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

Maria , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My story is rooted back to my childhood. Coming from a domestic violence home to becoming a teen mom had created core values and beliefs about myself that were untrue. Navigating life as a Latina single mom of 2 boys were often challenging, I often felt as though the adversities I faced I would never overcome, the financial physical and mental strain was overwhelming. I eventually finished cosmetology school and started doing her in the salon when I turned 25. I eventually learned I could hustle behind the chair and provide for my family, food, clothing, and things the kids needed. For a long time, I struggled emotionally and still do to this day.
As I grew in my career, I was able to Make many achievements I knew that I was on the path and thrived with my creative side. In 2017 I was finally able to open a salon. We started with four chairs and have now grown to 22 chairs in the salon . Along the way, I noticed that other women struggled in similar ways. I could see the heartbreak they were carrying, the self doubt And struggle. I wanted to help empower women to reach beyond what they think they are capable of achieving. I stepped back from the chair to create a program, the mentorship program where I work with other humans to invest in themselves, creating stable incomes, Assisting in helping them refine and sharpen their craft. I could see there was a gap between finishing cosmetology school and going behind the chair. In the program, we help support building a business combined with self-love, We train and learn new techniques as well as learning how to run a business. When I was younger, I had a lack of support that was needed I didn’t have the financial means to attend classes . In the mentorship program, all classes are offered for free To help support self growth, no matter what background you come from. I’ve been running my program for about a year now, and I can see how it has supported the lives of the human beings around me. I see them reaching goals, smiling, and believing in themselves. What’s most exciting? Is these women will never have to rely on anyone else to provide a life for them. They are able to achieve these goals on their own with the encouragement of those around them in this environment

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.

I go by Ria . I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I had a family to support. My mom encouraged me to go to cosmo school. My passion started by wanting to help women feel beautiful about themselves when they looked in the mirror. I love solving issues such as creating the right shampoo routines for my guest at home , it’s not a one size fits all. I cultivate a welcoming experience for my guest with acts of service, and intentional listening, this opens the door for my guest to really be able to trust my expertise . I’m most proud of my team because they all have a story , a story of triumph and resilience to push forward. Watching my team achieve goals they set for themselves and seeing the confidence grow within themselves.

We want our guest to feel cared for . Not just by getting their hair done but knowing they can come to the salon and escape the pressures in life . A chance to take a deep breathe and relax .

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Managing a team of 32 has changed me in so many ways , there’s not just 1 way that works for everyone I really had to embrace a fluid personality and fluid movement of operations. I do my best to be relatable to each individual staying tuned in while present in the environment.

I never looked at myself and thought at 43 I would be leading leading a team this big .

I do my best to lead with empathy and build trust with those around me .
The trust from my team is givin because I follow through with the things I say I’m going to do , including difficult challenges such as letting people go from the team that don’t align with our core values and vision as a whole.
One thing that keeps us strong is not veering away from the vision which is wellbeing for the team & the guest .

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When we started in an 800 sft. Salon with just 4 chairs , 2 years in our landlord sold the building they gave us about a 23 day notice to move out as I had only been running a business for two years. I was so stressed. I didn’t know what to do and I had other people relying on me to provide a place to work, they all had families.lo and behold we were able to find a new location within the 23 days we packed up moved and were ready for set up to continue operating and this time we were able to grow to 13 chairs ,

The new location was exciting, but filled with its own hardships. We had constant problems with the transient in the area, breaking in harassing clients. Eventually our lease ended, we moved again and this time we were able to move to the biggest location We have now grown to 4000 sft. Through each difficult turn there was something better waiting around the corner. I’m in awe of where we are today. Sometimes I can’t believe it. Did I deserve this?
Only God knew this was the plan all along.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/inlandempirehaircompany?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hairwithria?igsh=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Yelp: Inland empire hair

Image Credits

Billy Garcia