Sometimes the Blessing Is in the Space You Create

If there is one thing I've learned from building a business, it's that the path rarely looks the way you imagine it would.

Sometimes life’s biggest blessings come from changing direction.

And sometimes, that pivot leads you somewhere you never even knew you wanted to go.

In my last post, I shared how COVID completely changed the direction of my career — and how, looking back, that unexpected shift ended up becoming one of the best things to happen to my business.

What started as a forced change eventually opened doors I never would have walked through otherwise.

And years later, I'm still finding myself saying the same thing:

I never could have planned this.

From Home, to Renting Spaces, to Creating My Own

Before, during, and after COVID, my business continued to evolve.

I rented different spaces. I worked in different environments. I worked from home. I figured things out as I went.

For a long time, I was just looking for somewhere that worked.

Somewhere I could see my clients.

Somewhere I could create.

Somewhere that felt like mine—but not my home with children running around.

Eventually, I stopped searching for the “perfect” space & was super content with renting. Then, an unexpected change in my contract completely shifted my plans and led me to a new building—one where I could create the magic myself.

And now, I have a space that truly feels like home.

It’s more than a place where I work. It’s where I create, experiment, dream up new ideas, work with clients, photograph products, create beauty content, and let my creative brain run wild.

My creative juices genuinely haven’t stopped flowing since I got here in April 2026.

And I think that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a beauty entrepreneur and small business owner:

Sometimes you don’t need to know exactly where you’re going.

It’s crazy, but sometimes you just need enough space to let yourself figure it out.

And Then Came UGC

And now for another plot twist I absolutely didn’t see coming: UGC.

User Generated Content

If you told me years ago that I’d eventually be getting paid to create content for brands, I probably would have laughed and cried all at the same time.

I’ve spent the last 15 years as a licensed professional, beauty entrepreneur, and founder of SMACKbyKarisa. I’ve created products, worked with clients, taught makeup, built a brand and—since 2011—learned the ever-changing world of social media.

So while becoming a UGC creator wasn’t part of the original plan, it actually makes a lot of sense looking back.

I know beauty. I know products. I know customers. And I know how to create content that makes someone stop scrolling and think, I need that.

Now I get to do that for brands, too. I’m having a blast with it.

Getting Paid to Talk About Products I Actually Like

And honestly, this might be my favorite part.

I’m now getting opportunities to create content for products I genuinely like—and get paid for it.

After years of building my own beauty products and telling people why I love them, having brands come to me and say, “We want you to tell people why you love ours,” feels like such a natural extension of everything I’ve built.

I’m newer to the formal UGC world, but I’m definitely not new to beauty, social media, content creation or selling products. I’m a newer UGC creator with a very seasoned background.

And now I’m excited to see where this next chapter takes me.

If COVID taught me anything, it’s that sometimes the biggest opportunities come from the things you never planned.

The shutdown led me to ecommerce.
Building my beauty brand led me deeper into content.
Years of social media led me to UGC.

And now UGC is opening doors I never imagined.

Maybe that’s the real blessing—not that the original plan worked out, but that the new one turned out even better.

And apparently, I’m just getting started.