Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Guevara.
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’ve been in this industry for about 10 years and when I chose this career, I really had no idea how it would go. When I started beauty school, I didn’t get positive feedback but I had seen other hairstylist thriving in this industry and that’s what inspired me to keep going. I tried out college for about half a semester & quickly decided it wasn’t for me. I knew I wanted a career in a field where I could authentically be myself, be my own boss & have the freedom to create & manage myself. To this day, it’s a decision I never regret. This entire journey is a learning process, from when you’re in school, to taking your first client, graduating, testing, the list goes on and on. Even now as a Salon owner and a stylist, I feel that I’m constantly learning new ways to grow within myself and in this industry as well. When I graduated from beauty school it was a little scary because when you leave school, you’re pretty much on your own to figure things out. You have to be the one to keep yourself motivated to keep going. During my first year, I didn’t have clientele, I didn’t know how to do too many services & I was pretty much clueless when it came to building my brand. I always heard from people around me that a lot of stylists never really stick with it because of the discouragement that comes from all the “not knowing what to do” so early on, I decided that I wasn’t going to be one of these people. I stuck it out & within my first year and a half, I went from a commission salon to renting my own suite.
Over the years I rented suites & booth rented. Then 2020 came around & for the first time in my life I was forced not to work. I believe we were out of work for about 3 months & during this time I became very depressed. I was upset because for the first time I was unable to do what I loved. At the time I remember having all that time to think & the same questions kept coming up. “What is my next move?” “How do I find a way to help others who felt lost like me?” “How do I create something new?”
Then one day when I was laying there asking myself all of these questions, one of my best friends texted me & said “hey, what do you think about us opening a salon?” & I immediately knew she had the answer to my questions. We were in the middle of a pandemic & decided on opening a salon which was scary but I realized later that it was the best decision we could have made.
We’ve been open since May this year & in just a few months our salon is almost fully staffed & growing. A big part of the salon’s mission is to be a home. A creative space to build your business, brand & learn from others as well. I always felt like when I worked at other salons that my personal brand was pushed to the side & I never really had the chance to build myself or my business until recently. At The Studio DFW, I want everyone that comes & works with us to feel that they have the freedom to run their personal business as the see fit. We also help each other when needed & do our best to teach our assistants as much as possible. The environment is everything I could have dreamed of and I have everyone at the shop to thank for that along with my business partner Rose. These ladies are the reason I keep pushing even on the days that I feel like my energy isn’t where it needs to be. These ladies help make me center my focus exactly where it needs to be & I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say the greatest obstacle during this entire journey was not knowing who to turn to when I needed help, it can feel very discouraging but I did quickly realize that I would have to do my best to figure it out. I would search Instagram or google to try and find someone who was in my industry. I feel so many stylist feel this way unless you personally know someone in the industry you can turn to. Also, I feel that the other challenges have more to do with making sure you’re taking care of yourself along with your business. When we begin in this industry, I feel a lot of us are “Yes” people, we say “yes” to staying late, we say “yes” to a lower pricing, we say “yes” to coming in on our days off & doing all of these things can result in burn out. In the beginning, these things are normal because we are trying our best to build our clientele but we also have to remember that we’re only people and need our rest too. So, my advice to new stylists or stylists that still do this is to take time for yourself & create healthy boundaries, you want to make sure you’re at your best to preform your best.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Studio DFW?
Our salon is a home for independent stylists to have complete freedom to run their own business the best way they see fit. We also created the salon to have an open & welcoming environment for our clients as well. We have an open concept salon where we encourage all the stylists to feel comfortable expressing themselves thru their art & work as well. We are honored to have the stylist we currently have in the salon they are the main reason that we are able to create the environment that we currently have.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I would say most people are surprised at all my other activities outside of the salon. When I first started my hairstylist journey, I also began a health journey as well. My life was very unbalanced & I became overweight & was not living the healthiest lifestyle. This business gave my life the stability that I always needed & I became more aware of how much I had to care for myself as well to become a better version of myself. I lost about 125 pounds all on my own and my healthy lifestyle is something that is always a growing process as well. I fit in my gym schedule to work with my work schedule so that way I still have balance between my work along with my personal life as well. People always seemed surprised when I tell them about my fitness journey because they don’t see how I have the time to do it but I found it is also a great way for me to relieve stress and enjoy time on my own which I feel everyone needs in order to center their focus.
Contact Info:
- Email: samantha.guevara93@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestudiodfw_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestudiodfw/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-studio-dfw-fort-worth
Image Credits
Esmeralda Lopez
