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Hidden Gems: Meet Jessica Gilliam of Blackstone Digital

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Gilliam

Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My background is rooted in Fine Arts and Medical Aesthetics. I went to college to pursue a degree in Fine Arts with hopes of finding a career in art history. As a young woman, I dreamed of moving to New York, finishing my degree at Pratt, working at the MET or the MoMA, and possibly teaching art history on the side. However, having grown up in Texas, my parents weren’t in favor of that for many reasons—my dad’s being that he believed I couldn’t earn a sustainable living in the art world. Since they controlled the money, I had to adjust my plans. I shifted my focus to graphic design and interned at a local ad agency throughout the remainder of my undergraduate education.

After graduating in 2002, shortly after 9/11, it was nearly impossible to find entry-level designer jobs. Every small business was sitting tight and even scaling down to weather the economic implications of another war. It was then that my mom, recognizing my passion for skincare and makeup and seeing that I needed clarity for my professional path, suggested I obtain licensing as a medical aesthetician.

I took her advice and enrolled, graduating nine months later. Cosmetology school was a bit of a letdown, to say the least—it only covered the bare minimum for certification. I wanted more. I applied for a medical assistant job at a dermatology office and immersed myself in the study of skin while observing and engaging in the day-to-day operations of building the medspa within the practice.

I found great fulfillment in being involved in the decision-making aspects of the business and in blending medical aesthetics with dermatology patients.

In 2004, I moved to Dallas to spread my wings and find greater opportunities to grow. Since then, I have advanced organically through medical aesthetics. In every season, I always reached a point where I desired more learning, more opportunities, more challenges, and greater growth.

If you’ve ever hit a glass ceiling in your career, you can understand the frustration. I could see my next level, but I needed to acquire additional skills (in some cases just more time and learning) to grow further. I couldn’t see myself doing facials for the rest of my life, so I learned lasers. I couldn’t see myself doing lasers forever, so I challenged myself to take on business operations. I couldn’t see myself doing hiring and team development indefinitely, and so on.

Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to achieve greater things in life, it was up to me to become better. For me, that meant prioritizing myself and my future over temporary comforts. It meant I had to study and learn new things. It meant changing my thinking and overcoming internal limitations like doubt and imposter syndrome. It meant running toward challenges, not away from them.

During the pandemic, I applied for graduate school. In 2022, after earning my master’s degree in Digital Marketing and Data Analytics, I founded Blackstone Digital with the intent of re-entering the industry to fill a significant gap in professional medical aesthetics branding, and marketing. I discussed some of those needs in our previous interview together.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Fairly smooth. If I had to identify a weak point, I’d say talent acquisition has been the most challenging aspect of growing a business. Aside from that, I’ve enjoyed the journey and learning process thus far. Entrepreneurs are challenged daily in all aspects of their thinking, being, and doing. I’m also a wife and mom, and I’m learning not to grind 24/7. While it can be a lonely journey at times, I’m finding trusted sources on similar paths whom I can lean on and grow with. For me, faith, leadership, and entrepreneurial communities are vital. I have two close friends who I confide in, and, as iron sharpens iron, it’s wonderful to have others who celebrate with you on your best days and challenge you on others.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My passion is bringing branding to life in the digital space. Every business has a unique DNA that is designed to serve a select audience. What I have found is that most small business owners and solopreneurs struggle to articulate their value propositions in ways that resonate with their online audience. Others lack a vision for their business’s future. Establishing a strong professional brand not only conveys a business’s “why” to its audience but also serves as a guidepost for the business itself. In my branding blueprint, we define mission, vision, and values, and build out customer avatars based primarily on demographic and psychographic characteristics to craft empathetic messaging that attracts, engages, and converts. Boil it down to this: when you know your “why” and your message is clear, the right customers will appear. It’s the difference between a “pretty” website and a website that converts. Content is truly king, but you need a blueprint to get there.

At Blackstone, we build branding blueprints, websites, and e-commerce sites. We provide fractional CMO services and offer content marketing & business development packages, including email, blogging, and social media. We also coach practices on social media strategy and capturing content that converts.

Since we last spoke, I’ve started coaching solopreneurs and small business owners—both within and outside of medical aesthetics—on launching small businesses, business development, professional development, and aspects of digital marketing.

What are your plans for the future?
Born from my passion for teaching and learning, I recently launched my first online course on virtual skin health consulting with my business partner. We are soon launching a podcast designed to serve the medical aesthetics community. We are currently working on additional virtual courses, which we plan to offer in 2025.

The future is bright. When we last spoke, I mentioned that if I could encourage anyone in anything, it would be not to fear dreaming what seems like an impossible dream.

I’m currently living in the space encapsulated by this quote from Catherine Bruns that says, “Empower yourself and realize the importance of contributing to the world by living your talent. Work on what you love. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.”

Being a business owner is a gift I’ve been entrusted with to execute faithfully using my gifts and experience. With it comes the opportunity to serve others in a variety of ways. I’m excited to continue my journey in entrepreneurial development while helping businesses raise the standard in medical aesthetics marketing and business development.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Amber Tice Photography

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