We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yoselyne Zepeda. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yoselyne below.

Hi Yoselyne, thanks for joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

If I could go back in time, I do initially wish I would’ve started my business sooner. I held off due to fear because it was unknown. I also held off due to other personal reasons. It was always a goal, but life pushed me in that moment to just do it.

It can be tricky to grow in the beauty industry so, it’s important to find where you fit best in your professional and personal growth. You have options on how to be self employed, such as booth rental. That is where you rent a chair from the salon owner and work for yourself. That’s where my journey began, August 2021. I decided to finally go back to school to become a cosmetology instructor and I had just graduated May of that year. I was offered a part time position as the high school nail tech instructor. I was working for a salon owner as a commission stylist at the time and trying to juggle my new instructor position and salon schedule would’ve been hectic. I’m grateful my boss at the time worked with me and gave me that option. It’s rare to find those that lend you a helping hand and support you in this industry.

Once I started teaching it had forced me take that leap and take charge. But once I did, it was such a liberating moment for me. I remember the feeling that “this feels so right”.

I taught for a year, and I learned so much throughout that journey. After the school year, I realized I really wanted to give my all to my business and grow.

I am a firm believer in God‘s timing. Everything lined up so perfectly after I stopped teaching. I took a much-needed vacation and once getting back the beginning of June, I heard news that a salon suite was becoming available July 1st. A salon suite was always a dream and a goal of mine to own one day. So, I worked for the month of June full-time and towards the end, we started painting, furnishing and preparing my new space.

My own space.

Looking back, the timing was the trickiest part. The transitional period from part-time hours to full-time hours and filling my books up was difficult. But frankly, that is the only thing I would change. This decision was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. To own a salon suite means that space is yours. I am not in a space where I work with other stylists, it’s just me. That’s honestly how I work best. I feel I have the ability to grow stronger one on one connections with people. My clients have shown me that. They feel they can trust me and feel open enough to be themselves and have that one on one undivided attention when they come see me. I don’t take that for granted and I am eternally grateful.

I reflect back with overall joy. Yose Beauty had its one year anniversary in July (in the salon suite) and we plan to move into a bigger space by December!

Yoselyne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hey hey! My name is Yoselyne and I’m the proud business owner of Yose Beauty. My pronouns are she/her/hers and I am 26 years old. I am a fur mom to two dogs and four cats. I was born in LA but have been raised in North Carolina since I was 2 1/2 years old. I am a proud Latina thanks to my two Salvadorian parents. I would say I’m a bright and colorful person that enjoys making people laugh and bringing them joy.

I always get the question, “did you always know you wanted to do hair?”. To put it simply, no. I vividly remember getting my haircut and the stylist, pumping up the chair and thinking how cool is that but I never necessarily put myself in her shoes and thinking this is what I want to do. Thankfully a lot of things in the beauty industry came naturally to me. I would always cut my dolls hair, I actually taught myself how to braid with my dolls. I would also be the one to help my cousins out with their hair and make up but it was always just for fun. That’s what lead me to enroll in my high school cosmetology program. I thought it would be a fun class to do. I was just hesitant to turn my hobby into a career because I was afraid it would take the fun away from it. Things do get difficult, but I can truly say I love what I do.

As of right now the services we provide at Yose Beauty are hair color and hair cutting services. We plan to expand and add more services once we move into our bigger space!
We love providing “lived in” looks, meaning it has a natural grow out and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. We personally know the maintenance involved of taking care of certain hair colors. That is why we find it to be the best feeling when you see someone after six months and their hair color looks just as beautiful as when they walked out the door six months ago.
We also enjoy doing curly haircuts. As someone that has curly and wavy hair, it gives another perspective and understanding for those with curly and wavy hair. Through personal trial and error and working with different textures. It has allowed us to figure out what might work best and what doesn’t.
We also love doing edgy and textured haircuts, such as, pixies, shags, and straight razor designs!

What sets us apart would be the fact that we listen and communicate throughly. We’ve gotten told many times how appreciative our clients are that we thoroughly listen to their wants and needs. We pride ourselves in our thorough consultations to ensure that we are on the same page and provide the best service we can. We may get a request of a high maintenance hair color or haircut but their day to day life may not allow that amount of maintenance.

What also sets Yose Beauty apart is that our space provides an inclusive space for everyone. All are welcome as long as everyone is treated with kindness and love. We stand with our LGBTQIA+ family. We want to be able to help individuals with the access to express themselves freely whether that be a gender affirming haircut or just simply knowing they are in a place without judgment.
Our booking app asks for pronouns which may seem like no big deal to some but to us and to our clients, it can make a world of a difference. We are also proudly on the registry for Strands for Trans. It is a registry to find beauty service providers that are a trans inclusive, safe space.
It’s hard to put into words, but the feeling you get when you’re able to help someone see what they feel inside and that be reflected in the mirror with a haircut or hair change is such an amazing feeling. Hair can be such a powerful tool on how to show and express how you feel from the inside.
Through some personal self discovery, we have grown to be where we are today. I have always enjoyed art all throughout my life. Cosmetology requires a lot of art. My work is my art, and we take so much pride into what we create with the help of our clients trust.

As professionals we believe that it’s important for someone to love their new hair and feel comfortable, confident, and beautiful about their new look.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A time where I had to pivot involved not only my career but my personal life as well. It was about threes years into my career path. Those first three years all I really focused on was barbering techniques, clipper cutting, and straight razor work. I enjoyed it but I reached a point where I just didn’t anymore. I was feeling burnt out. Looking back now, I think what caused that and deterred my fulfillment was due to where I was working. I had outgrown where I was. I felt my work wasn’t fully appreciated and I didn’t feel 100% comfortable and authentic to myself. The beginnings are hard and people take advantage of you and see that you’re new, so they use that against you. About the third year I was battling against mental health issues and just knew I had to leave the place where I was. So, that led to my career shift. I moved to a salon that was a complete 180 to what I was used to. I was working with a different type of clientele, different techniques, and completely different services. I felt like I was fresh out of school again and I had to relearn things that I hadn’t done in over three years. It was a big transitional period in my career. Everything was new but I was also guided through the process thanks to my coworkers and the salon owner. The skills that I brought coming in were also showcased.

I always suggest to new peeps that are entering this field to truly be comfortable where they are because it can deter you from your growth, and it will feel like some of your time possibly wasted. I try not to look at it in that way because we can take lessons from everything. We live and grow from those lessons and you learn to appreciate where you are now.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A story that illustrates my resilience ties in with my career pivot. I briefly shared it was due to my mental health. It was one of my lowest points, mentally. It reached to a point where I wasn’t showing up the way I needed to be. It lasted for around six months. I quit my job and knew I had to find something else. I initially pursued another barber shop because that’s what I knew. I was told they were not hiring at the time and referred me to a salon down the road. It was the best decision at that time. My life and my career felt that fire that had been dulled for some time. I’m grateful I was resilient enough to continue and move forward. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yosebeauty.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: @yose_beautyy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yose.beautyy?mibextid=9R9pXO

Image Credits
Yoselyne Zepeda Jesus Rodriguez