Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Mae & Samuel (Sammy) J. Koza. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The story of WarPaint International is quite serendipitous :-). Sammy and Jessica Mae Koza are husband and wife founders of the company. They met in 2009; Sam was a store manager for Apple in the Mall of American location. Jessica Mae was hired as a part-time employee. As fate would have it, the two found each other during the course of the employment with the tech giant. That relationship actually ended both of their employments with the company.
This unforeseen event led Sammy to put his entrepreneur hat back on that had been hung up so many years ago. He began to notice and take interest in a passion that Jessica had which was makeup artistry. She moonlighted on the weekend for friends and family but had always worked another regular job (or two). One day in late 2009, Sammy asked Jessica what she’d like to do with her passion and skillset – because she was really good… His first themed holiday gift to Jessica was some upgraded artistry gear to add to her collection of craft tools.
So, in 2011 the first WarPaint International T-shirt made an appearance at the RAW awards in Minneapolis. Jessica Mae won Makeup Artist of the Year. From there the duo began to onboard team members to aid in the growing demand for Artistry from their new company. Jessica Mae’s skills and confidence grew at an enormous rate. Her true calling to be a creative director and an entrepreneur was clawing its way out into the light.
In 2013, they officially incorporated the company and onboarded a few board members to help build and expand their growth potential with fresh ideas.
In 2016, Jessica Mae won the innovation in retail award from the National Association of Women Business Owners.
In 2017, Jessica Mae won the 40 Under 40 award from the MSP business Journal.
In the last 8 years, WarPaint International has done business in Minneapolis / St. Paul, San Diego, Temecula Valley, Los Angeles, New York City, Brooklyn, Detroit, and North Carolina. They have curated the looks for Opera Carolina for Couture Week in New York Fashion Week, designed multiple trend collections in Minneapolis, worked with celebrities, professional athletes, professional musicians, corporate event companies, consumers, brides, and more.
The core, however, of the WPI business is wedding hair and makeup. WarPaint International is a multi-award-winning agency with The Knot wedding network (as well as a hall of fame vendor), Wedding Wire, and most recently a Best of Makeup Artistry award winner from Minnesota Bride in 2021.
Over the years, Sammy and Jessica Mae tried a few different concepts including a foundation geared at young entrepreneur education in the artistry fields, a franchise model, app technology, and more. Today they continue to grow as an umbrella beauty agency that services on-site hair and makeup, whenever, wherever in the Twin Cities, Manhattan, and surrounding boroughs and areas. The on-site artistry company is also entering Chicago this fall and have other cities on their radar for next year.
For more about their story, you can reference this article in Lake Minnetonka magazine: https://lakeminnetonkamag.com/why-locals-are-putting-their-warpaint-valentine%E2%80%99s-day
WPI Beauty: www.warpaintinternational.com
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it’s not been a smooth road at all. For a long time, we struggled with the typical husband/wife business owner challenges. We didn’t see eye to eye on many priorities and our level of experience due to an age difference was not on similar playing fields. It carried into our personal lives.
We also made some business decisions early on that, while they were perceived as growth, stifled our ability to progress. We entered into projects and ideas our of pure excitement that we were not ready to tackle.
Our marriage took a beating over the years and suffered through many lessons. Though, difficult, we managed to recover from these tests. Then the onset of COVID-19 presented another interesting time for WarPaint International as it had for many companies. Our brand suffered both financially and emotionally through the pandemic during its peak shutdowns. Our core business was right in people’s faces, so needless to say, it was a zero-revenue model for quite some time.
Despite all this, it’s all been worth it and made us much stronger. Due to some hard work inside our personal temples continued time spent with God, we’ve found it easier to overcome these challenges while trying to be more forgiving and loving people. We are definitely more educated and methodical in our approaches now.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
You’ve heard about Jessica Mae already. We’re a husband/wife team and drive in our own lanes and have very specific talents that we each contribute to our work. Sam has a degree from Winona State University in Economics and business management. He has actually done a wide range of work in his life before landing in his entrepreneurial role. These jobs have included working as Sous Chef, food production manager, restaurant general manager, Sales manager for Circuit City as well as Eddie Bauer brands and store manage for Apple Inc. He also owned a custom computer hardware and software design company called Atomik Media Labs with two other partners in the early 2000s.
His inherent love for computers and the digital age naturally moved Sam into website design and digital marketing. Today, WPI’s digital marketing efforts are also internally owned. Sam is the digital footprint behind WarPaint International. He also works with a handful of other clients including jewelers, interior designers, home improvement companies, franchise model, and other brands around the world for website design and SEO strategy.
Together Jessica Mae and Sammy work to control the lanes they know how to drive in and find suitable people to dominate the ones they have no business being in.
It has taken a long time learn that lesson…
What were you like growing up?
Sam was a bit of an introvert as a kid. He didn’t follow the crowds, never got hung up on parties, and always tried to think what his dad would think of his decisions. His dad is his hero in nearly all aspects of life. He was also a skateboarder with hair down his back and a rebellious side that would grind and ride on any public bench, building, wall, or ramp. He didn’t care for organized sports or what other people were doing.
Jessica was a cheerleader growing up and a free-spirted soul who spent a lot of time with her two sisters. She attended Luther college but left shortly after and realized college was not for her. Like Sam, Jessica Mae’s father is an inspiration to her as well as her sister Cassie, who has a rare form of Angelman down syndrome. Growing up with a handicapped sister offered plenty of discrimination and hate that she learned to deal with at a very young age. Jessica learned many lessons from her sister (though she can’t talk or communicate effectively) about inner beauty and what true humanity really means.
As she grew up and got interested in makeup, her dad used to tell her that she was putting on her “Warpaint” to go out into battle. A term that has resonated with various groups in history upon preparing to go into battle or simply undergo something difficult. This history and banter with her dad inspired our company name – WarPaint International Beauty Agency.
Our motto is “Prepare For Battle”
Contact Info:
- Email: info@warpaintinternational.com
- Website: https://www.warpaintinternational.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warpaintbeautyagency
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WarpaintArtisans
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WarPaintMakeup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WarPaint-International-Minneapolis
Image Credits
Brio Art David Brad international photography Lake Minnetonka Magazine Chris McDuffie Photography. (the long multiple heads shot) The image of on tour bus is with Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil
