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Meet Maryam Basir, a model, actress, and entrepreneur from the United States. Basir’s career began as an actress, but she has always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Acting “found” her after she graduated from college and relocated to New York to figure out what she wanted to pursue, particularly in the area of business, she claims.
“When I came to New York, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, I just knew I wanted to own a business and be an entrepreneur,” Basir told Afro.com.
She recalls a bank security guard approaching her and asking if she was an actor or model. When she said no, he encouraged her to think about pursuing a career in show business. She gained an agency after being inspired by the security guard’s words and began performing and modeling.
Her debut into the acting industry landed her several television projects, but she quickly found that actors and actresses do not make as much money as society believes because jobs are scarce.
“One job may need to last us for six months,” said Basir.
Her difficulties in the acting business were exacerbated by the recent Hollywood strike. This prompted her to concentrate on Maryam Beauty, a beauty company she founded less than a month before the strike. She founded the company to pursue her entrepreneurial aspirations and to supplement her income while the strike continues.
Maryam Beauty, according to Afro.com, sells the brow stamp skit and the brow-perfect pencil kit. They are cruelty-free and come in black, dark brown, medium brown, and blonde with a matte texture.
Her decision to enter the beauty profession was prompted by her acting and modeling careers, where she saw how makeup could transform individuals.
“I saw it in myself and all the other actors and models around me,” said Basir. “I just saw the magic that makeup could do and how it can really help enhance people’s beauty.”
Basir brought some of her goods to the set for the makeup artists to try out. Tameka Elliott, a certified esthetician and professional makeup artist whom Basir met on set while she (Elliot) was the head of the cosmetics department for a television project, is one of them.
According to statistics, more than 11% of all beauty clients are Black; nonetheless, Black brands account for only 2.5% of the $60 billion beauty industry. Basir is one of the few Black beauty entrepreneurs seeking to make a difference.
