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

Pearl, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

I’d like to say, I did it all by myself but that would be a lie. There are countless firsts when starting a business. Some victories, a few setbacks, but what stands out most to me are the memories of my very first clients. Their trust marked the true beginning of my journey, and those early experiences remain some of the most rewarding and unforgettable moments I’ve had as an entrepreneur.
My first clients were referrals from clients I already had. The best way to build a clientele is to give your current clients incentives for referring clientele to you. When I first began, 13 years ago, I offered my current clients a complementary haircut for every 3 clients they referred. Thankfully, I still have those clients who have continued to refer people to me. I do pride myself in offering exceptional customer service and I build a trust with my clients, by listening to what they want and creating their vision.

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 started in the hair industry 18 years ago, it was a different time back then. We had minimal social media and creating a clientele really required a lot more work. I worked at 3 different salons, before becoming a small business owner. In the first 5 years, I worked at an extension only salon, where I did extensions all day, every day. It was tedious, high pressure with minimal pay for the work I was doing. The second salon, was a full-on color intense internship program, that lasted a year long. The training was very strict, they expected excellence and excellence is what I produced. A word of advice for those who want this type of intense training, make sure the pay matches the intensity or you will get burnt out fairly quickly. The last salon, was a balance of the other two. It was a place where finally someone saw my skills and talent, while helping me grow as an individual stylist. I was placed as the color educator, and the owner was a great teacher, since we both went through the same intense training program of the second salon.
After 5 years, of working for other people. I took a risk and decided to work for myself. Not knowing what the outcome was going to be, or how to even pull this off, I just took a leap of faith and did it. I was probably at my lowest point in my career at this moment. Cosmetology school tells you how you’re going to have your own schedule, there’s so many jobs out there for you, you will have all this money. After 5 years, I was no where near this and I was feeling disappointed, drained and really done- with this industry.
That’s when I decided to become an independent hairstylist.
In August 2012, I quit my job and created what is now, “Bombshell Locks Studio”. It was an entirely different ball game. I, now found myself buying every thing I needed: hair extensions, color, developer, foils, towels, clips, bowls…I could keep going but you get the idea. Seeing the list rack up of money that was required before even receiving an income, did not help relieve any of my stress, just added to it… lol. The first month after doing the few clients I had acquired throughout the 5 years of doing hair, I had the most income I had ever had since I started in this industry. That is when I realized I had made the correct decision for myself and career.
I was finally able to creating my own schedule, chose my clients, travel, etc.
13 years later, I’ve cultivated a life that embodies my deepest aspirations, truly feels like a dream. I continue to be forever grateful for my clients, past and present, without them I would not have the life I have today.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective way I’ve grown a clientele is to build a trust with each of my clients, deliver what they are expecting and asking them straight forward, to refer anyone they think would benefit from my services and leave a review. It always helps to have Google reviews, as well.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Introspective books have been one of the best ways of reevaluating how I view the many changes of my business and interactions with my clients.
Here are a few books I recommend:

Boundaries- by Henry Cloud
The untethered soul- Michael Singer
The E Myth- Michael E. Gerber
You are a bad ass- Jen Sincero
How to do the work- Dr. Nicole LaPera

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bombshelllocksstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bombshelllockshairextensions?igsh=MTB3enFkYW81Z2xkbg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pearl-gonzalez-103a7b22?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app