We recently connected with Karina Gaspar and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Karina, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
Well this has been a roller coaster for sure! I opened my business during pandemic! January 2020 & I am grateful to have survived.
The imposter syndrome has been so real.
However the audacity & passion for my craft seems to save me from the pitts of mental doomsday every time.
I simply couldn’t picture the mondaying 9-5 ever again.
My days are filled with high frequency energetic exchanges all day. Clients come in bushy tailed & bright eyed excited for their makeovers & eager to fill me in on all their milestones since our last appointment.
Some days the news isn’t as joyful & that’s perfectly amazing still because I get the opportunity to uplift them & cheer them up with insightful & stimulating conversations. At times we solve the world’s greatest problems right in my chair.
Other times I get the most amazing stories of overcoming illnesses, life altering news such as a new baby on the way, an engagement, or a complete new career that takes them around the world!
The sweetest moments no doubt are when my clients take the time to also check on me & help me with my own trivial situations from being a mother, lover, & as a business owner. They too uplift my spirits & fill my cup.
Not to forget one of the most important, the flexibility offered that has allowed me to be available for my daughter around her schedule. PRICELESS.
Never have I experienced such love, creativity & abundance from any other industry.
So yes there are times I miss a stable 401k, bonuses, PTO, insurance benefits, & the ability to clock out & be done…. however the fulfillment & peace of mind I have is worth every ounce of effort.
Karina, 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?
When starting my business I knew Hairstylists are a dime a dozen. Especially in houston there is so much talent, however i sucked it up & did not compare myself.
I worked hard for 4-5 years practicing my craft day in and out with models, volunteers, & mannequins for little to no money before taking actual paying clients.
I knew the key for me to stand on my own two feet was to actually believe in my skills, stand behind them no matter whom questioned me.
Faking it till I made it was not a skill of mine unfortunately. I needed to know deep in my cells what I was offering was top notch skill in order to not melt in front of my clients when they had concerns.
When opening my studio I did some research on what was the best way to communicate to clients whom you are before they even meet you.
Branding was the way & so I took time & brainstormed who I am what I love & what would my dream safe space would look like.
While there were many beautiful accounts on the socials with impeccable hair & amazing edits…. none of it fit who I am.. I couldn’t picture my branding so crisp & perfect in that way.
I had a moment of being lost… since what I felt my vision was I had no examples nor did I have a mentor to walk me through this transition.
Ultimately I decided to stop braking my head about it & just do what came organic… the aesthetic I have more or less is eclectic spanish art gallery with fresh life. My socials portray the same vibe I post art from local & global artists mixed with my own craft which is my clients hair.
I remember when having a meeting with a social media marketing specialist & the feed back was basically to can all the art work & stick to viral trends etc…
Although I loved allot of the ideas brought upon that particular one I could not apply.
I didn’t know where else my aesthetic would go… & the structure is literally an extension of my in real life studio.
Ultimately, no I have not gone viral… however the clients are still coming in new on a regular & guess what their main feed back is!?
They #1 love my work & #2 (but #1 to me) resonated with my brand, from my website, social medias, to my google account reviews!
What made me memorable & set me apart to them was the exact thing I was advised to change.
They notice I am artistic, therefore they feel safe to trust me in delivering unique one of a kind services, more importantly that I seem approachable & warm. This is coming from a complete stranger whom has never engaged with me other than my brand!
That is a success story & wow the accomplishment I get when I meet them and meet or exceed their expectations.. truly priceless nothing comes close.
I wouldn’t be here without extensive training of course.. I always think back to the days of feeling soo beneath & like I’d made the biggest mistake. 0 creativity …
I am a master colorist certified via Wella & a precision cutter with countless continuing educational classes under my belt for anything in the industry possible.
Over all what makes me stand out is the ability to offer exactly what my client requests & offer custom creations for those whom aren’t sure on the direction they are seeking, whom result in something amazing they didn’t know they needed. All in a stimulating high vibrational atmosphere that may include wine, tea, coffee, or an exciting toast with champagne to celebrate another beautiful day.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Well initially I wanted to be a responsible 9-5 stable working lady… What better industry than the health care? None. So there I was taking my basics and some extra training for medical assisting which I would escalate to a nursing program once hired by a clinic.
While the science part was intriguing… everything else was such a snore & nails on chalk experience…
I’d read & study for hours yet nothing absolutely nothing would stick.
Only the injections portion I found to remember.
Looking back this could of been to ADHD… however further research has concluded that sometimes ADHD is just a lack of interest….
I had to quit… I couldn’t picture what a full career in this field would look like.. with cold buildings, scrubs,
& hardly any flexibility with the likeliness that the environment would be anything but light hearted.
Feeling like a failure I was determined to find something & truly stick it out no matter the adversities.
I made a list with all the likes, wishes, & absolute non negotiables … even to a surprise to me Cosmetology fit like a glove!
I had never even considered this field…
It checked off all my boxes..
Artistic, flexible, chemistry, hands on, easy going environment, resilient to natural disasters (if things hit the fan I wont be replaced by robots, I can trade haircuts for eggs, & I can work anywhere in the world for my skills will carry me)
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
After pivoting careers I began the long journey… Also I had a little person growing & her name is Karly my now 11 year old baby girl. Failure was not an option.
Unfortunately her father & I were not a perfect match & were not able to keep the family together so I found myself at 21 in an intimidating position of being a single mother… while pursuing these uncharted territories of a career whom didn’t offer any immediate benefits.
Thankfully I have a large family, everyone helped me with childcare & anything else that they could or I might need.
I am eternally grateful for them.
Cosmetology School was A complete 180 compared to my previous experiences. I was exited to learn, when I studied I actually retained information & actually would study just for fun! Never have I ever been that type of student.
More so I don’t recall having a moment to myself thinking I wouldn’t be successful in this field. That type of confidence in my future was foreign to me.
I began apprenticing at an Aveda salon straight out of school, was there for almost a year however the attention to detail & education was lacking & I was offered an assistant position with a Master stylist in the Upper Kirby area of Houston.
I learned so much from him, 4 years of hard one on one expertise training.
It was one of the hardest decisions to leave his side…
Unfortunately he was not a big chain salon with a revolving door of new clients so the chances for me to really maximize my growth, as a new stylist with 0 reputation my opportunities were stunted.
Long story short heheehe… I did work at another salon for another year before opening up my studio.
What was trivial was the fact that the roster of clients under my belt were slim. The Math wasn’t mathing..
In this industry flexibility is key to becoming a shining stylists in a salon… I always prioritize my daughter so I started to feel stunted again for the stigma…
The best opportunities were not offered to me since I wasn’t as valuable to the bottom line….
I decided then that my skills were worthy as my retention & feedback from clients were amazing.
I went ahead & invested in me & my Idea.
An artistic beautiful salon culture that I would create, with my own branding, vision , & long term goals.
I have taken marketing courses, extensive social medial research & placing myself in as many platforms whom would offer an audience for free or pay I am there.
It has not been easy by any means… I am making more money today more than ever… however I am re investing most of it back into my growing business & I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: gasparsquare.com
- Instagram: @gasparsquare
- Facebook: gaspar square
- Youtube: https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com%2Fchannel%2FUCzvyjaEcAjHOYQwG84dRkQg&e=AT1AiRLxG3P4YGID3PlLuPvMqz2ctov2-TrW4h-E5vMRAedGMDGfd6E_foh1UrqujLLGQ50JwmfvjbJQ7Cp1ZbdkdanwQl8Al5tjYFzm4UatvXCkXbgUjQ
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kgaspar1?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
- ClassPass: https://classpass.com/studios/gaspar-square-houston