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

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

My first client that was not a family member or friend found me on social media looking for models to help grow my portfolio. I was charging a very discounted rate to help bring clients on and i was also lashing from my little sisters bedroom so i was not in a “professional” environment. I felt super anxious but happy at the same time to have someone come and help me continue my journey. She wanted a classic set and “medium” length you can say, I felt confident and i also made sure she knew it’ll take a few hours before starting. We had a little bit of small talk and then she fell asleep which made me happier since its easier to work on lashes when our clients are so relaxed. When I finished and handed her the mirror i was nervous about her reaction but she loved them! I felt so good about myself and then explained the aftercare instructions to her. I remember she tipped me $10 on top of the $40 rate i was doing for model calls at the time (which was about march 2020) and i felt so good about it and told her to keep let me know if she has any issues with the lashes, and thankfully she didn’t.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The way i got started into the beauty industry was kind of funny, so i use to work in a dental office and my coworker at the time had lash extentions on and i was so amazed by them and wanted to get them done for myself. That same night i started looking around to see if i can get them done and after watching so many videos on lash extentions i fell in love with the work and was wondering “I think i would like to learn and do this”. Since i was a teen i always knew i wanted to work for myself but i was 25 and still had no idea what to do. Lashes opened up the opportunity for me to do so, I found a training that was best for me and got certified in about 1 month. Its been 3 years of me doing lashes and about 7 months of me getting into the Paramedical Tattoo field and it can be challenging when you hit some slow weeks/months but its important to remember why you started and keep going. I am so proud that i never gave up when i was worried about books filling up or having social media trolls bully me at times. We have to remember not everyone is meant to be our clients so our feelings dont get hurt to much and we can know everyone has a different style and way of doing things. When i started telling myself this and realizing i cant give certain clients a certain style i kindly recommend other artist I feel would be able to. This is a community that everyone should be working together in the sense if someone wants a service we cant provide we refer then to a artist who can.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In this industry rules are always changing and new products are always coming out, so i had to teach myself that there isn’t “one way of doing things”. To continue learning and know that something I was taught in 2020 isn’t a rule anymore and that theres new and improve products t help with your business. Dont stay in a “one way” mins set. For example my first training in Lashes theres a handful of information that isn’t part of the lash world anymore and i had to start learning the new and improve ways.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Being able to invest in my business was simply me taking clients and still working a 9-5 at the same time for awhile. anything I made from lashing I would use for products/inventory and also save the rest. At the time of me learning to gorw my business, I was still living in my mothers home with 2 kids. I needed my own space badly for myself and business to grow. Funding came from my lovely clients that believed in me .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21124127
• Instagram: @S.VibesGlam