# SN3, Episode 7: The Business Side Of Makeup | O`rnella Nthambi on Building Makeup City Academy

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/founder-diaries-podcast-7711032/sn3-episode-7-the-business-side-of-makeup-o-rnella-nthambi-on-building-makeup-city-academy
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/founder-diaries-podcast-7711032/sn3-episode-7-the-business-side-of-makeup-o-rnella-nthambi-on-building-makeup-city-academy.md
Podcast: [Founder Diaries Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/founder-diaries-podcast-7711032)
Published: 2026-09-14T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yvonne-kanyi/episodes/SN3--Episode-7-The-Business-Side-Of-Makeup--Ornella-Nthambi-on-Building-Makeup-City-Academy-e3onja0
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/10d9577a8/podcast/play/125602560/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-8-11%2F6ad51851-1e6b-3f3a-e33c-ab59233288d7.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1887

## Resource

O`rnella Nthambi wears many hats — makeup artist, content creator, beauty educator, and entrepreneur and in this episode, she takes us through the full journey of building Makeup City and Makeup City Academy from a passion project into a business that's sustained her for over a decade.Her very first hustle wasn't in beauty at all. In high school, she sold viazi karai to her fellow students for 10 shillings. After high school, instead of the conventional path into driving or computer packages, she convinced her mum to pay for a short makeup course at Ashley's, a decision that quietly set the direction for everything that followed.We get into the real numbers behind her growth: how she went from charging KES 25,000 for a one-month makeup class to KES 45,000 today, and what it took to actually master pricing along the way. She also walks us through the process of setting up a physical academy space, what she's most intentional about teaching her students, and how she manages finances in a service-based business.This episode is brought to you by:🔹 Beauty Square KE — Your go-to destination for premium, quality beauty essentials. Visit and patronize at beautysquareke.co PARTNER SPOTLIGHT🔹 DigiTax — Simplifying tax and invoicing for businesses so you can focus on growth, not paperwork. Learn more: ⁠https://digitax.tech/⁠ | ⁠+254795279403 DigiTax — your tax assistant in your pocketPARTNER HIGHLIGHT 🤝We’re honored to have Sarova Hotels as our Season 3 partner. From creating beautiful spaces to curating unforgettable experiences, Sarova is the best fit for your staycation, business meeting or that special celebration. Visit their website to check out their facilities and services at www.sarovahotels.comOur other Season 3 partners are:🎥 Royal Reel — our audio-visual partners / ro…

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