We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sophie Rivas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sophie below.
Sophie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
When I was job searching after finishing esthetician school I applied to every place in my town. I had no idea what I wanted to specialize in. There are so many different things I could offer. All I knew is that j wanted experience. I waited for 3 months and worked elsewhere but never heard back. I was told that I was too young and needed more experience.
So I sought out to be under a mentor. She definitely gave me the boost I needed to solidify that this is what I wanted to do. I worked with her part time as i shadowed what all she did. I gained a small amount of clientele with her but was grateful. Everyone starts somewhere! I started out doing eyelash extensions and loved the immediate difference it made in my clients attitude and confidence. This peaked my interest and I thought ‘ how cool is it to be able to give someone a confidence boost’. That’s where it all started.
After being her apprentice for a few months she was confident that I could go out on my own. Oh boy, was that a huge change! I added facials to my service menu and that was the most challenging part. I didn’t know much about skin so I took it upon myself to dive into the science behind skincare. I really wanted to understand how I could actually change their skin. I had no idea this was possible until I did more research. What truly started my business was my interest in acne. the few clients I had at the beginning were struggling with acne and I knew I wanted to be the one to help them.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi! My name is Sophie Rivas, I am 23 years old and i am the owner and lead esthetician at Beauty and Sophistication located in the small west texas town of Lubbock Texas. As an esthetician there are many different services you can offer. I offer results driven customized facials and eyelash lifts/tints. I am a certified acne specialist but love to treat all skin concerns. Going into this industry I wanted to be a makeup artist especially in special effects. It will always be a day dream of mine but very happy in the career I have chosen.
The most rewarding part of my job is that I get to make an impact on my clients’ lives and have true genuine connections with them. Acne for me was one of the hardest things for me to grasp in the beginning. It is very complex and can be affected by so many different things. I have had acne since I was 13 and got worse as I entered my early twenties. I knew how it effected people and that pushed me to deep dive into acne and how to treat it.
I took an acne certification course in 2020 with Face Reality Skincare and it completely changed my business and my clients results. It was the best thing I could have done for my business. After getting certified I used that knowledge to curate a routine for myself. it transformed my skin and I have been clear of acne ever since! That knowledge has given me the tools I needed to clear many acne clients since then. It is the most rewarding part especially those that have struggled tremendously for many years before.
I think what aspects set me apart from others is that I began my business the beginning of 2020 right before the pandemic hit. I hustled very hard and invested in my business to become the first and only certified acne specialist in my town at the time.
I am proud of how far I have come being in this industry for only being licensed for 3 years and I already have my first employee who’s been wonderful to my business and me these last 6 months. Haeghan Dyer has truly helped my business grow and i have gained a friend in the process. I pride myself in educating my clients on why I choose what products and treatments I pick for their treatment plan. They not only use their products every day, but know how and why they use them. I am all about transparency when it comes to skin. There will always be days where you feel down about your skin, especially through the process of acne. I remind my clients that healing isn’t linear and patience is key! Above all else, I remind my clients to # embrace your face because it’s the only one you have and we should love ourselves through the good and the bad. To thank it for doing its job as our first line of defense.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been word of mouth. I deliver results when it comes to skincare and my holistic approach to treating skin conditions. I also pride myself in being very personable and most of my clients I do consider friends. I aim to treat each client like they were my one and only.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I think for most people when COVID hit it was a huge pivot in life for everyone. For me it was such a scary and unknown time in all of our lives. When it came to my business I was so heartbroken to have been in business a short 2-3 months and have to shutdown. I did this with confidence because the health of my clients comes first. As time went by and I knew we would open up again soon I researched researched and researched for the best of the best in this skincare industry. I got to make so many great connections with fellow estheticians across the country that helped guide me to what brands they liked the best. This was a huge pivot because during this I knew i wanted to specialize in acne and I’m so happy that I did.
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Courtney Gutierrez Drea Katherine