I’ll be quick to get to the point: When COVID-19 hit, I got a great idea to start a beauty influencer network with AI beauty services. After careful planning and research, I decided on my approach, aiming to make $5,000-$20,000 monthly effortlessly. I hired freelancers to build an app, website, and design elements, which cost a lot, wiping out my savings and forcing me to borrow money. We even got a domain name – zuryx//com.
The business name was Zury, meaning “Princess,” “white,” “pretty,” “beautiful,” “beauty,” and “red rose” in Mexican/Swahili origin. (By the way, I’ve put the name up for sale at brandable market, not caring much about it. I have to erase it totally. I can flip it for few hundred bucks on Dan//afternic//godaddy. I don’t care).
Unfortunately, the freelancers turned out to be scammers, and I lost tens of thousands of dollars. I’m not tech-savvy, so it hit me hard.
Later, unwillingly, I asked my childhood friend, who knew about tech and apps, to help me out. He lived in Spain. He did most of the work, and I paid for it. But when it was almost done, he died from cancer, which I didn’t know he had. We met once in early 2021 after covid-19 subsided, to finish things. After about a year, I think, he stopped answering my messages and calls, and I thought I got scammed or feeling that my business has been hijacked.
Later, I found out from his cousion that he was in a coma for long and later died of cancer. Ever since then, I lost interest and gave up.
I will go back to making YT contents. It felt really bad ever since then because my friend’s death was a big hit to the project.
I learnt a big lesson personally about starting a business from it. It’s not easy without a good structure and workable and accessible agreements.
Anyone interested in taking over or exploring the idea can do so at their own risk.
Here’s the model:
Name: Zuryx (Beauty Influencer Network)
Business Model: Create a network of beauty influencers and content creators. Connect them with brands seeking product endorsements, sponsored content, and beauty collaborations.
* Charge brands for connecting them with influencers. Take a percentage of payments made to influencers for sponsored content and collaborations.
Additionally, introduce:
Zuryx AI-Powered Beauty Advisor:
Business Model: Develop an AI-powered virtual beauty advisor. It will analyze users’ facial features and suggests personalized makeup and skincare routines. Include augmented reality for virtual try-ons.
* Offer the AI advisor as a premium subscription service. Collaborate with beauty brands for sponsored product recommendations within the AI platform.
Virtual Beauty Academy for Gold Members: Provide exclusive content and resources for gold members.
That is why am quitting.
I think you lack persistence. Not to sound harsh, but shit happens. Only a minor few will succeed in business, because shit always happens and most give up too early. You’ve given up only after two rounds of adversities, doesn’t seem like you’re committed at all. The project didn’t even launch so you’ve given up before day one.
There were a couple of cases I’ve given up the projects in short time, I’m not perfect myself. But most of the time I stuck with the projects for years, or at least months. Don’t quit too early. Quitting is always easy. If you quit easily, better to stick to a niche or a stable job.
You could go to upwork.com. I hired plenty of freelancers that completed the projects.
This, upwork is awesome