1/31/2018 A true wonder woman...Crystal Vazquez is the owner of her own on location beauty team. Salon and provide exceptional hair and makeup services on site for a variety of events as such as weddings, portraits and editorials. She is also the proud owner of Addy Elizabeth Boutique, which makes her a two time entrepreneur! Why did you want to become a business owner? I started out with Mary Kay in 2005, and was putting myself through school in the medical field. I realized I needed to find a source of income while balancing school, being a parent and during my externship. It didn’t take much for me to see that direct sales was not the path for me, but I did get some good skills as a make-up artist from it so I would just do weddings. Originally I started off working with friends, then a friend of a friend. Soon enough I was working over nights at a hospital, going straight from that shift to work a wedding, and then going home to my newborn and five year old. It became clear that something had to give, so one night I looked at my husband and said “I am giving up the hospital and starting my own company”… the very next day, I launched. What has been your biggest challenge? I am unsure if I will ever get to the point where I feel as though I am a “successful entrepreneur”, since we’re an on location beauty team not a salon. We have to be a lot more creative with our marketing and money making opportunities. Being creative enough in the slow season is definitely a road block as well when it comes to retaining an income. I always strive to find a way to improve, although our numbers are good and our reputation and bookings are great. I tend to worry that if I label myself successful, then there’s a chance I could stop growing. It’s important to remain humble. How do you believe you got to where you are today?I believe that I was able to get where I am today by always being sincere, making sure that we give back to the community yearly, and never putting a dollar amount before my clients and staff. Could I be making more? Absolutely, but I believe that because I run my business with heart it comes back full circle. I am already living my wildest dream with the company, which is actually why I started a second venture. I was insane when I made the decision, I lack a business degree and when I started I lacked expertise. But, I have taken every lesson that I have learned and applied it to our current business model. “Never make the same mistake twice, and even if you are not wrong in a situation pretend you are and make sure you apply a new policy, procedure, etc, to prevent it all from happening again.” What has been your biggest success? “My biggest success is all of it. I had a rough childhood and never could have imagined that I would have built a brand. I am so thankful every day.” What is the one piece of advice you would offer future business owners? One piece of advice I feel as though I can really offer is to keep it simple and be patient. We often feel as though we have to make our business plan more complicated as time passes, but sometimes your original plan is the best plan. Stay true to the person that you are, and look to your client or your customers as a person, not just a source of income.
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