Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Gutiérrez Gardner.
Cynthia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am originally from Southern California. Both my parents migrated to the United States in search for a better life. My Dad raised me and my siblings for the most part. After my parent’s divorce, when I was about eight years old. I moved to Fort Worth, Texas when I was 18 years old. At that time, I had ended a 4 1/2 year relationship with the father of my son Johnny. I was a “teen mom” I needed a fresh start in life. My mom had moved to Texas prior to me considering following her to Texas due to high gang violence and the increasingly high cost of living. I will be honest, I wanted to move back home because the weather here in Texas was crazy! Every time I thought about leaving, the warm southern hospitality of the people in Texas made me want to give my new home (Texas) a chance. I will admit, I had no goals set in stone, nor did I know what I wanted to do for a living. I knew it would make my Dad proud if I went to college because at the time, I was the only one in my entire family who had a high school diploma. So, I wanted to continue to further my education by going to college.
So I enrolled at TCC. The first semester in, I knew college wasn’t for me. Only good thing I got out of college was meeting great friends, which led me to meet my now husband, Brandon who was on his last year in college at UTA. I would express to my husband how unhappy I was at TCC and I wanted to drop out and enroll into beauty school. At first, he was not a fan of me going to beauty school. He thought it wasn’t a “real job”. After a lot of hardships, we were able to get on the same page and agreed this industry has a lot to offer! He encouraged me to do whatever made me happy. My dad raised me and I knew he worked hard his whole life to give me everything in life, so I didn’t want to disappoint him when I broke the news that I was dropping out of college and I was pregnant with my second baby, not to mention I was in an interracial relationship. I was afraid of what my family would feel/think about all these drastic changes in my life. I was afraid to tell everyone because I was a freshman when I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t want to be another “statistic “. To say the least my family was so supportive and encouraged me to pursue whatever made me happy.
Everything in life seemed to be going great. My husband landed his dream job at the time shortly after graduating with a bachelor’s degree at UTA, I graduated beauty school in May of 2014, my husband and I had welcomed our first daughter Gianna, second daughter Genévie and later had our son Giancarlo. Our marriage hit rock bottom and we were divorced after seven years and four children together. My life was falling apart, I was so broken. I had nothing, I graduated cosmetology school And built up a small clientele but didn’t have a ”steady income” I was a full-time mom and part-time entrepreneur. I knew I had to make changes. I was so determined to take my small business to the next level. I no longer had my marriage, my children were now having to live in two households. I had to make the best of this. Anytime I had a minute, I would utilize social media and ask for models for lashes or eyebrows. I worked as early at 4 am. I remember being in my first suite until 1 am- 2 am, sometimes I would just sleep there because I had to be right back at 4 am. Besides, I didn’t want to face my new personal problems.
Lashing literally kept me alive and going. Needless to say, I was working hard, taking as many advanced training to better my craft, and taking in as many clients as possible. Fast forward to 2020 Brows and Lashes DFW employs four lash artists, we have our own brand of lash products, we host lash training, as well as do Microblading and all things brows. Brandon and I re-married in 2019 and bought our dream home for our family. Our differences is what brought us back together. The journey always seems hard and “Hope” is almost unattainable when you’re facing difficult times, especially when you’re going through the necessary changes to become greater, but without it your legacy wouldn’t be worth it. As for me, I am grateful for my set back and my triumphs, because I realized the universe was allowing these things because I would come in contact with women, all kinds of women who are just as amazing and have overcome obstacles or are currently going through them and have no-one but their beautician to talk to. I am so fortunate to be in an industry like this one. As a Mother, Wife, and owner of Brows and Lashes DFW, I have a responsibility to impact my clients in a positive way and I am blessed to do it through my craft. I hope whoever is reading this will not just be inspired but know that it doesn’t matter where you are in life, you can reach any goal when the passion for what you do is your motivation.
Great, 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?
Being a business owner has not been a smooth road! I would stumble often, but mainly because I am a Taurus and I am very hard-headed. I had to educate myself and learn how to run a business and not just claim it. I struggled a lot with managing my finances. If you have the opportunity to take a finance class definitely do it! I am not an expert in finance, so I let the professionals handle the business side of my business. I also have a financial advisor Alexis Harris who’s biased out in Fort Worth, which became a great mentor and friend. Alexis helped my growing business by mentoring me and setting up different investments as well as retirement. I highly recommend you seek help when needed, so often, I would try to do everything myself and it’s just not possible. You have to focus on what you’re good at and let other aspects of your business get handled by experts who know what they’re doing!
Please tell us about Brows and Lashes DFW.
Our mission is to empower women and make them feel beautiful inside and out. We specialize in Lash extensions, Brow shaping as well as Brow Lamination, Microblading and Ombré Brows. We are best known for our signature custom made lash extensions and Brow Shaping.
I am most proud of our ability to work collectively as a team, provide exceptional services and products, all while maintaining our focus on creating a positive and welcoming environment for our clients. What sets us apart from others is simple, integrity. Anyone can master anything in life, Including lashing, if they practice long enough. But you cannot teach kindness or integrity. I truly believe you’re only as good as your client’s reviews. Having a large social media following, creating beautiful lashes or having the best products won’t suffice. Customer satisfaction is our priority at Brows and Lashes DFW,
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory; waking up on Saturday mornings cutting the grass with my dad, and driving out to Pomona with my Dad and younger sister Yvonne. We would walk around the outdoor swamp meet. My Dad would buy us a bunch of fresh fruit and fresh “Carne Seca” (beef jerky). When the sun would set, we’d go to the drive-in movie theatre and my Dad would literally let us get anything, I would look up at him and just try to soak in the moment because I was so happy and I loved seeing my dad happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: Browsandlashesdfw.com
- Phone: 8173747021
- Email: browsandlashesdfw@gmail.com
- Instagram: BrowsandLashesDfw
- Facebook: BrowsandLashesDfw
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