Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gabriela Bernal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Gabriela 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?

The biggest risk I’ve taken so far has absolutely been my business, but as the saying goes, with big risk comes great reward. My business just hit a year of being open this August, while it’s still small and growing I’m beyond proud of the success I’ve been able to build thus far.

I remember it like it was yesterday, I had just graduated college and well, I was dirt broke. Maybe $800 to my name, ha. If that, honestly. Thankfully, the only thing I had going for me at this point was the semi-decent job I landed a few weeks prior to graduating. After a quick one or two paychecks I realized that with my current job pay I wouldn’t be able to pay my student loans any time soon and probably work a few years before the thought of buying a house or traveling began to even slightly be part of any conversation.

The next week i enrolled myself in a piercing course and figured that with my background in healthcare and my 3 years of business classes I would take a leap of faith to start a beauty bar. I went to look for a salon suite and put $700 of the $800 I had to my name into this business venture. And let me tell you, I don’t regret a single thing. I was able to leave my full time job to pursue my business 3 months into the business being open. We hit a year of being open the first of August and have had a pretty successful year. I’ve had the opportunity to train several students, pierce hundreds of people, and since added permanent jewelry, permanent jewelry classes, lip blushing and microblading to our list of services. When you are self employed the outcome of a day totally depends on the business owner, it’s a fabulous yet scary feeling. However, with each day I’ve learned more about my business and am beyond appreciative of the opportunity I get to work on my dream as a career.

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.

Hi! My name is Gaby. I am Utah born and raised, and claim my Colombian roots proudly. I graduated from The University of Utah with B.S. in Health Society and Policy with a minor in business. Since a young girl I always knew I wanted to go into the beauty and aesthetics industry. I have always had a great passion for it and knew I would strive in it. I built my business Studio Ninethreeseven in August of 2022 since then we’re slowly trailblazing to have an honorable reputation and leading in customer service and satisfaction. I am a piercing artist and piercing instructor. At Studio Ninethreeseven we offer hollow needle piercings, permanent jewelry, lip blushing, microblading, permanent jewelry trainings and hollow needle trainings. We found that there was a lack of a one stop shop in the Salt Lake County that really aimed to create a safe, clean and professional environment for clients. We strive at cultivating a safe space for individuals to grow creatively through our luxury services. Studio Ninethreeseven is so special to me, when I was envisioning how I wanted this business to be created I wanted it to be close to my heart and something that would have a greater significance because of that I named It after my grandparents and the home they created for all of my family. It’ll be not only my legacy but the legacy of all of my family. There’s something special when all of your successes can be tied together. I am very proud of our clientele. They truly have become the reason Studio Ninethreeseven has grown so quickly. Our clients speak so highly of their experiences that every single person has chosen us through others’ positive experiences. It’s a true honor to have a clientele base that speaks so highly because the best way to grow a business is through happy customers.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Always putting the client first. I realize that we don’t offer one of a kind services but we do offer one of a kind customer service, and that’s something that can’t be recreated. When our customers pick us over competitors it’s extremely important for me that we give them the utmost experience because ultimately without customers, a service based industry won’t succeed.

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

We are on every single platform. It seems annoying but it takes a consumer an average of 8x seeing your business before they actually purchase so it’s important you are showing up on their consuming platforms as much as you can without being distasteful. A great way to do this is to inform your clients without throwing a sales pitch in their face. Clients are more likely to consume your product or service when they can trust the brand behind it.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.studioninethreeseven.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/studioninethreeseven?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094885023901&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Yelp: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj539q-sOSAAxUvPUQIHZA2DvcQFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fm.yelp.com%2Fbiz%2Fstudio-ninethreeseven-sandy&usg=AOvVaw1rQPH_9K3SguwrGjqovjEQ&opi=89978449

Image Credits
@whitneyalyson.jpg @maudzphotos