Cosmetologist Yare Urbina always wanted to be her own boss. She says the pandemic finally gave her that opportunity.
ORLANDO, Fla. - In March, Yare Urbina went to work like normal. She got the kids ready for school in the morning and headed out the door to her job as a cosmetologist at a large resort spa in Orlando. However, this particular day was anything but normal. Not only was Yare finding out that she was being furloughed from her job, but she learned the spa was closing its doors indefinitely. There was no estimate on when she would be recalled back to her position.
This was the reality for so many spa professionals across the country. As the nation became uncomfortable with the idea of being in close proximity to others, people stopped booking spa treatments such as massages and haircuts. Yare worked in the resort spa for five years doing hair, makeup, nails, and facials before the pandemic forced the business owners to make the tough decision to close their spa for the unforeseeable future.
“The morning I was furloughed it felt like my world fell apart,” Yare said. “I felt lost [and] stressed because I have three children that depend on me. That day I remember I went home and a million things passed through my head [including] how was I going to keep up with bills?”
After attending school in Daytona Beach in 2008 and receiving her cosmetology license from the International Academy of Hair Design, she spent years working to gain experience in her field. When everything fell apart, Yare knew that she would need to capitalize on her skills and customer base to branch out from the corporate world and build her own brand.
“Before I went to cosmetology school I wanted to build my own company. At some point in life all of those dreams and goals vanished as life went by,” Yare explained. “Covid for most of us put us at a place of either staying at the same place or moving forward and evolving. I decided to take back my dreams and start my new business, keep getting continuing education classes, and trying other things I had not done before in my career.”
Within days after being furloughed, a local client who had an appointment to see Yare learned of her furlough and decided she would reach out to her personally for an alternative solution to keeping her booking. They both had a need, Yare needed an income, and the customer had a tight window to get her hair done. They agreed on a price, and off Yare went to do her first service since the departure from her job, not knowing this would be the start of a new venture.
“I get chills thinking about that day,” Yare said.
She wowed her client and walked away from that appointment with the confidence, vision, and excitement about the possibility to work for herself.
"Seeing a smile at the end of a service, on my clients face is the best feeling”
With her family in mind, Yare pushed herself to do things she previously could have only imagined, and officially opened yareBeauty, an independent, personalized salon experience focused on beauty care services. In only a short period of time, Yare registered her business and built out her social media.
“This brand represents me and how I transform my client's hair, skin, and life. Seeing a smile at the end of a service, on my clients face is the best feeling,” Yare said.
During her furlough period, she even became a certified permanent makeup artist. She did her training with The Brow Effect in Miami, the number one rated eye-brow salon according to Google, and shortly after obtained a tattoo artist license with the Florida Health Department.
Now her list of services includes ombré powder brows, a popular technique for women to create a semi-permanent eyebrow tattoo. Soon after completing her training, the state of Florida moved into phase three of the state's reopening plan. She had the green light to flourish. Yare decided she was ready to rent a room at iLashFashion in Kissimmee, owned by a friend and former co-worker with a similar story.
“Just like a lot of us, Natalia (the owner of iLashionFashion) decided to open up her own business for lashes and invited me to rent a room from her to do brow and facial services,” Yare explained.
Here she could be her own boss and continue to offer ombre powder brow services and facials while being empowered to set her own standards, schedule, and prices.
In addition, she can use and sell the quality products that she personally endorses and believes in, including the well trending Monat brand known for their natural-based line that they create, and a culture centered around community and giving back.
With the studio now open, Yare has the ability to finally feel as though she's truly built something of her own and can move on. The future is bright and for the first time, is finally in her hands.
She's built initially what started as her back up plan, into what might just be the foundation for the rest of her professional life. Most importantly, she’s shown her three young children (two boys and a girl), how a woman and mother can persevere during the hardest times, as well as the importance of education and training.
Yare took risks, got inspired, and had the courage to invest in herself. A once gloomy outlook turned bright, as she rediscovered her dreams and has begun to turn them into reality.
Follow Yare and book your appointments at www.yarebeauty.com, on Instagram @yarebeauty, or on Facebook yare8beauty
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