Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Castro.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
For as long as I can remember I enjoyed “playing” with hair & makeup, it got to the point that in school during lunch I’d cut my friends bangs or style their hair so I kind of always knew I wanted to be a hairstylist. I started cosmetology classes my sophomore year of high school & graduated with my cosmetology license.
The summer after graduation I worked as an assistant at a local salon then went on to take a “break” from doing hair & decided I was going to go to college being a DACA recipient my parents felt like I would be misusing it if I didn’t & I knew it would make them proud but the end of the second semester was coming to an end & I realized I was just so unhappy. I missed doing hair which was my passion but I didn’t want to disappoint my parents by not finishing college but I knew I couldn’t ignore my calling, after ugly crying for two weeks I decided to tell my mom college just wasn’t for me & I wanted to be back in a salon, I was hoping for the worst honestly, instead she told me she understood & that I had to do what made me happy & that if doing hair was what I wanted then I had to give it my all!
The next day I applied at the JCPenney salon ready to get back to doing hair I was anxious to get my foot in the door. My cosmetology teacher was always great so I had to tell her I had decided to go back & do hair, she then told me her friend was looking for booth renters so I went to talk to her & jumped into booth rent which looking back now seems risky but it definitely was God’s timing. After that everything started falling into place I learned so much more about hair while my passion for it grew everyday as I saw how my clients face lit up after having their hair done & humbled myself as I learned that you have to take every mistake as a lesson. After two years of hard work & learning experiences I was ready to have my own place after months of research & planning I found a suite! I was so scared but I trusted God’s timing & took the leap & created Follow Your Arrow Salon!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There has many challenges but my mom always told me anything that’s worth it won’t be easy, & I didn’t understand her until I started doing hair my biggest challenge was that I had a lot of people talk down on me & my work & doubt me which of course made me feel like I wasn’t good enough & made me start doubting myself & compare my work with the hundreds of other stylists that I thought I could never measure up to so many times I wanted to give up because I thought I just wasn’t meant for this I started to think you know what maybe they’re right you’re not good enough but then something clicked & I thought to myself “your parents didn’t come to the US for you to not reach your goals! you have to show everyone what you’re made of & that DACA is really an amazing program that truly allows people like me to fulfill their dreams! & you’re gonna allow yourself to give up on your dreams become of some haters?” No!! Instead of letting my fears & insecurity do the deciding I worked harder on my career & pushed past that negativity & continued to better myself & work on my dreams all though the challenges never end Im so glad I didn’t give up because now I realize how every struggle I have faced has been worth it to get me where I am!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Follow Your Arrow Salon – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
At Follow Your Arrow Salon we specialize in trending hair color such as balayage, we are known for our blondes & creating high levels of lift even on the darker hair clients & staying on top of our education. I am very proud of winning Best of Nac 2018 for best new business & runner up for best stylist it shows me how far we have come & how much business has grown in the last two years since opening. I like to think I set myself apart by how much effort & passion I put into my work my clients always tell me it shows how much I love my career!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I really hope to just follow God’s plan & keep expanding my knowledge & passion for the beauty industry (:
Contact Info:
- Address: 5021 Justin street Suite 202 B Nacogdoches,TX
- Phone: 9363710841
- Email: castroelizabeth381@gmail.com
- Instagram: @followyourarrowsalon_
- Facebook: Follow Your Arrow Salon
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