So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

Hello. My name is Amber, and I'm a Mom of six (ages 5-16) currently living in the East Valley of the Phoenix-Metro area. I was born in Kansas, but my family relocated to the small town of Van Horn in West Texas when I was 11. We lived in Van Horn until right before my 17th birthday and relocated to Phoenix for my Mom to pursue a job opportunity in Phoenix, but I didn't acclimate well and spent the next 13 years moving from Arizona to Kansas, then back to Arizona, following back to Texas, and ultimately settling in Arizona.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now?

I love that my kids are close. I co-parent with 5 of my 6 kids, so having them close to spend time with individually and as a family is something I am truly grateful for.

Tell us a little bit more about what your company does and how it started? How does it help your customers?

My entrepreneurial journey began with a desire to participate in something meaningful while building a life that allowed me to be present for my family. After spending more than 22 years in social services, public health, healthcare compliance, and leadership roles, I experienced significant burnout and began looking for a way to combine my passion for helping people with business ownership. That journey led me to acquire Just Bronzed®, a luxury custom airbrush tanning studio.

Just Bronzed® helps clients look and feel their best through personalized sunless tanning services designed to boost confidence, celebrate important life events, and provide a luxury experience centered around attention to detail and exceptional customer service. With absolutely no experience in the sunless tanning industry prior to the acquisition, I invested thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours into training, and I am a Master Certified Sunless Tanning Artist today.

As I continued to grow as a business owner, I realized my larger passion extended beyond beauty and skincare. Throughout my personal and professional journey, I have overcome significant challenges, rebuilt my life multiple times, and learned valuable lessons about resilience, purpose, financial literacy, and creating opportunities despite difficult circumstances. While these experiences helped inspire the creation of Tat Mom Industries LLC, of which Just Bronzed® operates under, I decided recently I wanted to dust off my LLC and pursue building a true brand.

Tat Mom Industries is being developed as a lifestyle and educational brand focused on second chances, personal growth, entrepreneurship, financial empowerment and helping others discover that their past does not define their future. Through digital content, educational resources, storytelling, affiliate partnerships, and future publishing initiatives, the company aims to encourage people who feel stuck, overlooked, or discouraged to pursue their goals and create a life of purpose.

As part of that vision, I am also developing Tat Mom Financial, which focuses on financial education and strategies designed to help individuals and families build stronger financial futures. The goal is to make concepts such as retirement planning, life insurance, wealth building, debt management, and legacy planning more understandable and accessible to everyday families who may not have grown up with financial guidance.

While these businesses serve different needs, they share a common mission: helping people build confidence, whether in how they look, how they see themselves, or how they prepare for their future. My goal is to create businesses that not only provide services and education but also inspire people to believe that no matter where they start, they can build something better for themselves and their families.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice will help them?

My biggest piece of advice is to start before you feel completely ready. If you wait until you have all the answers, you'll likely never begin. There will always be things you don't know, mistakes you'll make, and lessons you'll learn along the way.

I would also encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to understand that building a business is rarely a straight path. There will be setbacks, self-doubt, unexpected expenses, and moments when quitting seems easier. Those challenges do not mean you're failing. Those challenges are just a part of the process sometimes.

I will also highlight to invest in learning, seek mentors, ask questions, and be willing to adapt. Surround yourself with people who support your growth, but don't rely on everyone else to believe in your vision before you do.

But, most importantly my advice is to build a business that aligns with your values and purpose. Skills can be learned and strategies can be adjusted, but having a clear "why" will help carry you through the difficult seasons. Success isn't about never falling down, because trust me you will probably fall, and you will probably fall more than once. But, it's about continuing to move forward, learning from each experience, and refusing to let your circumstances define your future.

Where do you see your company in the future?

In the future, I see my company growing into a collection of brands that empower people in different areas of their lives. While each business serves a unique purpose, they all share a common mission: helping people build confidence, create opportunities, and leave a positive legacy.

I envision Tat Mom Industries LLC becoming a recognized lifestyle and educational brand that inspires resilience, second chances, personal growth, and entrepreneurship and I want it to be a brand that reminds people that their past does not define their future and that purpose can be found in every stage of life.

I also see Tat Mom Financial expanding its reach by helping individuals and families better understand financial concepts such as retirement planning, wealth building, life insurance, and legacy planning. My goal is to make financial education more accessible and empowering, especially for people who may feel overwhelmed or underserved by traditional financial resources.

