Meet Doan Hernandez of Bashful Beauty in Rockwall

Today we’d like to introduce you to Doan Hernandez.

Doan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a small town where my family had a small Chinese restaurant. It was my parents dream to open up a restaurant in America. I saw how hard they worked and how hard they worked on saving for their dream and how much harder they worked once they had their dream. I started working as soon as I could. I was too young to wait tables in the beginning so I started off as a dishwasher in the 5th grade. I soon added more duties like chopping vegetables, bus girl and line cook until I eventually started hosting and waiting tables. A few days a week I would go with my mother to the local butcher shop. Even though she spoken very broken English everyone was always happy to see her and even knew her by name. My mother insisted on buying her beef from the local butcher because she said the quality of the meat was better even though it was more expensive and the money we spent supporting his business would eventually come back to us. I had no idea what she meant at the time but I definitely understand now. In high school I never joined any sports or clubs because I lived, breathed, bled and sweat at the family business. For this, I thank my parents. I learned hands on business skills, customer service, the sense of community, and how to treat and respect employees so that they will treat and respect your business.

I eventually developed a passion for health and wellness. I majored in kinesiology, became a personal trainer, pursued a career in massage therapy and eventually opened up my own massage therapy business. While working at a lot of top spas in California, I started to meet other estheticians. I had no idea what an esthetician was, I always thought that you had to see a doctor or dermatologist with matters of the skin. My curiosity slowly grew into an obsession and obsession into a passion. In 2011 I finally took the plunge and enrolled myself into the AVEDA Institute in Dallas Texas and have never looked back since.

After school, we moved to California because our small family of 2 was now going to be a family of 3 and I wanted to be closer to my family for support. Our family of 3 soon grew to a family of 4 and Northern California turned into Southern California back to Northern California. My husband eventually got a job offer that would take our family back to Texas. It was gut wrenching to leave my family and break the bond that my kids had developed with their little cousins but I knew that with all the job offers he kept on getting from Texas there must be a reason why God kept pulling me back to Texas and I just had to accept that he has a plan and to just trust it.

Bashful Beauty opened up in Downtown Rockwall exactly one year after we moved back. I have to admit that if it wasn’t for my husband, Ray Hernandez, I would have taken my sweet time and done it the safe way, saved up some money, take out a loan, etc. He pushed me in head first and I had to sink or swim.

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?
Money was definitely the first major struggle. It was always our plan to open up Bashful Beauty but opening it up at that moment in time was definitely a spontaneous decision and because of that we didn’t really have any money saved up for it. We had just put our life savings into our first home and there wasn’t anything left. I thought I was going to have a heart attack when we signed the lease. I remember feeling like I having a panic attack and telling my husband that, “I think I’m going to have a heart attack.” After signing the lease, it was GO time. We had just under a month to start getting the place together. I went to my “Bashful Beauty” dream board on Pinterest for inspiration. Every waking moment was spent online looking for vintage furniture, coordinating to pick up furniture, and watching videos on YouTube on how to paint furniture with chalk paint. Doing all this with a 5 and 4-year-old was definitely another obstacle. A lot of times I had to find time in the middle of the night when the kids were sleeping to work. We also had to paint and do a lot of remodeling at the business. Luckily, my father in law and uncle are pretty handy and I am so grateful to have them.

I recently hired a couple of new gals and my biggest challenge is letting go and allowing my girls to have more responsibilities and take on more services. It’s hard for me because I’ve always lived by the saying, “if you want something done right you have to do it yourself.” I hate asking for help, not because I don’t want the help but because I feel like no one will care as much as I do. I know it’s all my head because there’s a reason why I hired them and I just have to remind myself that.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Bashful Beauty – what should we know?
Bashful Beauty is a full-service waxing salon. We are not a speed waxing salon, attention to detail and the comfort of our guest is far more important to us. We also offer Lash Lifts, Lash Tints, Brow Shaping, Brow Tint, Custom Spray Tans, and Facials. We are probably known best for our lashes and brows. I’m most proud of our dedication to detail and service. All the beds in our rooms are lined with memory foam and wine is offered to every guest. Bendy straws are stored away in the drawers of the service rooms so that our guest can still sip on wine with their eyes closed and their lashes getting worked on. In facials services, towels are steamed with essential oils and with filtered water instead of tap water from the sink. The majority of our clients are mommies so I have a pack n play stored away so that mommies can bring their toddlers. Organic juice and organic fruit snacks are offered to all the kids. I remember being a mom and how hard it was to make time for myself. I want all the mommies to know that they are welcomed, their kids are welcomed and no matter how crazy your kid gets you will not be judged. I think about every detail of every service and think about how I would want it done on me. I’ve learned a lot working at different spas. As a natural entrepreneur I always made a mental note of what works and what doesn’t. There’s been times I’ve been really disappointed in my past employers because they cut corners or purchase cheap products to maximize their bottom dollar. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m all about quality not quantity. I will search the globe for the right wax. If it cost more then so be it because at the end of the day I want to offer exceptional quality products and services to everyone that walks into my spa!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
When we opened the doors for business in March of this year I was terrified. I had no current clients and I didn’t know how I would be received by the community. I walked around Downtown Rockwall with fliers in my hand, into as many businesses as I could and introduced myself. I was so nervous but the small business owners around here has a certain class and elegance about them. They were so unbelievably gracious. I walked back to my business that day and felt so inspired and excited to be part of this community. I was so humbled that I went on NextDoor.com and asked if there were any local charities or fundraisers that I could donate to. There were so many responses and I couldn’t say no so I donated to all of them, over 10 I believe. The biggest quality to my success is my love for my community. I love and support them and in return they love and support me. There’s a small town charm about Rockwall and the people here, well it feels like a family and I love that.

Pricing:

• Brow Shaping . . . $20
• Lip Wax . . . $10
• Underarm Wax . . . $15
• Bikini, Extended, Brazilian Wax . . . $30, $40, $60
• Lash and Brow Tint . . . $25
• Lash Lift & Lash Tint . . . $100
• Custom Facial . . . $75
• Custom Microdermabrasion Facial . . . $95
• Custom Spray Tan . . . $50

Contact Info:

• Address: 502 N Goliad St.,
  Rockwall, TX 75087
• Website: www.bashfulbeauty.co
• Phone: 469-769-1155
• Email: hello@bashfulbeauty.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bashfulbeautyco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bashfulbeautyrockwall/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bashfulbeautyco
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bashful-beauty-waxing-rockwall-6

Image Credit:
Julia Grace Photography

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