in Harlem, where poverty and violence against women ran rampant. When she got pregnant the same year, then later divorced, she buried her hopes of being a beautician to provide for herself and her daughter as a camera technician at Eastman Kodak.

As a single mom in New York City, Mamie was in survival mode. She refused to capitulate to the grief bubbling under her corporate day-to-day. Despite the grueling hours, she felt empowered by working with her hands and the independence of a steady paycheck. While attending summer vacations and yacht parties with wealthy coworkers, she realized she “could have so much more” than her humble upbringing.

After 20 years in corporate America, Mamie dreamed of starting a life where she could follow her creative passions and make a living. So when her daughter left for college, Mamie quit her job, drained her savings to attend cosmetology school, and became a makeup artist.

On Mamie’s first photoshoot gig, she used the wrong foundation on a model, causing her to break out in hives. The model cursed at her and stormed away. Mamie was crushed. Money was dwindling, she worried about her reputation after her blunder, and she needed a solution fast.

As she packed her makeup kit, she realized she didn’t simply want to help people look beautiful. After fighting hard to love and bet on herself, she longed to empower others by maintaining their skin’s health and wellness. She decided to open her own spa, not as a makeup artist but as an esthetician who offered customized facials.

As a working class, African American woman, Mamie knew raising money to launch her business would be precarious. Many potential guarantors rejected her business plan or demanded a level of financial control that would rob Mamie of her autonomy.

“They could never get used to a Black woman being a boss,” Mamie said.

But she wouldn’t let barriers stop her. She worked in New York City spas to save up and learn expert skincare tips. Over time, she built a roster of clients who trusted her — including well-known actresses, musicians and models. In the early 1990s, Mamie had finally saved enough money to rent her own space in Manhattan, called Skin by Mamie.

Today, Mamie is a renowned esthetician. Her clients include Angela Bassett, Jay Z, Mary J. Blige and Tina Fey. She developed her own skincare line and has amassed thousands of followers on social media who are eager to learn how she makes her clients glow.

Looking back, Mamie cites “sheer determination” as how she overcame various business challenges throughout the years, including Hurricane Sandy, 9/11 and COVID-19.

“The thing about women, especially African American women, is that we come from strong stock. I’m glad I didn’t believe what they wanted me to believe,” Mamie said, referring to those who doubted her in the early years of her business. “I believed in me.”