Meet Benaiah Poindexter | Scalp Micropigmentation Specialist & Business Mentor

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

Hi Benaiah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting my own business was founded in the idea of freedom. I attended undergrad at Bowie State University, and graduate school at the University of Maryland University College to complete my Masters of Business Administration. My intention was always to open a business in the future and take my skillset to the masses. All my life I have always been firmly rooted in art, but it wasn’t until I attended school that I realized I could expand my palette and widen my ambition. Therefore, leaning into cosmetic tattooing allowed me to focus on a subject close to my heart, while also giving me a firm baseline for explosive growth. The first year I decided to take on this massive project, I knew it would require all of my attention, focus, drive, and ingenuity. I moved away from friends, peers, and colleagues to focus 100% on my business in a new state. I then threw myself into growing my business with two locations and within three years I grew to three flagship facilities. I could have never moved as fast as I did without that focused time away from all distractions. The initial plan was simple, but over time it grew into its own living, breathing, entity. We are now successfully operating across three states, and have mastered the art of hyper realism, focused our efforts into helping students grow their online brand authority through the use of automations, customer service, and funding, and commit to strengthening our community through business seminars which help small businesses thrive.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The initial starting phase of my business was difficult at first because I had to transition away from a corporate environment, and ease into a niche based off emotions not bottom lines. It was a hard learning phase because all I could see where liabilities, ways to improve, risk aversion, and financial responsibility. Once I really started to become more aware of my impact, I realized that I had a duty to set the standard among my peers by offering a different viewpoint than currently explored. For instance, the average permanent artist nationwide makes just shy of $60,000 a year and only a few of us reach the top 1-10% of our field due to financial literacy. I have always been very aware of my focus when it came to growth because it was required when I worked for the government in D.C. As a Contract Specialist, I was keenly aware of the fact that we were all considered social climbers, jumping from one contract to the next chasing the high of a skyrocketing career, but over time I realized the soul was missing from that kind of ascension. I wanted to spend the rest of my life helping people, and the moment I gave up my security blanket to start my own business, a new world opened for me. I believe I hold a unique set of skills as a business mentor before being a business owner. I can take a look at any business and see where you are hemorrhaging money, time, or limited resources. Most businesses run somewhere between the red and barely into the black, because they are unable to see on a macro level. You cannot scale without resources, without sacrifice, and ultimately without a detailed plan of action. The fact that I see things in black and white, instead of grey helps me make easy decisions about the growth of my company. I am most proud of the fact that a large majority of my clients serve veterans and first responders. As the wife of an Army Ranger it makes me happy to service so many people who have given their lives to helping others. Building a successful business was not easy, and in actuality one of the hardest steps I have ever taken in my life. It pushes you beyond the brink of normal day to day stressors, because it’s like a child that you feed, take care of, and watch grow up. It becomes so closely intwined with your story, that you begin to forget what life was like before you started. I have had the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. I have had sleepless nights on countless red eye flights while working on a shoestring budget. I have sacrificed in limitless areas to see my dreams come to fruition. I have had moments of doubt, sadness, and insecurity during the process, but I would not take anything away from this beautiful experience. It made me who I am today and I am such a better person now than when I started. I. overcame the challenges by focusing on the end goal; which was to take care of my family and then by extension bring confidence back to my clients, and shift the way my peers see their bottom line, business processes, and growth. I have learned many lessons along the way, but the only one that mattered was perseverance. Without perseverance you will quit when it gets too hard to continue, you will give up when you realize how lonely business life can be, or you hit a moment in your business when everything seems to be going wrong and you will question your life choices. Perseverance is the difference between just getting by, and success beyond your wildest dreams. I want the world to know that running a business is hard, but once it’s stable and operating like a well oiled machine it can change your life, and the life of those around you. Never give up on your dreams!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were to come to Las Vegas, NV I would set up a week long itinerary filled with fun things to do, places to eat, and we would create heartfelt memories. To start we would eat at STK at the Cosmopolitan, Echo and Rig Steakhouse in Tivoli Village, self guided food tours, any Gordon Ramsay restaurant, or anywhere on the strip. Drinks are everywhere throughout Vegas, but the strip offers the most variety. We would visit every show on the strip and just laugh all day long. We would probably sleep throughout the day and go out at night because its too hot to walk around all day in the middle of the summer. Honestly, the majority of my friends are small business owners, or high level executives so when they get time off they just want to relax, see the sights, and talk about their life goals. Therefore, the places we choose would be based on relaxation, comedy, or art. The coolest place to check out in Vegas are the night shows and the five star restaurants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The people who helped me throughout this journey would be my family and husband, because without their mental, financial, and physical support my business would not have grown to the size it is now. During my first year in business I moved back home to fully focus on growing my budding business, and that first year put me in a position of wealth because my husband was working, and all of my time and energy could be put into scaling my business. As we grew everyone pitched in to ensure I was always operating at an optimal level. Every year we sat down and discussed how I could operate leaner, where I could make positive changes, and how I could reach more people in reference to my message concerning business financial health and literacy. We definitely had our trial and tribulations, but I drew strength from our close knit bond, and collective agreement to keep each other accountable.

Website: www.scalpprodigy.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ScalpProdigy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benaiahpoindextermba

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ScalpProdigy

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/scalp-prodigy-los-gatos

Image Credits
LV Photography