Today we’d like to introduce you to Lourdes Ticas.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Starting my company and eventually purchasing Blo Blow Dry Bar Franchise was a dream come true for me. My life story is probably one a lot of women can relate to. I am no different from anyone. I just wanted a stable source of retirement income and a means to sustain myself independently in my later years. Without much warning, my life was turned upside down. I found myself a single parent raising three teenagers. When this happens, you start prioritizing your children’s well-being and maintaining financial and emotional stability in your new household. You find the strength to keep yourself on track of accomplishing your goals. I kept repeating this mantra “my time is gold, it will only be spent on doing something productive.”
In my first company, Sentinel Care LLC, I worked as an independent contractor nurse practitioner. Things went very well quickly and I found myself gaining more and more work. I quickly found myself working late hours, seven days a week. I was paying my bills but I had no time for recreation, family and most importantly myself. I gained weight and was at my heaviest. Then, I realized it was time to take care of myself. It was at this time that I returned to running. I found that when I take good care of my body, I felt better. I was less irritable, more focused and overall, happy. I also found myself motivated to look pretty and I started to get my nails and hair done. I started to take vacations with my family and traveled places on my birthday. I ran my first marathon in Houston and proceeded to do more destination marathon and half marathon races in LA, Paris and Madrid. My time is still busy but instead of doing work, I do my training runs, swimming, cycling, yoga and cross-fit.
One day during one of my trips to Los Angeles, I got my hair styled at a Blow Dry Bar. Forty-five minutes and $45 plus tips later, I found myself feeling very pretty and I just remember feeling on top of the world. It was the best treat for myself. I even ate lunch at a fancy restaurant overlooking the ocean in Manhattan Beach. That’s where it clicked. I wanted to share and make other women feel like the way I was feeling that very moment. Everyday, I meet a lot of women who lead very busy lives often juggling family and work and have little time for themselves. When I returned to Houston, I immediately got connected with a Franchise Broker who then connected me Blo Corporate. One year later, I opened up a Blo Blow Dry Bar in the Memorial City location. It was the best decision ever! There are many ups and downs to owning a franchise but we are continuing to make progress toward our financial goals and benchmarks. The message I want to give is that “you” are important. There is no one who values you more than yourself. Do not wait for others to take care of you. Take very good care of yourself and you’ll see that you become a much better person for yourself and others. When you take some time off for yourself or take a step back and slow things down, you are able to see the path to your future goals.
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?
Starting a business is never a smooth straight line. We had many obstacles along the way. This included looking for the right location and obtaining construction permits in Houston. This took about six months for me before we could even start construction. In addition, there were numerous unexpected expenses met during the construction so finances and keeping an eye on my budget was very important for me. Hiring the right staff was also a challenge. Thankfully with a lot of patience and training, I have a great group of bloers or hair stylists at this time. Maintaining our reputation and managing grievances among our guests still remains a challenge. I have learned to embrace this and tackle each one at a very timely manner. As soon as someone is dissatisfied, I address it quickly. Doing this hopefully prevents negative reviews and shows that we do care about our guests which we do!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Blo Blow Dry Bar Memorial City story. Tell us more about the business.
The legal name of my new business is Twentyfirst Invesments Corp. The franchise is Blo Blow dry Bar in Memorial City. We do blowouts, updos and hairstyling and makeup services. There are about 130 plus locations in US and Canada. Blo believes in providing the best customer services to our guests. Everyone hired at Blo go through Blo University. Training maintains a standard etiquette and consistency required from all our staff. I am very proud of my salon and have received lots of compliments. Blo bar locations look very clean and classy. Our logo is hot pink and that alone is very uplifting and happy.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
That trip to LA and getting my hair styled was not something I normally would have done on any regular day. It was a very spur of the moment thing. I’m glad it happened because it was what lead me to Blo. In life, I do believe in luck but also in making the right choices and decisions. I believe in keeping a sharp and clear mind.
Pricing:
- Hair Blow outs $45
- Full make up services $60
Contact Info:
- Address: Blo Blow Dry Bar Memorial City
14625 Memorial Drive STE C, Houston, Texas 77079 - Website: blomedry.com/locations/blo-houston-memorial-city./
- Phone: 281-589-0046
- Email: blomemorialcity@blomedry.com
- Instagram: @blomemorialcity
- Facebook: @blomemorialcity
Image Credit:
Photo owned by Lourdes Ticas
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