We were lucky to catch up with Julissa Robledo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Julissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I’m hopeful my legacy will be one that people knew came with hard dedication, perseverance and determination. One that didn’t happen over night but over 10+ years with blood, sweat and tears every step of the way. A legacy that was accompanied by strong genuine relationships, mentoring and guidance all while taking risk and sharing knowledge & wisdom.
I think people will remember that I loved hard and that I was always kind and patient. That in any event they remember I was a safe place and never feared vulnerability showing I too am a human being and far from perfect. I hope they have the recollection of me and my arms open, full of love and zero judgment at all times. I look forward to and trust that when people reminisce of times with me that they were good vibes and genuine laughs.

Julissa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

A little about me is that I was born in Chicago, Illinois, raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan and I am a licensed cosmetologist, owner of Lash & Glam with Julie. I have two optimistic, amazing and beautiful children and when I’m not busy playing either of those roles I enjoy a good movie accompanied by a great meal.

For as long as I can remember I have loved everything about the beauty industry. I can go as far back as 10 years old, that Christmas I was gifted a lilac caboodle that was full of play makeup, the sticky-glittery kind. Growing up in a Mexican household I had a strict mother, if you know you know. I was not allowed to have interest or access to it but that never stopped me. Being told no spiked my interest even more, I remember plenty of times staying up late waiting for everyone to fall asleep just so that I could play with it. I would put it on, admire myself some and immediately wash it off. Once I reached middle and high school years slowly receiving the thumbs up for make-up and styling/hot tools I would push my limits to see how far I could get. I would flat iron my hair almost every day using every product my mom had lying around trying to figure out what worked for me, I really wanted to be a perfectionist. That’s when the passion and trial & error process started for me.

By the end of my junior year in high school I became a teenage mom, the satisfaction I got from playing dress up with my daughter, doing her hair and painting her fingernails was more than just putting a smile on her face. It was me keeping my passion and desires alive. Becoming a young mom made me believe that my dreams and aspirations had to be put on hold, furthering my education and going to college became unrealistic to me, or so I thought. I loved school so much I didn’t want to give up on my education entirely so I figured going to cosmetology school was the next best thing for my daughter and me after graduating high school. By 18/19 years old I was a full-time student at Douglas J Aveda, and a full-time mom figuring out a way to provide. Although I made it to the finish line, I still had struggles and obstacles to get through. Struggles that for a handful of years, steered me away from pursuing my dreams and keeping me inconsistent with what I was most passionate about.

Through my inconsistencies I still worked from home offering minimal services that at least kept my feet dabbed in the beauty industry waters. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that I believed I wanted to further my education and get back into the latest of trends. I self-taught myself a lot via YouTube and TikTok and eventually discovered I wanted a little bit more help. I took a business course through Spring GR which helped me navigate and jump back to putting in the work for my entrepreneurial journey. Through this course and with the help of my coach I learned that all wins should be celebrated, small and big. I took two lash extension courses, two makeup one-on-one courses and through the process I learned to take real accountability for myself. The amount of time and efforts I put into my business was in fact showing. For me this meant stepping out of my comfort zone, following through with putting myself out there to find my targeted customers and build my clientele for my business to finally thrive with the new information I received and was experiencing. Understanding that there’s a time and a place for everything, learning patience and asking myself am I ready for the next big thing? Sometimes you’re not always ready but manifesting your destiny sometimes means you just have to take a leap of faith and keep showing up.

My biggest desire was to have an entire salon of my own but also remaining realistic and understanding I still had not completed some of my smaller goals for that just yet. Again, celebrating all the small wins in between. I remained consistent, I built my clientele, website, and social media following. As my coach always said there’s a method to the madness. Since 2020, the work and dedication in my entrepreneurial journey has grown tremendously. For three years I continued working from home, 2024 was a huge turning point for myself and I believed it was finally time to pivot and expand. I reached enough clientele to move into a suite of my own in April of 2024. I offer hair cut and color services, thermal hairstyling, lash extensions and body waxing services. This is only the beginning , God has had a plan for me since the very start and I truly believe this is the path destined for me, so much more is yet to come.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time I had to pivot in my career as a cosmetologist was discovering one of my favorite services that I offered was actually a hobby of my own and not one I wanted to offer anymore. When I started advertising wanting to build clientele I offered makeup services. For three years I was booked and busy doing wedding parties and events. As time passed I realized it was becoming a mental health problem for myself. Becoming anxious and overwhelmed before even servicing people. I would push through, get the job done and although my clients were happy I did not feel satisfaction or joy like I once used to. I was finding ways to fight through the anxiety , filming Get Ready With Me videos for social media and eventually decided it was okay to let that service go. I still felt immense joy and happiness in a hobby for myself and I learned that my peace of mind and mental health mattered.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Before the Covid-19 pandemic occurred I was a full time employee at Corewell Health. My days consisted of working my shift, servicing my few clients, attending classes at Cornerstone University and between all of that still a full time mother. Some days that canceling on clients, missing work or class and overall feeling like there was too much on my plate. Not everything that glitters is gold. Through all these events in my life I never forgot about the bigger picture; wanting a better life and freedom for myself and my children. Long days and nights that are still paying off and have remained a part of the process in my entrepreneur journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://julissalash.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julxssaa?igsh=MWg3dHFucXF4aTRlZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18M9m1cjo1/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: Tiktok:

  https://www.tiktok.com/@julissa.robledo?_t=ZT-8tR4T1IQlfH&_r=1

Image Credits

Moreno Wedding, Kendra Adkinson
Jones Wedding, Mayline Perez