We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Calvillo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The story behind my mission comes from losing my mother to Cancer at the age of 7. My parents came to the US to provide their growing family with the “American Dream” for better opportunities. Their entire plan changed rather quickly, when my mother got diagnosed. My mother was a very modest woman, she wore light makeup, and kept her hair as natural as possible, I still remember the look she would give herself when brushing her hair, she always had this smile of ” I am beautiful”. Once my mother made the decision to shave her head, she no longer looked in the mirror, or smile like she once did. I remember because I used to follow her every chance I had, although she changed on the outside, her love was the purest to me on the inside. Losing my mother taught me that there are simply some women who aren’t able to find peace outside of home, some women bottle up their emotions causing them stress, and imbalance, forgetting that their job is not to control everything but to simply live. Unique Hair Boutique caters to the everyday woman who simply wants to be still, feel empowered and embrace change. My entire concept of healing and restoring from within comes from a place of overcoming. Yolanda Calvillo perhaps didn’t make it in this world long enough to share her strength, but I am here to share with the world who she was, and I am here to help as many people as God sends me. We are here to help strengthen and sharpen one another and that is my mission, and I will forever live by these core values.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My journey as a hairdresser began at the age of 24. It was probably one of the worst times in my life to be honest, looking back, I could only say I was being led by God, because I choose one of the toughest times to expand and become an entrepreneur. I had quit my amazing corporate job who gave me everything I ever wanted, great benefits, good pay, good security, except I was taken advantage of and that is where I drew the line, so I quit. I was a single mom and very broke at the time, but I played my cards right, I lived off of unemployment. enrolled in cosmetology school and began to make necessary changes so that I could work for me and provide for my daughters. In this stage of my life, I want to it call it “FAITH”. I never really had a relationship with God, but at my lowest he made himself known to me, and I am forever grateful for this low point, I was showered with opportunities and met amazing angels who helped me along this difficult period. As I began my journey of creating Unique Hair Boutique, I promoted myself day in and day out, I drank 3 expresso coffees a day! passed out flyers with my daughters, and I worked my tail off. I never said “no” to an opportunity, I worked for free for major projects, because I needed my name known, honestly. I met some amazing people along the way, and I was given opportunities in which I would have never imagined. I was creating an experience in which was all part of my plan. It helped me get my first salon at the age of 25. It was small and intimate, but I was able to afford it and make a nice profit, while still providing for my daughters, and get this! it was across the street from my condo. When I tell you that everything began to look up it really did. My small salon was so busy I would have people wait for me until midnight, I even had staff, it was something I had envisioned since a little girl, and here was the moment. At the highest peak of my career, I receive a call that my father was very il. things weren’t looking good for his health, Everything I had going for me, easily went down within a matter of minutes. I remember catching a flight the very next morning, headed to Mexico, where my father later passed away with me. When I tell you this next point in my life is called “STRENGTH”. I was in a position in life where I had to bury my father, the man who took care of me, once I lost my mother, the man who loved me beyond words, the man who simply fought for me my entire life & never left, this was one of the hardest things to face in entire life.
I wanted to quit my career once I came back home, I couldn’t see myself doing hair, anymore. But I dug deep into my pain, prayed, and faced every opposition. I gave my salon a new light, I replanned my mission and vision entirely, giving it a purpose. It’s a strong dedication to my parents, who came to this country to give me an opportunity. I retired from color and began doing some soul searching & healing my childhood trauma. The soul searching brought me to a Holistic approach of doing hair, it’s brought me a deeper meaning and a bigger salon. Since replanning my vision, I’ve created 2 additional companies J.CALS Beauty CO., Holistic Hair & Skincare & J.CALS Scalp & Skin Systems, courses dedicated to helping women and men reverse scalp and hair issues for good. While life certainly has had its twist and turns, I’ve managed to face it and not run from it allowing me to grow and expand, life and business will always be a challenge, knowing how to balance everything will never be easy, but I can honestly say, when you face it, everything comes together. Unique Hair Boutique is here to stay no matter what challenges are thrown my way.

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

A lesson I had to unlearn would have to be everything I was taught in cosmetology school, and also the products I used for many years on my clients. I was very unaware of chemicals and what it did to us. I was ignorant to the fact that not only was I harming my clients, but I was also harming myself and my lungs. I was confused as to why we needed a licensed for something that could possibly harm someone’s health, and our own, this probably was one of the most challenging things I had to face and unlearn, when switching and making a complete holistic approach. Since making the transition to a healthier salon concept, I have been able to not only advocate for healthier options, but I get an opportunity to voice what chemicals can do to your body, sooner or later you will pay for what you put in it.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What helped my reputation in my industry is my character, I am very consistent with how I treat people, everyone is equal, I don’t change when others are around, and I am true to myself. I share my story and my passion freely because I am a real person. People want to do business with me, because I can help them, and because of my authenticity, I don’t sell fake dreams or fake results, and people value that. My wins become theirs and vice-versa, so my reputation and trust are all I have to offer, as my father once said, “your word is all you’ve got, so make sure you’re solid with it”. And that is how I live, and that is why I’ve built a strong presence throughout my career and why my reputation holds strong value.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.unique-hair-boutique.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Unique_Hair_Boutique/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uniqhairboutique
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/unique-hair-boutique-elmwood-park-3

Image Credits
Thank you to Ofelia Dang and Angelina Troche for pictures.