While Just Bronzed® began as a luxury beauty business, it taught me the value of creating experiences that help people feel confident and seen. That lesson continues to influence every business I build.

Ultimately, I hope to create sustainable businesses that not only provide services and education but also make a meaningful difference in people's lives. Success for me is not measured solely by revenue, it's also measured by impact, the opportunities created for others, and the legacy left behind for future generations.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

One of the biggest misconceptions about the sunless tanning industry is that spray tans always look fake, orange, streaky, or unnatural. While that may have been true of some early sunless tanning products years ago, today's professional sunless tanning industry has evolved tremendously. Modern custom airbrush tanning is highly personalized and designed to enhance a client's natural skin tone, creating a healthy, natural-looking glow.

Another common misconception is that airbrush tanning is easy and requires very little skill, training, or education. Because clients only see the finished result, many people don't realize the level of knowledge and expertise that goes into creating a flawless custom tan. Professional artists must understand skin tones and undertones, color theory, product chemistry, body contouring, solution selection, application techniques, client preparation, aftercare, and troubleshooting. Like many skilled trades and beauty professions, achieving consistently beautiful results requires training, practice, continuing education, and attention to detail.

There is also a misconception that individuals working in the beauty industry are somehow less educated or less professional than those in traditional careers. In reality, many beauty professionals are highly trained business owners who invest significant time and money into education, certifications, product knowledge, marketing, customer service, and entrepreneurship. Many wear multiple hats as artists, educators, marketers, accountants, and business operators.

Another overlooked aspect of the industry is its growth potential. As awareness continues to increase regarding the risks associated with UV exposure, premature aging, and skin cancer, more consumers are seeking healthier alternatives to traditional tanning methods. At the same time, the skincare, wellness, and self-care industries continue to experience significant growth, creating new opportunities for professional sunless tanning services. Today's clients are increasingly focused on looking and feeling their best while protecting their long-term health, making custom airbrush tanning a natural fit within the broader wellness movement.

Ultimately, professional airbrush tanning is both an art and a science. The best results are often the ones no one notices because they simply look natural. When done correctly, a custom airbrush tan enhances confidence, complements a client's natural beauty, and provides an experience that goes far beyond a quick spray. It is a profession that combines technical skill, creativity, customer care, and entrepreneurship while helping clients achieve their desired look in a safe and healthy way.

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business and how did you deal with it?

When I acquired Just Bronzed®, I quickly learned that being passionate about serving clients and being successful at running a business are two very different things. As a first-time business owner, I had to learn marketing, branding, website development, budgeting, customer acquisition, social media strategy, and countless other skills that were completely outside my previous professional experience. There were many moments when I questioned whether I was making the right decisions or moving fast enough.

I also faced challenges that many small business owners experience, including limited resources, unexpected expenses, and investments that did not always produce the results I hoped for. It can be discouraging when you put significant time, energy, and money into growing a business and do not immediately see the return you expected.

What helped me overcome those challenges was my willingness to keep learning and adapting. Throughout my career, I have always believed that growth comes from education, persistence, and being willing to ask questions. Instead of viewing setbacks as failures, I began viewing them as tuition paid for an entrepreneurial education. Every mistake taught me something valuable that helped me make better decisions moving forward.

Perhaps most importantly, I stayed connected to my purpose. My goal was never simply to own a business. My goal was to create something meaningful, build a better future for my family, and help others along the way. Keeping that larger vision in mind helped me push through difficult seasons and continue building even when the path forward was uncertain.

Entrepreneurship has taught me resilience, humility, and perseverance. While the journey has not always been easy, the challenges have ultimately strengthened both my businesses and my confidence as a business owner.

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

Just Bronzed Airbrush Studios

Website: www.justbronzed.com

Instagram: @just.bronzed

Facebook: @JustBronzedAirbrushStudios

Tat Mom Industries

Website: www.tatmomindustries.com (Currently under development)

Tat Mom Financial

Website: www.tatmomfinancial.com (Currently under development)

Instagram: @tatmomfinancial

Facebook: @TatMomFinancial

I am passionate about sharing the realities of entrepreneurship, personal growth, resilience, financial empowerment, and building a life of purpose. As these brands continue to grow, I look forward to creating additional educational resources, digital content, and community-focused initiatives that help others build confidence, pursue their goals, and create a lasting legacy.

I believe that our stories, challenges, and successes can inspire others, and I am excited to continue sharing that journey with those who choose to follow along.