Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in beauty services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jaqueline Torres, Owner of The Beauty Nerd, located in Houston, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is called The Beauty Nerd. I offer eyelash extensions, permanent makeup, piercings, and select beauty tools. My customers and clients are primarily women that enjoy beauty enhancements at a reasonable price. I have a few male customers as well, but not a lot.
Tell us about yourself
What first got me started working on my business was the desire to have more free time for myself and my son. I was always bad at keeping jobs because I hated knowing that I had to work long hours while my employer vacationed monthly. That was just something that always bothered me, and so I decided to finally start my own business so that I could work whenever I wanted and be available for my son whenever he needed me. What motivates me is the freedom that I now have. Every week I get to decide how many hours or days I work, and if I need to volunteer at my son's school, I know that I can simply just do it without worrying about using sick days or asking for permission.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think my biggest accomplishment as a business owner so far has been the ability to stay open during a global pandemic without the help of any loans or government assistance. It was a very humbling and eye-opening experience. It helped me as a business owner to see what services and products were still worth for me to continue to provide and which were no longer beneficial to my business. It really helped shift the way I run my business and the direction that I want it to go.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
I think one of if not the hardest things about being a business owner is that same freedom that I mentioned earlier. Learning how to balance all of your free time and be disciplined enough to grow your business is probably harder than actually opening up a business. It takes daily effort and dedication to maintain a business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- No matter how many "I started with $1 in my pocket" stories you have heard, please do not rely on this to be your success story! Please have enough money saved to start your business and keep it open for at least eight months. I learned that the hard way.
- Make sure that you are doing it for the right reasons and that you are passionate about the type of business you are trying to open. There will always be a way to make money but opening up a business because you think it will be easy or fast money is a quick way to fail and acquire debt.
- Do not rely on the people around you to grow your business. For some people, it works but do not rely solely on family or friends to grow your business, definitely invest in good marketing.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://linktr.ee/TheBeautyyNerdd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeautyyNerdd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeautyynerdd/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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