BeautyMark: Women entrepreneurs working better together

• Published date: 08 March 2024
• Author: AARON REICH
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

But in the heart of Jerusalem, a group of women entrepreneurs have changed that, coming together to run their own salon. A year and a half later, it's now going strong

The BeautyMark boutique salon is the brainchild of Daniella Mark, a makeup technician who had found success doing makeup, nails, waxing, and other services. Eventually, it was time to stop doing all this work from her home.

"I really felt the lack of colleagues, and I wanted to have a workspace and a home space," she explained.

But getting an office by herself wasn't easy.

"All of our businesses are over-saturated, so it's very hard to get started in an office, especially alone," Mark said.

She needed to put together a team, a veritable Avengers-esque squad of trained beauticians, each specializing in her respective field. Finding them all wasn't hard.

Working with Mark at the salon is hairstylist Debra Neal, also known as Hair Stories with Deb; massage therapist Ma'ayan Shalom; and nail artist Olga Amos – a collective of immigrants and returning citizens.

"Debra was my sister's hair stylist," Mark said. "Ma'ayan was a client of mine, and Olga and Debra have known each other for a long time."

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Each is an entrepreneur with her own brands, and they work together to build up clientele, offer advice, and help each other succeed.

Now, having a salon space at 111 Agrippas St. in Jerusalem makes a major difference for them, as they no longer need to welcome strangers into their homes or to travel.

"The benefits of working out of a salon far outweigh the benefits of working from home," Mark said. While noting that there are challenges, such as administrative work and having to deal with the Jerusalem Municipality, "in return you gain a community of clients. It's not just you and them one-on-one for an hour. They become friends, family. This is the case with our colleagues, with whom we have built a sisterhood, too. You have people who also come here just to chill and hang out because they love the vibes."

"We're really open and curious about people, and we're good at what we do," Neal affirmed. "It brings interesting moments and people."

"Working in a salon is 100% better," Amos said.

"I used to travel to my clients for my work," Shalom said, adding with a laugh, "I nearly broke my back trying to carry my massage table up flights of stairs in Jerusalem. And these apartments didn't always even have room, so I had people come to my house. But there's the security issue of me being a...