Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmin Diaz.
Hi Jasmin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been creative! Even from a young age, I had a love for music, arts, theatre, beauty, and design. After high school, I felt such a pull in so many different directions, which was evident in my college career. I tried every major, from psychology to business administration to elementary education, and eventually, I ended up taking a year off to find my footing a bit more. I found myself back in Central Florida in that time, after living in Pennsylvania for a few years. When I came back, I discovered I was only a few minutes from the Aveda Institute in Orlando and decided that the things that never ended up working for me in my college career were all things the beauty industry was offering.
I joined the cosmetology program at the Aveda Institute in 2016 and became a licensed stylist in 2017. I started in the salon about halfway through my program and was so fortunate to be able to assist incredibly talented stylists while simultaneously starting to take clients at the institute. After graduating in September, I was headstrong and determined to get out on the floor and started taking my first clients in October of 2017. I was arguably inexperienced and naive to the industry (seeing as usually, new graduates assist anywhere between 1-2 years minimum), but thankfully my bosses believed in me and allowed me to start growing in my craft almost immediately. Since then, I’ve continued to work in high-end salons in the Orlando area and have been incredibly fortunate to have learned from some of the best stylists in the industry. I definitely could not be where I am today without the people who were willing to invest in me and educate me!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. When I moved back to Orlando, I was on my own. The program I enrolled in was three 11-hour days a week, and I had just resigned from a full-time management position to be able to complete the program. My income was completely turned upside-down and honestly didn’t stabilize for the next few years. It was a huge sacrifice for me to be able to do what I loved. The thing no one really tells you when you join this industry is that your income as a new stylist/assistant is little to none. I was making minimum wage and working 3-4 days a week outside of my three day program. It was truly the hardest year (at least) of my life physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, etc. My relationships outside of work and the school suffered a lot. I easily could have taken a job that paid more and allowed me to have more freedom, but I knew the information and the experience I was gaining from the salon would eventually be more valuable to me, and it was. I was obligated 6-7 days a week for a year and ended up working six days a week for another year and a half to financially stabilize myself after graduating and starting to build my clientele.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In the salon, I specialize in brunettes, specifically lived-in and low maintenance colors, blonding/transformational services, and precision/texture cuts. As a brunette, I felt it was so hard to find stylists who would invest the time in getting brunettes to their hair goals without the promise of several sessions. When I started in the industry, the idea of multi-hour services equated to inexperience and/or loss of money. For me now, multi-hour services mean putting in the work to get my clients their dream color in a single day and ensuring it blends seamlessly to last them for six months to a year. Coming back from the shut down last year was such an eye-opener for me as to how important these types of services are, and I do think the longevity and customization of my services is what sets me apart from others in this industry. Not only do I enjoy hair, but I love the science behind it and truly cater every single service to the head of hair that is in front of me. I think I’m honest in what my strengths and weaknesses are with my clients and strive to achieve near perfection for them, whether that’s through me or someone else who specializes in their hair goals.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think setting boundaries, personally, has been a big part of my success in this industry. The ability to say “no,” as a woman truly has to be one of the most powerful things – especially in a self-employed aspect. As an independent contractor, I find there to be this expectation of women to have to take every opportunity, small or large, to rise to success. Truthfully, I’ve found it to be the opposite in most cases. I think the ability to decide what you will and won’t tolerate, in business and personal settings, teaches others how to they are able to treat you. When you set boundaries, you know your clients respect you and truly value what you have to offer. Saying “no” for me looks like: not being a slave to my phone on my days off, not allowing my clients to direct me during hair services, not taking clients in exchange for exposure, respecting my own policies for tardiness, cancellations, and no-shows, and not undervaluing my product/service to accommodate for someone else’s budget. Setting boundaries also helps keep my job from becoming “work”, so I’m able to give 110% to my clients and still have fun with it!
Contact Info:
- Email: jasminrdiaz@gmail.com
- Instagram: @beautyxjasmin
Image Credits
Amalie Orange
