Exploring Life & Business with Destinie Rondon of Destinies Curls

Today we’d like to introduce you to Destinie Rondon. 

Hi Destinie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
So, my story began when I overdid it in my first semester at a community college. I couldn’t keep up with my 5 classes and I was about to lose my financial aid. One of my teachers pulled me to the side and told me “Honey you need to drop out of my class before today, you’re failing and you’ll lose your financial aid benefits if you fail”. I couldn’t stand her class So I left with the QUICKNESS LOL. I ended up finishing my first and last semester in college and never signed up again. I ended up taking 6 months off and saving whatever pennies I was making working at Arby’s to go to beauty school. I wanted to do nails and after a few school tours, I realized I couldn’t find a nail school. So, I decided to invest into the best cosmetology education I can. I signed up for Paul Mitchell the school Orlando, and fully fell in love with doing hair. Once I graduated, I got my first part-time job helping a family friend who had a salon and worked alone. She was pregnant and couldn’t do all chemical treatments so that’s where I learned how to do keratin treatments and Brazilian blowouts. Soon I was back on the road looking for my next job. 

I landed an assistant job with a color specialist and I was so happy! I ended up working less than part-time at Arby’s and went full-time being an assistant for about 8 months. During those 8 months, I fell out of love with the industry. It was really hard for me to retain a clientele and I was struggling financially. I couldn’t be an assistant anymore & at the time Devacurl started to blow up. I wanted to take the classes but couldn’t afford it. So, I got a job at SuperCuts and went through their academy and learned how to cut men’s hair. I worked there for 6 months and saved all my tips for the devacurl class. At this point I was ready to give up, paying for this class was my last resort to trying to be in the hair industry. I FINALLY got the chance to attend a devacurl class in Venice Beach! So, I signed up and got my Devacurl certification and was ready to take the next step in my career. 

Unfortunately, at the time lost everything I owned in hurricane Irma due to a flood in my house and I had to move. During that crazy season, I got offered an assistant manager position at a beauty supply that only sold to licensed professionals! I decided to take that opportunity and that’s where my career began to take off. I met so many beautiful people and salon owners who inspired me to be great. Then by coincidence, I met a curly hair specialist who was one of my top buyers in the store. I was at first a little intimidated to ask questions about her salon, only because I didn’t want to step on toes. So, one day I decided to ask her how’s business going and she said “ugh it’s going I’m having a hard time looking for an assistant”. I couldn’t help but say “I just took the devacurl class” & immediately she asked me to come by her salon and have a chat. 

It was my first time showing my curly portfolio. I have been building my portfolio traveling around doing house calls for chump change for years now. So, I finally got to show her everything. I ended up working with her for almost a year and got most of my curly training with her. So of course, things change and I had to move forward. At this point I told my mom I’m exhausted I don’t know what to do anymore. So, she encouraged me to rent a chair. I rented my first chair from a lady I knew at a daily price!!! I worked with her for a year and a half!!! In my time working with her I built up a very decent clientele doing ONLY CURLS!!! I finally was able to find my niche in the hair industry, so I started to advertise color. Next thing I knew, I was one of the few curl specialist who actually did color on curls in the Orlando area. So, I started to research color techniques. I remember all the late nights going down the rabbit hole of color. (I still do to this day. This industry is always changing.) Next thing I knew, I was working almost 80-hour weeks with my full-time job and building my clientele. I was exhausted but I was also manifesting my goals!!! So, I started to speak into existence me getting my own salon suite. I soon got offered an opportunity to rent a room from the curl specialist whom trained me! So, I took the opportunity to check out the new salon and loved it!!! As soon as I moved in… COVID-19 hit. In Florida, we were forced to shut down. We were shut down for 3 months and I got furloughed from my full-time job. Once we were able to open, I immediately started taking clients again. After a month of being opened my full-time job demanded me to start working and I couldn’t. I have appointments already booked. The job insisted I reschedule all my books but didn’t want me to work full-time hours. So, I ended up taking my leap of faith and finally investing my full attention to my small business. I couldn’t be any more happier with that decision. Despite all the negative comments and opinions. I kept my head high and worked my tail off. Fast forward to 2021, my small business was thriving and I was finally achieving all my goals. Then my mom unexpectedly got sick and passed away. If you know me my mom was my best friend. She was my number one cheerleader. She pushed me to do everything I was scared to do. She understood me. My soul left earth and I was stuck in a cloud. During that time, I had to find the strength to keep going with my business. I had to find a new workspace. I wasn’t mentally ready. I was blessed with some information about a build-out suite from one of my dearest clients. Here I am 2022 with a small storefront. I now own my own Curly hair salon in Lake Mary FL, specializing in curl-by-curl cuts, and Curly hair color. I teach my clients how to embrace and manage their natural hair. My goal is for anyone who walks in the doors of my salon, to feel at peace, comfortable, relaxed, loved, and beautiful. 

Alright, 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?
The biggest struggles I’ve encountered is being consistent. It’s really hard to be consistent when you don’t see any progress. I still struggle till this day with consistency. However, always push through. Hold on the bigger picture. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Destinies Curls is a small curly hair salon based in Lake Mary FL. I am a curly hair specialist known for styling, educating and coloring natural curls. I teach clients how to style and identify their natural curly hair and embrace what they are born with. I do curl by curl haircuts. Meaning I cut the curls to the shape of everyone’s head. Literally, curl by curl! All cuts are done on dry, styled hair in its most natural state. I also walk you through a step-by-step styling process and give you product recommendations. I also do hand-painted highlights. What makes my art different is I love a blended look. Also, to look perfectly imperfect!!! I am a self-taught color specialist. What I mean by self-taught, is I’ve done extensive research on my free time comparing MANY color techniques in the industry and learning how to apply it to the curly hair textures without looking chunky. I also love doing fantasy hair colors such as purple, pinks, blues, greens, etc. My brand offers many options tailored to every individuals preferred results. (Budget-friendly, best of the best, organic, and affordable) My goal is to make you all feel like the best version of yourself when leaving my chair and mastering your curl type! 

Any big plans?
For my brand, I am planning on some cool Destinies Curls merchandise. I am researching options and ingredients for a product line. I am also wanting to provide curly hair education for hairdressers in the industry and expand my brand. 

Pricing:

• Curly cuts range between $120-$145 depending on curl type.
• Hand Painted Highlights start at $350.
• Kids curly cuts & styling $105
• Men’s curly cut & styling $105
• Dry cuts $55

Contact Info:

• Email: Destinies.curls@gmail.com
• Website: https://destiniescurls.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: @Destinies_curls
• Facebook: Destinies Curls