Meet Lachante Bentley | Lash Artist
We had the good fortune of connecting with Lachante Bentley and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Lachante, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am from Dade County. Born and raised in Miami, FL. I attended Hialeah Elementary, Downtown Miami Charter School, Miami Springs Middle School , and William H. Turner Technical Arts Highschool. I also cheered for Miami Central High School for two years so if you ask me, I’m a Rocket too. From high school, I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology from Florida State University.
Growing up the only girl and middle child to a single mom of three, my upbringing is the reason why I am who I am today. Being raised in Dade county in a low socioeconomic household, my family and I are natural born go-getters. Through watching my mom navigate life experiences whether it was eviction, our lights getting turned off or her car getting repossessed, she always found a way to provide through all of these trials and tribulations. There was never an excuse, just pure resiliency!
My upbringing has impacted me by instilling in me what it means to be hardworking, determined, ambitious, a risk-taker and has given me my drive to become successful. It has also instilled in me my passion for community service; I love to help others because I know what the bottom feels like.
As a first generation college graduate and the generational curse breaker in my family, I wouldn’t have wanted to be raised any other way or in any other city. Being from Dade county and knowing everyday that I’ve already beat the odds, inspires me everyday to get up and go after all of my dreams!
Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I started my business at the end of January in 2022. I started The Uphoria Experience because I just honestly needed an extra stream of income. When I was living in Tallahassee, I would do things like door dash for extra money. When I moved, food delivery was just not the most effective way for me to come up with extra money. So, I thought to myself “I need to find a way to make money from home.” I decided between doing hair, doing nails, or doing lashes, and I decided to go with doing lashes because I always loved my own personal experience of having lash extensions. Lash extensions just do something that hair and nails cannot. Lash extensions make you feel beautiful 24/7 because they enhance your natural beauty and increases your self-esteem and confidence. No matter what your hair looks like or if your nails aren’t done, if you have lash extensions, you will always feel beautiful. Lashes aren’t just a look, they are an experience.
I recently discovered a quote that reads ” Easy is an insult to your greatness.” So, when you ask the question of was it easy to get where I am today business wise, the answer is absolutely not. But if it was easy, then I wouldn’t be Great. Overcoming challenges is what makes you great. Overcoming challenges has been my whole life. Nothing that I have ever achieved in this life time was due to being handed opportunities, they were achieved through hard work, being resilient, and having Faith in God. As I mentioned earlier, being a first-generation college grad, as well as the first person in my immediate family to start a business, it comes with many challenges because I haven’t seen someone achieve what I have so far; I didn’t have a blueprint to these achievements.
Therefore, I overcome these challenges by just always staying true to my dreams and aspirations. I have many goals in life that I want to achieve and there is just no quit in me. I embrace my losses, I learn from my mistakes, I read books that help me with personal development, growth, and discipline, I work with what I have, I feed my mind with rags to riches stories from other successful people that I can relate to, if I don’t know the answer to something, I research it on google and YouTube until I figure it out and I love to learn from other people’s experiences. But the #1 way I always overcome all challenges in life, is by keeping my Faith strong.
The biggest challenge Ive had to overcome on my business journey is imposter syndrome. Seven months into being an entrepreneur, I wanted to give up. I felt like I just couldn’t do it, I told myself I couldn’t do it and that being an entrepreneur wasn’t for me because I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into and that my business would fail. I just started it as an extra stream of income but I quickly realized that it was way more than that. With having to teach myself how to do lashes, marketing and branding, and all administrative duties that comes with running a business, I told myself that this life wasn’t for me. Even though my actions and skills were showing that I was getting it done, I kept doubting myself internally. It was the first time I ever told myself I could not achieve something which was very hard on me because I believe I can do anything I set my mind to.
A month and a half later, I decided to search for a new church home and started going back to church physically. It was the best decision I could’ve made because it allowed me to sit in God’s reassurance that I am right where I am supposed to be and that this business is apart of my purpose in life. From that point on, imposter syndrome no longer lived in my mind.
Lessons that I have learned along the way are
1. There’s no right time to start, just start.
2. Be authentic with your brand. You being you is all the power that you need.
3. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help. You never know who wants to support you. Closed mouths don’t get fed.
4. Surround yourself with like minded individuals.
5. Trust God’s process and timing because his plans are far greater than your wildest dreams.
What I am most excited about when it comes to The Uphoria Experience is being able to help other beginner lash techs and first-time business owners. I love to help others and mentorship is a very good skill that I have. Getting as far as I have with no mentor and being self-taught in everything when it comes to my business, I just want to help others achieve the same thing by showing them how I did it. If I made it happen, you can too!
What I want the world to think about me, my brand and my story is: Faith and Resiliency.
Faith and Resiliency is what me, my brand and my story all have in common. All three have faith that God will always provide and the resiliency to keep going when you don’t know how you are going to make it. When you think about my story , my brand and I, that is what I want the world to know about it.
I also want the world to know that this is just the beginning for The Uphoria Experience and to check back in two years to see where I will be then <3.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I enjoy adventure and outdoors, so I would definitely recommend the beach of course as the #1 place to visit in Miami. Enjoy activities such as parasailing, kayaking, canoeing, jet skis, and etc. All things water sports.
For food, Benihanas is my all time favorite restaurant. For street food, I would recommend HowardsKitchenMia for all your needs.
Other fun places to visit could be the Ice Cream Museum, Water Rapids, Wynwood, or a Boat Tour through the Everglades.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Yes, I would love to give everybody their flowers.
To my Mom – She taught me resiliency in it’s truest form.
To my Brothers – For loving me and doing anything for me.
To my Bestfriend- She keeps me grounded and always supportive.
To The Overtown Youth Center and Honeyshine Mentoring Program – I wouldn’t be where I am today without these two organizations.
To The Center for Academic Retention And Enhancement and Florida State University- For the best four years of growth and achievement.
To my Sorority, my Chapter, and my Linesisters – For inspiring me daily through all the amazing women in this sisterhood. OO-OOP
To all of my Close Friends (you all know who you are) – For always supporting me and believing in me.
Lastly, shoutout to Atomic Habits, everyone should read that book.
Instagram: @The.UphoriaExperience
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
