We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mitsy Hernandez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mitsy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to help Latina lash artists raise their prices, double their income, and become the women they are destined to be. So that their Latinx community can thrive financially whilst putting their families at the forefront.

I am an undocumented Mexican immigrant who grew up poor, never seeing my parents, because they were busy working, and had to raise myself. After entering the lash industry as a business owner I found myself in the same predicament my parents were in- working all the time for little money and never having time for my son or family. After COVID I dove into learning how to market my business in a way that would benefit my clients and add time freedom back to my life. My business skyrocketed and made double what I used to make. With that new freedom I was able to spend more time raising my 8 year old son & spending time with my family. I later got the idea of how important it is for the Latinx community to find this time freedom whilst being financily stable. I started mentoring Latina lash artists to do the same. Having healthier and happier kids helps heal generational trauma and adds to a more positive community.

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 am an undocumented Mexican who had dreams of going to college and becoming a therapist or some sort of mental health professional. My immigration status shot that dream dead when I discovered I couldn’t apply for financial help or (at the time I was looking to get into college) be granted any sort of grants to pay for college. I entered the workforce as a single, teen mom.

I eventually went to esthetics school and opened up a lash business in 2015. Because of my fear of being seen and never having access to resources or people who had the knowledge, I never learned how to market or properly position myself in a way that I could thrive. I lived “paycheck to paycheck” or client to client month after month, year after year. I worked a lot and long hours, but I charged too low, didn’t have any policies or rules around my business, and had bad money management skills.

Once COVID hit and I was able to stay home with my child for long periods of time I knew it was time to change my business model. I hired the correct people to teach me what I needed to learn about business and marketing. My lash business skyrocketed and gave me time and money freedom.

I saw how it solved my issue of feeling guilty being away from my son and family. How I would tell myself I was doing it to give him a better life, but the lack of money or time didn’t truly add quality to either one of our lives.

I started mentoring other Latina lash artists in the lash industry soon after. I saw a gap in the teachings of other trainers/business coaches. There was a lot of teaching you systems, but very little patience for someone who had no common knowledge of things, who was afraid because of the story they had either been given by their circumstances or themselves, and who needed more handholding and accountability.

I help Latina lash artists see the value they add to their clients and future clients by meeting a very specific need (whatever that need may be). I then teach them, in an easy manner, how to use social media to market themselves. I audit their businesses to make sure it makes sense and works for THEM, not just the client. By the end of my program my mentees have been able to double their previous lash income, have more time freedom and boundaries around work, and confidently show up for themselves, their families, and their communities.

I cater to a group of women who live between two worlds- their own culture from their home country and the American way. I help make the “American Dream” more of a possibility and reality for all of my mentees. Inside my program I focus specifically on the stories Latina women have been fed or have embodied through generational customs or generational trauma that are stopping them from showing up authentically and confidently in their marketing and in their in-person business.

I am most proud of the long lasting effects my teachings have been able to create. Seeing other Latinas provide a stable living for their family and kids fills me up with a sense of accomplishment. Stepping away from survival mode and stepping into peace, stability, and joy will empower and inspire other Latinx to do the same.

The bigger picture is to build a legacy that adds positive changes to the Latinx community as a whole.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Building trust from the minute that someone touches your brand (online or offline). You want to market truth and promises you can deliver. You don’t need to over exaggerate what you offer, you just have to believe in exactly what you offer. Even if it’s only one step ahead of who you’re marketing to or even if it only solves one pain point. Establish trust with your clients in all areas and soon you’ll have a cult like following.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Right after quarantine during COVID, I lost 50% of my lash clientele. I had been getting ALL of my clientele through word of mouth. Since people were in the house and not many people felt comfortable being in close proximity to beauty service providers, I learned to pivot to online marketing. I paid a marketing coach to teach me the basics. And I do mean the very basics. Armed with the basics of marketing , I took off running and was able to get fully booked in my lash business again.

Contact Info:

• Website: Mitsy Hernandez.com
• Instagram: @beli.lashes