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Military spouse on mission to help others

Pamela Bolado poised to offer upscale skin products and entrepreneurial advice

Pamela Bolado is poised to bring her own line of therapeutic skin products to the marketplace. Photo credit: Anna Burnett

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Pamela Bolado is a woman on a mission. The wife of Major Select Matthew Bolado, a C17 pilot and Chief Executive Officer of the 62nd Operations Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Bolado says her "... lifelong goal is to teach, inspire and share my love and story with everyone. My products reflect my journey, commitment and knowledge of the beauty industry and skin care."

And what a journey it's been. Born with a cleft palate, Bolado struggled with self-esteem as a child and teenager. "I remember comments from kids ... like ‘What happened to your face?'" said Bolado. "This was the beginning of my self-esteem issues and this would continue as I grew into my teens. As you know, just growing into a teenager comes with its own basket of insecurities; now just imagine that intertwined with a facial abnormality. It was rough! I would look in the mirror and ask myself why I couldn't just be normal and beautiful like all the other girls around me. Oh, then the acne started, and the fight for healthy skin came into play."

However, at age 18, Bolado had an epiphany.

"At 18, I had my first facial at a local spa in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia," she said. "I had my Aha! Moment ... I loved how she made me feel and I wanted to do that. I wanted to make women feel empowered by their beauty! That was the beginning of my journey to learn everything I could about skin and the ins and outs of the beauty industry ... It was my time to turn it into something positive."

So her journey began. Over the next two decades, Bolado would travel the world learning all she could about skincare, eventually becoming an oncology trained, Licensed Master Esthetician and Licensed Micropigmentation Specialist. Finally, after opening, and running, a small skin care boutique, Bolado decided to develop her own products and launch her skincare company, Le Pamier.

Bolado began learning everything she could about running her own business. She attended Boots to Business, a two-day entrepreneurial training course offered by the Small Business Association (SBA) on military bases around the country, including JBLM.  She said she also "... attended Amplify Through Hiring Our Heroes, an exclusive two-day event for spouses seeking extensive career and business preparation."

Bolado also emphasizes the significance of connections. "It's also important to network; join your local chamber of commerce and seek out all the phenomenal free services offered through SBA and The Women's Business Center," she said.

On July 24, Bolado will be launching a crowd funding campaign through iFundWomen to fund the final steps in bringing her product to market. "This is an important and exciting new journey which will help grow my business and get my products into the hands of all women," says Bolado. "iFundWomen is on a mission to increase access to capital for female entrepreneurs, empowering women to start, and grow, better businesses. iFundWomen drives funding to startups and small businesses through a flexible crowd funding platform with a pay-it-forward model."

Along with building her own business, Bolado is passionate about encouraging other military spouses to pursue their dreams of running their own businesses. "Starting takes time, research and pure determination," says Bolado. While it's important to be passionate about one's product or service, according to Bolado, what's truly critical is "... the love and support from family and friends."

To participate in Bolado's crowd sourcing campaign, check out her campaign page at iFundWomen (https://ifundwomen.com/projects/le-pamier-modern-skincare-co). To learn more about Bolado's line of skincare products, visit her website at lepamier.com.

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