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

Sloan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

During Covid Edward (my husband) and I were working at a local beauty school. I watched as the Latin community struggled to respond to the changing demands in beauty academia. They couldn’t offer online classes because the teachers weren’t comfortable using computers. The textbooks and curriculums were subpar in comparison to our white counterparts. Many schools chose to put classes on halt until we were able to re-open rather than find innovative ways to continue teaching their students through technology.

That’s when our idea to launch Buffalo Ambition Beauty Academy surged. I started journaling about what the academy would look like, and how would it make students, staff, and industry professionals feel. I knew this project would be massive, but I wanted to build something that would represent the Hispanic community in beauty worldwide. My husband and partner, Edward, and I began talking about the voids that covid-19 exposed in the Latino trade education space with board leaders across Puerto Rico, Chicago, and Florida.

When you’re working with the Department of Education, or the government at any capacity there is a lot of red tape and gray areas. So I spent many long nights, just me, my coffee mug, a highlighter and the required licensing packets until I felt like I had a grasp on what was required from us. The rules and regulations, I learned the verbiage and jargon until it clicked.

Next, we had to figure out the budget. How much could we actually afford and what were our nonnegotiable? As a Funding Expert, I immediately created a funding strategy. This is basically a map of what grants I would be applying to over the course of the next 6 – 12 months in order to help us meet our business needs and maximize our impact. Now, because we are fully self-funded we tightened our personal finances, got plenty of quotes for things like construction and equipment, and stopped apologizing when things took us longer than we would have liked due to financial delays.

So if I could summarize how I went from idea to execution of Buffalo Ambition Beauty Academy, it would be like this:

– I spent time getting super clear on my vision

– I put myself in rooms and in the presence of people that were more knowledgeable than me. I asked lots of questions, got uncomfortable, and took my time learning the ins and outs of the business.

– Because my business is a partnership, we created boundaries and clear expectations of our roles in this business. We raise and homeschool 4 kids, we run businesses and have busy lives. Having a partner you could depend on and holding you accountable is so key.

– We build our budget and reference it regularly to ensure we are staying on track. Because we wanted to build our business with 0 debt we are self-funded. We use grants researched through my personal business, Buffalo Ambition Co. to create a funding roadmap that helps us grow this business.

Sloan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Sloan, I am the CEO of the Buffalo Ambition legacy brand which currently encompasses Buffalo Ambition Beauty Academy and Buffalo Ambition Co.

As co-owner of Buffalo Ambition Beauty Academy, I launched this school in response to the growing demands of the beauty industry in academia and the Latino community’s lack of modernization in comparison to our white counterparts. It is our mission to be the Hispanic equivalent of Paul Mitchell Cosmetology School by innovatively using technology to enhance the student experience as we provide workforce-ready training that allows students to increase their revenue and change their lives.

As a Funding Expert I am dedicated to closing the inequality gender funding gap by bringing access to money and opportunity to the feet of Visionary Female Founders so they could grow their businesses!

My family calls ourselves “The Beasts” and it’s because “we do hard things”. From raising 4 kids in this crazy cultural and economic climate to homeschooling, to building businesses, and everything in between, I am always reminding myself and my family that we are trailblazers, we aren’t called to do things the same way as everyone else. We do the hard things no one else wants to.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Funding a business is where a lot of people get held up, and it’s because they just don’t know where to begin. There are millions of dollars available to small business owners that want to start or grow their dream businesses. To fund our beauty academy I am applying to grants twice a month in categories I am eligible for. Motherhood, beauty, education, and local opportunities that are open to small businesses. Our budget is $300,000 and most of this has come through our personal revenue, and grants are supplementing for expenses like permitting and state-required course costs.

Any advice for managing a team?

Lead by example. When first starting out I thought I had to be militant in my leadership as a woman in a man’s world (barbering). But over time I have found that when I hold myself up to the highest standard of excellence, integrity, and all of my business’ core values, people follow suit. To maintain high team morale is really being aware of what you are putting out. Your energy and the way you react (because after all, that is the only thing you can truly control) will be mirrored. So I take the time to encourage my team and incentivize them through flexible scheduling, hybrid work opportunities and being open and receptive to their innovative ideas and feedback.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sloanthebeast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/935019100400657
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQdy3IZTJZvmHpPf0I5qsKQ
• Other: Podcast: www.buffaloambitionco.com/podcast

Image Credits
Kayla Mendez Kyle Ryan