Today we’d like to introduce you to Salma Hernandez.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story has many ups and downs! I have worked one to two jobs since I was 17 years old. Even through college, I managed to keep two jobs to help my family as I was the oldest child. After I graduated college with a Bachelors’s in Respiratory Therapy, I began working at a Credit Union and did not pursue my career. I became comfortable and I was good at what I did. Within three months, I was promoted and in the seven years that I worked there, I was promoted to a higher position ever ten to eleven months. In 2017, I got pregnant and started thinking of ways to still make money while I was on maternity leave. I’ve always been a workaholic and can’t seem to stay still. I
remember going to get my eyelashes done for the very first time during my pregnancy and as I got to talking with my lash artist, I realized that it seemed like a pretty good at home business. My lash artist worked from home and had her own room to provide her clients with lash and nail services.
I did some research and took a course for eyelash extensions when I was about seven months pregnant. That is where it all began. I remember practicing on my family, close friends, and I started a social media page that soon began to blow up. After my baby was born, I had tons of help from my family and fiancé and was able to keep working from home.
After my maternity leave ended, I actually got an assistant branch manager position at a different credit union. However, things did not work out and I found myself unemployed. Luckily, I still had my lash business and was able to still bring in income for my growing family.
My fiancé built a whole room for me to use and work from home.
I furthered my career by taking additional courses and am now a full-time lash artist. I work from home and also help other stay at home moms learn the trade. Empowering other women for me is a huge deal. I wouldn’t be here without the help of other women and I know how hard motherhood and being a stay at home mom is. Helping others earn additional income and seeing how far they go within a couple of months definitely is enjoyable. I also get to enjoy my son and my family while working and making the same amount of money that I was making when I was working at a Credit Union working 40+ hours a week.
Has it been a smooth road?
Like everything in life, it has not been a smooth road. Starting from having no clientele to where I am now has sure been a journey. I remember getting anxious and almost giving up in the beginning because I just didn’t know how to get myself out there. I started my social media pages and got on Facebook and Instagram and that is where my business bloomed.
I posted my work, posted specials, giveaways and kept my social media pages active every single day. Soon after, I started getting more and more followers and clients started telling friends and I started getting booked more and more. I went through a little postpartum depression and while that went on, I would start canceling or rescheduling clients. It wasn’t until my family realized that something was going on with me that I even noticed something was wrong as well. I lost a couple of clients due to that but the ones that had already been with me for a while stayed. That definitely meant the world to me, I do feel like having my lash business helped me get out of the little whole I was digging myself in emotionally.
The advice that I would give any women would be to stay motivated. Be persistent with your goals and dreams, be consistent, and stay strong! Being a start-up business owner is not easy and it gets very rough at times. You need to keep it going. No matter what, you do not quit! It’s so worth it once you reach the place you thought you’d never reach. Patience is for sure something else you have to have as it doesn’t happen overnight.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Lashes by Salma story. Tell us more about the business.
As a lash artist, I have different eyelash extension sets that I am certified and able to do. I have a Classic Set which is a very natural look and I mainly do on new clients so they can try them out. The Classic Set is the easiest to take care of and maintain as it is one eyelash extension placed on one natural lash. I have a Volume Set which is more dramatic as the extensions being placed is a fan of 3-6 lashes per natural lash. There is the Hybrid Set, which is the most popular service I have, it’s a mixture between a Classic Set and the Volume Set. This set is what I’m mainly known for. When clients come in they show me pictures of my work and my Hybrid Sets have definitely been a hit. Lastly, I offer a Mega Volume Set which is a fan of about 7-10 lashes per natural lash.
I think that what sets me apart from other lash techs is not just my work but my at-home service. Clients come in and I let them have their “me time”. We put on music that they like and they can either take a nap, they can talk about their day, they can vent to me about anything. I’ve actually grown close to a lot of my clients because of the bond I am able to build with them. I remember hating to go get my hair or nails done and not talking to whoever was working on me. It just became an awkward hour or two and I didn’t want my clients feeling that way. I make sure I cater to their needs while they are laying on my massage table and while I am performing my services.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
The biggest barriers today for women is the fact that we are still not viewed as equal. I mean we have so many rights now but in any industry, a woman who is ambitious is still overseen. Women have to work twice as hard to get to that higher position and if we overwork ourselves we are seen as this obsessive workaholic instead of being seen as a go-getter and/or dream chaser.
Not having enough opportunities is still one of the biggest obstacles that we face as well. Which is why women empowerment is so needed in this world! We gotta help each other shine and rise to the top!
Pricing:
- Classic Set – $60
- Hybrid Set – $70
- Volume Set – $85
- Mega Volume – $100
- Lash Lift – $35
Contact Info:
- Website: https://square.site/book/JERXE1ZJGRQX3/lashes-by-salma
- Email: salmaah06@gmail.com.
- Instagram: @_lashesbysalma_
- Facebook: @lashesbysalma
Image Credit:
Salma Hernandez
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