We recently connected with Jennifer Lara and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?
When you get into entrepreneurship just know, the least people to actually support you will be your own family and friends. It’s crazy how that dynamic is but it’s the truth. Business is business and you can’t mix the two. Unfortunately but very fortunately, strangers will be your biggest support system!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello! My name is Jennifer Lara. Originally from New Jersey, I am a 28 year old mom of two who has successfully owned, opened and operated 2 lash & beauty salons. My journey began back in 2010, I dropped out of high school my junior year, decided to get my GED and immediately joined cosmetology school. You can say the beauty industry has always been my passion. I was the girl who would bring her little makeup pallets to school and do my friends eyeshadow in the middle of class lol. I initially was only interested in being a makeup artist but then fell in love with every other aspect as well. Fast forward 2013, I had my son at 19. Working at little salons and part time jobs wasn’t cutting it for me as I was a single mom. I moved to FL and I had to get into the corporate world and settled for an office job. I worked a few years for a landscaping/construction company in which I started as an office assistant running errands and grabbing coffee for the office staff, to landing a position as executive assistant to the owner of the company. I was running a whole business in my early 20’s. I learned about every behind the scenes aspect on how to run a business successfully, from creating contracts, audits, contract negotiations, insurance and so much more. I was unhappy for many years working paycheck to paycheck, I loved my job but didn’t love the industry I was in. My last corporate job I worked for about a year, another construction executive assistant position, I was let go from. I had never been let go from any job in my life so it hit me pretty hard. I took it as a sign that maybe it was my time to get back into what I really loved doing, being in the beauty industry. I took my very last paycheck and invested it in a lash course and I have not worked for anybody but myself since. I had the support of my partner and the drive to not give up because of my son so I took the chance. Nava Artistry was officially born in 2019. I named the business after my son Avan. Nava is “Avan” backwards. I worked for about a year and a half from our little one bedroom apartment. I cleared out our dinning room and started my lash business from there. I would lash day and night, post ads on Facebook, started teaching beauty classes and promoted myself as much as a could. It was a real humbling experience looking back at it now. After a year and a half, we moved into a 3 bedroom house, I was pregnant with my daughter and I turned our guest bedroom into my lash room. It was such a big accomplishment for me to finally have a room with a door to lash my clients comfortably from but I knew I wanted so much more. COVID-19 hit and business started booming as actual salons were closed, I was still lashing from home. I gave myself a deadline and spoke it into existence that I would be opening my first salon by September 2021 and someway somehow I made that happen. September 2021 I opened my very first lash and beauty salon in Orlando, FL and let me tell you, that was the greatest feeling ever. I had just given birth to my daughter in June, dealing with a newborn, renovating the salon, and getting into the hang of this new elevation in my career. The journey of owning a salon is definitely not for the weak and I learned that the hard way. I had only ever been in-charge of myself and dealing with having to be responsible for others was a new task that I had to master. Less than a year later, In May of 2022 I signed the lease to my second salon which is currently still being renovated but is my dream location. I remember telling myself, “my second salon will be on a main road where people will be driving and they will be able to see my salon”. My second salon is on a main, busy street and intersection on the corner, where anyone driving can see my salon. The power of manifestation is so real! I can say, I am a person who once I scratch something off my list, I am already thinking about and in the works of something new. I guess it’s how I’ve always been. Entrepreneurship is definitely not for the weak but I cannot see myself doing anything else. This is my passion and I am so grateful and blessed to be on the path that I am on. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without my children, this is all for them.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Honesty helped build my reputation in the beauty industry. I have always been a very honest & genuine person, and when I joined the beauty industry I felt like a lot of people weren’t that. I did my research on different businesses around the area and found many were just doing things for the money but not really caring about the quality of their work or in terms of teaching weren’t giving the education and supplies people actually needed to succeed. I saw that as a problem because I put myself in the shoes of new entrepreneurs or clients and it didn’t sit well with me knowing they were spending so much money and not getting the results they wanted. I take my reputation for Nava Artistry very serious. I want to make sure all my clients are always satisfied with my work and are especially satisfied with my training classes. I never want someone to walk out of my salon and think they were ripped off or scammed, I want them to walk out and be happy they chose us!
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
My clients are like family to me and I want them to feel like it as well. I believe that beauty services and salons are a place for our clients to escape. We are like mini therapists! My clients and I get to a point where we can text each other funny posts, jokes, or life experiences. I feel its very important to have a happy, healthy relationship with your clients because that’s how your reputation as a brand gets built. When someone trusts you as a person, they will trust your brand and anything else you offer to them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.navaartistry.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nava.artistry
- Other: TikTok @navaartistry