We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Alvarenga recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The idea had been there since I was in school. I dreamed of having my own space, at the time I had my mind set on moving to South Florida so that is where I thought my dream would start. I’m glad that did not happen because I had a great apprenticeship here that built my foundation. At 23 I created my LLC, way before I had the space. That is when I fully started to write my goals and add details little by little whenever I would come across a piece of furniture, colors, fonts, that I liked that is when I would add or erase things out. These things are best done in baby steps if not it can be overwhelming. From initial idea to execution it took me 3 years, I wanted to keep learning, growing and challenging myself in my career before opening my own suite, once I had my mind to it and was ready it took me about a month to fully get everything in order. Funny thing is I started this process after I found the suite I was looking for. I needed to envision the space to build everything else around it. My family is my support system so I would run ideas by them and we would bounce back and fourth through them, they gave me plenty of insight.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I first got into the industry in 2018, it wasn’t until 2019 when my focus fully shifted from Cosmetology to Barbering. I was inspired in school when a group of Barbers came to show case their skills. It was something I was very interested in so I focused my mindset on learning and becoming a Barber, that started with countless hours of video education, practicing and taking on the challenging haircuts where I would be freaking out on the inside but I knew it would benefit me in the long run. One piece of advice I give to barbers that are fresh out of school is take all the haircuts, even if they think you can’t do it, its a mindset and you never know until you try, find yourself a good mentor and a positive group of other barbers you can lean on. My main focus on what I do is giving my clients the best service possible whether it be a Haircut, Beard trim or Facial. A strong emphasis is put on providing a relaxing, calming environment, I don’t mind if my clients close their eyes and doze off a bit getting a hair cut tends to make people sleepy, neither do I mind talking through the full appointment! I strive for a welcoming environment to all whether introverted or extroverted. Taking care of my clients hair, scalp and beards through natural products and ingredients is something I value, I also take my time to go through the details, their face shapes, whether or not they style their hair or leave it natural with no product this way I can recommend a haircut to best suits their lifestyle. One thing I make sure is my clients leave feeling confident. My services start with a beverage, Shampoo (optional) Haircut, Hot towel neck shave and Style, Hot towels and straight razor is used for Beards as well as a beard balm and oil up to clients discretion. I would say Something that makes this job rewarding is the connections built with clients, seeing them get engaged, married, job promotion, have kids, seeing their kids grow up, truly does make it rewarding.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

My most effective strategy for growing clientele is social media, specifically Instagram. I strive to post 2-3 times a week. (The more you post the better) I post content on the stories and feed through reels and posts. Whether or not people follow or like your posts they are watching you to see if you are the best fit for them so I would recommend to not get discouraged about your likes. I have gotten many clients that found me on Instagram and don’t even follow me.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Everything has a place and a time. Enjoy life with yourself and loved one’s, A lesson I learned is placing a boundary on work when you are home. I would often stay up late night brainstorming ideas or editing videos, checking emails and going through my appointments and calls, worrying about what had to be done or responding to appointment bookings past 9pm. At the time thinking I had to available every second of they day even if it was my off day to be productive however, All this did was cause me to feel anxious not fully having family time, not being able to escape work when I’m off, I have since than placed a boundary to not respond or view work related content after 9pm on week days and on my off days. In the event a message is received on a day I’m off I will respond back during normal business hours. We are human, we need time to rest, relax and enjoy our time alone or with loved ones this helps us feel recharged and refreshed, which in turn helps us be the best version of ourselves in our work environment and in life in general. Mental and Physical health is a priority!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thebladestudio.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreablades904/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/yayaflavor/