We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Millisa Picazo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Millisa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I am extremely happy as a business owner. I am thankful that I’ve been able to say that successfully for a few years now. It is a lot more work but, it is very satisfying to see how far I’ve come in building something from nothing. I have worked regular jobs in the past. I wanted to try the typical 9 to 5 office jobs, I figured it would be fun but, it was miserable for me. I’m not myself without creating. Thankfully the industry I am in creates beauty, we see beauty in people and bring it out to the surface. Having your own business is not for the weak you have to have dedication, confidence, and most importantly passion. As hard as it gets I don’t have thoughts of ever going back to a regular job. Sometimes when it does get overwhelming I just remember the growth in my shop and I see all the amazing people I have come to service and care for. How I’ve inspired and uplifted them makes everything worth it! Bare Beauty will only continue to flourish and thrive!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Hello, my name is Millisa Picazo but, most people know me as missy! I am a licensed esthetician and the owner of Bare Beauty. I got into this industry at a young age. I had awesome instructors growing up guiding and teaching me to be the professional I am today. This career is something I am very passionate about, it’s something that’s always been with me in life. I can go back to remembering beautifying my family and feeling so proud of those moments. So being able to do this for a living now doesn’t feel like work but just joy in the process! My work to me is an art form, I get to inspire and encourage the beauty in others. What sets my business apart from the rest is I come with lots of experience, education is very important to me, and this is not just for money. I truly care about my guests’ health and value their opinions. I never let my guests leave unless they are 100% satisfied. A big part of my services is the knowledge I give my guest with the services they are choosing. Everything in my shop, I have handpicked and tested before using it on my guests. I always ensure that my products and my services are the absolute best they can be. A lot of my brands are organic, professional-based, homeopathic, and very well-studied. I am most proud of the way I run my shop. I come from a very traditional Hispanic family. I was always taught if I do something do it right and make it my best! I thrive in having everything function properly. I take extreme measures to make sure everything is properly sanitized and clean. To have a cozy concept for my guest to enjoy and feel welcome with. I am a smart woman of many talents with many services to offer. From my many years of learning. I still am working towards accomplishing a lot more big goals. So I am excited about the future! This shop will continue to be a respected and well-built business. I only have plans to continue to excel and for Bare Beauty to always be a trusted beauty spot!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

My guests are a big reason I am so successful in growing my clientele. I am lucky I have such beautiful and helpful people. They leave with such beautiful services I provided for them and, people will always ask them where did they get it from. That’s when they refer them to me. I’m very thankful a lot of business is from word of mouth and what they have personally seen on their friends or just someone they’ve met. Another successful tip is social media, a big one for me is my website. I am not the best at being techno-savvy; that’s the old soul in me talking but I am still learning. From what I have done it is successful so far.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

My business did start initially as a side hustle. I was that average mom. Working a regular job that did not pay enough, my sons were still babies and I didn’t have the best daycare options. I was a bit limited on available time because of that. In the end, it was not amounting to enough money for my family and me. It felt like I was doing a lot but still not amounting to where I wanted to be. So I would do small services on the side. I think doing it on the side was a good way to build up my clientele. I got to learn what worked for me without being rushed into running a full-time business. It allowed me to grow organically. I didn’t leave my job until my side hustle was making more than my job’s paycheck and on a steady pace as well. That was important for me, that I did not rush that process. I do remember my clients coming to my apartment, then to my home, and finally to my shop. Those experiences will keep me forever humble and thankful that I have amazing people that have been with me through life’s level-ups.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iambarebeauty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambarebeauty
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/iambarebeauty/
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/bare-beauty-san-antonio-5?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=%28direct%29
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@missylovemoon https://www.instagram.com/millisapicazo

Image Credits
Millisa Picazo, Eduardo Vela