Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Rodriguez.
Hi Sandy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story started at a pretty young age. While I can’t say that I would cut my doll’s hair as a child, I did love watching makeover shows or the makeover scenes in movies growing up. It fascinated me. Watching people’s reaction to the new version of themselves is what planted the little seed for wanting to get into the beauty industry.
I was very academically applied all throughout my school years, and I remember letting my parents know that I did not want to pursue a career that would require me to go to college. My mom was always very supportive of my decision, but my dad on the other hand was pretty upset. He, along with some teachers of mine, thought I was letting my intelligence go to waste.
Fast forward to getting my state license in 2011, I landed a job that was originally supposed to be a temporary job until I found a full-service salon to call my home. It was there where I fell in love with the styling aspect of doing hair and even did some freelance jobs as a bridal hairstylist. After a couple of years, I was promoted to educator for the company, and then shortly after that, I was offered to move up as a shop manager, which meant I was no longer doing hair on clients. I started gaining experience on running a business there on after.
I became a mother in 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic. After coming back from maternity leave, things with the company began to get rocky and I decided to leave after almost 10 years with them. So many changes were happening in all aspects of my life and I took some time to refocus on the direction of everything that seemed to have gotten out of control – plus I had my new baby that kept me busy. Shortly after, I was reintroduced to the bridal hair industry by a previous coworker of mine/friend.
I decided to go back to styling hair for weddings as a freelance bridal hairstylist, and I remembered how much I loved and missed doing hair. Then in September of 2020, I rebranded my one-woman business as The Glam Beauty Lab and began taking all the weddings I could get. A lot of brides that would inquire would ask me if I also did makeup, which I did not, but it was then that I realized I needed to team up with a makeup artist. Soon after that, I was getting inquiries for larger parties, which meant I needed a bigger team. Little by little I started adding more artists to the team and we are now a growing, award-winning mobile hair and makeup agency that consists of 9 artists!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has been anything but a smooth road for me, but I assume that’s where people say that nothing worth having will come to you easily. The biggest challenges for me came when I became a mother. In my early 20s, I thought I had a perfect plan lined up for myself and my future. My son came as a big surprise and that of course changed the direction of how I envisioned my future.
When I was working for the company as I mentioned prior, I was comfortable. I was making good money and I had financial security. My plan was to come back from maternity leave and continue work-life as usual – aside from dealing with the challenges that came from being in a pandemic and becoming a new mom. I came back to work and things with my employers felt different. Rather than feeling like I was being supported, I felt like I was being pushed out. That took the biggest toll on me on so many levels because I had dedicated my whole career to them. As hard as it was for me, leaving that job was the best decision I could have ever made. Everything was falling out of place so that my new journey could fall into place.
Now as a mom of a very demanding toddler and a business woman, my everyday challenges come from learning the constant work/life balance as it changes frequently. Everything I do needs to be planned out or scheduled, and it never feels like there are enough hours in the day to get through my to-do lists. I try to remember to give myself my “me time” in between the chaos. I really don’t know how I would manage all of this without my partner who supports me unconditionally!
As you know, we’re big fans of The Glam Beauty Lab. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Glam Beauty Lab specializes in bridal hair and makeup, but we also love serving clients for other events or photoshoots! We come on location and take care of you at the comfort of your own home or wherever you need us to be.
Our artists are the ultimate pros and are really passionate about what they do. A lot of our past brides and clients have mentioned that we are fun to be around and it feels like we’re part of the squad laughing it up while we get them ready!
We have that “you CAN sit with us” mentality and keep a positive and supportive vibe among us and our clients. I think that is what I am most proud of as a brand and what sets us apart from others in the beauty industry. It aligns perfectly with our values as a company.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think risk-taking can be pretty scary, but it is an essential part of growth. I’ve taken some major risks throughout my life and my career that seemed almost impossible to overcome. However, it was through those risks that I grew the most as a person and had the sweetest, most unexpected outcomes.
Contact Info:
- Email: theglambeautylab@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theglambeautylab
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theglambeautylab.tx
Image Credits
Taylor Wedding Photography
Catie Ann Photography
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