We recently connected with Brenda Erika Jordan Manrique and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brenda Erika thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Opening our lash studio was a big risk for us, but it was honestly a leap of faith that has paid off in so many ways. When we first started out we sort of had an idea of what we were getting ourselves into, and we were more than determined to make it work. We have an immense love for the beauty industry and were super excited to dive deeper into it, but we also knew that starting a business from scratch would be a challenge. Luckily we have experience working alongside each other multiple times and eventually realized that we make a great team. We started with nothing and worked tirelessly to create our small business. It was a difficult time leaving our previous job but it motivated us to just keep moving forward and build something that we definitely stand by and truly show what we bring to the table. Now, looking back at everything we have accomplished, we can’t help but feel truly proud and grateful for everything that we have. And while there may be challenges ahead, we know that we are definitely up for the task. After all, we’ve already taken the biggest risk of all – and it’s paid off in ways that we would have never imagined.

Brenda Erika , 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?

We both became cosmetologists and got into this field for basically the same reasons, we have a true passion for the beauty industry and how it will always be evolving. We both started doing hair and met in 2018 doing blowouts and hair styling. We then parted ways after that job but a year later we found ourselves doing eyelash extensions. Making people feel confident and comfortable is something that has always been our main priority and that is definitely one of our commitments we’ve had since opening our small business. Our goal is to use our services to enhance someones natural features and help them feel more beautiful. With the eyelash and eyebrow services we provide they really do help with anyone’s morning routine and overall just simplifying it. The atmosphere of our salon could best be described as cozy and dim, we try to elaborate calming elements in there such as essential oils, calming music, and blankets to provide that extra comfort. We strive on being welcoming and attentive to everyone’s needs, and prioritize cleanliness and extensive sanitation to ensure a safe and tidy experience. We offer mainly eyelash extensions, and right under would be lash lifting, brow tinting + lamination, and face waxing. What we would want potential new clients to know would be that we are extremely committed to providing the highest quality service and want to make you feel valued and cared for. We encourage for anyone who has any questions or concerns to please share them with us and we can assure you that we will be more than happy to help with anything. And we definitely look forward to seeing new faces!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson we both agree that we had to unlearn is TIMING. Since the beginning we have been taught that being the quickest is always better but it’s most certainly not. It was definitely something that was embedded into us that faster = better = more
SSS. Being fast isn’t always the best solution, while it is true that speed can be a valuable asset in certain situations, it can also lead to hasty decisions and mistakes that can ultimately hurt you and your business. Taking your time, being patient, and making thoughtful decisions us more often the key to success. Rushing into things especially your work can cause you to overlook certain details, miss out on mistakes, and ultimately fail to deliver the quality of service or products that vour customers expect. So, if you’re starting a business or pursuing a new endeavor, remember that patience and the willingness to take your time can be just as important as any other skill or attribute.

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

While we tried a variety of marketing strategies to grow our small business, we have found that word of mouth has been the most effective by far. We used to focus a lot on little things like social media ads and flyers, but we realized that our existing clients were our best advocates. We make sure to provide excellent service to everyone who comes in, and we encourage them to tell their friends and family about us. We often jokes saying that they are our walking business cards since lashes and brows are the first thing someone notices on somebody! As a result, we’ve seen a number of new faces who were referred to us by someone they trust and it is a great feeling to know that our clients are so happy with our work that they are willing to recommend us to others.    

Contact Info:

• Website: astrolashstudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrolash.studio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astrolashstudio