We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aileena Gallego. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aileena below.

Alright, Aileena thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

As an entrepreneur, you’re constantly taking risks. You can’t be scared of failure because it’s where you learn the most and become resilient, preparing you for success. You always have to be ready to maneuver through challenges and adapt to any problems. Starting anything can be daunting, but the reward has to be greater than the risk. The reward is the lessons you learn, the life-changing success you can achieve, and the journey along the way.

I’ve been taking risks since I was young, from moving out of my house at an early age, to quitting my job without a backup to force myself find work in the field I studied—nail care. Sometimes you have to take risks to push yourself forward, and that’s exactly how I got started. Since then, I’ve built confidence and wisdom in how I take risks.

One of the biggest risks I took was booking a flight to Texas, creating a website, and buying an LLC to start a short-term rental business. I flew down by myself and met with different landlords to see if I could rent their space, furnish it, and then rent it out to other business professionals or on short-term rental platforms. It felt really scary at the time, so I decided that if it didn’t work out, it would just be a vacation.

During the first couple of days, I had meetings lined up back-to-back with different landlords. Within the first two meetings, I got positive responses and decided it was meant to be. I jumped into action, bought all the furniture, and furnished the place within the week I had taken off to stay there. I flew out my grandpa to help me, and we worked night and day to make it happen before I had to return home.

Despite doing as much research as I could, there’s no better research than actually doing it yourself. After managing the space for a year, I realized it wasn’t as simple or lucrative as I had hoped, especially trying to manage it from five states away. I decided to sell all the furniture a year later. Even though it didn’t turn out as planned, I’m still glad I took that risk. I learned a lot about managing, organization, budgeting, and not living in fear.

Now, I know what to do, and if I were to do it again, I’d own the property myself and choose something closer to manage more easily. I’ve applied those lessons to my current business, my salon, and they continue to help me succeed.

Aileena, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I didn’t know how it would happen. Growing up, I was always a creative and multifaceted artist, constantly finding different ways to sell my art. I explored various entrepreneurial paths, from selling knives with CutCo to setting up art booths at event spaces, selling drawing in high school, trying to sell products on Amazon, and managing a short-term rental. I tried many things, but the one that stuck the most was nails.

I got into doing nails after being inspired by another artist. I always wanted my nails done, but I could never find someone with the skill set I desired, so I decided to learn how to do them myself. I practiced on my friends for hours until I decided to go to school for it. After completing my schooling, I quit my restaurant job before securing another job to force myself to find work in a nail salon. I went around town asking all the nail salons if they would hire me based on my portfolio of paintings, as I didn’t have much experience in nail work. I finally got a job at Tiffany’s Beauty Lounge in San Leandro, a beautiful salon with amazing people who taught me so much and hold a special place in my heart to this day.

I always recommend that people get a job in the field they want to be in and learn from others before starting something on their own because I learned so much from them. When COVID shut everything down, I realized it wasn’t going away, so I set up in my garage. After gaining a good amount of clientele, I renovated my garage to make it more suitable for my work. However, due to issues with my house and roommates, I had to move out. I rented a booth at another salon for the first time, but it was a short-lived experience. I was abruptly removed and started working out of my friend’s tattoo shop.

This led me to learn how to tattoo, and a month later, I got my own place, which is now where I have my salon. During this time of self-discovery and redirection, I also learned ceramics, tattooing and expanded my nail art into editorial work, collaborating with other artists. I started working with @alemsworld and @_pix7, and we hit it off, creating together. This led to collaborations with many other artists and building a great community.

It has always been about more than just nails and art but about connection. Doing nails with my clients is like a therapy session a collaborative, creative journey. Along with connecting with my clients, I love connecting with other artists, and I want to inspire those around to express themselves in healthy ways through art. This is why I rebranded from Elevated Nails to Art Beauty & Soul, I want to use these services and these connections to give back, uplift, and inspire . I’m organizing my first event to support women in need and survivors of violence, focusing on a day of pampering and healing. We will offer services like meditation, nail care, facials, waxing, hair and makeup, a photoshoot, a dinner, and a guest speaker. All of this is possible because of the connections I’ve made in the community through collaboration and the journey that led me here.

Art, beauty, and soul are at the heart of my salon work with clients, my commissioned paintings, and my collaborations with other artists. It’s about the community coming together to use these elements to heal each other. Someday, it won’t just be about me, but about all of us in one space, doing these things together. That’s the vision I’m working towards, and the path that my experiences have brought me to.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Throughout my journey, there have been many times when I’ve had to strengthen my resilience. Two years ago, I faced some of the toughest challenges in my adult life. I had my salon set up in my garage, in a house I shared with six other roommates. As the house manager, I had been there the longest. When some of the roommates refused to pay rent, the landlord decided to sue all of us, and we all had to leave. This forced me to rent a booth out of a salon, where the rental cost was the same as my home rent, leaving me no budget for housing.

Fortunately, a family friend offered me a place to stay while I got back on my feet. However, the week I moved in, she lost her job and had to sublease her place, giving me less than five days to leave. I ended up couch-surfing and sleeping in my car for the next two months. Eventually, I found a place to live on my own for the first time.

Four months later, the booth rental at the salon wasn’t working out, and I was abruptly removed the same day I had clients scheduled. I made some calls and was fortunate to get a space in my friend’s photography studio for one week while I figured things out. A friend with a tattoo shop happened to call to catch up, and I asked if they had room for me to do nails in their shop until I found my own place, they said yes. I worked out of the tattoo shop for a month, during which I learned how to tattoo, before moving into my own place.

All of this happened within a year, teaching me many lessons about having faith, pushing forward, and viewing challenges from a broader perspective. Although it was scary and difficult at the time, losing my living and work spaces pushed me into new opportunities. It led me to learn how to tattoo and eventually have my own salon. These hardships pushed me to where I am today, and now I trust that everything is working out for me.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I believe you need something bigger than yourself to stay motivated. You have to find purpose in your passions to push you forward. Passion can come and go, but purpose remains. I think the biggest thing we can do is use our gifts to help others. That’s why I strive to help people around me with my skills.

I work toward creating a business that can help others by learning about each other’s lives during our nail sessions, making women feel beautiful, expressing themselves creatively, and collaborating with other artists to convey important messages. I also organize events to bring people together, give back, and uplift others. These endeavors drive me to continue my creative journey and use my skills as a way of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Artbeautyandsoul.com
• Instagram: Artbeautyandsoul
• Facebook: Artbeautyandsoul
• Linkedin: Artbeautyandsoul
• Twitter: Artbs
• Youtube: Art Beauty and Soul
• Yelp: Art Beauty and Soul

Image Credits

Photographers
@__pix7
@darrinbaldridge
@sway.produktions
@aminahmuhamm
Models
@alemsworld
@heychelseamari
@ariel.meii