Today we’d like to introduce you to Eliah Davila.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Eliah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in West Texas Abilene, Texas to be specific. I grew up in a blended family household. With both of my parents separated, I was able to see the world in different perspectives. Growing up, my grandparents owned businesses. My grandmother owned a beauty shop. My grandfather was a barber and an investigator for the fire department. Later in life, they owned a Bail Bonds company. Being in the offices, salon, and even sometimes meetings with the “big bank people,” I had no idea what they were talking about. This is what sparked my interest in being a business owner. They always instilled in me the beauty of hard work and ownership. Everyone in my family had their foot in the beauty industry. My mother was also a makeup artist as one of her part-time jobs. As a child, I watched her juggle cosmetology school and a full-time job she always motivated me to use my time wisely because there were no limitations on where I could push myself.
In high school, I had already decided that I was going to take part in the cosmetology program and my motivation for this was so I could pay my way through college. So right after eighth grade, I would take summer classes to get ahead so I could have gaps in my class schedule to fit my classes, cosmetology, art, and softball. I did this throughout highschool so I could maintain my cosmetology hours and still be on the Softball team and to be able to practice and play. Then Sundays were my free day so I worked at my local HEB to make extra money. With my extra money, I would shop and find marked down brand name items in stores and online and I would turn around and post them on my social media and sell the items to classmates for a small profit. During this time, looking back, my drive to make things happen and to hustle really never left.
In my senior year of high school two months before I graduated, I had suddenly changed my mind from attending a local college and decided to play college softball. My father had coached me all my life and honestly, It was my childhood dream to play at the collegiate level and deep down inside, I never wanted to regret not taking the opportunity and this is how I ended up in Dallas. The coach at the University of Dallas in Irving continued to reach out to me even after I had expressed no interest and suddenly, one day, I sent an email to the coach and decided I was going to commit and play softball in Dallas. After my freshman year, I decided I no longer wanted to play softball and needed a backup plan as soon as possible. I moved back to Abilene for the summer my family was confused because I was giving up what I had always wanted. My mom, although told me, “do what makes you happy but you can’t stay here.” Being back home, I know I needed to get a job to save money so I could move and go back to school but I had no idea where. That summer is exactly when I landed my first job in a nail salon and when my “plan B” kicked into gear. That summer, I worked at a nail salon in Abilene and it had just opened the week I moved back so it fit perfectly.
By the end of the summer, I had decided to transfer to North Texas and to continue a marketing degree. During my senior year, I had taken a break from the salon and took on a fashion consultant sales internship, which later led to a full-time position as an E-commerce Director after graduating. After serving two years, I decided to take the leap of faith within my self to working back in the beauty industry to work on the dream of owning my own beauty business. Since I have worked in a salon in uptown Dallas and been able to work on my personal brand and goals. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve put my motivation into action. Recently I have birthed two projects that have been dear to me and a part of my personal goals. Being able to use my skillset and personal business knowledge, this was a no brainer for me. Most recently, I have launched a press-on nail business to not only expand/practice my nail art skill set but also to serve and ship a set of nails to those who also support me in my hometown. Along with all my hobbies, I had started to experiment with digital mediums, including photoshop and adobe sketch. It had become an expression and a type of therapy.
Growing up, I had struggled with depression and anxiety so I would naturally create things that helped me heal through those moments of life. With that in mind, I had birthed the SADGRLUV platform. SADGRLUV is an Instagram page i had curated to share my journey while providing “Healthy motivation for the homegirls” it is a safe space for myself to express positive affirmations and motivation to other women who are also in the mindset to promote self-growth for themselves. Throughout my journey of finding myself and discovering my true passion, I believe putting good into the world is the least I can do. The fact that I have the opportunity to slightly change a person’s day with a daily reminder is what motivates me. I plan to grow both brands beyond what they are now. I believe I have only scratched the surface.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has never been smooth. My biggest struggle had to be finding out what exactly my passion was after graduating. I was really good at my job and had the security of “a big girl job,” although I knew I had an itch for something that I could grow my own brand and be more creative. I felt a bit of an identity crisis with using my degree to its full potential and pursuing what really made me happy. Taking the courage to take the chance on myself was the biggest challenge within myself.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
As a cosmetologist, I specialize in gel nails and nail art. I value providing my customers with a healthy and creative service that they can freely express themselves. With SADGRLUV, it is an open-faced platform, meaning I’m willing to share and create digital art that is raw enough to start the conversations that we may avoid from day today. I am most proud of the ability to create and share my art, may it be a press on nails set, a manicure or a digital daily reminder to unapologetically be yourself.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, the only thing I would have done differently was to confidently believe in myself sooner.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 3255181778
- Email: eliahpaige@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/electrickbeaute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/electrickbeaute-104585210994605/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/sadgrluv/
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