Today we’d like to introduce you to Aracely Lopez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started as a young wife and mommy of two baby girls at the age of 21; when I started my lash career, my girls were 1 and 2 years of age. I wanted to create lash sets as a way of getting back to my old self; I felt as I was achieving my goal as a mother, but seeing my husband thrive in his business, I felt as I had slowly lost who I was, we choose to get married before I even graduated high school and start a family right after. I didn’t get to experience anything more; I didn’t have any friends or anyone to talk to, so I felt as if this would be a way to help me communicate and gain skills for my growth.
I started lashing 2 clients a day, one at 7:30 AM and the next at 2 PM, I had my girls on a strict schedule so I would only lash while they napped. As I started to get busier, I was thinking to myself it will get easier since my girls are getting older, but I came to the realization that it was only getting more difficult. I managed to lash with them there for 2 years, but after that, I was screaming for help; my small lash business had bombed, I was the first Lash Specialist in my area, and I was fully booked Monday-Saturday working 8 hours or more a day, taking in 24 clients a week all by myself with two toddlers.
I found help and that helped me be able to focus and grow my business.
I ended up moving to a whole different city, Woodlands, TX, and there I wasn’t able to lash from home anymore nor build a studio due to HOA, but that turned out to actually be a blessing for me.
I ended up signing my lease for a salon suite and started building up my clientele, yes it was definitely difficult but what I always had on my mind was “I did it once, I know I can do it again!”
So, I started my journey there, and 7 months in, I signed my very first storefront commercial lease!
I am still wowed by how God works, that was never once in my new year’s resolution plan at all, but I strongly believe that when it’s for you the opportunity will come even if you’re not looking for it.
I started this project with my supportive husband, and I am so grateful for him because even when no one believed in me, he always has, no matter how crazy my ideas may seem.
I drew out the project, talked to contractors and just took the leap of faith that this business is and will be successful!
I feel that a lot of us have difficulty trusting in God and taking that faith that is why a lot of us don’t grow because we stay in comfort, but trust me, taking that leap could and will change your whole future.
I currently built my lash training area inside Salons By Excellent Choice, so I will be leaving my salon suite to be in this new amazing salon that we have built.
We have it almost all filled up with nothing but beautiful, hard-working woman, and that is one thing that helped me close my doors at the salon suite I was in and move to my actual salon; I want to be close to our team of excellent beauty professionals and be able to help and support them in this new journey! I think it’s amazing because I know exactly what they need help on and how I can help them, I know how hard it can be to gain clientele in a new area, so we can all help and support each other and we all succeed together.
I choose to create Salons By Excellent Choice to be nothing less than an Exclusive Beauty Salon, where we only have 10 suites filled with beauty professionals who create high-quality work that speaks for itself.
We currently are building up a waitlist of artist who want to join our team, and we just opened our doors this last week of March.
This journey has built me up so much, and I am so grateful for it because without every struggle, I wouldn’t be the entrepreneur I am today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many trials and triumphs along the way. A significant one for me was not being supported by my father to take the cosmetology program in high school. On top of that, I underwent a 6-hour certification “lash training” in a girl’s apartment, as it was the only training available six years ago due to eyelash services not yet being very popular. Then, I discovered that my 6-hour certificate was not a license, and I needed one to offer services at a professional level. With the support of my husband and while caring for two toddlers, I made the decision to attend beauty school, although there was still no specific license for eyelash services at that time. I worked from a studio next to my home for three years, then moved to a different city and leased my very first salon suite. Was I scared? Definitely! I had never paid rent for a studio before and I didn’t have any clients in the area, this was all new to me. However, I realized I was too comfortable working from home and could only grow so much there. So, I made the leap and moved into my first salon suite. My only goals were to become known and fully booked. However, God had other plans, seven months into my salon suite lease, I signed the lease for my very first storefront beauty salon! That was definitely my biggest trial. I had to create a whole beauty salon from scratch, without any guidance. I had to figure it out as I went. I know that God has my back no matter the struggle. I believe every struggle is part of your growing journey and no matter what his plans are always perfect, I know he has a purpose for me and has gifted me a giving heart. I love to help others grow and see them blossom. I can’t wait to witness all the success and growth that our team of women in the beauty salon will achieve.
As you know, we’re big fans of Excellent Choice Beauty/ Salons by Excellent Choice. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am known for creating nothing but customized lash sets tailored to all of my clients depending on their face, eye shape, and natural lashes. My main goal is to create sets that will enhance the facial features of my clients. My clientele has 90% of the time been mature woman, and they love the effect of how tailored lash sets can help them look more rejuvenated and boosts up their confidence level.
I currently started teaching after 6 years of dedicating myself on perfecting my craft I finally felt as if I am ready to start training other woman to specialize and grow love for what I do. I know a lot of woman are struggling with finding a course that will truly teach them and help set them apart in the beauty industry; with that said, I created a 3-day course with everything that I learned in 6 years I am giving it to them in 3 days with zero gatekeeping and being transparent to see their growth, I am also currently working on opening the best Exclusive Lash Academy in Texas where I won’t just be giving out a certification but also a whole lash license for all my girls who are seeking to work in a professional environment. Being in this field, I have realized that even the girls who just finished their lash training are wanting to start teaching months after they just learned, and truly, they haven’t learned enough to be teaching others. I feel as if so many are being misinformed and truly think that after a 6-hour course, they are able to work in a professional environment, and that is truly not the case. A lot of woman put their whole savings into a course just to find out they need a whole license with over 300 hours of training and education, and that is what I want to be able to provide for them: a safe space with lots of hands-on training and zero gatekeeping to help these woman be the entrepreneurs that God wants them to be.
On another note, we just opened Salons by Excellent Choice the first week of April, that is one of my biggest accomplishments, we are 90% full and have a waitlist of woman wanting to come in; my vision for this project is to have the best beauty professionals all in one place and to be able to help them grow to their fullest potential.
Our brand name “Excellent Choice” has been with us since the beginning of my whole journey, I believed in myself that this could potentially grow and not just be a little side hobby, I had faith that the beginning was just the start of something excellent. I communicated to my husband that I wanted a name for myself, for my business, something that will interpret my work without even seeing it; even though I wasn’t the best and my lash sets were not so great at the beginning, I knew my potential, so he came up with “Excellent Choice Lashes” which has now cultivated into so many new businesses.
What do you think about happiness?
What truly makes me happy is seeing others be happy: my family, my children, my team, my clients, and my students. Seeing others grow makes me happy; being able to help and being a tiny part of their journey makes me happy. I am honestly a very simple woman, and no matter what, I can never be mad or upset; yes, I might have trials here and there and cry for a moment, but 99% of the time, I will be smiling. I find life in everything, and I am blessed to say I love the Spirit God has gifted me. I am extremely grateful, it has took me so many years to see this, I want to help other woman see the potential and the blessing they have been blessed with, all of these things make my heart happy.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excellent.choice.lashes?igsh=MWt1ZDdhd2VxanBzcw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excellent.choice.lashes
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=excellent+choice+beauty+artistry+salon&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari&dlnr=1&sei=BFwVZs2rMZmkkPIPk4OniAI#dlnr=1
