We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Viviana Arroyo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Viviana below.
Viviana, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I would say I get my resilience from facing adversity throughout my adult life. I was a young single mother for a very long time with no help from the government I had to work 2 jobs at times to make ends meet which meant alot of sacrificing time with my son because of long work days. But somehow we always managed to be ok and it made our family stronger. Ultimately it shaped me to be the person I’ve become and am very proud of.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a Licensed Cosmetologist specializing in Luxury Eyelash Extensions. I’m known for my natural & whispy sets. I fell in love with lash extensions about 5-6 years ago and in 2019 I decided to go to cosmetology school to get my license. Unfortunately the program I enrolled in did not teach the craft I wanted to focus on so I went and got certified with one of the local leaders in the industry – Jenn Pope’s Lashes.
I’ve been lashing now for 4 years and have had my part time business open for almost 1 year. This was a dream come true for me to have my own business. I could not have done it without the support of my husband.
My biggest focus is client comfort and hospitality – meaning I strive to make sure my clients have the best experience and absolutely love their results! I tried to create a safe space for anyone to come to get pampered and enjoy a little bit if time disconnected from the world, then wake up with amazing lashes.
I fell in love with my craft just seeing the impact of something as simple as lashes could make you feel so pretty all the time. I love seeing my client’s reaction when they first open their eyes after the service! And seeing their mood and confidence boost immediately is why I love doing what I do!
As of now I do have plans on expanding my service menu to include brow laminations/tint and PMU services eventually. Maybe in the future I can expand my business more but for now I’m very happy doing what I love and hope to do it full time one day.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say three qualities that were most impactful on my journey are adaptability, communication and being detail oriented.
You have to be willing to adapt to new and trending techniques/styles to stay competitive in this industry and keep your clients happy while at the same time attracting new clients.
Communication is so incredibly important! You want to make sure you are actively listening to your client in your consultations/visits. Educate them on aftercare or problem solve if any issues arise. The more they know the easier your maintenance visits will go.
Be detail oriented to keep your work standing out. Add your little touch that they won’t get from all lash artists!
As far as advice for my people starting their journey – DON’T GIVE UP! Yes it will be hard, yes you will encounter negative people (sometimes people you never thought would be negative!) , yes you will make mistakes, you will be tired its definitely not easy! But it’s totally worth it! In this day & age opening a new business in the beauty industry can be scary I was worried I was too old to join the game. But here I am a legit business owner helping people feel beautiful as much as possible!
Don’t be afraid to stand out! Take risks or be yourself! Life is too short to let anyone get in your way of accomplishing your goals – don’t let anyone take that from you and do it!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
A book I recently got – ‘Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter’ it’s a self-help book written by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. He breaks down the things that have helped him be a successful business owner. One of the nuggets of wisdom thats stood out to me is that you have to be willing to work hard, and create a serious work ethic. He admits he might not be the most talented at what he does, but because he works harder than the competition he just ends up winning.
If there’s one thing you learn early on is how much hustle is in your blood trying to open and keep a successful business open! But I believe when you put your all into it and continue to show up and work hard success just comes along with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://prettylittlewinx.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/prettylittlewinx?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088335732992&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
All images were taken myself.
